Rhode Island Rams

Rhode Island Rams
University	University of Rhode Island
Conference(s)	Atlantic 10 Conference
NCAA	Division I
Athletics director	Thorr Bjorn
Location	Kingston, RI
Varsity teams	18 (8 men's, 10 women's)
Football stadium	Meade Stadium
Basketball arena	Ryan Center
Baseball stadium	Bill Beck Field
Soccer stadium	URI Soccer Complex
Other arenas	Keaney Gymnasium
Mascot	Rhody the Ram
Nickname	Rams
Fight song	"Rhode Island Born"
Colors	Keaney blue, White, and Navy blue
Homepage	Go Rhody

The Rhode Island Rams are the athletic programs of the University of Rhode Island, based in Kingston, Rhode Island, USA. The school sponsors 18 athletic programs (8 men's, 10 women's), most of which compete in the NCAA's Division I Atlantic 10 Conference. The football team, however, competes in the Colonial Athletic Association of the NCAA's Football Championship Subdivision.^[1] The program's athletic director is Thorr Bjorn.^[2]

The school's colors are light blue (officially referred to as "Keaney blue"), white and navy blue.^[1] The school's mascot is Rhody the Ram. It was chosen in 1923 as tribute to the school's agricultural history, making its first appearance in 1929. The school has not used a live ram since the introduction of "Rhody," a student in an anthropomorphic ram costume, in 1974.^[3]

Teams

^[4]

Men's basketball

URI Basketball has not reached the NCAA tournament since 1999,^[5] but in the 1990s the Rams made the Big Dance in 1997,^[6] 1998,^[7] and 1999.^[8] In 1998, the Rams went on a surprise run to the Elite 8.^[9]

Fight song

Rhode Island Born
We're Rhode Island born,
And we're Rhode Island bred,
And when we die
We'll be Rhode Island dead.
So go go Rhode Island, Island,
Go go Rhode Island, Island
Go Rhode Island!
U! R! I!^[10]

The song, like many aspects of the school's athletic identity, is a near copy of the North Carolina fight song, "I'm A Tar Heel Born."

Similarities to the North Carolina Tar Heels

There are several similarities between the Rhode Island Rams and the North Carolina Tar Heels. The schools share nearly identical colors, though Carolina Blue is slightly lighter than Keaney Blue. Both have rams as mascots, though for different reasons: URI chose the mascot as a homage to URI's agricultural heritage, while Rameses was chosen as a homage to Jack Merritt, the "Battering Ram." Finally, the songs "I'm A Tar Heel Born" and "Rhode Island Born" are nearly identical, with "A Tar Heel" replacing "Rhode Island in the first half of the song, and "Car'lina-lina" replacing "Go Rhode Island" in the second half. Both share common ancestry to the last lines of "Boomer Sooner."

The similarity was most obvious when the two schools played each other in the second round of the 1993 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, when the Rams lost to the eventual national champion Tar Heels 112-67 at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "University of Rhode Island". NCAA. Archived from the original on 2011-05-26. http://www.webcitation.org/5yyE6pjnW. Retrieved 26 May 2011. 
2. ^ "From the Desk of Thorr Bjorn". Go Rhody. Archived from the original on 2011-05-26. http://www.webcitation.org/5yyEHFSu3. Retrieved 26 May 2011. 
3. ^ Peregolise, Adam (September 18, 2003). "Legend Of The Ram". Go Rhody. Archived from the original on 2011-05-26. http://www.webcitation.org/5yyEOBpGK. Retrieved 26 May 2011. 
4. ^ "URI Athletics - Facilities". Go Rhody. Archived from the original on 2011-05-26. http://www.webcitation.org/5yyEYca4s. Retrieved 26 May 2011. 
5. ^ Ryder, Kevin. "Rhode Island Rams Finally Show They're an NCAA Tournament Team". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on 2011-05-26. http://www.webcitation.org/5yyF5UQhZ. Retrieved 26 May 2011. 
6. ^ "1997 NCAA Basketball Tournament Bracket". Database Sports. Archived from the original on 2011-05-26. http://www.webcitation.org/5yyFBpujC. Retrieved 26 May 2011. 
7. ^ "1998 NCAA Basketball Tournament Bracket". Database Sports. Archived from the original on 2011-05-26. http://www.webcitation.org/5yyFLatWi. Retrieved 26 May 2011. 
8. ^ "1999 NCAA Basketball Tournament Bracket". Database Sports. Archived from the original on 2011-05-26. http://www.webcitation.org/5yyFWT0km. Retrieved 26 May 2011. 
9. ^ "End of the Rhode: Stanford makes up 6 points in 59 seconds, shocks URI". CNN/SI. March 22, 1998. Archived from the original on 2011-05-26. http://www.webcitation.org/5yyFhKjmr. Retrieved 26 May 2011. 
10. ^ "That Ram Marching Band: Sounds". URI.edu. Archived from the original on 2011-05-26. http://www.webcitation.org/5yyFrHiuF. Retrieved 26 May 2011. 

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