Florida Atlantic Owls
Encyclopedia
The Florida Atlantic Owls are the athletics teams of Florida Atlantic University
. The Owls participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association
's Division I as members of the Sun Belt Conference
.
Despite its status as a mid-major
university, Florida Atlantic has attracted high profile coaches for various sports, including Howard Schnellenberger
for football
and Mike Jarvis
for basketball
. Former coaches include Matt Doherty, Rex Walters
, and Sidney Green. The Director of Athletics is Craig Angelos.
's athletic teams is the burrowing owl
. The presence of this bird has been popular on the land of the university, even preceding the construction of FAU. At the dedication ceremony in 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson
even made notice and reference to the popular presence of the bird. In 1971, the National Audubon Society
designated FAU's land an official owl sanctuary, honoring the tradition of the bird's presence and moving to protect the birds from attempts to expand construction of the university. Owls are still dominant in their presence on the Boca Raton campus to this day. With the addition of intercollegiate athletics in the mid-1980s, the university used the bird as its mascot - an animal that denotes wisdom, determination and cognizance.
and the beach
. (FAU is a little over 2 miles west of the beach.) FAU Blue Wave baseball was popular with the community, players, coaches and students, so it was not considered a problem to have athletic teams called the "Owls" and the baseball program called "The Blue Wave." It was argued by proponents of maintaining "The Blue Wave" nickname that the university had never officially dedicated itself a mascot and that the name "The Blue Wave" was already considered tradition around the baseball program.
With the success of its football program on the Division I level, the university's administration and athletics department worked together to completely revamp the "branding" of the school - that is, design completely new logos for the university, the university seal and the athletics department, thus forming a unified mark to represent the school on a national level. In 2004, administration allowed students to vote online as to whether the athletics teams at FAU should be called "Owls" or "The Blue Wave." "Owls" won in a landslide victory and administration moved forward with branding the school's athletic teams "Florida Atlantic University Owls," including the baseball team. Students also decided the school colors should be red
and blue
- eliminating a third color that had been previously used, yellow
. Though the specific type of owl that dominates the campus is a burrowing owl
, the university decided to be called the Owls (or Fighting Owls). The branding initiative began in Fall 2004 and was completed in Spring 2005. The logo of the FAU Owl head and the FAU Owl body are the current logos of the FAU athletics program - both results of the branding initiative.
Women's sports
^Not considered a varsity sport by the NCAA.
. Their first game was a 40–7 loss against Slippery Rock University on September 1, 2001. After just four seasons of existence, the Owls jumped from Division I-AA (now FCS) competition to Division I-A (now FBS), joining the Sun Belt Conference. Through the 2008 season, after eight years of competing in football, the Owls are 47–47 overall. In 2007 they competed in their first bowl game, the New Orleans Bowl
, where they defeated the Memphis Tigers
44–27. In 2008, the Owls competed in their second straight bowl game, the Motor City Bowl
, where they defeated the Central Michigan Chippewas
by a score of 24–21.
The Owls opened their new on-campus FAU Stadium (name subject to change) on October 15, 2011 against Western Kentucky
.
The Owls' natural rival are the Florida International Golden Panthers
, who are located just 50 miles from Florida Atlantic and also compete in the Sun Belt Conference. The rivals meet annually in a conference match up named the Shula Bowl
, after legendary Miami Dolphins
coach Don Shula
. The first Shula Bowl was played in 2002 at the Miami Dolphins' Pro Player Stadium (now Sun Life Stadium), and has since alternated between FAU at Sun Life Stadium and FIU Stadium
annually; the first game in the series at the Owls' new stadium is tentatively set for 2012. FAU leads the all-time series eight games to two.
, legend and most successful coach in school history, was the Florida Atlantic head baseball coach from 1988 through 2008. By many accounts, Cooney built a mid-major dynasty in the baseball world. University of Cincinnati
head coach Brian Cleary called FAU "one of the country's best baseball programs," and added, "it's been an incredibly successful program over the last several years."
The Owls baseball team plays its home games at FAU Baseball Stadium
.
