The Rutgers Scarlet Knights are the athletic teams that represent

Rutgers University Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...

's New Brunswick campus. In sports, Rutgers is famously known for being the "Birthplace of College Football", hosting the first ever intercollegiate football game on November 6, 1869, in which Rutgers defeated a team from the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) with a score of 6 runs to 4. Among the first American schools that participate in intercollegiate athletics, Rutgers currently fields 24 teams in the

Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference, among others) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Fa ...

, which participates in Division I competition, as sanctioned by the

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

(NCAA) in the following sports:

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

, cross country,

field hockey Field hockey (or simply referred to as hockey in some countries where ice hockey is not popular) is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with 11 players in total, made up of 10 field players and a goalk ...

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standa ...

gymnastics Gymnastics is a group of sport that includes physical exercises requiring Balance (ability), balance, Strength training, strength, Flexibility (anatomy), flexibility, agility, Motor coordination, coordination, artistry and endurance. The movem ...

lacrosse Lacrosse is a contact team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game w ...

rowing Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically a ...

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

softball Softball is a Variations of baseball, variation of baseball, the difference being that it is played with a larger ball, on a smaller field, and with only underhand pitches (where the ball is released while the hand is primarily below the ball) ...

tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...

track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, such as saltwater or freshwater environments, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Swimmers achieve locomotion by coordinating limb and body movements to achieve hydrody ...

and

diving Diving most often refers to: * Diving (sport), the sport of jumping into deep water * Underwater diving, human activity underwater for recreational or occupational purposes Diving or Dive may also refer to: Sports * Dive (American football), ...

wrestling Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves di ...

, and

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

. The athletic programs compete under the name ''Scarlet Knights'', after the Rutgers University mascot that was chosen in 1955 by the student body. The Rutgers campuses in Newark and Camden also participate in intercollegiate competition — under the names '' Scarlet Raiders'' and '' Scarlet Raptors'', respectively — in

NCAA Division III NCAA Division III (D-III) is the lowest division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States. D-III consists of athletic programs at colleges and universities that do not offer athletic scholarships to student- ...

Athletic heritage

Rutgers was among the first American institutions to engage in intercollegiate athletics. Organized sports at Rutgers started with the Rutgers Men's Crew Team in 1864. In addition, the university participated in a small circle of schools that included

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

and long-time rival,

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

(then called ''The College of New Jersey''). The four schools met at the Fifth Avenue Hotel in

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

on October 19, 1873, to establish a set of rules governing their intercollegiate competition, and particularly to codify the new game of

. Though invited,

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...

University chose not to attend. In the early years of intercollegiate athletics, the circle of schools that participated in these athletic events were located solely in the American Northeast. However, by the turn of the century, colleges and universities across the United States also began to participate. The first intercollegiate athletic event at Rutgers was a baseball game on May 2, 1866, against Princeton in which they suffered a 40–2 loss. Rutgers University is often referred to as ''The Birthplace of College Football'' as the first intercollegiate football game was held on College Field between Rutgers and Princeton on November 6, 1869, in

New Brunswick, New Jersey New Brunswick is a city (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.College Avenue Gymnasium now stands (although the game was based more on

than on rugby, unlike the current version of American football, which takes its rules from a rugby-based framework.). Rutgers won the game, with a score of 6 goals to Princeton's 4. (roughly 36-24 currently). According to Parke H. Davis, the 1869 Rutgers football team shared the national title with Princeton. For much of its athletic history starting in 1866, Rutgers remained unaffiliated with any formal athletic conference and was classified as "independent". From 1946 to 1951, the university was a member of the Middle Three Conference, along with Lafayette and Lehigh. Rutgers considered petitioning to join the

Ivy League The Ivy League is an American collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference of eight Private university, private Research university, research universities in the Northeastern United States. It participates in the National Collegia ...

at the formation of that conference in 1954. From 1958 to 1961, Rutgers was a member of the Middle Atlantic Conference. From 1976 to 1995, Rutgers was a member of the

Atlantic 10 Conference The Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference whose schools compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I. The A-10's member schools are located most ...

for most sports while being an Eastern Independent in football. Rutgers remained independent until 1991 when it joined the

Big East Conference The Big East Conference (stylized as BIG EAST) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference that competes in National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA NCAA Division I, Division I in 10 men's sports and 12 women's sports. H ...

for football. All sports programs at Rutgers subsequently became affiliated with the Big East in 1995. On July 1, 2014, Rutgers became a member of the Big Ten athletic conference, after paying an $11.5 million exit fee to the

American Athletic Conference The American Athletic Conference (AAC), also known as The American, is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States, featuring 13 full member universities and 6 affiliate member universities that compete in t ...

(which formed as a result of the splitting of the Big East Conference). While in the Big East, the Scarlet Knights won four conference tournament titles: men's

(1997),

(2000, 2007), and

women's basketball Women's basketball is the team sport of basketball played by women. It was first played in 1892, one year after men's basketball, at Smith College in Massachusetts. It spread across the United States, in large parts via women's college compet ...

(2007). Several other teams have won regular season titles, but failed to win the conference's championship tournament.Big East Championship Records
published by the Big East Athletic Conference. Retrieved August 8, 2006. Recently, the

Rutgers Scarlet Knights football The Rutgers Scarlet Knights football program represents Rutgers University in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA). Rutgers competes as a member of the Big Ten Conference. Prior to joining t ...

team has achieved success on the gridiron after several years of losing seasons. They were invited to the Insight Bowl on December 27, 2005, but lost 45 to 40 against Arizona State. This was Rutgers' first bowl appearance since a December 16, 1978, loss against Arizona State. The score of the game was 34 to 18 at the Garden State Bowl against ASU (which was the first bowl game in which Rutgers was a participant). In 2006, the Scarlet Knights were invited to the inaugural Texas Bowl, in

Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, in which they defeated the Kansas State Wildcats 37 to 10. On January 5, 2008, Rutgers faced Ball State in the International Bowl held in Toronto, making it their third straight bowl game for the first time in the program's history. They won the game 52–30. Following the 2008 regular season, Rutgers was invited to the Papajohns.com Bowl, where on December 29, 2008, they defeated the North Carolina State University Wolfpack by a score of 29 to 23 for their third straight bowl win. On December 19, 2009, the Scarlet Knights won their fourth straight bowl game by defeating the

University of Central Florida The University of Central Florida (UCF) is a public university, public research university with its main campus in unincorporated area, unincorporated Orange County, Florida, United States. It is part of the State University System of Florida. ...

