Nevada Wolf Pack
Encyclopedia
The Nevada Wolf Pack are the collegiate
athletic
teams that represent the University of Nevada, Reno
, consisting of 16 varsity teams. Though often known as UNR within the state, the university is simply called Nevada for athletics purposes; its sports teams are nicknamed the Wolf Pack (always two words). They participate in the NCAA's Division I (FBS for football
) and in the Western Athletic Conference
, although they have accepted an invitation to join the Mountain West Conference
, along with fellow WAC member Fresno State, beginning in 2012.
Nevada's athletic teams were originally known as the Sagebrushers, named after Nevada's state flower
. In the 1921-1922 school year, a local writer described the school's athletic teams as a "pack of wolves." That name stuck and by 1923, the student body designated "Wolves" as the school's mascot.
. The team's current coach is Dave Carter.
The men's basketball program has experience some success in recent years. In 2004
, the Wolf Pack men's basketball team qualified for the NCAA tournament and advanced to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in school history, where they fell to Georgia Tech. The team earned a repeat trip in 2005
and beat Texas
in the first round before falling to eventual national runner-up Illinois
. The team returned for 2006
as a #5 seed but was upset in the first round by former Big Sky Conference
rival Montana
. They began the 2006-07 season ranked #24. The Pack's major star during this recent period of success was Nick Fazekas
. In 2007, Nevada was ranked #9 in men's basketball, which is the highest ranking that Nevada has ever held. Guards Ramon Sessions
and Marcellus Kemp both flirted with leaving as juniors for the NBA draft, however Kemp decided to remain at Nevada while Sessions was drafted 56th overall in the 2007 NBA Draft
.
, in his third stint for the Wolf Pack. He is credited with the creation of the Pistol Offense
which he implemented at Nevada in 2005. Ault, along with Joe Paterno
and John Gagliardi
, is one of three active coaches who have also been inducted in to the College Football Hall of Fame. He is also one of five active Football Bowl Subdivision coaches to reach 200 wins.
The football team plays home games at Mackay Stadium
. The modern Mackay Stadium was completed in 1965 with a seating capacity of 7,500 but has been expanded several times in the last 15 years and now seats 29,993. Since 2004, the Wolf Pack have a 15-3 record.
The 2008 football team
finished with a record of 7-6, losing its bowl game to the University of Maryland 42-35. It was the fourth consecutive year that the team had made a bowl appearance, a first in school history. The team was led by first team All WAC center Dominic Green and running back Vai Taua
, who led the conference in rushing yards in addition to WAC offensive player of the year, quarterback Colin Kaepernick
.
The Pack celebrated their 500th win in school history with a 52-6 win over New Mexico State
on November 20, 2010
, at Mackay Stadium. On November 26, 2010, the Nevada Wolf Pack upset Boise State
in a historic win at Mackay Stadium. In one round of overtime and 2 missed field goals by the Broncos, one at the end of regulation and one in overtime, Nevada Wolf Pack freshman kicker Anthony Martinez kicked a field goal to put Nevada on top for a final of 34-31. The Wolf Pack's win ended Boise State's 24 game winning streak, then the longest winning streak in the nation. It was also the Wolf Pack's first victory against Boise State after losing 10 straight to the Broncos.
team has qualified for the NCAA tournament 3 times (2006, 2008, 2009) and has compiled a record of 3-6 in tournament play. In 2006, Nevada won its first WAC tournament title as Jordan McPherson pitched all 41 innings for Nevada in the WAC tournament, without giving up a single earned run, while striking out 34 on the way to being named tournament MVP.
The 2008 Nevada softball team finished the season ranked in both national Top 25 polls.The Wolf Pack was ranked No. 21 in the USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Poll and was No. 20 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25. Nevada went 44-18 and won the Western Athletic Conference regular season title. That season, Noelle Micka became the first Nevada softball player to earn second team All American. The Wolf Pack received an at-large bid to the NCAA Regionals and advanced to the championship game of the Los Angeles Regional, where they lost 6-4 to UCLA.