Currently the Owls are coached by long-time assistant for Cooney, John McCormack. McCormack was an assistant under Cooney at FAU for 18 seasons.
30 years of Florida Atlantic baseball:
Coach Cooney won his 800th career game on March 15, 2006, when FAU played Columbia
. At FAU, Cooney has won more than 680 games.
in the 2006-2007 season, and has shown signs of maturing into a national competitor. The Owls competed on the Division II level from 1988 to 1993 before joining the Atlantic Sun Conference
when moving to Division I in the 1993–1994 season.
The Owls were coached by Rex Walters
in 2006–2008, a former standout at Kansas
. Walters played a major role in the Jayhawks'
run to the Final Four
in 1993. Coach Walters became the 6th head coach of FAU basketball, after Matt Doherty left the university a year into his tenure to coach at SMU
.
The Owls are currently coached by Mike Jarvis
, who was hired in May 2008.
The Owls play at FAU Arena, commonly referred to as The Burrow.
was born in 2002, when FIU's newly formed football program signed on to an annual matchup with FAU, alternating between home fields. The game was come to be called the Shula Bowl
. All-time, FAU leads the football series 8–2. On the basketball court, FIU has been on the better part of the rivalry, leading the all-time series 8–11. In the 2006–07 season, FAU swept the season series (3 games).
has been a long-time rival of FAU, as both schools participated in the Atlantic Sun Conference
and now both moved to the Sun Belt Conference
. Both schools' baseball teams constantly competed as top programs in the Atlantic Sun, and currently both maintain that elite status in Sun Belt baseball competition. Along with baseball, football and basketball also share in the rivalry. Both programs' football teams cracked the surface as Division I-A competitors around the same time. (FAU created a team in 2001 and joined D-IA in 2004; Troy moved from Division I-AA to D-IA in 2003.) Although FAU football has seen unprecedented success at such a rapid pace against Sun Belt compeititon, Troy had beaten FAU in all 3 of their football meetings, inciting the rivalry. However in 2007, FAU defeated Troy in the final game of the season, winning the Sun Belt Conference, and earning a spot in the New Orleans Bowl, the fastest ascent to a bowl game in D-IA history.
Owsley the Owl is the official mascot of Florida Atlantic.
Fight song: The Florida Atlantic University fight song
was created in 2004, in response to the university's growing football program. FAU fielded its first marching band
in the 2002 football season, collectively called the Florida Atlantic Marching Owls
. Lyrics of the FAU fight song:
and basketball
can be heard locally (the "tri-county area" of South Florida - Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade counties) on ESPN
760 AM on the radio and on the station's webstream http://www.espn760.com. The voice of Owls football is part-time ESPN's Ken LaVicka who shares commentary duties for Owls basketball with Palm Beach radio sportscaster Evan Cohen. All football and basketball games can be heard live on FAU's website, as well.
As a part of the Sun Belt Conference
, occasional football and basketball games are broadcasted by ESPN Plus
, the pay-per-view service from ESPN. These games are available through the ESPN GamePlan and ESPN Full Court premium packages. There is also one football game and one basketball game aired on ESPNU
per season. The 2006 seasons saw FAU football play Clemson
and FAU basketball play North Carolina on ESPNU.
Florida Atlantic University inducted its inaugural class of members into their Hall of Fame in 2006.
Inaugural Class of 2006:
Florida Atlantic University
Florida Atlantic University, also referred to as FAU or Florida Atlantic, is a public, coeducational, research university located in , United States. The university has six satellite campuses located in the Florida cities of Dania Beach, Davie, Fort Lauderdale, Jupiter, Port St. Lucie, and in Fort...
. The Owls participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
's Division I as members of the Sun Belt Conference
Sun Belt Conference
The Sun Belt Conference is a college athletic conference that has been affiliated with the NCAA's Division I since 1976. Its football teams participate in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , the higher of two levels of Division I football competition . The Sun Belt has member institutions...
.