45–28 in the St. Petersburg Bowl. On December 20, 2011, Rutgers faced Iowa State in the Pinstripe Bowl and beat them 27 to 13. On December 28, 2013, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights faced the

Notre Dame Fighting Irish The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are the athletic teams that represent the University of Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish participate in 26 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I intercollegiate sports and in the NCAA's Division ...

in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl, which they lost 16 to 29. On December 26, 2014, Rutgers played in the Quick Lane Bowl vs the

North Carolina Tar Heels The North Carolina Tar Heels (also Carolina Tar Heels) are the college sports in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The name Tar Heel is a nickname used to refer to ...

in a 40–21 victory. On December 31, 2021, The Scarlet Knights lost to Wake Forest 38–10 in the Taxslayer Gator Bowl. On December 28, 2023, Rutgers played in their most recent bowl game, winning against the Miami Hurricanes in the 13th Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe bowl, Final Score being 31-24.

School spirit

Colors and prior mascots

Rutgers University's school color is scarlet. Initially, students sought to make orange the school color, citing Rutgers' Dutch heritage and in reference to the

Prince of Orange Prince of Orange (or Princess of Orange if the holder is female) is a title associated with the sovereign Principality of Orange, in what is now southern France and subsequently held by the stadtholders of, and then the heirs apparent of ...

. The Daily Targum first proposed that scarlet be adopted in May 1869, claiming that it was a striking color and because scarlet ribbon was easily obtained. During the first intercollegiate football game with Princeton on November 6, 1869, the players from Rutgers wore scarlet-colored

turban A turban (from Persian language, Persian دولبند‌, ''dolband''; via Middle French ''turbant'') is a type of headwear based on cloth winding. Featuring many variations, it is worn as customary headwear by people of various cultures. Commun ...

s and

handkerchief A handkerchief (; also called a hankie or, historically, a handkercher or a ) is a form of a kerchief or bandanna, typically a hemmed square of thin fabric which can be carried in the pocket or handbag for personal hygiene purposes such as w ...

s to distinguish them as a team from the Princeton players. The Board of Trustees officially made scarlet the

school color A school is the educational institution (and, in the case of in-person learning, the Educational architecture, building) designed to provide learning environments for the teaching of students, usually under the direction of teachers. Most co ...

s in 1900. In its early days, Rutgers athletes were known informally as "The Scarlet" in reference to the school color, or as "Queensmen" in reference to the institution's first name, ''Queen's College''. In 1925, the

mascot A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, sports team, university society, society, military unit, or brand, brand name. Mascots are als ...

was changed to Chanticleer, a fighting rooster from the

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

fable Fable is a literary genre defined as a succinct fictional story, in prose or verse, that features animals, legendary creatures, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature that are anthropomorphized, and that illustrates or leads to a parti ...

'' Reynard the Fox'' (''Le Roman de Renart'') which was used by

Geoffrey Chaucer Geoffrey Chaucer ( ; – 25 October 1400) was an English poet, author, and civil servant best known for ''The Canterbury Tales''. He has been called the "father of English literature", or, alternatively, the "father of English poetry". He w ...

in the ''

Canterbury Tales ''The Canterbury Tales'' () is a collection of 24 stories written in Middle English by Geoffrey Chaucer between 1387 and 1400. The book presents the tales, which are mostly written in verse (poetry), verse, as part of a fictional storytellin ...

''. At the time, the student humour magazine at Rutgers was called ''Chanticleer'', and one of its early arts editors,

Ozzie Nelson Oswald George Nelson (March 20, 1906 – June 3, 1975) was an American actor, filmmaker, musician, and bandleader. He originated and starred in ''The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet'', a radio and television series with his wife Harriet Nelson, ...

(later of ''

The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet ''The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet'' is an American television sitcom that aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from October 3, 1952, to April 23, 1966, and starred the real-life Nelson family. After a long run on radio, the show was b ...

'' fame) was quarterback of the Rutgers team from 1924 to 1926.Scarlet Letter 1924 (Rutgers University yearbook), Special Collections and University Archives,

New Brunswick, New Jersey New Brunswick is a city (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Lafayette College Lafayette College is a private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Easton, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1826 by James Madison Porter and other citizens in Easton, the college first held classes in 18 ...

, in which Lafayette was also introducing a new mascot, a

leopard The leopard (''Panthera pardus'') is one of the five extant cat species in the genus ''Panthera''. It has a pale yellowish to dark golden fur with dark spots grouped in rosettes. Its body is slender and muscular reaching a length of with a ...

However, the choice of Chanticleer as a mascot was often the subject of ridicule because of its association with "being

chicken The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated subspecies of the red junglefowl (''Gallus gallus''), originally native to Southeast Asia. It was first domesticated around 8,000 years ago and is now one of the most common and w ...

." In 1955, the mascot was changed to the Scarlet Knight after a campus-wide election, beating out other contenders such as "Queensmen", the "Scarlet", the "Red Lions", the "Redmen" and the "Flying Dutchmen." Earlier proposed nicknames included "Pioneers" and "Cannoneers". When Harvey Harman, then coach of the football team, was asked why he supported changing the Rutgers mascot, he was quoted as saying, "You can call it the Chanticleer, you can call it a fighting cock, you can call it any damn thing you want, but everybody knows it's a chicken."

Current mascot

Sir Henry, the Scarlet Knight is the current mascot of the team. Coach Harman is said to have bought the first "Scarlet Knight" mascot costume for the 1955 season, which was to be his final season as football coach at Rutgers. The student that wears the Scarlet Knight costume remains anonymous, and may not admit to being the scarlet knight during his term. Rutgers clubs that seek to rent the Scarlet Knight may do so for 75 dollars.

School songs and chants

Several school songs are connected with the school's athletic heritage. The

alma mater Alma mater (; : almae matres) is an allegorical Latin phrase meaning "nourishing mother". It personifies a school that a person has attended or graduated from. The term is related to ''alumnus'', literally meaning 'nursling', which describes a sc ...

of Rutgers University is '' On the Banks of the Old Raritan'' with words written by Howard Fullerton (Rutgers Class of 1874) and adapted to an old Scottish melody ''On the Banks of the Old Dundee.'' It is typically performed at the close of athletic events by the university's marching band, the Marching Scarlet Knights (also called "The Pride of New Jersey"), at Rutgers University Glee Club concerts, commencement and other important school events. The university's

fight song A fight song is a rousing short song associated with a sports team. The term is most common in the United States and Canada. In Australia, Mexico, and New Zealand, these songs are called the team anthem, team song, or games song. First associated ...