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
athletic
Sport
A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...
teams that represent the University of Nevada, Reno
University of Nevada, Reno
The University of Nevada, Reno , is a teaching and research university established in 1874 and located in Reno, Nevada, USA...
, consisting of 16 varsity teams. Though often known as UNR within the state, the university is simply called Nevada for athletics purposes; its sports teams are nicknamed the Wolf Pack (always two words). They participate in the NCAA's Division I (FBS for football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
) and in the Western Athletic Conference
Western Athletic Conference
The Western Athletic Conference is an American collegiate athletic conference, which was formed on July 27, 1962, making it the sixth oldest of the 11 college athletic conferences currently participating in the NCAA's Division I FBS...
, although they have accepted an invitation to join the Mountain West Conference
Mountain West Conference
The Mountain West Conference , popularly known as the Mountain West, is the youngest of the college athletic conferences affiliated with the NCAA’s Division I FBS . The MWC officially began operations in July 1999...
, along with fellow WAC member Fresno State, beginning in 2012.
Nevada's athletic teams were originally known as the Sagebrushers, named after Nevada's state flower
Artemisia tridentata
Artemisia tridentata is a shrub or small tree from the family Asteraceae. Some botanists treat it in the segregate genus Seriphidium, as S. tridentatum W. A. Weber, but this is not widely followed...
. In the 1921-1922 school year, a local writer described the school's athletic teams as a "pack of wolves." That name stuck and by 1923, the student body designated "Wolves" as the school's mascot.
Men's basketball
The Nevada Men's Basketball program first began in 1913. The program has won 19 conference championships and made six appearances in the NCAA tournamentNCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
. The team's current coach is Dave Carter.
The men's basketball program has experience some success in recent years. In 2004
2004 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 2004 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 65 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 16, 2004, and ended with the championship game on April 5 at the Alamodome in San Antonio,...
, the Wolf Pack men's basketball team qualified for the NCAA tournament and advanced to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in school history, where they fell to Georgia Tech. The team earned a repeat trip in 2005
2005 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 2005 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 65 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 15, 2005, and ended with the championship game on April 4 at the Edward Jones Dome in St...
and beat Texas
Texas Longhorns men's basketball
The Texas Longhorns men's basketball team represents The University of Texas at Austin in NCAA Division I men's basketball competition. The Longhorns currently compete in the Big 12 Conference....
in the first round before falling to eventual national runner-up Illinois
Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball
The Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team is an NCAA Division I college basketball team competing in the Big Ten Conference. Home games are played at Assembly Hall, located on the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's campus in Champaign....
. The team returned for 2006
2006 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 2006 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 65 schools playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball as a culmination of the 2005–06 basketball season...
as a #5 seed but was upset in the first round by former Big Sky Conference
Big Sky Conference
The Big Sky Conference is an intercollegiate college athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division I, with football competing in the Football Championship Subdivision. The BSC was founded in 1963. Member institutions are located in the western United States in the states of Arizona,...
rival Montana
Montana Grizzlies men's basketball
The Montana Grizzlies men's basketball team is an NCAA Division I college basketball team competing in the Big Sky Conference. Home games are played at Dahlberg Arena located inside the University of Montana's Adams Center.-Season by season records:...
. They began the 2006-07 season ranked #24. The Pack's major star during this recent period of success was Nick Fazekas
Nick Fazekas
Nick Fazekas is an American professional basketball player who plays for the Reno Bighorns of the NBA D-League.-Early career:...
