Northern Iowa Panthers

Northern Iowa Panthers
University	University of Northern Iowa
Conference(s)	Missouri Valley Conference Missouri Valley Football Conference
NCAA	Division I (FCS)
Athletics director	Troy Dannen [1]
Location	Cedar Falls, IA
Varsity teams	15
Football stadium	UNI-Dome
Basketball arena	McLeod Center
Mascot	TC Panther
Nickname	Panthers
Fight song	UNI Fight
Colors	Purple and Gold
Homepage	www.unipanthers.com

The Northern Iowa Panthers are the athletic teams of the University of Northern Iowa. The university is a member of the Missouri Valley Conference and competes in NCAA Division I, (Division I FCS in football) fielding 15 varsity teams in 11 sports:

Men's sports Basketball Cross country Football Golf Track and field Wrestling

Women's sports Basketball Cross country Golf Soccer Softball Swimming and diving Tennis Track and field Volleyball

UNI's Offense getting to work against the St. Francis Red Flash September 19, 2009

History

The school's mascot is the Panther. They participate in the NCAA's Division I (I-FCS for football) in the Missouri Valley Football Conference (formerly the Gateway Football Conference), as an independent in wrestling and in the Missouri Valley Conference for all other sports. Northern Iowa previously competed in the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, North Central Conference, and the Mid-Continent Conference.

UNI Fight

Hail our Panthers, we are ever loyal, Showing our strength and unity. As we rise, we firmly stand behind you, Urge you on to victory. Rah! Rah! Rah! As you lead us on to fame and honor, Fight! Fight! Fight! will be our cry. So, give us a yell, Ho! the purple and the gold, Victory for UNI!

Words by Godfrey Stych, Men's Gymnastics Coach

Football

Main article: Northern Iowa Panthers football

Wrestling

• Won the NCAA wrestling championships as Iowa State Teachers College in 1949
• Notable wrestler Gerald Leeman wrestled for Iowa State Teachers College

Men's basketball

Main article: Northern Iowa Panthers men's basketball

NCAA Tournament history

Season	Seed	Eliminated Round	Teams Defeated	Lost to
1962 (College Division)	N/A	2nd Round	Hamline	Nebraska Wesleyan
1964 (College Division)	N/A	4th Place	Washington University Mankato State Southeast Missouri	Evansville North Carolina A&T
1979 (College Division)	N/A	2nd Round	Nebraska-Omaha	Wisconsin-Green Bay
1990	(14)	2nd Round	(3) Missouri	(6) Minnesota
2004	(14)	1st Round	—	(3) Georgia Tech
2005	(11)	1st Round	—	(6) Wisconsin
2006	(10)	1st Round	—	(7) Georgetown
2009	(12)	1st Round	—	(5) Purdue
2010	(9)	3rd Round(Sweet 16)	(8) UNLV (1) Kansas	(5) Michigan State

Other tournaments

• NAIA National Tournament appearances: 1946, 1948, 1949, and 1953 (2-4 combined tournament record)
• Competed in the 2007 World University Games as Team USA (finished ninth)^[1]

Women's basketball

Coach	Record	When Coached	No. of Years
Tanya Warren	41-52	2007-Present	Current
Tony DiCecco	183-161	1995-2007	12 years
Wanda Green	78-59	1968-1978	10 years
J.D. Anderson	59-55	1980-1984	4 years
Kim Mayden	36-96	1984-1989	5 years
Terri Lasswel	35-125	1989-1995	6 years
Sandra Williamson	7-40	1978-1980	2 years

NCAA Tournament history

Season	Seed	Eliminated Round	Teams Defeated	Lost to
2010	(16)	1st Round	—	(1) Nebraska

Baseball

UNI's men's baseball program was discontinued after the 2008-2009 season.

History of UNI nickname

On September 8, 1931, the following appeal appeared in the student newspaper, the College Eye, under the headline "Contest Started for School Name":

"Who wants to be called Tutors, Pedagogues, and Teachers all the time? Every leading school in the country has some name by which they are known in the realm of sport. Iowa is known as the Hawkeyes, Minnesota as Gophers, Chicago as Maroons, and so forth. Why not give Iowa State Teachers College a name which signifies something characteristic about the school besides the fact that it is a teachers college?"

The article goes on to note that entries would be judged by a member of the Department of Physical Education, other faculty, and students.

When the contest was announced, the Iowa State Teachers College had already been participating in intercollegiate athletics on a regular and organized basis for over thirty-five years. Teachers College teams had participated in contests with other Iowa colleges, and occasionally with teams from outside the state, in baseball, football, basketball, and track and field. Until the end of World War I, students certainly did get excited about these contests, but they probably took just as much pleasure in the success of the school's debate and oratorical teams. The school's sole mission, the preparation of teachers, tended to attract many more women than men to the Teachers College. And, consequently, the school did not have an abundance of material from which to draw its athletes in the days when only men participated in intercollegiate athletics. Following the war, however, the college made a distinct effort to attract men to the teaching profession. An important part of this effort was the addition of physical education courses to the curriculum that would help to prepare men for teaching positions that included athletics coaching responsibilities. Improved athletics facilities, including the construction of the West Gymnasium, showed that the school was taking a more serious attitude toward intercollegiate athletics.

On September 18, 1931, the College Eye announced that Paul Bender, acting head of the Department of Physical Education for Men; George Holmes, professor of journalism; Robert Burley, president of the Student Council; and the sports editor of the College Eye would judge entries. The winner would receive a leather briefcase from the Berg Drug Company. Second place would be a dresser alarm clock from Chase Jewelry Store. Third place would be a season football pass.

References

1. ^ Katz, Andy (2009-07-10). "U.S. to play Israel for bronze". ESPN.com. http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/olybb/news/story?id=4319981. Retrieved 2009-07-10. 

External links

• Official UNI athletics site
• List of Northern Iowa NFL players
• List of Northern Iowa MLB players
• Panther Nation, a fan message board not affiliated with the university
• Panther Sports Talk - Official TV show of the UNI Panthers