The Miami RedHawks are the college athletics teams of Miami University, in Oxford, Ohio, in 18 different varsity-level sports for men and women. All teams play in NCAA Division I and compete in the Mid-American Conference, with the exception of the RedHawks hockey team, which plays in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association. The Redhawks remain arch-rivals with the Ohio Bobcats.

NCAA sports [link]

Football [link]

The Miami University RedHawks football team is one with a rich tradition of history. The school boasts the longest continuous college football rivalry West of the Allegheny Mountains^[1] against the Cincinnati Bearcats, and has one of the oldest football programs in the country, dating to the year 1888.

Cradle of Coaches [link]

Miami University is most notable for having many quality coaches start their coaching career in some capacity at its school. Some notable college football coaches who coached at Miami University include John Pont, Ara Parseghian, Woody Hayes, Bo Schembechler, Weeb Ewbank, Jim Tressel, and Terry Hoeppner.

Baseball [link]

See: Category:Miami RedHawks baseball

A notable baseball-team alumnus is Walter Alston, who managed the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Men's basketball [link]

Ice hockey [link]

Miami fans gather before a hockey game against Nebraska-Omaha.

The RedHawks on ice play in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA), and field one of the best teams in their league. In 2006, the RedHawks earned the first #1 national ranking in school history and were CCHA regular season champs. They made it to the championship game, but lost to Michigan State.

Instead of playing in the Mid-American Conference ("MAC"), the mid-major conference most Miami varsity sports play in, the RedHawks compete against the larger schools of the CCHA such as the Michigan Wolverines and the Michigan State Spartans, who normally compete in the Big Ten.

In 2006 Miami University replaced the old Goggin Ice Arena from 1976 with the new $34.8-million state-of-the-art Goggin Ice Center, with a capacity of around 4,000. Both buildings are named for former University vice-president Lloyd Goggin.^[2]

In 2008 the RedHawks set team records for winning percentage and wins with .797 and 33 respectively. That year the RedHawks captured their first #1 seed in school history and advanced to the quarterfinals in the NCAA tournament, losing to Boston College. The team was lead that year by All-Americans Ryan Jones and Alec Martinez.

The 2009 RedHawks became the first Miami team to reach the Frozen Four in the history of the program. The team made it to the championship game and carried a 3-1 lead into the final minute before giving up 2 extra attacker goals and ultimately losing in overtime, 4-3 to college hockey powerhouse Boston University.

Synchronized skating [link]

Miami's synchronized skating team began in August 1977 as a "Precision Skating Club" at Goggin Ice Center.^[3] The program achieved varsity status by 1996,^[4] and is also home to one of the first varsity synchronized skating teams in the country.

They are the 1999, 2006, and 2009 U.S. national champions.^[4][5][6] Miami won a silver medal at the 2007 International Skating Union World Synchronized Skating Championships. This is the highest finish for any US skating team and the first medal ever won by Team USA for synchronized skating.^[7]

Miami created a junior-varsity level team beneath the senior level.^[4] After serving as the coach of Miami's program for 25 years, Vicki Korn announced her retirement in May 2009.^[4]

Club sports [link]

Men's lacrosse [link]

The men's lacrosse team represents Miami University and currently competes in non-varsity lacrosse in the Men's Collegiate Lacrosse Association (MCLA) Division I level as a member of the Great Rivers Lacrosse Conference (GRLC).^[8] The RedHawks lacrosse team plays home games in Yager Stadium located in Oxford, Ohio. The team is coach Chuck Wilson. Miami finished the 2010 season second place in the CCLA and won its first CCLA play off game in over ten years. Miami’s 9-4 record, including 5-0 at home.^[9]

Team name [link]

Before the early 1930s, the Miami University nicknames were interchangeable, including the Miami Boys, the Big Reds, and the Reds and Whites. The first glimpse of the Miami University Redskins was in 1928, when a Miami student referred to their team as the Big Red-Skinned Warriors.^[10] By 1931, the Redskins had stuck as the Miami University nickname, and was the official nickname of the Miami University athletics program for nearly seventy years.

In mid-1997, at the urging from Dr. Myrtis Powell who went to the Oklahoma-based Miami Tribe for support, the Miami University Redskins officially changed their names to the RedHawks, which they remain today. The mascot of the Miami Redhawks is Swoop the Redhawk.

Notable athletics alumni [link]

See also [link]

• List of college athletic programs in Ohio

References [link]

External links [link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Miami RedHawks

• Official athletics site