Cincinnati Bearcats From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Cincinnati Bearcats 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 "Cheer Cincinnati" 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. Contents [hide] 1 The Bearcat 1.1 Fight song 2 Rivalries 3 Men's Basketball 3.1 Post-Season Tournaments 4 Football 5 Radio and Television 6 Club Sports 7 Athletic Facilities 8 Notable Athletic Alumni 9 External links 10 References [edit] The Bearcat The Bearcat became the UC mascot on October 31, 1914 in a football game against the UK Wildcats. The key players in the birth of the Bearcat were a star UC player named Baehr, a creative cheerleader, and a talented cartoonist. During the second half of that hard-fought football game, UC cheerleader Norman "Pat" Lyon, building on the efforts of fullback Leonard K. "Teddy" Baehr, created the chant: "They may be Wildcats, but we have a Baehr-cat on our side." The crowd took up the cry: "Come on, Baehr-cat!" Cincinnati prevailed, 14-7, and the victory was memorialized in a cartoon published on the front page of the student newspaper, the weekly University News, on November 3. The cartoon, by John "Paddy" Reece, depicted a bedraggled Kentucky Wildcat being chased by a creature labeled “Cincinnati Bear Cat". The name stuck, but not immediately. Following Teddy Baehr's graduation in 1916, the name-dropped out of use, at least in print, for a few years. On November 15, 1919, Cincinnati played at Tennessee. Cincinnati Enquirer writer Jack Ryder's dispatch on the game was the first time that the major media called UC's teams "Bearcats." From then on, the university's teams were regularly called Bearcats. [edit] Fight song An early version of the UC Bearcats logo, from 1922Cheer Cincinnati Chorus: Cheer Cincinnati, Cincy will win. Fight to the finish, never give in. Rah! Rah! Rah! You do your best, boys, We’ll do the rest, boys. Onward to Victory! Bridge: Go Red! Go Black! Go Bearcats! Fight! Fight! Fight! BE-AR-CATS Go U-C! (Repeat Chorus) B--E--A--R--C--A--T--S, B-E-A-R-C-A-T-S, B--E--A--R--C--A--T--S B-E-A-R-C-A-T-S Bearcats! [edit] Rivalries 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 located less than 3 miles from the University of Cincinnati's main campus. 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, which the Bearcats won. The Bearcats also have basketball rivalries with the

Louisville Cardinals and the Memphis Tigers. [edit] Men's Basketball Main article: Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball 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. In addition, Huggins was responsible for recruiting several future NBA players including, Kenyon Martin, Ruben Patterson, Nick Van Exel and Dermarr Johnson. 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 (both future NBA players). 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 L. 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 but has yet to produce a winning record at UC. [edit] Post-Season Tournaments NCAA TOURNAMENT FINAL RANKING Year Seed Finish Coach AP ESPN/UPI 1958 -- Second Round George Smith #2 #2 1959 -- Third Place George Smith #5 #4 1960 -- Third Place George Smith #1 #2 1961 -- Champions Ed Jucker #2 #2 1962 -- Champions Ed Jucker #2 #2 1963 -- Final Four Ed Jucker #1 #1 1966 -- First Round Tay Baker #7 #9 1975 -- Sweet Sixteen Gale Catlett #13 1976 -- First Round Gale Catlett #12 #16 1977 -- First Round Gale Catlett #12 1992 4 Final Four Bob Huggins #12 #5 1993 2 Elite Eight Bob Huggins #7 #6 1994 8 First Round Bob Huggins #25 1995 7 Second Round Bob Huggins 1996 2 Elite Eight Bob Huggins #7 #6 NCAA TOURNAMENT FINAL RANKING Year Seed Finish Coach AP ESPN/UPI 1997 3 Second Round Bob Huggins #10 #16 1998 2 Second Round Bob Huggins #9 #14 1999 3 Second Round Bob Huggins #11 #11 2000 2 Second Round Bob Huggins #7 #7 2001 5 Sweet Sixteen Bob Huggins #22 2002 1 Second Round Bob Huggins #5 #8 2003 8 First Round Bob Huggins 2004 4 Second Round Bob Huggins #11 #18 2005 7 Second Round Bob Huggins #23 #25 OTHER NOTABLE FINISHES FINAL RANKING Year Tournament Seed Finish Coach AP ESPN/UPI 1951 John Wiethe #17 1955 NIT -- Third Place George Smith #20 1970 Tay Baker #20 2006 NIT 1 Quarterfinals Andy Kennedy [show]v • d • eCincinnati Bearcats Basketball 1960-1961 NCAA Champions Carl Bouldin | Fred Dierking | Dale Heidotting | Paul Hogue | Tom Thacker | Bob Wiesenhahn | Tony Yates Coach Ed Jucker [show]v • d • eCincinnati Bearcats Basketball 1961-1962 NCAA Champions Ron Bonham | Fred Dierking | Paul Hogue | Larry Shingleton | Tom Thacker | George Wilson | Tony Yates Coach Ed Jucker [edit] Football Main article: Cincinnati Bearcats football [edit] Radio and Television 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. Starting in 2008, FSN Ohio is the local TV flagship station for basketball games, while WKRC-TV is the flagship for Football games. Michael Reghi does the play by play for the basketball games on FSN Ohio, and former Bearcat Anthony Buford provides the color commentary. Beginning in 1980, WXIX-TV was the flagship station for football and basketball games. [edit] Club