Cincinnati Bearcats

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Cincinnati Bearcats
Cincinnati Bearcats athletic logo
University University of Cincinnati
Conference Big East
NCAA Division I
Athletics director Mike Thomas
Location Cincinnati, OH
Varsity teams 18
Football stadium Nippert Stadium
Basketball arena Fifth Third Arena
Baseball stadium Marge Schott Stadium
Other arenas Armory Fieldhouse
Mascot Bearcat
Nickname Bearcats
Fight song
Colors Red and Black

             

Homepage gobearcats.com

The Cincinnati Bearcats are the NCAA athletic teams representing the University of Cincinnati. Since July 1, 2005, the school's athletic teams have been members of the Big East Conference. They were previously members of Conference USA, a conference of which they were a founding member. The creation of Conference USA was the result of a merger between the Great Midwest Conference (of which Cincinnati was a member) and the Metro Conference (whom Cincinnati had previously been a member) in 1995.

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An early version of the UC Bearcats logo, from 1922
An early version of the UC Bearcats logo, from 1922

Cincinnati's oldest football rivalry, begun in 1888, is with Miami University, located in Oxford, Ohio about 40 miles to the northwest. The Victory Bell awarded to the winner of each contest. It is believed to be[citation needed] the third-oldest rivalry in college football after "The Game" played between Harvard and Yale since 1875, and the "The Rivalry" between Lehigh and Lafayette that dates back to 1884. More recently Cincinnati and the University of Louisville also battle for the Keg of Nails annually. This rivalry dates back to 1929.In 2005 when Cincinnati joined the Big East they and the University of Pittsburgh have started the River City Rivalry which is a battle for the River City Rivalry trophy.


In basketball, where the university has had its greatest success in recent years, the Bearcats' chief rival is the Xavier University Musketeers. Xavier is a Jesuit university also located in Cincinnati. The Bearcats and the Muskies meet annually in the popular Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout.

The school also has an intermittent rivalry with Ohio State University in football.[citation needed] However, when the schools' men's basketball teams met in the John Wooden Classic in Indianapolis, Indiana in 2006, it was their first meeting since the 1962 NCAA men's championship game.

While Cincinnati's men's basketball squads have been a perennial "bracket team" in the NCAA tournament, the program's record in tournament play has been inconsistent. Arguably, the most prolific era in Bearcats basketball was during the late 1950s and early 1960s, when the Bearcats posted five consecutive Final Four appearances. Unanimous three-time All American guard Oscar Robertson led the nation in scoring during the 1957-58, 1958-59, and 1959-60 seasons and posted a career average of 33.8 points per game, which ranks as the third all-time best in Division I.

However, Cincinnati won its only national championships (both against Ohio State) in 1961 and 1962, which were after Robertson's graduation. The 1961 and 1962 titles were won under rookie coach Ed Jucker.

Cincinnati fell out of prominence during the early 1970s. After a brief resurgence in the mid-1970s, the program fell on hard times in the 1980s, but was revitalized under head coach Bob Huggins following his hiring in 1989. Under Huggins, the Bearcats compiled a 399-127 record in sixteen seasons, and posted fourteen straight NCAA tournament appearances. The most notable of the teams from the Huggins era was the 1991-1992 team, which lost to the Michigan Wolverines in the Final Four.

However, the Huggins era at the University of Cincinnati was marred by several off-court incidents, including the May, 1995 arrest of center Art Long and forward Danny Fortson. Long was arrested for allegedly punching a police horse while Fortson was arrested for disorderly conduct. Both men were acquitted of all charges.[1]

Bob Huggins' arrest on June 8, 2004 for driving under the influence of alcohol [2] led to new university president Dr. Nancy Zimpher to state: "People can speculate, but our actions will speak for themselves and we'll do that just as soon as possible. We have a great deal of integrity in this institution, both academic and athletic integrity, and you'll see that over time". [2]

Bob Huggins was suspended. He later resigned and accepted a buyout offer from the university for a reported $3 million. Assistant coach Andy Kennedy took over on an interim basis and coached the Bearcats during the 2005-06 season. However, his 21-13 record was not enough to convince the university to retain him on a non-interim basis, and Kennedy was allowed to go to the University of Mississippi. Murray State coach Mick Cronin, a Cincinnati graduate in 1998 and former Bearcats assistant coach under Bob Huggins, was hired. For the 2007-2008 season, Coach Cronin has put together a top 15 ranked recruiting class by Rivals in 2007.