Despite its status as a mid-major
Mid-major
Mid-major is a term used in American Division I college sports, to refer to athletic conferences that are not among the major six conferences...
university, Florida Atlantic has attracted high profile coaches for various sports, including Howard Schnellenberger
Howard Schnellenberger
Howard Schnellenberger is an American football coach at both the professional and college level. He is currently in his final season as head coach of Florida Atlantic University, having announced his retirement on August 11, 2011, effective at the end of the 2011 season...
for football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
and Mike Jarvis
Mike Jarvis
Mike Jarvis is an American college basketball coach and the current head men's basketball coach at Florida Atlantic University. He has coached at Boston University, George Washington University and St. John's University. He also has worked as a commentator for college basketball games on ESPN...
for basketball
College basketball
College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
. Former coaches include Matt Doherty, Rex Walters
Rex Walters
-External links:...
, and Sidney Green. The Director of Athletics is Craig Angelos.
The Owls
The logo and mascot of Florida Atlantic UniversityFlorida Atlantic University
Florida Atlantic University, also referred to as FAU or Florida Atlantic, is a public, coeducational, research university located in , United States. The university has six satellite campuses located in the Florida cities of Dania Beach, Davie, Fort Lauderdale, Jupiter, Port St. Lucie, and in Fort...
's athletic teams is the burrowing owl
Burrowing Owl
The Burrowing Owl is a tiny but long-legged owl found throughout open landscapes of North and South America. Burrowing Owls can be found in grasslands, rangelands, agricultural areas, deserts, or any other open dry area with low vegetation. They nest and roost in burrows, such as those excavated...
. The presence of this bird has been popular on the land of the university, even preceding the construction of FAU. At the dedication ceremony in 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
even made notice and reference to the popular presence of the bird. In 1971, the National Audubon Society
National Audubon Society
The National Audubon Society is an American non-profit environmental organization dedicated to conservation. Incorporated in 1905, Audubon is one of the oldest of such organizations in the world and uses science, education and grassroots advocacy to advance its conservation mission...
designated FAU's land an official owl sanctuary, honoring the tradition of the bird's presence and moving to protect the birds from attempts to expand construction of the university. Owls are still dominant in their presence on the Boca Raton campus to this day. With the addition of intercollegiate athletics in the mid-1980s, the university used the bird as its mascot - an animal that denotes wisdom, determination and cognizance.
"The Blue Wave"
FAU's intercollegiate baseball team, however, was commonly referred to as "The Blue Wave", signifying the university's close proximity to the Atlantic OceanAtlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
and the beach
Beach
A beach is a geological landform along the shoreline of an ocean, sea, lake or river. It usually consists of loose particles which are often composed of rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles or cobblestones...
. (FAU is a little over 2 miles west of the beach.) FAU Blue Wave baseball was popular with the community, players, coaches and students, so it was not considered a problem to have athletic teams called the "Owls" and the baseball program called "The Blue Wave." It was argued by proponents of maintaining "The Blue Wave" nickname that the university had never officially dedicated itself a mascot and that the name "The Blue Wave" was already considered tradition around the baseball program.
With the success of its football program on the Division I level, the university's administration and athletics department worked together to completely revamp the "branding" of the school - that is, design completely new logos for the university, the university seal and the athletics department, thus forming a unified mark to represent the school on a national level. In 2004, administration allowed students to vote online as to whether the athletics teams at FAU should be called "Owls" or "The Blue Wave." "Owls" won in a landslide victory and administration moved forward with branding the school's athletic teams "Florida Atlantic University Owls," including the baseball team. Students also decided the school colors should be red
Red
Red is any of a number of similar colors evoked by light consisting predominantly of the longest wavelengths of light discernible by the human eye, in the wavelength range of roughly 630–740 nm. Longer wavelengths than this are called infrared , and cannot be seen by the naked eye...
and blue
Blue
Blue is a colour, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 440–490 nm. It is considered one of the additive primary colours. On the HSV Colour Wheel, the complement of blue is yellow; that is, a colour corresponding to an equal...
