Weber State Wildcats football

Athletics


Weber State University's colors are purple and white and their nickname is the Wildcats. ('Wildcat' is an alternate name for the bobcat, a cat endemic to the area.) Weber State University sports teams participate in NCAA Division I (Football Championship Subdivision for football) in the Big Sky Conference. The Weber State University football team plays at Stewart Stadium. The men's and women's basketball teams both play at the Dee Events Center. After the University of Idaho and Boise State University joined the Western Athletic Conference, Idaho State University became their main rival in the Big Sky Conference in both football and basketball. Southern Utah University is joining the Big Sky in the 2012 academic school year and are going to be rivals with Weber State as well.

NCAA sports
Weber State University athletics is composed of 15 different sporting teams and competes in the Big Sky Conference. Their mascot is Waldo the Wildcat and team colors are purple and white, with black used as a number color. All of the sporting teams compete in the NCAA Division I level. The football team plays in the NCAA Division 1 Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). The football team recently changed leadership, with the addition of new head coach Ron McBride, former head coach of the University of Utah, who began coaching the Wildcats in 2005. Coach "Mac" went 6-5 overall and 4-3 in conference play his first year with the ‘Cats. The 2008 season, the 'Cats finished 7-1 in in conference which is the best single season record in school history. Overall they finished 10-4 and lost in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Playoff Quarterfinals. Ron McBride retired after the 2011 season. John L. Smith was hired in his place, but left to take the Head Coaching job in Arkansas. Weber State hired Jody Sears as an Interim Head Coach for the 2012 season.

Weber State's Men's basketball team (852-495), long hailed as a powerhouse in the Big Sky Conference, acquired new head coach Randy Rahe for the 2006-2007 season. WSU Men's basketball team has the 24th highest winning percentage in NCAA Division I history. In 2005, Street and Smith magazine complied a list of the greatest basketball programs in college basketball history, WSU made #51. The Men's basketball team won its 18th overall Big Sky Conference championship in 2009. WSU's Men's basketball is also famous for 1st Rd NCAA Tournament upsets. In 1995 Weber beat #3 seed Michigan State, in '99 WSU beat #3 seed North Carolina.

Other sports
In addition to the NCAA teams, Weber State University has a number of other sports, including a nationally ranked men's ice hockey team. For the 2005-2006 season, the Division I ice hockey team was ranked 6th nationally in the ACHA (American Collegiate Hockey Association). The Wildcat Spirit Squad has also been a prominent part of the athletics department. For the past two years, they have placed in the top three in national competitions. The Weber State Rodeo Women's team won the 2006 College National Finals Rodeo sponsored by the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association. The men's team ranked 49th in the nation. Weber State's Baseball team is also a nationally ranked team, finishing 6th overall in the 2010 NCBA (National Club Baseball Association) World Series, and was ranked in the top 5 teams for the entire year.