Grabbing Your A10tion
Rhode Island Rams
Location: Kingston, R.I.
Founded: 1892
Enrollment: 14,791
Nickname: Rams
Colors: Light Blue, Dark Blue and White
President: Dr. Robert Carothers
Director of Athletics: Tom McElroy
Joined the A-10: 1981
Driving distance from Charlotte: 785 miles
Website: www.GoRhody.com
Sports in which the 49ers and Rams will compete: Baseball, Men’s Basketball, Women’s Basketball, Men’s Cross-Country, Women’s Cross-Country, Men’s Golf, Men’s Soccer, Women’s Soccer, Softball, Men’s Tennis, Women’s Tennis, Men’s Track and Field, Women’s Track and Field and Volleyball
Other Sports: Field Hockey, Football, Women’s Rowing, Men’s and Women’s Swimming
Recent League Tournament Titles: Baseball (2005); Men’s Indoor Track (2005, 2004, 2002, 2001); Women’s Indoor Track (2005, 2004, 2002, 2001); Men’s Outdoor Track (2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001); Women’s Outdoor Track (2005, 2004, 2003, 2002); Golf (2004; 2002); Men’s Socccer (2003)
Recent NCAA appearances: Baseball (2005); Golf (2005; 2004; 2003; 2002; 2001); Men’s Soccer (2003); Women’s Soccer (2002)
1.) The Road To Rhode Island... The University of Rhode Island is located in Kingston, in southern Rhode Island. The University was chartered as the state’s agricultural school in 1888. It became the Rhode Island College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts in 1892. In 1909 the name of the college was changed to Rhode Island State College. The college became the University of Rhode Island in 1951. Kingston is 15 miles north of historic Newport and less than 30 miles south of Rhode Island’s capital of Providence. Rhode Island is the smallest state (1,214 square miles). The greatest distance from one point to another is 48 miles.
2.) Rhode Signs... Rhode Island has more than 20% of the entire nation’s registered historic landmarks.
3.) Elite Eight... Rhode Island’s men’s basketball team was two points away from the Final Four in 1998. Led by Cuttino Mobley and head coach Jim Harrick, the Rams defeated Murray State, Kansas and Valparaiso before falling to Stanford, 79-77.
4.) Great Golf... The URI golf team won an unprecedented fourth consecutive New England championships from 1998-2001 and has made eight straight trips to the NCAA Tournament. The Rams won A-10 golf titles in 1999, 2000, 2002 and 2004.
5.) Frank Keaney ... Longtime Rhode Island Ram basketball coach Frank Keaney (1920-1948) is credited with inventing the fastbreak, turning a game of patterned plodding into 40 minutes of frenzied excitement. While most teams were lucky to score 40 to 50 points a game, Rhode Island averaged nearly 80 points and routinely led the nation in scoring. Keaney was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1960. His Rams lost in the 1946 NIT Championship to Kentucky by one point, in a tournament that featured all-America Ernie Calverley’s “Shot heard round the world.” Calverly sank a 62-foot buzzer-beater from the opposite foul line at Madison Square Garden to send the Rams first round victory over Bowling Green into overtime.
6.) Rams II ... While the 49ers were in Conference USA, two schools (Marquette and Southern Miss) shared the same nickname (Golden Eagles). Now in the A-10, two schools (Rhode Island and Fordham) also share the same nickname (Rams).
7.) The Ryan Center ... Opened Nov. 26, 2002, the 49ers have already experienced Rhode Island new basketball facility. Charlotte dropped a 96-90 overtime thriller at the Ryan Center, Dec. 23, 2003, just over a year after the 7657-seat arena opened.
8.) A Few Good Men ... In 2004-05, Rhode Island won the Atlantic 10’s men’s Commissioner’s Cup for the second time in three years. Rhode Island won championships in baseball, men’s indoor track and men’s outdoor track, placed third in golf and fifth in men’s soccer.