. In 2007, Nevada was ranked #9 in men's basketball, which is the highest ranking that Nevada has ever held. Guards Ramon Sessions
Ramon Sessions
Ramon Sessions is an American professional basketball player for the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers. He was drafted by Milwaukee with the 56th pick in the 2007 NBA Draft. Sessions played collegiately at the University of Nevada for three years. Sessions ranks second in career assists at Nevada with 478...
and Marcellus Kemp both flirted with leaving as juniors for the NBA draft, however Kemp decided to remain at Nevada while Sessions was drafted 56th overall in the 2007 NBA Draft
2007 NBA Draft
The 2007 NBA Draft was held on June 28, 2007 at the WaMu Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. It was broadcast on television in 115 countries. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur U.S...
.
Football
Nevada's current head coach is Chris AultChris Ault
Chris Ault is the current college football head coach of the University of Nevada Wolf Pack. Ault, along with John Gagliardi, is one of two active coaches who have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame....
, in his third stint for the Wolf Pack. He is credited with the creation of the Pistol Offense
Pistol Offense
The pistol offense is an American football formation and strategy developed in 2004 by Chris Ault, the University of Nevada head coach. It is a hybrid of the traditional shotgun and single back offenses. In the pistol offense, also commonly referred to as the "pistol formation", the quarterback...
which he implemented at Nevada in 2005. Ault, along with Joe Paterno
Joe Paterno
Joseph Vincent "Joe" Paterno is a former college football coach who was the head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions for 46 years from 1966 through 2011. Paterno, nicknamed "JoePa," holds the record for the most victories by an NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision football coach with...
and John Gagliardi
John Gagliardi
John Gagliardi is an American football coach. He is currently the head football coach at Saint John's University in Collegeville, Minnesota, a position he has held since 1953. From 1949 to 1952, he was the head football coach at Carroll College in Helena, Montana. With a career record of...
, is one of three active coaches who have also been inducted in to the College Football Hall of Fame. He is also one of five active Football Bowl Subdivision coaches to reach 200 wins.
The football team plays home games at Mackay Stadium
Mackay Stadium
Mackay Stadium is an outdoor athletic stadium in Reno, Nevada, on the campus of the University of Nevada. It is the home field of the Nevada Wolf Pack of the Western Athletic Conference, the university's venue for football and track & field....
. The modern Mackay Stadium was completed in 1965 with a seating capacity of 7,500 but has been expanded several times in the last 15 years and now seats 29,993. Since 2004, the Wolf Pack have a 15-3 record.
The 2008 football team
2008 Nevada Wolf Pack football team
The 2008 Nevada Wolf Pack football team represented the University of Nevada, Reno in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football during the 2008 season. Nevada competed as a member of the Western Athletic Conference .The team was led by...
finished with a record of 7-6, losing its bowl game to the University of Maryland 42-35. It was the fourth consecutive year that the team had made a bowl appearance, a first in school history. The team was led by first team All WAC center Dominic Green and running back Vai Taua
Vai Taua
Vailala "Vai" Lima Taua is an American football running back, for the practice squad of the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League. He was signed by the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent in 2011. He played college football at Nevada.-Early years:Taua was born in Fountain Valley,...
, who led the conference in rushing yards in addition to WAC offensive player of the year, quarterback Colin Kaepernick
Colin Kaepernick
Colin Rand Kaepernick is an American football quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League. He played college football at Nevada.-Personal:...
.
The Pack celebrated their 500th win in school history with a 52-6 win over New Mexico State
New Mexico State Aggies football
The New Mexico State Aggies football team represents New Mexico State University in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football competition as a member of the Western Athletic Conference ....
on November 20, 2010
2010 Nevada Wolf Pack football team
The 2010 Nevada Wolf Pack football team represented the University of Nevada, Reno in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Wolf Pack were led by head coach Chris Ault in his 26th season overall and 7th since taking over the head coaching job for the third time in 2004. They played...
