Charlotte 49ers
| Charlotte 49ers | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| University | University of North Carolina at Charlotte |
| Conference | Conference USA |
| NCAA | Division I |
| Athletic director | Judy Rose |
| Location | Charlotte, North Carolina |
| Varsity teams | 17 (9 men's, 8 women's) |
| Football stadium | Jerry Richardson Stadium |
| Basketball arena | Dale F. Halton Arena |
| Baseball stadium | Robert & Mariam Hayes Stadium |
| Soccer stadium | Transamerica Field |
| Mascot | Norm the Niner |
| Nickname | 49ers |
| Colors | Green and White |
| Website | www |
The Charlotte 49ers represent the NCAA Division I sports teams of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. A founding member of Conference USA (C-USA), Charlotte rejoined the conference in 2013 after spending eight years as a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference. Previously, Charlotte was a charter member of the Sun Belt Conference and was a member of the Metro Conference.
A member of Conference USA, Charlotte currently sponsors teams in nine men's and eight women's NCAA sanctioned sports: Women's golf will be added in the 2017–18 school year.
Men's Intercollegiate Sports
Women's Intercollegiate Sports
The athletics department officially changed its name to simply Charlotte in 2000. The school's identity suffered from years of constant confusion before then. While UNCC and UNC Charlotte were the officially accepted athletic names, media outlets frequently used unofficial nicknames such as N.C.-Charlotte, N.C.-Char, North Carolina-Charlotte, UNC, UNC-C, UNCC at Charlotte, and others. When the name change was made official, Athletics Director Judy Rose summarized the sentiment that drove the name change:
The official school name remains the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
The nickname "49ers" derives from the fact that the university's predecessor—Charlotte Center of the University of North Carolina (CCUNC – established in 1946) was saved from being shut down by the state in 1949 by Bonnie Cone, when the Charlotte Center became Charlotte College. Due to this "49er spirit" that Cone felt embodied the university, referring to the settlers that endured much hardships in traveling across the United States to seek fortune in the California Gold Rush, students of the fledgling UNC Charlotte chose "49ers" as the school's mascot. The fact that the site of the U.S.'s first major gold discovery, Reed's Gold Mine, is located nearby may also be a contributing factor to the nickname. That the University's Main Campus front entrance is located on North Carolina Highway 49 is pure coincidence.
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Wikipedia