University of Miami - Athletics

Athletics

Main article: Miami Hurricanes See also: Miami Hurricanes baseball, Miami Hurricanes football, List of Miami Hurricanes in the NFL, Miami Hurricanes men's basketball, and 2011 University of Miami athletics scandal

The university fields 15 athletic teams. Men's teams compete in baseball, basketball, cross-country, diving, football, tennis, and track and field. Women's teams compete in basketball, cross-country, diving, golf, rowing, soccer, swimming, tennis, track and field, and volleyball.

Since 2004, the university's sports teams (nicknamed the Hurricanes) compete in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The football program has been named national champion five times over the past three decades (1983, 1987, 1989, 1991, and 2001) and has appeared in the AP Top 25 frequently during this time.

On December 12, 2009, the global sports network ESPN aired a documentary on the UM football program, The U, which drew 2.3 million viewers, the most ever for a documentary on the sports cable network. As of the 2011 National Football League season, UM had the most players active in the NFL of any university in the nation, with 42. The UM football team is coached currently by Al Golden.

For 70 years, from 1937 through 2007, the Hurricanes played most field home games at the Miami Orange Bowl. Beginning with the 2008 season, the University of Miami began playing its home football games at Sun Life Stadium (recently renamed from Dolphin Stadium) in Miami Gardens. The university signed a 25-year contract to play there through 2033. A smaller facility, Cobb Stadium, is located on the University of Miami campus and is used by the university's women's soccer and men's and women's track and field teams. UM's men's and women's basketball teams play their home games at BankUnited Center on the Coral Gables campus. The UM baseball team is coached by Jim Morris. The Miami baseball team has won four national championships (1982, 1985, 1999, 2001) and it plays their home games at the on-campus stadium Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field.

The University of Miami's mascot is Sebastian the Ibis. Its marching band is the Band of the Hour. The Miami Maniac is the mascot for baseball games.