, ''The Bells Must Ring'', is performed often during athletic events especially in recognition of notable scores. Written in 1931 for entry in a student song contest, pianist Richard M. Hadden (Rutgers Class of 1932) composed the song with W. E. Sanford (Rutgers Class of 1930). Between the verses of the fight song, the spirit chant is rhythmically shouted.Richard M. Hadden RC'32, November 20, 1910 – July 9, 2003: Composer of "The Bells Must Ring"
at Rutgers Alumni News, published by Rutgers University Office of Alumni Relations (no further authorship information available). Retrieved January 12, 2007. This chant is one of many recited during Rutgers athletic events. Another popular chant, where one side of the crowd yells out "R" and the other "U"

antiphon An antiphon ( Greek ἀντίφωνον, ἀντί "opposite" and φωνή "voice") is a short chant in Christian ritual, sung as a refrain. The texts of antiphons are usually taken from the Psalms or Scripture, but may also be freely compo ...

ally, is often performed. The original spirit chant used at Rutgers was "Rah! Rah! Rah! Bow-wow-wow! Rutgers!" However, it has not been performed in the modern era. Other notable songs include ''Nobody ever died for Dear Old Rutgers'' composed by

Jule Styne Jule Styne ( ; born Julius Kerwin Stein; December 31, 1905 – September 20, 1994) was an English-American songwriter and composer widely known for a series of Broadway theatre, Broadway musical theatre, musicals, including several famous frequ ...

to lyrics by

Sammy Cahn Samuel Cohen (June 18, 1913 – January 15, 1993), known professionally as Sammy Cahn, was an American lyricist, songwriter, and musician. He is best known for his romantic lyrics to films and Broadway songs, as well as stand-alone songs premie ...

from the 1947

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...

'' High Button Shoes'' parodies an 1892 game in which Frank "Pop" Grant, a Rutgers football player, was being taken from the field because of injuries and stated that he would "die for dear old Rutgers." Other's sources state that the player stated "I will die if somebody does not give me a cigarette." The song ''Loyal Sons'' which exhorts Rutgers athletes (particularly football players) to "hit the line and run the ends boys...Score once more. Oh score once more."

Athletic rivalry

Rutgers maintains athletic rivalries with other collegiate institutions. The university has historic rivalries with

Lafayette College Lafayette College is a private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Easton, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1826 by James Madison Porter and other citizens in Easton, the college first held classes in 18 ...

Lehigh University Lehigh University (LU), in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, United States, is a private university, private research university. The university was established in 1865 by businessman Asa Packer. Lehigh University's undergraduate programs have been mixed ...

and

(formerly ''King's College'') originating from the early days of college football. While they maintain the Princeton rivalry in other sports, neither of them have met in football since 1980. Rutgers has a men's basketball rivalry with

Seton Hall University Seton Hall University (SHU) is a Private university, private Catholic Church, Catholic research university in South Orange, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1856 by then-Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley and named after his aunt, Saint Elizab ...

. The university's longest active football rivalry is with

Navy A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...

(dating back to 1891). This rivalry stems from Navy and Rutgers being two of the only three programs (the third is Army) to come out of the original, informal "Ivy League" that are still members of the top tier of NCAA college football (currently Division I FBS). Rutgers was a part of a round-robin conference known as the Middle Three Conference in football from 1929 through 1976, which included Lafayette and Lehigh. The winner of the annual round-robin received the Little Brass Cannon. The schools frequently met in other intercollegiate sports.(''See'' Before There Was An Ivy League.)

Teams

Football

left, Rutgers team of 1882 Despite being the "Birthplace of College Football" and sharing the 1869 national championship with

in the first year of intercollegiate play, Rutgers has not had an overly successful heritage in the sport through the years.Rutgers Historical Scores
at Division I-A Historical Scores, published by James Howell. Retrieved January 12, 2007. With 667 losses, Rutgers is among the losingest programs in the history of college football. Especially in the last three decades, Rutgers was regarded as one of the worst teams in what is now known as FBS (known as Division I-A before 2006), posting several losing seasons in a row and raising discussion of possibly reducing the team to I-AA/FCS competition. For most of its existence, the football team was not associated with any formal football conference and remained independent even when the first football leagues were forming. At present, Rutgers participates in Division I FBS and joined the

in 2014, after more than two decades in the original Big East Conference and one season in its football-sponsoring offshoot, the

. The current coach is Greg Schiano, who replaced Chris Ash. Prior to Ash, the coach was Kyle Flood, who was let go from the program after a poor 2015 season. Flood had replaced Schiano who, after leading Rutgers to its first bowl games in decades, accepted the head coaching job for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

2006 season

In 2006, Rutgers boasted its best season in three decades, beginning its first nine games undefeated. Sports commentators and writers began referring to the 2006 season as Rutgers' "Cinderella season" as each week passed in victory, and Rutgers gained nationwide attention and raised discussion of a possible national championship appearance. Rutgers ascended the major college football polls from starting the season unranked to achieving its highest ranking ever after the Scarlet Knights' November 9 victory over the third-ranked, undefeated

Louisville Cardinals The Louisville Cardinals (also known as the Cards) are the NCAA athletic teams representing the University of Louisville. The Cardinals teams play in the Atlantic Coast Conference, beginning in the 2014 season. While playing in the Big East Co ...

. The 28–25 contest was won by kicker Jeremy Ito, who kicked the game-winning field goal at the end of the game. After the field goal was made, announcer Chris Carlan said his famous line: "It's pandemonium in Piscataway!" as excited fans stormed the field. "Piscataway" references the fact that the game was played in Piscataway, New Jersey, where Rutgers' Football Stadium is located. Rutgers fans still revel in the memory of the game, as it alleviated the stress of so many losing seasons, and marked the pinnacle of Rutgers football. Many fans consider it to be the best football game in Rutgers history. After this game, Rutgers jumped to seventh in the AP Poll, eighth in the USA Today/Coaches poll, seventh in the Harris Interactive Poll, and sixth in the

Bowl Championship Series The Bowl Championship Series (BCS) was a college football post-season selection system that created four or five bowl game match-ups involving eight or ten of the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of America ...

rankings. Finishing the regular season with a record of 10–2, with losses to the

Cincinnati Bearcats The Cincinnati Bearcats are the college sports, athletic teams that represent the University of Cincinnati. The teams compete in the NCAA's Division I and the Football Bowl Subdivision as members of the Big 12 Conference. The Bearcats were pr ...

and West Virginia Mountaineers. With a 37–10 victory over the Kansas State Wildcats in the inaugural Texas Bowl, Rutgers finished the 2006 season with a record of 11–2 and were ranked twelfth in the nation in the final Associated Press poll. This was Rutgers' highest final ranking ever in any national football poll, although they were ranked in the Top 25 of the Associated Press final poll previously in 1958, 1961 and 1976.Rutgers Ranked 12th in Final 2006 football Polls – Highest Season-Ending Ranking in School History
(Press Release January 9, 2007) at ScarletKnights.com (Official Website of Rutgers University athletics). Published by Rutgers University Athletics Department (no further authorship information available). Retrieved January 12, 2007 The 2006 team featured players such as

Maxwell Award The Maxwell Award is presented annually to the college football player judged by a panel of sportscasters, sportswriters, and National Collegiate Athletic Association head coaches and the membership of the Maxwell Football Club to be the best all ...

finalist, All-American halfback Ray Rice, quarterback Mike Teel, fullback Brian Leonard, tight end

Clark Harris Clark Harris (born July 10, 1984) is an American former professional football player who was a long snapper. He was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the seventh round of the 2007 NFL draft. He played college football for the Rutgers Scar ...

