Toledo Rockets
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The athletic teams of the University of Toledo are known as the Rockets, and uniforms sport the colors midnight blue and gold. The University's sports teams play in the Mid-American Conference.
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[edit] Origin of nickname
The University of Toledo football team did not have a nickname until 1923, when they played Carnegie Tech in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Local sportswriters asked James E. Neal (1904–1983),[1][2] a University of Toledo student working in the press box, to give his team a name. He called them the "Skyrockets", which the sportswriters shortened to the "Rockets".[3]
[edit] Football
The Rockets football team holds nine Mid-American Conference Championships, in 1969, 1970, 1971, 1981, 1984, 1990 (co-champs with Western Michigan), 1995, 2001, and 2004. The team also won 35 consecutive games from 1969 to 1971.[4]
Toledo's principal rivals are the Falcons of Bowling Green State University. The two teams play for a trophy each year known as the Peace Pipe, a prize that originated in basketball but progressed to football in 1980. BGSU currently holds a 36-31-4 advantage over the Rockets, but Toledo has won four of the last five meetings. This rivalry is known as "The Battle for I-75" because the cities of Toledo and Bowling Green are located just off Interstate 75 and only 20 miles separate the two campuses.
The University of Toledo recently signed to play a two-game series in football with the Buckeyes of The Ohio State University. The first game will be considered a "home" game for Toledo, and will be played at Cleveland Browns Stadium on September 19, 2009.
The football team has played at the Glass Bowl since 1937.[5]
[edit] Basketball
[edit] Other sports
Among other sports, Toledo consistently fields strong distance running teams; Brianna Shook '04, who is also an assistant track coach at the school, holds the American record for the steeplechase.
[edit] Blue Crew
The University of Toledo also has an official spirit crew known as Blue Crew. They attend numerous athletic events and are present throughout the community.
[edit] References
- ^ U.S. Census, Jan. 1, 1920, State of Ohio, County of Lucas, enumeration district 46, p. 9-B, family 202.
- ^ Social Security Death Index.
- ^ Nickname Origin, Rocket Football Timeline, Official Website of the Toledo Rockets.
- ^ Toledo Rockets Football Tradition. Retrieved on 2007-06-04.
- ^ Glass Bowl Stadium. Retrieved on 2007-06-04.
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