Southern Oregon Raiders

Infobox NAIA college athletics
name = Southern Oregon Riaders
logo2 = SouthernOregonRaiders.gif

university = Southern Oregon University
conference = Cascade Collegiate | division = NAIA
director = Dennis Francois
city = Ashland
state = Oregon
stateabb = OR
teams = 12
stadium = Raider Stadium
arena = McNeal Pavilion
softballfield = Softball Complex
soccerstadium = University Field
mascot = Red-Tailed Hawk
nickname = Raiders
color1 = Red
color2 = Black | hex1 = FF0000
hex2 = 000000
pageurl = http://www.sousports.com/
pagename = SOU Sports

The Southern Oregon Raiders refers to the athletic teams of Southern Oregon University, located in Ashland, OR. The Raiders are a member of the Cascade Collegiate Conference for all sports excluding American football, wrestling and tennis. Southern Oregon's main rivalry is with the Western Oregon Wolves.

History

Southern Oregon University adopted the nickname "Red Raiders" for its sports teams in 1946. The name was in reference to the abundant Native American tribe that had existed in Southern Oregon. In 1980 "Red" was removed from the nickname, leaving Southern Oregon's teams to be referred to as "Raiders". The Red-Tailed Hawk was adopted in 1998 to appease campus groups calling for a mascot and still respecting the native American culture. The athletics logo of Southern Oregon has been through 7 editions, the most recent coming in 1997.

ports

ponsored Sports

Fall

*Football
*Men's & Women's Cross Country
*Women's Soccer
*Women's Volleyball

Winter

*Men's & Women's Basketball
*Wrestling

pring

*Softball
*Men's & Women's Track and Field
*Women's Tennis

Club Sports

*Crew
*Judo
*Lacrosse
*Rugby
*Skiing
*Men's Soccer
*Swimming
*Men's Tennis
*Ultimate Frisbee

Championships

National Championships

* Wrestling: 1978, 1983, 1994, 2001

Conference Championships

* Men's Basketball: 1998-99, 2004-05
* Women's Basketball: 1992-93, 1997-98, 1998-99. 2001-02, 2002-03, 2007-08
* Men's Cross Country: 2004, 2005
* Football: 1946, 1947, 1948, 1955, 1957, 1961, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1983, 1990, 2001
* Softball: 2003, 2004, 2005
* Men's Track & Field: 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005
* Women's Track & Field: 2000, 2001, 2002
* Volleyball: 1991, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007

Venues

Raider Stadium

Raider Stadium was built in 1983 and cost $1.55 million and is the home venue for Southern Oregon's American football and track and field teams. The stadium seats 4,000 with a covered grandstand on the west side of the field and risers on the east side. The field at the stadium, named Fuller Field after John Fuller, has been the home field of the Raider's football team since 1955. In 1999 the Meyer Fitness Center, which lies under the grandstand, was renovated to include a second floor, effectively doubling the floor space available for use.

McNeal Pavilion

Completed in 1957, McNeal Pavilion plays host to both men's and women's basketball, women's volleyball and wrestling. The first of two changes to McNeal occurred in 1990 when the seating in the main arena was doubled to its present number of 1,400 during a complete building renovation. The second change, happening during 1998-99, involved resurfacing the gym floor and installing 550 new seat-backs for the seats on the east side of the gym. McNeal Pavilion also includes a swimming pool, racquetball courts, climbing wall, and training room.

University Field

Behind the scoreboard at Raider Stadium lies University Field. Used since 2000 for women's soccer, the field uses risers as its sole type of seating. According to Southern Oregon, there is a current plan to install a large scoreboard in the near future.

oftball Complex

Softball Complex, formerly a baseball field, is a collection of three regulation fields with 500 seats at the main field. The complex has been used solely for softball, as the University does not play baseball, since the program was reinstated in 2000 after a 17-year hiatus.