, wide receiver Tiquan Underwood, All-American defensive tackle Eric Foster, safety Courtney Greene, kicker Jeremy Ito, and punter Joe Radigan, who holds the longest-punt record (78 yards) in Rutgers history. Rice, who during the season broke several Rutgers football records, and with 1,794 rushing yards set the Big East's single-season record, came in seventh in voting for the 2006

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy ( ; also known simply as the Heisman) is awarded annually since 1935 to the top player in college football. It is considered the most prestigious award in the sport and is presented by the Heisman Trophy Trust followin ...

. Head Coach Greg Schiano was awarded the 2006 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award, the

Home Depot Coach of the Year Award A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or more human occupants, and sometimes various companion animals. Homes provide sheltered spaces, for instance rooms, where domestic activity can be pe ...

and the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year award from the

Football Writers Association of America The Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) is an organization of college football media members in the United States founded in 1941. It is composed of approximately 1,200 professional sports writers from both print and Internet media out ...

Men's basketball

The Rutgers men's basketball team was among the "Final Four" in the 1976 Division I NCAA Tournament and ended the 1976 season ranked fourth in the nation, after an 86–70 loss against the

Michigan Wolverines The Michigan Wolverines comprise 29 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA's NCAA Division I, Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except wo ...

in the semifinal round and a 106–92 loss to the

UCLA Bruins The UCLA Bruins are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Los Angeles. The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Big Ten Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF ...

in the tournament's third-place consolation game. This was the last men's Division I tournament to date to feature two unbeaten teams, as both

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

, who won that year's title, and Rutgers entered the tournament unbeaten. Rutgers went 31–0 during the regular season. The Scarlet Knights also played in the 2004 NIT Final, where they were defeated by the

. In 2005–2006 Quincy Douby set a Rutgers Basketball single season record by scoring 839 points. He left after his junior year to enter the NBA Draft. Center Hamady N'Diaye, taken by the

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves (often referred to as the Wolves or T-wolves) are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Divisio ...

and traded to the

Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays i ...

during the

2010 NBA draft The 2010 NBA draft was held on June 24, 2010, at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The draft, which started at 7:00 pm Eastern Time Zone, Eastern Daylight Time (2300 Coordinated Universal Time, UTC), was broadcast in the ...

, was the last former Scarlet Knight in the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

. The Scarlet Knights' current coach is Steve Pikiell.

Women's basketball

The Scarlet Knights women's basketball of late has been one of the more successful programs in the school. A notable season would be the 2005–2006 season, when Rutgers at one point was ranked fourth in the nation and reached the

Elite Eight In the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, NCAA men's Division I basketball championship or the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament, NCAA women's Division I basketball championship, the "Elite Eight" comprises the final eight t ...

behind the shooting of Cappie Pondexter. In the 2006–07 season, Rutgers finished second in the regular season behind UConn, but went on to defeat the Huskies in the Big East Championship game. Rutgers beat first seeded Duke 53–52 in the 2007 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament, and advanced to the 2007 Women's Final Four. In the national semifinals, they would defeat

LSU Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...

, 59–35 and advance to their first ever National Championship game. In that game, however, they lost to the Tennessee Lady Volunteers by the score of 59–46. In June 2007, the Rutgers women's basketball team earned the Irv Grossman Award of Merit as providing service and unique achievement to increase appreciation for and elevate the status of women's collegiate sports on a national level. The award is named after Irv Grossman, the founder of the Honda Awards Program. In 2007, the team also won the Wilma Rudolph Courage award. This award is given annually to a female athlete or team who exhibits extraordinary courage in her athletic performance, demonstrates the ability to overcome adversity, makes significant contributions to sports and serves as an inspiration and role model to those who face challenges, overcomes them and strives for success at all levels. The team is currently coached by Coquese Washington.

Field hockey

In 2021, the Scarlet Knights defeated the Michigan Wolverines by a score of 1–0 in the Big Ten tournament championship game. The Scarlet Knights became the first Rutgers program to ever win a Big Ten Tournament championship, and just the second RU program to earn any Big Ten Championship after the women's soccer program won the regular season title earlier in the same year.

Men's lacrosse

Rutgers began playing lacrosse in 1887. The team lasted 3 years, folding in 1889 after it 2–1 season. The program was re-instated in 1920 due in part to the efforts of Harland W. “Tots” Meistrell. In 1926 Fred Fitch took over the program and began a period of national prominence. The team joined the USILA and in 1928 was awarded one of the association's gold medals as an outstanding team, along with three other teams that also shared the championship (

Johns Hopkins Johns Hopkins (May 19, 1795 – December 24, 1873) was an American merchant, investor, and philanthropist. Born on a plantation, he left his home to start a career at the age of 17, and settled in Baltimore, Maryland, where he remained for mos ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

, and

). In 1932 the Rutgers team, led by “the best attack pair in the country” George Latimer and Frenchy Julien participated in the U.S. Olympic team tryouts. Rutgers appeared in its first NCAA tournament in

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...

. Since its inception in 1887, the Scarlet Knights have won 560 games and one national Class B championship, as well as producing 197 All-Americans and 10 lacrosse hall of famers.

Men's soccer

The origins of Rutgers soccer trace back to

1869 Events January * January 3 – Abdur Rahman Khan is defeated at Tinah Khan, and exiled from Afghanistan. * January 5 – Scotland's second oldest professional football team, Kilmarnock F.C., is founded. * January 20 – Elizabe ...

, where the first ever collegiate football game was played in the United States, with rules based on

The Football Association The Football Association (the FA) is the Sports governing body, governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Bailiwick of Guernsey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the oldest footb ...