- eliminating a third color that had been previously used, yellow
Yellow
Yellow is the color evoked by light that stimulates both the L and M cone cells of the retina about equally, with no significant stimulation of the S cone cells. Light with a wavelength of 570–590 nm is yellow, as is light with a suitable mixture of red and green...
. Though the specific type of owl that dominates the campus is a burrowing owl
Burrowing Owl
The Burrowing Owl is a tiny but long-legged owl found throughout open landscapes of North and South America. Burrowing Owls can be found in grasslands, rangelands, agricultural areas, deserts, or any other open dry area with low vegetation. They nest and roost in burrows, such as those excavated...
, the university decided to be called the Owls (or Fighting Owls). The branding initiative began in Fall 2004 and was completed in Spring 2005. The logo of the FAU Owl head and the FAU Owl body are the current logos of the FAU athletics program - both results of the branding initiative.
Organization
Men's sports- BaseballCollege baseballCollege baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. Compared to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a less significant contribution to cultivating professional players, as the minor leagues primarily...
- BasketballCollege basketballCollege basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
- Cross Country RunningCross country runningCross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
- FootballCollege footballCollege football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
- GolfGolfGolf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
- SoccerCollege soccerCollege soccer is a term used to describe association football played by teams who are operated by colleges and universities as opposed to a professional league operated for exclusively financial purposes...
- SwimmingSwimming (sport)Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
- TennisTennisTennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
Women's sports
- BasketballCollege basketballCollege basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
- CheerCheerleadingCheerleading is a physical activity, sometimes a competitive sport, based on organized routines, usually ranging from one to three minutes, which contain the components of tumbling, dance, jumps, cheers, and stunting to direct spectators of events to cheer on sports teams at games or to participate...
^ - Cross Country RunningCross country runningCross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
- Dance^
- GolfGolfGolf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
- SoccerCollege soccerCollege soccer is a term used to describe association football played by teams who are operated by colleges and universities as opposed to a professional league operated for exclusively financial purposes...
- SoftballSoftballSoftball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
- SwimmingSwimming (sport)Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
- TennisTennisTennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
- Indoor and Outdoor Track and fieldTrack and fieldTrack and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
- VolleyballVolleyballVolleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
^Not considered a varsity sport by the NCAA.
Football
Florida Atlantic University fielded its first football team in 2001, coached by legendary Miami and Louisville coach Howard SchnellenbergerHoward Schnellenberger
Howard Schnellenberger is an American football coach at both the professional and college level. He is currently in his final season as head coach of Florida Atlantic University, having announced his retirement on August 11, 2011, effective at the end of the 2011 season...
. Their first game was a 40–7 loss against Slippery Rock University on September 1, 2001. After just four seasons of existence, the Owls jumped from Division I-AA (now FCS) competition to Division I-A (now FBS), joining the Sun Belt Conference. Through the 2008 season, after eight years of competing in football, the Owls are 47–47 overall. In 2007 they competed in their first bowl game, the New Orleans Bowl
New Orleans Bowl
The New Orleans Bowl is a post-season college football bowl game certified by the NCAA that has been played annually at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana since 2001. The game was sponsored by Wyndham Hotels & Resorts from 2002 to 2004 and was officially called the Wyndham New...
, where they defeated the Memphis Tigers
Memphis Tigers
The Memphis Tigers represent the University of Memphis in Division I of the NCAA. They are members of C-USA and currently feature nine women's sports and nine men's sports...
44–27. In 2008, the Owls competed in their second straight bowl game, the Motor City Bowl
Motor City Bowl
The Little Caesars Pizza Bowl is a post-season college football bowl game certified by the NCAA that has been played annually since 1997. The first five games were played at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan. Starting in 2002, the game was moved to 65,000-seat Ford Field in downtown...
, where they defeated the Central Michigan Chippewas
Central Michigan Chippewas
The Central Michigan Chippewas are the sixteen men's and women's athletics teams of Central Michigan University. CMU was a member of the Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference from 1950-1970. The school's athletics programs are affiliated with the NCAA and compete in the Mid-American...
by a score of 24–21.
