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Alabama–Huntsville Chargers

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Alabama Huntsville Chargers
Logo
UniversityUniversity of Alabama in Huntsville
ConferenceGulf South Conference
NCAADivision II
Athletic directorDr. Cade Smith
LocationHuntsville, Alabama
Varsity teams15 (7 men's, 8 women's)
Basketball arenaSpragins Hall
Baseball stadiumCharger Park
Soccer stadiumCharger Park
Lacrosse stadiumCharger Park
MascotCharger Blue
NicknameChargers
Websiteuahchargers.com

The Alabama–Huntsville Chargers (or UAH Chargers) are the intercollegiate athletic teams representing the University of Alabama in Huntsville in Huntsville, Alabama. UAH sponsors eight men's and eight women's varsity athletics programs. UAH is a member of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA), competing in Division II in 15 sports. UAH is a member of the Gulf South Conference in all sports except men's lacrosse (Peach Belt Conference).

UAH was the host institution for the 2012 Frozen Four at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Florida.

History

Student athletic clubs for crew, soccer, and basketball had formed when UAH became an independent institution in 1969. The original team mascot, selected through student contest, was the Uhlan, a non-traditional nickname containing the letters U, A, and H. The name was amended to Uhlan Chargers for the war horses the Uhlans rode, and as a nod to the electricity generated in the Tennessee Valley region through the Tennessee Valley Authority. Over time, the use of the name Uhlan faded, leaving Chargers as the official mascot. The students chose blue and white as the colors to avoid similarity to the crimson and white of UAH's parent school, the University of Alabama.[1]

In 1973, UAH's elevated its crew, men's soccer, and men's basketball, to varsity status, and the university became a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).[2][3]

Women's basketball was added in 1977.[4] Men's ice hockey was elevated from club to varsity in 1985,[5] along with the addition of men's and women's cross country.[6]

UAH became a Division II member of the NCAA beginning with the 1986–87 academic year, along with the addition of volleyball[7] and tennis programs. Men's and women's cross country was suspended in 1987 because of proration, but were reinstated in 1992.[6]

UAH joined the Gulf South Conference in 1993. Baseball,[8] softball[9] and women's soccer[10] were added in 1996.

The creation of track and field programs for women (2001) and men (2004) raised the number of programs to 14.[11]

Men's and women's lacrosse began play in the spring of 2016.[12]

Former UAH varsity programs are men's golf (eliminated in 1987),[6] crew (relegated in club status), men's hockey, men's tennis, and women's tennis (the latter three being eliminated in 2020).[13][14]

Sports sponsored

Men's sports Women's sports
Volleyball
Baseball Softball
Basketball Basketball
Cross country Cross country
Lacrosse Lacrosse
Soccer Soccer
Track & field† Track & field†
† – Track and field includes both indoor and outdoor

Ice hockey

Main article: Alabama–Huntsville Chargers men's ice hockey

The UAH ice hockey program started in 1979 as a club program and quickly became a national power, winning national championships in 1982, 1983 and 1984. The program was elevated to varsity status in 1985.

After one season in NAIA competition, the Chargers played at the NCAA Division II level for 1986–87, and then Division I from 1987–92. UAH returned to Division II play in 1992, and won national championships in 1996 and 1998.

UAH returned to Division I in 1999 as a charter member of College Hockey America, where the Chargers won two tournament titles and earned berths in the NCAA tournament in 2007 and 2010. Following the folding of the CHA in 2010, UAH played as a Division I independent program[5] until they began play in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association in the 2013–14 season.[15]

UAH was the host institution for the 2012 Frozen Four at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Florida.

In May 2020, due to financial hardships cause by the coronavirus, UAH announced that it would be ending the ice hockey program.[14] The decision was reversed one week later after private fundraising efforts raised more the $750,000 to support the program for another year.[16] The program was indefinitely discontinued in May 2021 as the team had not managed to join a conference.[17]

Men's basketball

Varsity basketball at UAH began in 1973 under coach Kayo Willis, who turned the Chargers into an NAIA power. Willis compiled a 205–136 record over 11 seasons as the Chargers won or shared five Southern States Conference titles, and won five SSC Tournament titles. The Chargers earned four NAIA tournament berths (1976, 1977, 1981, 1983) as NAIA District 27 champions. In 1980-81, UAH finished 30-7, losing in the NAIA championship game to Bethany Nazarene College (now Southern Nazarene University) 86–85 in overtime.