. These two games v Princeton are considered to be the first organized American college football games to ever be played. Rutgers' first varsity team was fielded in 1938,History
on Rutgers men's soccer where they Knights competed as an independent team. Rutgers remained unaffiliated with any formal athletic conference and was considered an independent until joining the

as an associate soccer member in the mid-1980s.

Women's soccer

Founded in 1984, the Scarlet Knights women's soccer team has earned fourteen at-large bids to the NCAA Tournament (1987, 2001, 2003, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022) and has won three Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference championship titles (1990, 1991, 1992). In 2021, the Scarlet Knights won the first Big Ten team title in school history, going undefeated against Big Ten teams during the regular season.

Softball

The Scarlet Knights softball team has appeared in two

Women's College World Series The Women's College World Series (WCWS) is the final portion of the NCAA Division I softball tournament for college softball in the United States and is held annually in Oklahoma City, OK. The event is held at Devon Park (stadium), Devon Park loca ...

, in 1979 and 1981.

Wrestling

On March 23, 2019, Nick Suriano and Anthony Ashnault became the first two NCAA national champions in Rutgers history.

Notable non varsity sports

Men's Crew

The men's crew team became the first organized sport at Rutgers in 1864. It started out as more of a social activity for students, but quickly after the Rutgers Boating Association was formed, the team began to race against other local teams on the Raritan River. In 1950, the Class of 1914 Boathouse was constructed along the Raritan River, complete with three bays, locker rooms, ergometer training room, and offices for the coaches. The current Class of 1914 Boathouse is located just off of Route 18 on Cook-Douglass Campus, and is used by both the Men's Crew and Women's Rowing teams. The historic team built a strong crew program of heavyweight and lightweight men, producing several Olympic champions. At the end of the 2007 season, due to university-wide budget cuts, the team lost their varsity status and was reduced to "club" status. Since then, the team has continued to succeed against high-level competitors and goes on to compete in the annual ACRA Championship.

Ice hockey

Ice hockey has existed in some form at Rutgers dating back to 1892 following a game against a “picked team of Princeton men” on Westons Mill Pond. Currently, the school has two teams competing at different levels of the

American Collegiate Hockey Association The American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) is a college ice hockey association. The ACHA's purpose is to be an organization of collegiate affiliated programs, which provides structure, regulates operations, and promotes quality in collegi ...

(ACHA). The Division 1 team competes in the Northeast Collegiate Hockey League (NECHL) and the Division 2 team in the

Colonial States College Hockey Conference The Colonial States College Hockey Conference (CSCHC) is a non-varsity club college ice hockey league based in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. The conference is part of the American Collegiate Hockey Association Division 2 and is m ...

(CSCHC). In 1998, the university hosted the ACHA Division II National Championship which was won by Life University.

Rugby

Founded in 1965, Rutgers Rugby Football Club plays Division 1 college rugby in the Empire Conference against local rivals such as Syracuse. For the 2010–11 and 2011–12 seasons, Rutgers played in the College Premier Division, where they were led by Evan Fitzgerald, who holds Rutgers career records in tries scored (32) and points scored (176). Rutgers finished the 2010–11 season ranked 24th in the nation. Rutgers Rugby is active in spreading the sport of rugby throughout New Jersey through involvement in youth leagues and inter-state competitions. Rutgers Rugby is led by head coaches Mark Dobbs and Omar Rivera.

Ultimate

The first intercollegiate competition in Ultimate Frisbee (now called simply "Ultimate") was held between students from Rutgers and Princeton on November 6, 1972, to mark the one hundred third anniversary of the first intercollegiate football game. Rutgers won 29–27. The Rutgers Ultimate club continued to thrive adopting the name Hot Animal Machine, which later became just Machine. They compete today in the Metro East division of USA Ultimate, the governing body of North American Ultimate.

Powerboating

In 1933 and 1934, Rutgers won the collegiate national championships in powerboating.

Championships

NCAA team championships

Rutgers has won 1 NCAA national championship: *Men's (1) **

Fencing Fencing is a combat sport that features sword fighting. It consists of three primary disciplines: Foil (fencing), foil, épée, and Sabre (fencing), sabre (also spelled ''saber''), each with its own blade and set of rules. Most competitive fe ...

(1): 1949 (co-champions) *See also: **

List of NCAA schools with the most NCAA Division I championships Listed below are the colleges or universities with the most NCAA Division I (NCAA), Division I-sanctioned team championships, individual championships, and combined team and individual championships, as documented by information published on offi ...

** Big Ten Conference NCAA national team championships

Other national team championships

Below are 3 national team titles that were not bestowed by the NCAA: *Women's (3): **Basketball (

AIAW The Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) was a college athletics organization in the United States, founded in 1971 to govern women's college competitions in the country and to administer national championships (see AIAW Cham ...

) (1): 1982 **Cheerleading (2): 1998, 2009 *Men's (1): **Football (In FBS record book) (1): 1869 (co-champion with Princeton) *See also: ** List of Big Ten Conference National Championships

Conference championships

* Men's Conference Champions: ** Baseball, Big East Tournament champions (1998) ** Baseball, Big East Tournament champions (2000) ** Baseball, Big East Conference champions (2000) ** Baseball, Big East Tournament champions (2007) ** Basketball, Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament champions (1989) ** Track & Field, Outdoor Big East champions (2005) ** Football, Big East Conference co-champions (2012) ** Soccer, Big Ten Tournament champions (2022) * Women's Conference Champions: ** Basketball, Big East Tournament champions (2007) ** Soccer, Big East Conference champions (1997) ** Soccer, Big Ten Regular Season champions (2021) ** Field Hockey, Big Ten Tournament champions (2021)

Other championships

* Football postseason bowl victories: ** Texas Bowl (2006) ** International Bowl (2008) ** Papa John's Bowl (2008) ** St. Petersburg Bowl (2009) ** New Era Pinstripe Bowl (2011) ** Quick Lane Bowl (2014) ** Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl (2023) * Other championships: ** Men's track & field, Indoor IC4A Champions (2005) ** Men's track & field, Outdoor IC4A Champions (2005) ** Women's basketball, WNIT Champions (2014)

Controversy and debate

Regarding "bigger time" athletics

Rutgers University's seventeenth president, Edward J. Bloustein (1925–1989) envisioned a drive for success at Rutgers that involved participation in "bigger-time" athletics. Several of the nation's colleges became associated with Division I-AA (now FCS) when that designation was established in the late 1970s, including many of Rutgers' historic rivals like Princeton, Columbia, Lehigh and

. Bloustein decided that Rutgers ought to pursue developments that would place the university on par with comparable state universities both academically and athletically. This led to Rutgers opting for inclusion among Division I, and later, under president Francis L. Lawrence, to join the

in 1991. William C. Dowling, a University Professor in the Department of English, and other like-minded faculty, students and alumni organized a movement known as "Rutgers 1000" in 1993, working to return Rutgers to its older tradition of participatory athletics by joining such institutions as the University of Chicago and NYU in the NCAA's Div III. Though the group dissolved itself in 2003 under the mistaken impression that President Richard McCormick supported its position, it was revived in 2007 when McCormick and the Board of Governors announced a $102 million expansion of the football stadium. Also in 2007, Professor Dowling came under fire from

athletic director An athletic director (commonly "athletics director" or "AD") is an administrator at many American clubs or institutions, such as colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches a ...

