University of Delaware - Athletics

Athletics

Main article: Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens See also: Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football and Delaware Fighting Blue Hens men's lacrosse

The athletic teams at Delaware are known as the Fightin' Blue Hens with a mascot named YoUDee. YoUDee is a Blue Hen Chicken, after the team names and the state bird of Delaware. YoUDee was the 2002 UCA National Mascot Champion, was elected into the mascot hall of fame in 2006, and was the 2009 UCA Open Division Mascot National Champion.

UD offers 22 varsity sports, which compete in the NCAA Division-I (FCS for football). Delaware is a member of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) in all sports. Delaware was a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference in football until the 2006 season. Football is the most popular and most successful sport at Delaware. The Fighting Blue Hens football teams have won six national titles, including the 2003 NCAA I-AA Championship. In 2007, the Delaware Blue Hens were the runners up in the NCAA I-AA National Championship game, but were defeated by (defending champions) Appalachian State. In 2010, the Delaware Blue Hens were again runners up in the National Championship game, losing to Eastern Washington 20–19 after being up 19–0 earlier in the game.

Former head football coaches Bill Murray, Dave Nelson and Harold "Tubby" Raymond are College Football Hall of Fame inductees. Delaware is one of only two schools to have three straight head coaches inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame (Georgia Tech is the other). Delaware's only other NCAA National Championship came in 1983 for Women's Division I Lacrosse.

The Blue Hens have won five CAA Championships since joining in 2001: one each for the women's 2004 field hockey team, the 2007 men's lacrosse team, the 2007 women's volleyball team, the 2010 football team (shared with William & Mary), and in 2012 the women's basketball team captured the program's first CAA championship. (Unofficially, the women's rowing team has won the CAA title four times since 2001, placing second the other two times.) The 2007 men's lacrosse program reached the final four of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in its history.

On March 7, 2012, the Division 1 men's ice hockey team won the ACHA National Championship. UD defeated Oakland University 5–1, capturing its first title.