Lennie Acuff was the head coach at UAH from 1997-2019, and is the program's all-time winningest coach with 437 victories. UAH won at least a share of six GSC Eastern Division or league regular season titles, and three GSC Tournament titles (2012, 2015, and 2017). The Chargers have appeared in the NCAA Division II tournament 11 times (2000, 2003, 2006, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2019). Acuff became head coach at Lipscomb in 2019.

In 2010–11, the Chargers went 29–5, hosted the South Regional and earned their first berth in the Elite Eight, losing to Minnesota State 95–91 in the quarterfinals.[2]

UAH went 29–4 in 2011–12, winning the GSC regular season title, its first GSC Tournament title, and another South Region championship at home. The Chargers lost to Bellarmine in the Elite Eight quarterfinals, 82–73.

In 2012, UAH was the first Division II program to participate in the NIT Season Tip-Off.[18] The Chargers faced four Division I opponents, and defeated North Texas 78–75 in the first round before losing to Kansas State, Cleveland State, and Bowling Green. The Chargers had a 25–6 record in 2012–13, earning their third straight appearance in the South Region championship game.

UAH earned another Gulf South Conference regular season title in 2015–16, and going 25–8 and reaching the NCAA South Region championship game at home. The Chargers won their third GSC Tournament title in 2016–17, finishing 26–8 and reaching the NCAA South Region final at home.

Josh Magette, a two-time All-American and UAH's all-time leader in assists (878) and steals (268) from 2008-12,[19] is the first Charger to play in the NBA. Magette played 18 games with the Atlanta Hawks in the 2017-18 NBA season.[20]

Women's basketball

The UAH women's basketball program began in 1977 as a member of the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW). The program joined the NAIA in 1981, and under then-athletics director Dennis Killips, reached the finals of the regional tournament.

Donna Caldwell Dunnaway took over as head coach in 1982, and led the Lady Chargers to district championship. UAH lost to Southwestern Oklahoma, 80–68, in the 1983 NAIA national championship game in Kansas City and finished 27–8.[4]

In the 2011–12 season, UAH had its best record in 29 years under head coach Roy Heintz. The Lady Chargers won 23 games, losing seven, while earning their first GSC tournament final berth and NCAA Division II tournament berth.[21]

The Lady Chargers returned to the NCAA tournament in 2012–13 after winning their first GSC tournament championship. UAH defeated Tuskegee 78–69 for its first NCAA tournament victory before losing to Delta State, 81–58.

Softball

Les Stuedeman has been the head coach of the UAH softball program since its inception in 1996, winning 1,095 games through the 2019 season. Stuedeman is the fifth coach in Division II history to amass 1,000 victories. The Chargers have averaged 46 wins per year. UAH has appeared in the GSC championship game 13 times, winning eight titles.

UAH has earned a berth in the NCAA Tournament 22 times in 24 seasons (including 17 straight from 2003–2019), winning the South Region title four times (1999, 2001, 2009, and 2011). The Chargers have reached the national championship game twice, losing to Lock Haven 8–0 in 2009 and losing to UC San Diego 10–3 in 2011.[10]

Baseball

UAH began baseball play in 1996 under head coach Bobby Pierce, who guided the Chargers to four GSC East Division titles and one GSC championship (2001). UAH reached the NCAA Division II tournament four straight seasons (1998–2001), reaching the South Central Region finals in 1999 and 2000. Pierce would leave UAH in 2002 to become head coach at Troy State.[8] The Chargers won the GSC championship in 2014 and earned NCAA Tournament berths in 2012 and 2014 under coach Hunter Royer.