The Owls opened their new on-campus FAU Stadium (name subject to change) on October 15, 2011 against Western Kentucky
2011 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team
The 2011 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team represents Western Kentucky University in the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Hilltoppers will be led by 2nd year head coach Willie Taggart and will play their home games at Houchens Industries – L. T. Smith Stadium. They are members...
.
The Owls' natural rival are the Florida International Golden Panthers
FIU Golden Panthers football
The FIU Golden Panthers football team represent Florida International University in Miami, Florida in the sport of college football. The FIU Panthers are a mid-major NCAA FBS college football team in the Sun Belt Conference led by Mario Cristobal and play at the on-campus FIU Stadium.-History:On...
, who are located just 50 miles from Florida Atlantic and also compete in the Sun Belt Conference. The rivals meet annually in a conference match up named the Shula Bowl
Shula Bowl
The Shula Bowl is an annual college football rivalry game between the Florida Atlantic University Owls and the Florida International University Golden Panthers. The game's winner receives a traveling trophy, the "Don Shula Award" for one year. The current winner is FIU, winning 41-7 on 12 November...
, after legendary Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
coach Don Shula
Don Shula
Donald Francis "Don" Shula is a former American football cornerback and coach.He is best known as coach of the Miami Dolphins, the team he led to two Super Bowl victories, and to the National Football League's only perfect season. Shula was named 1993 Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated....
. The first Shula Bowl was played in 2002 at the Miami Dolphins' Pro Player Stadium (now Sun Life Stadium), and has since alternated between FAU at Sun Life Stadium and FIU Stadium
FIU Stadium
FIU Stadium, popularly known as "The Cage", is the on-campus American football stadium of Florida International University in Miami, Florida, United States. It is the home field of the FIU Golden Panthers football team. The stadium opened in 1995, replacing nearby Tamiami Field, which was used for...
annually; the first game in the series at the Owls' new stadium is tentatively set for 2012. FAU leads the all-time series eight games to two.
Baseball
Florida Atlantic Baseball fielded its first squad in 1981. Since inception FAU has had only three coaches. Kevin CooneyKevin Cooney
Kevin Cooney is an American film and television actor. He has appeared in the films Legally Blonde, Austin Powers in Goldmember, Con Air and many others, and the television series Dharma & Greg, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and others.-External links:...
, legend and most successful coach in school history, was the Florida Atlantic head baseball coach from 1988 through 2008. By many accounts, Cooney built a mid-major dynasty in the baseball world. University of Cincinnati
University of Cincinnati
The University of Cincinnati is a comprehensive public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio, and a part of the University System of Ohio....
head coach Brian Cleary called FAU "one of the country's best baseball programs," and added, "it's been an incredibly successful program over the last several years."
The Owls baseball team plays its home games at FAU Baseball Stadium
FAU Baseball Stadium
FAU Baseball Stadium is a baseball venue located in Boca Raton, Florida, USA. It has been home to the Florida Atlantic Owls college baseball team of the Division I Sun Belt Conference since 1991...
.
Currently the Owls are coached by long-time assistant for Cooney, John McCormack. McCormack was an assistant under Cooney at FAU for 18 seasons.
30 years of Florida Atlantic baseball:
- 9 RegionalsNCAA Division I Baseball ChampionshipThe NCAA Division I Baseball Championship tournament is held each year from May through June and features 64 college baseball teams in the United States, culminating in the College World Series....
(1985, 1993, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2010) - 1 Super RegionalNCAA Division I Baseball ChampionshipThe NCAA Division I Baseball Championship tournament is held each year from May through June and features 64 college baseball teams in the United States, culminating in the College World Series....
(2002) - 3 Regular Season Conference Championships (2010, 2003, 1999)
- 1 Conference Tournament Championship (2004)
- NCAA record of 34 consecutive wins (Feb. 19, 1999 - Mar. 16, 1999)
- 290 student-athletes baseball scholarships
- 10 All-AmericaAll-AmericaAn All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
ns - 7 Freshmen All-AmericaAll-AmericaAn All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
ns - 67 players sign professionally
- 4 players reach the majorsMajor League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
Coach Cooney won his 800th career game on March 15, 2006, when FAU played Columbia
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
. At FAU, Cooney has won more than 680 games.
