Charlotte 49ers

The Charlotte 49ers represent the NCAA Division I sports teams of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Charlotte's teams are members of the Atlantic 10 Conference as of January 2013, but will move to Conference USA, a conference they were a charter member of, in July 2013. Previously, Charlotte was a member of the Metro Conference, which merged with the Great Midwest Conference to form Conference USA, and was a charter member of the Sun Belt Conference.

Charlotte's Men's Basketball team reached the Final Four in 1977 and has made consistent NCAA tournament appearances ever since. The golf program was ranked the #1 team in the nation as recently as September 2007. The men's soccer team reached the national championship game of the 2011 College Cup, to compete for the title on December 11 against the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Tar Heels but lost against the number one ranked team in the country at the time and the 2011 College Cup Tournament's top seeded team.

Name
The athletics department officially changed its name to simply Charlotte in 2000. The school's identity suffered from years of constant confusion before then. While UNCC and UNC Charlotte were the officially accepted athletic names, media outlets frequently used unofficial nicknames such as N.C.-Charlotte, N.C.-Char, North Carolina-Charlotte, UNC, UNC-C, UNCC at Charlotte, and others. When the name change was made official, Athletics Director Judy Rose summarized the sentiment that drove the name change:
 * "We're proud to be members of the University of North Carolina university system. But, frankly, we are tired of being confused with other institutions or having our own identity misused and misconstrued. It's harder to make a name for yourself, when your name keeps getting confused. Not only will this logo simplify matters, but it gives the program an exciting new look that better captures our essence."

The official school name remains the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Nickname
The nickname "49ers" derives from the fact that the university's predecessor—Charlotte Center of the University of North Carolina (CCUNC - established in 1946) was saved from being shut down by the state in 1949 by Bonnie Cone, when the Charlotte Center became Charlotte College. Due to this "49er spirit" that Cone felt embodied the University, referring to the settlers that endured much hardships in traveling across the United States to seek fortune in the California Gold Rush, students of the fledgling UNC Charlotte chose "49ers" as the school's mascot. The fact that the site of the U.S.'s first major gold discovery, Reed's Gold Mine, is located nearby may also be a contributing factor to the nickname. The fact that the University's Main Campus front entrance is located on North Carolina Highway 49 is pure coincidence.

Prior to the "49ers" moniker, the athletic teams were known as the "Owls" due to CCUNC's beginnings as a night school.

Fight song
Charlotte 49ers Fight Song

Hail, Char-lotte 49ers. proud as we can be,

We'll stand to fight for the green and white

'Til we win the vic-to-ry, "GO NINERS!"

We pledge our trust in you

And wave your colors high,

The loyal Niner Nation cheers

Forever! We'll Fight-Fight-Fight!

Logo
The primary athletics logo contains a miner's hand and pick-axe as a reference to the Gold Rush. The arm of the Miner forms a "C" representing Charlotte. This logo is frequently used to replace the C in Charlotte when referenced to the university or the athletics programs.

Three secondary logos are also present: The "C" as a stand alone logo, a "4-9-e-r-s" word mark and a logo that incorporates both the "C" and the "4-9-e-r-s" logo. In addition, each sport has a sport-specific logo, consisting of the "C" with the specific icon contained inside.

The new logos replaced the face of a grizzly old Miner and a "4-9-e-r-s" script logo.

Rivalries
Charlotte has had its fair share of intense rivalries. In men's basketball, one of their most heated rivalries was with Conference USA rival Cincinnati, who was coached by Bob Huggins for most of this period. From 1995-96 to 2004-05, after which Charlotte and Cincinnati left C-USA, Charlotte managed to upset Cincinnati teams ranked #3, #8, #18, #20 in the country. In what became known as the Cincinnati Incident, a brawl broke out between Cincinnati and the Charlotte student section, when a Cincinnati player threw the basketball into the stands. This led to the creation of a 'buffer zone' being implemented behind the visiting team's bench. ESPN commentator Andy Katz provided this explanation on why Charlotte-Cincinnati was one of the juiciest rivalries in the country: "The games are hotly contested usually and the fans in Charlotte don't like Cincinnati. They get up for this game more than any other."

Charlotte's 29-year men's basketball rivalry with the Davidson Wildcats sees Mecklenburg County's only two Division I schools go head-to-head for the Hornet's Nest Trophy. Charlotte leads the series 26-11. Due to a scheduling conflict, the series was on hiatus until the 2010-11 season.

During Charlotte's move to the Atlantic 10, Charlotte has also had some newer non-conference rivals. Such as Tennessee Volunteers, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Clemson Tigers and baseball rivals North Carolina Tar Heels, Wake Forest Demon Deacons and the Duke Blue Devils.

