In conjunction with Maryland's historic move to the Big Ten Conference on July 1, Maryland athletics will be taking an in-depth look at its future Big Ten foes. Today we continue the series by profiling Rutgers University.
June 2: Illinois; June 4: Indiana; June 6: Iowa; June 9: Michigan; June 11: Michigan State; June 13: Minnesota; June 16: Nebraska; June 18: Northwestern; June 20: Ohio State; June 23: Penn State; June 25: Purdue; June 27: Rutgers; June 30: Wisconsin
About Rutgers
• Location: Piscataway, New Jersey
• Founded: 1766
• Enrollment: 65,000
• President: Robert Barchi
• Athletic Director: Julie Hermann
Rutgers Athletics
• School Colors: Scarlet
• Nickname: Scarlet Knights
• Joined Big Ten Conference: 2014
• Football Stadium (capacity): High Point Solutions Stadium (52,454)
• Basketball Arena (capacity): Louis Brown Athletic Center (8,000)
• Varsity Teams: 24
• Most Successful Sport: Women's Basketball - 1 national title
• First B1G event at Maryland: September 12, 2014 - Women's Soccer
History
Basketball
• All-time basketball record: 1182-1126 (.512)
• Conference Championships: 0
• Head Coach: Eddie Jordan
Football
• All-time football record: 626-606-42 (.508)
• Conference/National Championships: 4/1
• Head Coach: Kyle Flood
Notable Former Athletes
• Basketball: John Battle, Eddie Jordan, James Bailey, Roy Hinson
• Football: Ray Rice, Kenny Britt, Jawan Jamison, Greg Schiano (coach)
Notable Alumni
• David Stern: former NBA commissioner
• Jane Krakowski: actress/singer
• Alexi Lalas: former pro soccer player/ESPN analyst
• Queen Latifah: musical artist/actress
Fun Fact: "Why Knights?"
Since its days when the school was officially known as Queen's College, the athletic teams were referred to as the Queensmen. Officially serving as the mascot figure for several football seasons beginning in 1925 was a giant, colorfully felt-covered, costumed representation of an earlier campus symbol, the "Chanticleer."
Though a fighting bird of the kind which other colleges have found success, to some it bore the connotation of "chicken." It is also a little-known fact that the New Brunswick-based broadcast station, WCTC, which serves as the flagship station of Rutgers athletics, had its call letters derived from the word "ChanTiCleer." Chanticleer remained as the nickname for some 30 years.
In the early 1950's, in the hope of spurring both the all-around good athletic promise and RU fighting spirit, a campus-wide selection process changed the mascot to that of a Knight. By 1955, the Scarlet Knight had become the new Rutgers mascot. The scarlet-garbed knight, riding a spirited white charger, came to represent a new era - the rejuvenation of first class football "On the Banks."