Basketball
FAU basketball began play in 1988 and in its 19+ seasons has experienced limited success, marred with frequent coaching changes. Along with the other FAU athletics teams, basketball entered the Sun Belt ConferenceSun Belt Conference
The Sun Belt Conference is a college athletic conference that has been affiliated with the NCAA's Division I since 1976. Its football teams participate in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , the higher of two levels of Division I football competition . The Sun Belt has member institutions...
in the 2006-2007 season, and has shown signs of maturing into a national competitor. The Owls competed on the Division II level from 1988 to 1993 before joining the Atlantic Sun Conference
Atlantic Sun Conference
The Atlantic Sun Conference is a college athletic conference operating in the Southeastern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I; it does not sponsor football. The conference was established in 1978 as the Trans America Athletic Conference...
when moving to Division I in the 1993–1994 season.
- 12/1/98: FAU played Oklahoma State in Stillwater, OK. The Cowboys were undefeated and ranked in the top 10 of both national polls. FAU shocked the nation and upset OSU 83–81. This is still considered the biggest upset in FAU basketball history.
- 2002 Season: FAU won the Atlantic Sun Conference Championship, defeating Georgia StateGeorgia State UniversityGeorgia State University is a research university in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Founded in 1913, it serves about 30,000 students and is one of the University System of Georgia's four research universities...
76–75 in the Championship Game of the conference tournament. The Owls received a 15-seed in the national tournament2002 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball TournamentThe 2002 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 65 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 12, 2002, and ended with the championship game on April 1 in Atlanta, Georgia...
, but fell short in a bid to upset 2nd-seeded AlabamaUniversity of AlabamaThe University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
.
The Owls were coached by Rex Walters
Rex Walters
-External links:...
in 2006–2008, a former standout at Kansas
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...
. Walters played a major role in the Jayhawks'
Kansas Jayhawks
The sports teams at the University of Kansas are known as the Jayhawks. They are one of three schools in the state of Kansas that participate in NCAA Division I. The Jayhawks are also a member of the Big 12 Conference...
run to the Final Four
1993 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1993 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 18, 1993, and ended with the championship game on April 5 in New Orleans, Louisiana...
in 1993. Coach Walters became the 6th head coach of FAU basketball, after Matt Doherty left the university a year into his tenure to coach at SMU
Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University is a private university in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, SMU operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Taos, New Mexico. SMU is owned by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church...
.
The Owls are currently coached by Mike Jarvis
Mike Jarvis
Mike Jarvis is an American college basketball coach and the current head men's basketball coach at Florida Atlantic University. He has coached at Boston University, George Washington University and St. John's University. He also has worked as a commentator for college basketball games on ESPN...
, who was hired in May 2008.
The Owls play at FAU Arena, commonly referred to as The Burrow.
Softball
In 2007, their first year as a member in the Sun Belt Conference, the FAU women's softball team became Sun Belt Conference champions winning both the Sun Belt regular-season and the Sun Belt tournament title. Florida Atlantic University is only the second Sun Belt champion in league history, knocking off defending champions Louisiana-Lafayette, which had won the first seven Sun Belt titles. http://www.palmbeachpost.com/sports/content/sports/epaper/2007/05/14/a10c_colleges_0514.html Additionally, the Lady Owls were only one of two teams to win their final post season game. http://fausports.cstv.com/sports/w-softbl/spec-rel/051407aac.html Coach Joan Joyce was named the Sun Belt's Coach of the Year after guiding the Owls to the top of the conference. http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/sfl-spstatecol14may14,0,3680494.story?coll=sfla-sports-headlines Prior to joining the Sun Belt Conference, FAU softball had won nine Atlantic Sun Conference titles in the previous 10 years. http://dnj.midsouthnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070513/SPORTS/705130315/1006FIU
The rivalry between FAU and Florida International UniversityFlorida International University
Florida International University is an American public research university in metropolitan Miami, Florida, in the United States, with its main campus in University Park...
was born in 2002, when FIU's newly formed football program signed on to an annual matchup with FAU, alternating between home fields. The game was come to be called the Shula Bowl
Shula Bowl
The Shula Bowl is an annual college football rivalry game between the Florida Atlantic University Owls and the Florida International University Golden Panthers. The game's winner receives a traveling trophy, the "Don Shula Award" for one year. The current winner is FIU, winning 41-7 on 12 November...