Bob Mulcahy, regarding remarks Mulcahy claimed to perceive as being insulting to minority athletes. In 2011, Dowling received the Drake Group's Robert Maynard Hutchins Award for his opposition to the degradation of academic and intellectual values at Rutgers by commercialized Div IA athletics. Rutgers efforts to upgrade the quality of its football program have raised criticism of many alumni, faculty and students regarding the size of athletic department's budget, wishing to divert its funds elsewhere. The athletic department's budget is $35.5 million compared to a $1.6 billion budget for the entire university. Most of the athletics budget comes from self-generating revenue (ticket sales, merchandise, broadcast rights), while the rest is taken from mandatory student fees. Though widely dismissed by Rutgers 1000 supporters as a

logical fallacy In logic and philosophy, a formal fallacy is a pattern of reasoning rendered invalid by a flaw in its logical structure. Propositional logic, for example, is concerned with the meanings of sentences and the relationships between them. It focuses ...

the argument that having a very visible football program increases the donations to the athletic department and even the university as a whole is made by some Scarlet R supporters. An increase in enrollment applications of 12% upon joining the Big Ten Conference, and applicants who score 20 points higher on the SAT would tend to bear that out. Though some critics feared that the focus on FBS athletics would lower admissions and academic standards, the Rutgers football team set a record high for Academic Performance Rate (APR) of any Football Bowl Sub-division team with a score of 992 in 2010. A final complaint was that the upgraded football schedule would prevent competing against long standing

rivals A rivalry is the state of two people or Social group, groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each ...

Princeton, Columbia, Lehigh, and Lafayette. However, supporters of the move claim it would make Rutgers more comparable to large, prestigious state universities such as the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

and

University of California The University of California (UC) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university, research university system in the U.S. state of California. Headquartered in Oakland, California, Oakland, the system is co ...

and private institutions such as

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

which have been touted for balancing their academic reputation with athletic success.

Budget cuts and financial woes

In the writing of New Jersey's 2006 state budget, the state legislature cut $66 million from the government's appropriations to Rutgers. The university responded by reducing several classes, laying off staff and junior faculty, and closing several programs. The athletic department announced that it would be ending six athletic programs beginning in the 2007–2008 academic year. These athletic programs affected are the men's lightweight and heavyweight Crew (see list of Rutgers Crew Olympic and National Team members below; prior to the cuts Rutgers Crew produced at least 15 Olympians and National Men's Team members), the men's swimming and diving team, men's tennis teams and the men's and women's fencing.

Title IX Title IX is a landmark federal civil rights law in the United States that was enacted as part (Title IX) of the Education Amendments of 1972. It prohibits sex-based discrimination in any school or any other education program that receiv ...

concerns also played a significant role in these cuts. Since joining the

Big Ten conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference, among others) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Fa ...

in 2014, Rutgers racked up $265 million debt by 2021, leading

Phil Murphy Philip Dunton Murphy (born August 16, 1957) is an American politician, diplomat, and financier serving as the 56th governor of New Jersey since 2018. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he was elected governor i ...

, the governor of

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, to describe the financial situation as "quite concerning". In March 2022, Rutgers president Jonathan Holloway admitted that the athletic department was "highly unlikely" to

break even Break-even (or break even), often abbreviated as B/E in finance (sometimes called point of equilibrium), is the point of balance making neither a profit nor a loss. It involves a situation when a business makes just enough revenue to cover its tot ...

despite Big 10 revenue and increased investments.

Venues

New Brunswick/Piscataway

Rutgers University fields 27 sports teams from their New Brunswick Campus for NCAA Division I competition, with the football team playing in the top-level FBS subdivision. Most of the university's 14 athletic venues and facilities are currently located in Piscataway on the Busch and Livingston campuses, with two facilities in New Brunswick (the ''College Avenue Gymnasium'' and the ''Class of 1914 Boathouse''). Though the College Avenue Gymnasium has hosted a large variety of athletic events—including memorable games in the 1976 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament in which Rutgers advanced to the "Final Four", subsequently ending the season fourth in the nation—it was also the site of conventions to revise the New Jersey State Constitution in 1947 and 1966. One hundred and twenty-five years after Rutgers and Princeton inaugurated the tradition of American football, '' High Point Solutions Stadium'', which opened as 42,000 seat facility but has since been expanded to 52,454 capacity seating, was opened during the 1994 football season. The field at High Point Solutions Stadium is large enough to host national and international soccer matches. Jersey Mike's Arena, formerly known as the Rutgers Athletic Center, is home to the Rutgers men's and women's basketball programs and has a capacity of 8,000 seats. The soccer teams play at ''

Yurcak Field Yurcak Field is a 5,000 seat soccer-specific stadium on the main campus of Rutgers University–New Brunswick in Piscataway Township, New Jersey. Fully acknowledged as "The Soccer Stadium at Yurcak Field", it is named in honor of Ronald N. Yurc ...

'', which accommodates over 5,000 fans. The lacrosse teams played here from 1994 until 2013 before moving to the High Point Solutions Stadium in 2014. Built in 1994, Yurcak Field, recognized as one of the premiere collegiate venues for these two sports in the United States, was named in honor of Rutgers alumnus Ronald N. Yurcak, a 1965

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

Lacrosse player. Rutgers also operates an 18-hole 6,337-yard, par 71 golf course, designed by Hal Purdy and awarded four stars in 2004 by ''Golf Magazine'' and ranked by ''Golf Digest'' as "Best Place to Play".

Notable athletes

A growing number of

alumni Alumni (: alumnus () or alumna ()) are former students or graduates of a school, college, or university. The feminine plural alumnae is sometimes used for groups of women, and alums (: alum) or alumns (: alumn) as gender-neutral alternatives. Th ...

who participated in athletic programs during their

undergraduate Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education, usually in a college or university. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, ...

years at

have continued their athletic careers professionally. A few became coaches, managers or owners of professional teams, including

Alexi Lalas Panayotis Alexander Lalas (; born June 1, 1970) is an American former soccer player who played mostly as a defender. Lalas is best known for his participation with the United States men's national soccer team in the 1994 FIFA World Cup, where ...