NCAA TOURNAMENT FINAL RANKING
Year Seed Finish Coach AP ESPN/UPI
2005 7 Second Round Bob Huggins #23 #25
2004 4 Second Round Bob Huggins #11 #18
2003 8 First Round Bob Huggins
2002 1 Second Round Bob Huggins #5 #8
2001 5 Sweet Sixteen Bob Huggins #22
2000 2 Second Round Bob Huggins #7 #7
1999 3 Second Round Bob Huggins #11 #11
1998 2 Second Round Bob Huggins #9 #14
1997 3 Second Round Bob Huggins #10 #16
1996 2 Elite Eight Bob Huggins #7 #6
1995 7 Second Round Bob Huggins
1994 8 First Round Bob Huggins #25
1993 2 Elite Eight Bob Huggins #7 #6
1992 4 Final Four Bob Huggins #12 #5
1977 -- First Round Gale Catlett #12
NCAA TOURNAMENT FINAL RANKING
Year Seed Finish Coach AP ESPN/UPI
1976 -- First Round Gale Catlett #12 #16
1975 -- Sweet Sixteen Gale Catlett #13
1966 -- First Round Tay Baker #7 #9
1963 -- Final Four Ed Jucker #1 #1
1962 -- Champions Ed Jucker #2 #2
1961 -- Champions Ed Jucker #2 #2
1960 -- Third Place George Smith #1 #2
1959 -- Third Place George Smith #5 #4
1958 -- Second Round George Smith #2 #2
OTHER NOTABLE FINISHES FINAL RANKING
Year Tournament Seed Finish Coach AP ESPN/UPI
2006 NIT 1 Quarterfinals Andy Kennedy
1970 Tay Baker #20
1955 NIT -- Third Place George Smith #20
1951 John Wiethe #17

This article is related to a current or soon-to-be current sports-related event.
For recent news on this topic, see 2007 Cincinnati Bearcats football team.

Information may change rapidly as the event progresses.

BOWL HISTORY
Date Bowl Score Coach
December 22, 2007 Papajohns.com Bowl Cincinnati vs.Southern Miss Brian Kelly
January 6, 2007 International Bowl Cincinnati 27 Western Michigan 24 Brian Kelly
December 23, 2004 Fort Worth Bowl Cincinnati 32 Marshall 14 Mark Dantonio
December 17, 2002 New Orleans Bowl North Texas 24 Cincinnati 19 Rick Minter
December 29, 2001 Motor City Bowl Toledo 23 Cincinnati 16 Rick Minter
December 27, 2000 Motor City Bowl Marshall 25 Cincinnati 14 Rick Minter
December 29, 1997 Humanitarian Bowl Cincinnati 35 Utah State 19 Rick Minter
January 1, 1951 Sun Bowl West Texas A&M 14 Cincinnati 13 Sid Gillman
December 3, 1949 Glass Bowl Cincinnati 33 Toledo 13 Sid Gillman
January 1, 1947 Sun Bowl Cincinnati 18 Virginia Tech 6 Ray Nolting

Since 1992, WLW has been the radio home for Bearcats athletics. Dan Hoard has been the play-by-play announcer for both basketball and football since 2000. Former Bearcat Chuck Machock starting in 1992 as the color commentator for basketball games. Jim Kelly, a Bearcat wide receiver during the mid 70s, provides color commentary for football games. WCKY-AM airs the football game when there is a conflict on WLW with the Cincinnati Reds games.

WXIX is the local TV flagship station for basketball and football games. They have been airing the basketball games since 1980 and use their own announcers on games that are not aired nationally or regionally. Former Bearcat guard Anthony Buford does color commentary for WXIX games.

The university has a diverse number of intercollegiate club sports teams. Notable teams include the rowing team, the lacrosse team, the men's soccer team, the men's ice hockey team which competes in the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) DIII, and the Tennis Club which competes in the USTA Tennis on Campus and the Great Lakes Tennis Conference.

Grace, Kevin. "Cincinnati on Field and Court: The Sports Legacy of the Queen City." Chicago, IL: Arcadia, 2002.

Grace, Kevin. "Cincinnati Hoops." Chicago, IL: Arcadia, 2003.

Grace, Kevin; Hand, Greg; Hathaway, Tom; Hoffman, Carey. "Bearcats! The Story of Basketball at the University of Cincinnati." Louisville, KY: Harmony House, 1998.

  1. ^ "Police horse a magnet for controversy " Denise Smith Amos, The Enquirer, April 16, 2003, URL last accessed June 15, 2007.
  2. ^ a b "UC Head Coach Huggins Charged With DUI" Liz Foreman, 9News, 11 June 2004, URL last accessed November 4, 2006.
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