Men's soccer

UAH soccer began in 1969 when students approached Dr. Ostap Stromecky for his assistance in forming a club team. Stromecky would coach the Chargers for 21 years, compiling a 265–90–29 record at the club and varsity levels. UAH became an intercollegiate sport in the fall of 1973, joining the NAIA. UAH won the NAIA District 27 championship 16 times and earned seven berths in the NAIA national tournament. UAH lost to Quincy University 2–0 in the 1978 national championship game. Stromecky retired from coaching in 1990.

Under coach Carlos Petersen, UAH won GSC championships in 1996 and 1997, and earned its first NCAA Division II tournament berth in 1997.[3] In 1996, the Chargers finished 16–1–1, its best record in program history, losing 2–1 to NCAA Division II national champion Lynn University and drawing with NAIA No. 1 Life University.

Other accomplishments

  • The volleyball program has reached the NCAA Division II tournament seven times (1998,1999, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2019, 2021).[7]
  • The women's cross country program has won 3 GSC titles (1999, 2003 and 2004) and reached the NCAA championships twice (2003 and 2004). The men's team won the GSC title in 2007, 2011, 2012, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022.[6]

Facilities

Spragins Hall is the home of the basketball and volleyball teams, as well as the athletics department. It is named after Marion Beirne Spragins, who was a major contributor to the establishment of UAH.[22]

Propst Arena at the Von Braun Center was the home of the men's ice hockey team.

Charger Park, built in 2010, is the home of the baseball, softball, lacrosse, and soccer teams.

Traditions

Pep band

The UAH pep band has claimed to have the "World's Longest Cheer", which consists of the crowd being directed to repeat each letter of the university's formal name, including spaces between words ("The University of Alabama in Huntsville"). After this, the cheer continues with "Now say it like a marketing major!" (to which the response is "UAHuntsville") and concludes with "Now say it like an engineer!" (the response being "UAH", which is then repeated several times). In the event of an interruption (such as a score), the pep band will resume where it left off after playing the fight song.

Blue Crew

The UAH Blue Crew is the student spirit group for UAH athletic events.

References

  1. ^ "Origin story: How UAH got its nickname and colors". UAHHockey.com. August 2014. Retrieved August 2, 2014.
  2. ^ a b "Men's Basketball History". UAH Sports Information.
  3. ^ a b "Men's Soccer History". UAH Sports Information. Retrieved January 29, 2012.
  4. ^ a b "Women's Basketball Records and History". UAH Sports Information. Retrieved January 29, 2012.
  5. ^ a b "Hockey History". UAH Sports Information. Retrieved January 29, 2012.
  6. ^ a b c d "Men's Cross Country History". UAH Sports Information. Retrieved January 29, 2012.
  7. ^ a b "Volleyball History". UAH Sports Information. Retrieved January 29, 2012.
  8. ^ a b "Baseball History". UAH Sports Information. Retrieved January 29, 2012.
  9. ^ "Women's Soccer History". UAH Sports Information. Retrieved January 29, 2012.
  10. ^ a b "Softball History". UAH Sports Information. Retrieved January 29, 2012.
  11. ^ "Women's Track & Field History". UAH Sports Information. Retrieved January 29, 2012.
  12. ^ "UAH to Add Men's & Women's Lacrosse in 2016". UAHChargers.com. UAH Sports Information. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
  13. ^ "UAH Crew". Retrieved January 29, 2012.
  14. ^ a b "COVID-19 Forcing UAH to Take Steps for More Budget Reductions". UAH Chargers. NCAA. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  15. ^ "WCHA Grants Full-Time Membership to University of Alabama in Huntsville". Western Collegiate Hockey Association. Retrieved January 17, 2013.
  16. ^ "UAH announces hockey will return after private funds raised to support program". AL.com. May 29, 2020. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  17. ^ "UAH suspends Hockey Program in absence of conference membership". Rocket City Now. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  18. ^ "Chargers Invited To NIT Season Tip-Off". UAH Sports Information. Retrieved September 25, 2012.
  19. ^ "Men's Basketball Individual Career Records". UAHChargers.com. UAH Sports Information.
  20. ^ "Josh Magette Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
  21. ^ "Lady Chargers Selected To NCAA South Regional". UAH Sports Information.
  22. ^ "Marion Beirne Spragins". University of Alabama Culverhouse College of Commerce. Retrieved January 29, 2012.
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