. All-time, FAU leads the football series 8–2. On the basketball court, FIU has been on the better part of the rivalry, leading the all-time series 8–11. In the 2006–07 season, FAU swept the season series (3 games).
Troy
Troy UniversityTroy University
Troy University is a public university that is located in Troy, Alabama, United States. It was originally founded in 1887 as Troy Normal School. Its main campus enrollment is 7,194 students. The total enrollment of all Troy University campuses is 29,689...
has been a long-time rival of FAU, as both schools participated in the Atlantic Sun Conference
Atlantic Sun Conference
The Atlantic Sun Conference is a college athletic conference operating in the Southeastern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I; it does not sponsor football. The conference was established in 1978 as the Trans America Athletic Conference...
and now both moved to the Sun Belt Conference
Sun Belt Conference
The Sun Belt Conference is a college athletic conference that has been affiliated with the NCAA's Division I since 1976. Its football teams participate in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , the higher of two levels of Division I football competition . The Sun Belt has member institutions...
. Both schools' baseball teams constantly competed as top programs in the Atlantic Sun, and currently both maintain that elite status in Sun Belt baseball competition. Along with baseball, football and basketball also share in the rivalry. Both programs' football teams cracked the surface as Division I-A competitors around the same time. (FAU created a team in 2001 and joined D-IA in 2004; Troy moved from Division I-AA to D-IA in 2003.) Although FAU football has seen unprecedented success at such a rapid pace against Sun Belt compeititon, Troy had beaten FAU in all 3 of their football meetings, inciting the rivalry. However in 2007, FAU defeated Troy in the final game of the season, winning the Sun Belt Conference, and earning a spot in the New Orleans Bowl, the fastest ascent to a bowl game in D-IA history.
Traditions
Fight song: The Florida Atlantic University fight song
Fight song
A fight song is primarily an American and Canadian sports term, referring to a song associated with a team. In both professional and amateur sports, fight songs are a popular way for fans to cheer for their team...
was created in 2004, in response to the university's growing football program. FAU fielded its first marching band
Marching band
Marching band is a physical activity in which a group of instrumental musicians generally perform outdoors and incorporate some type of marching with their musical performance. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwinds, and percussion instruments...
in the 2002 football season, collectively called the Florida Atlantic Marching Owls
Florida Atlantic Marching Owls
The Florida Atlantic Marching Owls is the marching band at Florida Atlantic University. The band plays for all home football games and regularly plays in area civic and community events. The band was founded in 2002 and literally had only weeks to be put together and ready for the opening game...
. Lyrics of the FAU fight song:
- A growing tradition at football and basketball games is a marching band rendition of the songs "Move AlongMove Along (song)"Move Along" is the title track and second single taken from The All-American Rejects' second studio album of the same name. "Move Along" is the band's most enduring single. The track stayed in the Billboard Hot 100 Top 50 for 39 weeks because of the amount of time it took to surface...
" by The All-American RejectsThe All-American RejectsThe All-American Rejects are an American rock band formed in Stillwater, Oklahoma in 1999. The band consists of lead vocalist and bass guitarist Tyson Ritter, lead guitarist, Nick Wheeler, rhythm guitarist, Mike Kennerty, and drummer Chris Gaylor....
, "Sugar, We're Goin' DownSugar, We're Goin Down"Sugar, We're Goin Down" is a song by American rock band Fall Out Boy, and the lead single from their third album, From Under the Cork Tree . With the music composed by lead vocalist and guitarist Patrick Stump and all lyrics penned by bassist Pete Wentz, the single reached No...