, Class of 1991, a former U.S. Soccer National Team member who is also the former President & General Manager of the

Los Angeles Galaxy The Los Angeles Galaxy are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The Gal ...

, Eddie Jordan, Class of 1977, who was Head Coach of the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlan ...

Sonny Werblin David Abraham "Sonny" Werblin (March 17, 1910 – November 21, 1991) was a prominent entertainment industry executive and sports impresario who was an owner of the New York Jets and served as chairman of Madison Square Garden, and who built and ...

, Class of 1932, who was founder of the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

, and

Jeff Torborg Jeffrey Allen Torborg (November 26, 1941 – January 19, 2025) was an American professional baseball catcher and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Dodgers and California Angels from 1964 to 1973. He managed th ...

, Class of 1963, a

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

Catcher with the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

and

California Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West Division. Since 1966, the team has pl ...

who went on to manage several teams in

and coaches of college athletic teams, including Jim Valvano, Class of 1967, who while coach at

North Carolina State University North Carolina State University (NC State, North Carolina State, NC State University, or NCSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1887 and p ...

won 1983 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. Also notable,

David Stern David Joel Stern (September 22, 1942 – January 1, 2020) was an American lawyer and business executive who was the commissioner of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1984 to 2014. Stern oversaw NBA basketball's growth into one of t ...

, a member of the Class of 1963, who was the commissioner of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA)—up until 2014. Jon Conway, Class of 1999, is currently a goalkeeper for the

and Josh Gros, Class of 2003 was a midfielder for D.C. United in American

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...

Carli Lloyd Carli Anne Hollins (; born July 16, 1982) is an American former professional Association football, soccer player. She is a two-time Olympic Games, Olympic gold medalist (2008 and 2012), two-time FIFA Women's World Cup champion (2015 and 2019) ...

, former Women's Soccer star, went on to play on the

United States women's national soccer team The United States women's national soccer team (USWNT) represents the United States in international women's soccer. The team is governed by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF (the Confederation of North, Central Ameri ...

in the 2007, 2011, and 2015 World Cups, plus the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. Lloyd is recently notable for scoring 3 goals on the way to a gold medal in the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup Final vs Japan. Todd Frazier, 2015 MLB Homrun Derby Champion,

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...

. Players that went on to the National Football League include: Deron Cherry, Class of 1980, (

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...

) member of the

NFL 1980s All-Decade Team The NFL 1980s All-Decade Team was chosen by voters of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The team was composed of outstanding performers in the National Football League in the 1980s. The squad consists of first- and second-team offensive, defensive and ...

, Quarterback Ray Lucas, class of 1996, (

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

1996–2002), Quarterback Mike McMahon, Class of 2001 (

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...

), Center

Shaun O'Hara Shaun O'Hara (born June 23, 1977) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a center (American football), center for 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Rutger ...

, Class of 2000, (

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

), Tight End L.J. Smith, Class of 2003, (

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...

), Middle Linebacker Gary Brackett, Class of 2002,

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...

, and Tight End Marco Battaglia, Class of 1996, (

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

) Brian Leonard (Class of 2007, drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the 2nd of the 2007 NFL Draft), Kenny Britt (Class of 2010, drafted by the Tennessee Titans 1st round of the 2009 NFL Draft)and Heisman Trophy candidate Ray Rice (Class of 2009, drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the 2008 NFL Draft), Offensive Guard Darnell Stapleton, who started for the Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers during the championship game. David DeJesus is currently a center-fielder for the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

. Rutgers' successful Women's Basketball program have sent several women to the

Women's National Basketball Association The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is a women's professional basketball league in the United States. The league comprises 13 teams (scheduled to expand to 15 in 2026). The WNBA is headquartered in Midtown Manhattan. The WNBA w ...

(WNBA), including Sue Wicks, Class of 1988, who played for the

New York Liberty The New York Liberty are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Liberty compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Eastern Confer ...

from 1997 to 2002, and was a member of the American team in the

1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and officially branded as Seoul 1988 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. 159 nations were represe ...

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

, and most recently Cappie Pondexter, Class of 2006, of the

Phoenix Mercury The Phoenix Mercury are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Mercury compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Western Conference. One of eight original franchises, it wa ...

and Tammy Sutton-Brown, Class of 2001, with the Charlotte Sting. Among Rutgers Men's Basketball, Roy Hinson, class of 1982, was a long-time player in the league, and Quincy Douby was drafted in 2006 as a guard for the

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Confere ...

. ---- Rutgers Rowing has produced an exceptional number of Olympians and National Team members who have won Olympic Medals and World Championships. Tom Price and Charlie Logg won Olympic Gold in the

1952 Summer Olympics The 1952 Summer Olympics (, ), officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad (, ) and commonly known as Helsinki 1952, were an international multi-sport event held from 19 July to 3 August 1952 in Helsinki, Finland. After Japan declared in ...

. In total, Rutgers Rowing alumni have won at least 15 Olympic and World Championship titles and numerous other Olympic and World Championship silver and bronze medals. Other Rutgers Rowing Olympians and National Team members include: * Fred Borchelt

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and commonly known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the ...

Silver Medal. Olympian in 1976, 1980 and 1984. * Max Borghard. Two-time US National Team member. Currently Women's Head Coach at

. * Charley Butt. World Championship Silver Medalist. Currently Men's Head Coach at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

. * Steven Christensen. 1976 and 1980 Olympian (transferred to University of Pennsylvania during undergraduate career). * David Collins. Bronze Medalist in

Rowing at the 1996 Summer Olympics Taking place at Lake Lanier, Georgia, United States, the 1996 Summer Olympics saw the debut of lightweight rowing events. Medal table Men's events Women's events See also * Rowing at the Summer Olympics * List of Olympic medalists in r ...

. * Ned Delguercio. World Champion in 2007 and 2008. * Jennifer Dore. 1996 and 2000 Olympian. World Champion in 1995. * Sean Hall. 1992, 1996 and 2000 Olympian. World Champion in 1994. * Robert Kaehler. 1992, 1996 and 2000 Olympian. World Champion in 1994, 1997, 1998 and 1999. * Jeffrey Klepacki. 1992, 1996 and 2000 Olympian. World Champion in 1994, 1998 and 1999. * Sharon Kriz * Fran McGovern * James Neil. 1992 and 1996 Olympian. World Champion 1999. * Grant Nichols * William Porter. World Championship Bronze Medalist. Currently Women's Head Coach at

. * Sam Stitt. 2008 Olympian. World Championship Silver and bronze medalist. * Maite Urtasun. 2002 World Champion. Notable Head Rowing Coaches who are Rutgers alums: * Tom Terhaar, Head Coach of USA Women's Olympic and National Team. Under his leadership, the US Women's 8+ has won 10 consecutive World Titles including Olympic Gold in 2008 and 2012. * Andy Teitelbaum, Women's Head Coach at

Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...