Sports The university has a diverse number of intercollegiate club sports teams. Notable teams include the rugby football club, 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. [edit] Athletic Facilities Armory Fieldhouse Fifth Third Arena Nippert Stadium Marge Schott Stadium [edit] Notable Athletic Alumni Sandy Koufax, Baseball Hall of Famer Miller Huggins, Baseball Hall of Fame manager Oscar Robertson, Basketball Hall of Famer Jack Twyman, Basketball Hall of Famer Tony Trabert, Tennis Hall of Famer Jason Maxiell, Detroit Pistons power forward Kenyon Martin, Denver Nuggets power forward Becky Ruehl, Olympic diver (1996 Atlanta Games) Kevin Youkilis, First baseman of the Boston Red Sox Tinker Keck, Former XFL player Urban Meyer, 2006 BCSNational College Football Champion and University of Florida Gators head football coach Nick Van Exel, Former NBA Point Guard Steve Logan, Former NBA Shooting Guard and 2002 NBA Draft Pick of the Golden State Warriors, currently playing overseas in Israel Kenny Satterfield, Former NBA Point Guard and NBA Draft Pick of the Dallas Mavericks and played in 2001-2002 season for the Denver Nuggets, widely known as "Serious Satellite" in New York City's Basketball Leagues Trent Cole, Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Brent Celek, Philadelphia Eagles tight end Haruki Nakamura, Baltimore Ravens safety Tyjuan Hagler, Indianapolis Colts linebacker Daven Holly, Cleveland Browns cornerback Antonio Chatman, Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver [edit] External links BearcatLair.com Cincinnati Forum @ NCAAbbs UC Library Official UC athletics site BearcatNews.com [edit] References 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. ^ "Police horse a magnet for controversy " Denise Smith Amos, The Enquirer, April 16, 2003, URL last accessed June 15, 2007. ^ a b "UC Head Coach Huggins Charged With DUI" Liz Foreman, 9News, 11 June 2004, URL last accessed November 4, 2006. [show]v • d • eBig East Conference Football Cincinnati (Bearcats) • Connecticut (Huskies) • Louisville (Cardinals) • Pittsburgh (Panthers) • Rutgers (Scarlet Knights) • South Florida (Bulls) • Syracuse (Orange) • West Virginia (Mountaineers) Non-Football DePaul (Blue Demons) • Georgetown (Hoyas*) • Marquette (Golden Eagles) • Notre Dame (Fighting Irish*) • Providence (Friars) • St. John's (Red Storm) • Seton Hall (Pirates) • Villanova (Wildcats*) * These schools field football teams outside of the Big East [show]v • d • eUniversity of Cincinnati Campuses Uptown West Campus • Uptown East Campus • Victory Parkway Campus (College of Applied Science) • Raymond Walters College • Clermont College Academics Academic Health Center (includes the Colleges of Allied Health Sciences, Medicine, Nursing, and Pharmacy) • Applied Science • McMicken College of Arts and Sciences (A&S) • Business • Clermont College • College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) • Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP) • College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services (CECH) • College of Engineering • The Graduate School • College of Law • Raymond Walters College • Social Work Athletics Cincinnati Bearcats • Fifth Third Arena • Nippert Stadium • Marge Schott Stadium • Armory Fieldhouse • University of Cincinnati Bearcat Bands Media Bearcast • The News Record • UCast [show]v • d • eSports teams based in Ohio Baseball AL: Cleveland Indians, NL: Cincinnati Reds, IL: Columbus Clippers • Toledo Mud Hens, EL: Akron Aeros, NYPL: Mahoning Valley Scrappers, SAL: Lake County Captains, MWL: Dayton Dragons, FL: Lake Erie Crushers, PL: Chillicothe Paints • NorthCoast Knights, GLSCL: Cincinnati Steam • Columbus All-Americans • Delaware Cows • Grand Lake Mariners • Hamilton Joes • Lake Erie Monarchs • Licking County Settlers • Lima Locos • Southern Ohio Copperheads • Stark County Terriers • Xenia Athletes in Action Basketball NBA: Cleveland Cavaliers Football NFL: Cincinnati Bengals • Cleveland Browns, AFL: Cleveland Gladiators • Columbus Destroyers, af2: Mahoning Valley Thunder • Toledo Bullfrogs, MCFL: Kentucky/Ohio Xtreme, CIFL: Marion Mayhem • Miami Valley Silverbacks, AIFA: Canton Legends, WFA: Cincinnati Sizzle • Cleveland Fusion • Columbus Comets • Dayton Diamonds • Thee Toledo Reign Hockey NHL: Columbus Blue Jackets, AHL: Lake Erie Monsters, ECHL: Cincinnati Cyclones • Dayton Bombers • Toledo Walleye, MAHL: Lake Erie Vikings, NAHL: Mahoning Valley Phantoms, UJHL: Cleveland-Harrow HC • Findlay Grrrowl • Wooster Oilers Soccer MLS: Columbus Crew, USL-1: Cleveland City Stars, PASL-Pro: 1790 Cincinnati, PDL: Cincinnati Kings • Cleveland Internationals Softball NPF: Akron Racers Australian rules football USAFL: Cincinnati Dockers College athletics (NCAA Division I) Akron • Bowling Green • Cincinnati • Cleveland State • Dayton • Kent State • Miami • Ohio • Ohio State • Toledo • Wright State • Xavier • Youngstown State Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cincinnati_Bearcats" Categories: Big East Conference | University of Cincinnati | College athletic programs | Sports in Cincinnati, Ohio