" by Fall Out BoyFall Out BoyFall Out Boy is an American rock band from Wilmette, Illinois, formed in 2001. The band consists of vocalist, guitarist and composer Patrick Stump, bassist and lyricist Pete Wentz, guitarist Joe Trohman, and drummer Andy Hurley. The band released five studio albums from 2003–2008...
and "Time Warp" from the movie The Rocky Horror Picture ShowThe Rocky Horror Picture ShowThe Rocky Horror Picture Show is the 1975 film adaptation of the British rock musical stageplay, The Rocky Horror Show, written by Richard O'Brien. The film is a parody of B-movie, science fiction and horror films of the late 1940s through early 1970s. Director Jim Sharman collaborated on the...
. - During a free-throw attempt by an Owl at home basketball games, the student section holds up both arms and makes Owl Fingers with their fingers (in the form of the traditional OK signA-okAn A-OK is both a saying, derived from okay, and a hand-gesture done by connecting the thumb and forefinger in to a circle , and holding the other fingers straight or relaxed in the air.Unicode symbol U+1F44C represents this gesture....
).http://upressonline.com/2011/10/we-have-spirit-yes-we-do-we-have-spirit%E2%80%A6wait-we-do/ When the shot is made, the students follow with: Stomp, stomp, clap, clap and yell F-A-U! This is quickly followed by a circular motion of the Owl Fingers of the right hand over the head to represent a flying Owl. - At the beginning and end of basketball games, a rap song titled "Represent FAU" is played. The song is rapped by a group that attended the university.
- Owl fans have traditionally worn red to support the athletics teams during rivalry games, made popular by the "Real Fans Wear Red" shirts and the "Bury the Burrow in Red" events (the Burrow is the nickname for FAU Arena). Fans wear FAU Blue or FAU Red for non-rivalry games.
Media
FAU Owls home and road games for footballAmerican football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
and basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
can be heard locally (the "tri-county area" of South Florida - Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade counties) on ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
760 AM on the radio and on the station's webstream http://www.espn760.com. The voice of Owls football is part-time ESPN's Ken LaVicka who shares commentary duties for Owls basketball with Palm Beach radio sportscaster Evan Cohen. All football and basketball games can be heard live on FAU's website, as well.
As a part of the Sun Belt Conference
Sun Belt Conference
The Sun Belt Conference is a college athletic conference that has been affiliated with the NCAA's Division I since 1976. Its football teams participate in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , the higher of two levels of Division I football competition . The Sun Belt has member institutions...
, occasional football and basketball games are broadcasted by ESPN Plus
ESPN PPV
ESPN PPV is the banner for pay-per-view events that ESPN broadcasts, including the out-of-market sports packages ESPN GamePlan and ESPN Full Court . The network was originally launched in 1999 as ESPN Extra and was renamed to ESPN PPV in 2001 .-External links:* *...
, the pay-per-view service from ESPN. These games are available through the ESPN GamePlan and ESPN Full Court premium packages. There is also one football game and one basketball game aired on ESPNU
ESPNU
ESPNU is a television channel that specializes in college sports, and is produced by, affiliated with and owned by parent network ESPN. ESPNU originates out of ESPN Regional Television's ESPNU (often referred to as The U) is a television channel that specializes in college sports, and is produced...
per season. The 2006 seasons saw FAU football play Clemson
Clemson University
Clemson University is an American public, coeducational, land-grant, sea-grant, research university located in Clemson, South Carolina, United States....
and FAU basketball play North Carolina on ESPNU.
Hall of Fame
Inaugural Class of 2006:
- Keith Foley (Baseball, OF)
- Whitney Kraft (Men's Tennis)
- Nikki Myers (Softball, P)
- Steve Traylor (Baseball, Head Coach)
- Noemi Zaharia (Women's Swimming)
- Laurence Bensimon (Women's Swimming)
- Yolanda Griffith (Women's Basketball, F)