Conference realignment
Despite a popular and competitive Conference USA in which Charlotte enjoyed rivalries with the likes of Memphis, Louisville, Cincinnati, Marquette, and others, the collegiate sports landscape underwent a major restructuring in 2004-2005. C-USA took the most serious hit of any conference, losing many of its most successful members, including Charlotte.

After this dramatic reshuffle, Charlotte received an invitation to join the Atlantic 10 Conference, which it accepted. Since joining the A-10, Charlotte has experienced much success in nearly every category with the exception of the signature sport of men's basketball. During the 49ers first season as an Atlantic 10 member, one overly "enthusiastic" college student wrote that Charlotte had "blown away" the A-10.

With football upgrades on the horizon, and an attempt to restore geographic rivalries, Charlotte is returning to a revised Conference USA starting with the 2013-2014 academic season, except for football, where they join in 2015, and will be fully eligible in 2016.

Conference membership

 * Dixie Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (NAIA, 1965–1970)
 * Independent (1970–1976)
 * Sun Belt Conference (1976–1991)
 * Metro Conference (1991–1995)
 * Conference USA (1995–2005)
 * Atlantic 10 Conference (2005–2013)
 * Conference USA (2013 ff. except football, 2015 football)

Facilities
Athletic facilities at Charlotte have improved dramatically over the past decade. In 1996 men's basketball returned to campus full-time for the first time in nearly 20 years with the opening of Dale F. Halton Arena. A new outdoor sports facility, the Irwin Belk Track and Field Center, opened in 1999 and serves as the home to the 49ers track and field teams in addition to both men's and women's soccer. Tom & Lib Phillips Field, the baseball facility, underwent a $6 million overhaul that was completed in 2007; the facility was renamed Robert and Mariam Hayes Stadium in honor of the renovation's benefactor and her late husband. The golf team's new practice facility at Rocky River Golf Club in Concord was completed in October 2006.

Overview

 * First season: 1965
 * Conference Championships (10)
 * 1969, 1970, 1977, 1978, 1988, 1992, 1995, 1999, 2001, 2004
 * NCAA Tournament Appearances (11)
 * 1977 (Final Four)
 * 1988 (1st Round)
 * 1992 (1st Round)
 * 1995 (1st Round)
 * 1997 (2nd Round)
 * 1998 (2nd Round)
 * 1999 (2nd Round)
 * 2001 (2nd Round)
 * 2002 (1st Round)
 * 2004 (1st Round)
 * 2005 (1st Round)
 * NIT Appearances (6)
 * 1976 (Finals), 1989, 1994, 2000, 2006, 2008, 2013
 * Retired Jerseys
 * 4 Byron Dinkins
 * 4 DeMarco Johnson
 * 13 Eddie Basden
 * 23 Jarvis Lang
 * 32 Melvin Watkins
 * 33 Cedric Maxwell
 * 34 Henry Williams
 * 45 Charles Hayward

Football
The first football program developed in 1946 and lasted until 1948. In 2006 students and alumni began a push for football to return to the school. The Board of Trustees approved it in 2008, and with funding approved in 2010, the school will field its first official varsity football program since 1948 in 2013.

Baseball

 * First season: 1979
 * Conference Championships (5)
 * 1993, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011
 * NCAA Tournament Appearances (5)
 * 1993 (0-2)
 * 1998 (0-2)
 * 2007 (2-2)
 * 2008 (0-2)
 * 2011 (1-2)
 * Retired Jerseys
 * 5 Joey Anderson
 * 7 Barry Shiflett
 * 31 Adam Mills

Golf

 * Consensus #1 in the nation by three major polls: Golfweek, Golfstat, and Nike - Fall 2007 (First National Number 1 Ranking in any varsity sport for Charlotte)


 * Conference Championships (6)
 * 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011


 * NCAA Championship 3rd Place - 2007
 * NCAA Championship 8th Place - 2008

Women's basketball

 * First season: 1975
 * Conference Championships (4)
 * 1990, 2003, 2006, 2009
 * NCAA Appearances (2)
 * 2003 (1st Round)
 * 2009 (1st Round)
 * WNIT Appearances (7)
 * 1990, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011 (WNIT Final Four), 2012, 2013

Men's soccer

 * First Season: 1976
 * Conference Championships (5)
 * 1983, 1992, 1994, 1996, 2010
 * NCAA Appearances (8)
 * 1991, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2009, 2011, 2012
 * NCAA Men's College Cup 1996, 2011
 * NCAA Men's Soccer Championship Game, 2011
 * Atlantic 10 Men's Tournament Finalist 2007
 * Charlotte alumnus Jon Busch named MLS Top Goalkeeper

Women's soccer

 * First Season: 1994
 * Conference Championships (6)
 * 1997, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010
 * NCAA Appearances (4)
 * 1998, 2002, 2007, 2008
 * Women's 3-time defending Atlantic 10 Regular Season Champions
 * Women's 2-time defending A-10 Tournament Champions