. He has won 3 consecutive NCAA Division I Rowing Championship: 2013, 2014, 2015. * William Porter, Women's Head Coach at

. His team has won the NCAA Championship. * Charley Butt, Men's Head Coach at

. He has coached the Harvard men's lightweight team to numerous championships over 28 years prior to being named heavyweight coach in 2013. * Rob Friedrich, Men's Head Coach at the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (USNA, Navy, or Annapolis) is a United States Service academies, federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as United States Secre ...

* Sean Hall, Head Coach since 2015 at the storied Penn Athletic Club Rowing Association The

Super Bowl The Super Bowl is the annual History of the NFL championship, league championship game of the National Football League (NFL) of the United States. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966 NFL season, 1966 (with the excep ...

winners from 2007 to 2009 each had a

Rutgers Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College and was aff ...

Undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

start for them:

Super Bowl XLI Super Bowl XLI was an American football game played between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion 2006 Indianapolis Colts season, Indianapolis Colts and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion 2006 Chicago Bears season, Chicag ...

– Gary Brackett –

Middle linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the li ...

–

Super Bowl XLII –

– Center –

Super Bowl XLIII Super Bowl XLIII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champions Pittsburgh Steelers and the National Football Conference (NFC) champions Arizona Cardinals to decide the National Football League (NFL) champ ...

– Darnell Stapleton –

Offensive guard Offensive may refer to: * Offensive (military), type of military operation * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative (Netherlands), Socialist Alternative * Fighting words, spoken words which would have a tende ...

–

Notable athletics coaches

''See List of Rutgers University people#Athletic coaches

Rutgers–Newark

Rutgers–Newark fields teams for NCAA Division III competition in men's and women's

, and

, as well as

for men and

for women. The men's volleyball team competed as a Division I member through the 2014 season (2013–14 school year), but completed a transition to Division III after that season. Their teams are known as the "Scarlet Raiders." Built in 1977, the ''Golden Dome Athletic Center'' is the hub of Rutgers–Newark athletics, seating 2,000. Soccer and softball games are held on ''Alumni Field'', while the Rutgers–Newark baseball team plays at Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium, a 6,200-seat ballpark that is home to the

Newark Bears The Newark Bears were an American independent league professional baseball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They were a member of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball and, later, the Canadian American Association of Professional Bas ...

, a minor-league professional baseball franchise.

Rutgers–Camden

Rutgers–Camden fields teams for NCAA Division III competition in Men's and Women's

Crew A crew is a body or a group of people who work at a common activity, generally in a structured or hierarchy, hierarchical organization. A location in which a crew works is called a crewyard or a workyard. The word has nautical resonances: the ta ...

, Cross Country,

Golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standa ...

Soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

Volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

, Indoor Track,

Baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

(men),

Softball Softball is a Variations of baseball, variation of baseball, the difference being that it is played with a larger ball, on a smaller field, and with only underhand pitches (where the ball is released while the hand is primarily below the ball) ...

(women), and

Track and Field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

. Their teams are known as the "Scarlet Raptors." In 2006, Rutgers–Camden won the NCAA Division III Softball championship, defeating two-time defending champion St. Thomas, 3–2 to capture the school's first national title. Rutgers–Camden basketball also holds the unfortunate distinction of the longest losing streak in college basketball, set in 1997. The team was disbanded, but student outcry lead to a re-instatement. Rutgers–Camden broke its NCAA-record 117-game losing streak with a 77–72 victory over Bloomfield College.

RVision

A part of the

Department of Athletic Communications, RVision, is a digital media network that is responsible for providing live and highlight video coverage of many Rutgers intercollegiate athletic events. Created in 2009, RVision broadcasts more than 100 live events in addition to countless interviews and game highlights posted by the RVision staff on ScarletKnights.com. With the recent addition of Rutgers to the

in 2014, RVision set up a fundraiser nicknamed RStarter. RStarter's goal was to raise $30,000 to improve all aspects of RVision and bring even better coverage of all sports to Rutgers fans. RStarter's proceeds would go toward the purchase of new cameras, laptops and student stipends. By the start of the opening day for football on August 28, 2014, fans and supporters came together and raised over $32,000 for the RVision Network. With the addition of the university to the

comes the addition of a national television outlet, the

Big Ten Network Big Ten Network (BTN) is an American sports network based in Chicago, Illinois. The channel is dedicated to coverage of College athletics, collegiate sports sanctioned by the Big Ten Conference, including live and recorded event telecasts, news ...

(BTN). RVision and BTN work hand in hand to bring sports fanatics as much coverage as possible of Rutgers athletics. "There is an additional amount of work that BTN needs for their network that we can now shoot for them since we're here and local," said Rutgers senior associate athletics director Jason Baum, who has overseen the venture since its launch in 2009. "RVision is a three-person team led by Colin Osborne that has a lot on their plate. I don't know if there are too many people that work as many hours a year as the RVision crew." RVision has been asked by the

to provide footage of games, individual players, talkbacks with players and coaches, and scenic shots around campus with a

Big Ten The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference, among others) is a collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives in 1 ...

-logoed sign. RVision continues to expand its broadcasts and its student crews. On any given day RVision can have several crews shooting multiple different athletic events all across the Rutgers–New Brunswick Campus.

Notes and references

Footnotes and citations

Books and printed materials

* Demarest, William Henry Steele. ''History of Rutgers College: 1776–1924.'' (New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers College, 1924). (No ISBN) * Dowling, William C. ''Confessions of a Spoilsport: My Life and Hard Times Fighting Sports Corruption at an Old Eastern University.'' (Penn State University Press, 2007). . * Leitch, ''A Princeton Companion'' (Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1978). * Lukac, George J. (ed.), ''Aloud to Alma Mater.'' (New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 1966), 70–73. (No ISBN) * McCormick, Richard P. ''Rutgers: a Bicentennial History''. (New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 1966). * Schmidt, George P. ''Princeton and Rutgers: The Two Colonial Colleges of New Jersey''. (Princeton, New Jersey: Van Nostrand, 1964). (No ISBN)

Online resources

Division I-A Historical Scores Index
by James Howell.

External links

* {{Authority control Sports clubs and teams in the New York metropolitan area