, at Mackay Stadium. On November 26, 2010, the Nevada Wolf Pack upset Boise State
Boise State Broncos football
This page discusses the Boise State football program. For more Boise State athletics, see Boise State Broncos.The Boise State Broncos football program represents Boise State University in college football and compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of Division I as a member of the Mountain West...
in a historic win at Mackay Stadium. In one round of overtime and 2 missed field goals by the Broncos, one at the end of regulation and one in overtime, Nevada Wolf Pack freshman kicker Anthony Martinez kicked a field goal to put Nevada on top for a final of 34-31. The Wolf Pack's win ended Boise State's 24 game winning streak, then the longest winning streak in the nation. It was also the Wolf Pack's first victory against Boise State after losing 10 straight to the Broncos.
Women's Softball
Since the program was reinstated in 2003, the softballSoftball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
team has qualified for the NCAA tournament 3 times (2006, 2008, 2009) and has compiled a record of 3-6 in tournament play. In 2006, Nevada won its first WAC tournament title as Jordan McPherson pitched all 41 innings for Nevada in the WAC tournament, without giving up a single earned run, while striking out 34 on the way to being named tournament MVP.
The 2008 Nevada softball team finished the season ranked in both national Top 25 polls.The Wolf Pack was ranked No. 21 in the USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Poll and was No. 20 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25. Nevada went 44-18 and won the Western Athletic Conference regular season title. That season, Noelle Micka became the first Nevada softball player to earn second team All American. The Wolf Pack received an at-large bid to the NCAA Regionals and advanced to the championship game of the Los Angeles Regional, where they lost 6-4 to UCLA.
Other notable sports
- Other notable successes have come in rifle shooting. The Nevada rifle team placed second in the 2004 NCAA Rifle team championshipNCAA Rifle team championshipThe NCAA Rifle Championship is an annual co-educational rifle national collegiate championship sponsored by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . The tournament includes an individual and team championships consisting of the two-day aggregate scoring of the smallbore competition and air...
, losing to national champion Alaska FairbanksUniversity of Alaska FairbanksThe University of Alaska Fairbanks, located in Fairbanks, Alaska, USA, is the flagship campus of the University of Alaska System, and is abbreviated as Alaska or UAF....
. As of 2009, the rifle team has been to eight consecutive NCAA championships. - The volleyballVolleyballVolleyball 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.The complete rules are extensive...
team has qualified for the NCAA tournamentNCAA Women's Volleyball ChampionshipThe NCAA has contested team championships in women's volleyball since 1981. The following is a list of the champions of each division with their record for the year in which they won the championship, and the runner up, city, site and other final four participants for division I...
five times in its history, all coming from at-large selections. (1998, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005). - The baseballBaseballBaseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
team has made four appearances in the NCAA regionals, in 1994, 1997, 1999 and 2000. They have compiled a record of 5-8 in NCAA games, losing to Stanford in the finals of the Palo Alto Regional in 1999. Nevada finished the 1994 season ranked 19th in the country. - The soccer team won its first WAC tournament title in 2006 and qualified for its first NCAA tournamentNCAA Women's Soccer ChampionshipNCAA Women's Soccer Championships are divided into three divisions. This article lists NCAA Women's soccer championships.-Division I:The NCAA began conducting a Women's Division I Soccer Championship tournament in 1982 with a 12-team tournament...
since the program's inception in 2000. Nevada faced Fresno State in the championship match and after 110 minutes of scoreless play, the two teams went into a shootout where Nevada prevailed 4-2 in penalty kicks. - The swimming and diving team won the AIAW-Division II national title in 1979 and has won 8 conference championships since 1996. They won the Big WestBig West ConferenceThe Big West Conference is an NCAA-affiliated Division I mid-major college athletic conference. When the conference began in 1969, its name was the Pacific Coast Athletic Association . After nineteen years, in 1988, its name was changed to the Big West Conference. The conference stopped...
championship five years in a row from 1996 to 2000, and won the WACWestern Athletic ConferenceThe Western Athletic Conference is an American collegiate athletic conference, which was formed on July 27, 1962, making it the sixth oldest of the 11 college athletic conferences currently participating in the NCAA's Division I FBS...
title in 2007, 2008, and 2009.