Rhode Island Rams

As a primary member of the Atlantic 10 Conference, the University of Rhode Island sponsors teams in eight men's and ten women's NCAA sanctioned sports, with football competing in the Coastal Athletic Association Football Conference.

{{main|Rhode Island Rams baseball}}

File:Atlantic 10 Conference textless logo in Rhode Island dark blue.svg

The Rams baseball program played its first season in 1898. It plays at Bill Beck Field on campus. In 2005, under head coach Frank Leoni, the program reached its first NCAA tournament.{{cite web|title=2005 Rhode Island Rams Baseball Media Guide|url=http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/uri/sports/m-basebl/auto_pdf/2005MediaGuide.pdf|publisher=Rhode Island Sports Information|access-date=December 19, 2012|archive-date=January 5, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160105172112/http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/uri/sports/m-basebl/auto_pdf/2005MediaGuide.pdf|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|title=Tribe Head Baseball Coach Frank Leoni Inducted into Rhode Island Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame|url=http://www.tribeathletics.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=25100&ATCLID=205071119|work=TribeAthletics.com|publisher=William & Mary Sports Information|access-date=December 26, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160121202823/http://www.tribeathletics.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=25100&ATCLID=205071119 |archive-date=January 21, 2016|url-status=live|date=July 2, 2010}}

{{main|Rhode Island Rams men's basketball|Rhode Island Rams women's basketball}}

URI Basketball went to the NCAA tournament in 2017 after an 18 year drought, nearly upsetting Final Four participant #3 Oregon in the second round. In the 1990s, the Rams made the Big Dance in 1997,{{cite web|title=1997 NCAA basketball tournament Bracket|url=http://www.databasesports.com/ncaab/tourney.htm?yr=1997|work=Database Sports|access-date=May 26, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110521075903/http://www.databasesports.com/ncaab/tourney.htm?yr=1997|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 21, 2011}} 1998,{{cite web|title=1998 NCAA basketball tournament Bracket|url=http://www.databasesports.com/ncaab/tourney.htm?yr=1998|work=Database Sports|access-date=May 26, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110521080601/http://www.databasesports.com/ncaab/tourney.htm?yr=1998 |url-status=dead|archive-date=May 21, 2011}} and 1999.{{cite web|title=1999 NCAA basketball tournament Bracket |url=http://www.databasesports.com/ncaab/tourney.htm?yr=1999|work=Database Sports|access-date=May 26, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110521081718/http://www.databasesports.com/ncaab/tourney.htm?yr=1999|url-status=dead |archive-date=May 21, 2011}} In 1998, the Rams went on a surprise run to the Elite 8.{{cite web|title=End of the Rhode: Stanford makes up 6 points in 59 seconds, shocks URI |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/college/events/1998/tournament/men/news/1998/03/22/stanford_uri_update/|work=CNN/SI |access-date=May 26, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104103242/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/college/events/1998/tournament/men/news/1998/03/22/stanford_uri_update/|archive-date=November 4, 2012|url-status=dead |date=March 22, 1998}}

The women's team has made one NCAA appearance in 1996 after going 21–8 and 13–3 in A10 play, losing 90–82 to Oklahoma State. They have two other postseason appearances in the 2022 and 2023 WNITs. {{cite web|url=https://rhodycigar.com/2022/03/24/rams-magical-season-ends-in-opening-game-of-wnit/|title=Rams' magical season ends in opening game of WNIT|publisher=The Good Five Cent Cigar|date=March 24, 2022}}

{{main|Rhode Island Rams football}}

File:Rhode Island Rams and Brown Bears after the Governors Cup Game.jpg and the Rams enter the field after the 2021 Governor's Cup game against Brown]]

The Rams have won eight conference championships, seven in the Yankee Conference and one in the Coastal Athletic Association. Likewise the Rams have won one division title, in 1995: the Yankee Conference's New England Division.

Rhode Island's softball team has appeared in one Women's College World Series in 1982.{{cite book|title=A Series Of Their Own: History Of The Women's College World Series|first1=William|last1=Plummer|first2=Larry C.|last2=Floyd|year=2013|publisher= Turnkey Communications Inc.|location= Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States|isbn=978-0-9893007-0-4}}

File:Brad Boss Arena.jpg

The University of Rhode Island Club Sports program consists of 13 teams. Each team is organized and managed by students with guidance from the Coordinator of Club Sports. They include Soccer, Tennis, Hockey, Field Hockey, Rowing, Sailing, Rugby, Swimming, Volleyball, Gymnastics, and Equestrian.

The women's ice hockey team competes in Division I of the American Collegiate Hockey Association in ESCHL league.

Source:{{cite web|title=URI Athletics – Facilities|url=http://www.gorhody.com/facilities/uri-facilities.html|work=Go Rhody|access-date=May 26, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110711113419/http://www.gorhody.com/facilities/uri-facilities.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 11, 2011}}

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Rhody the Ram is the official mascot of the University of Rhode Island. His mascot status was given on March 8, 1923, and he made his first appearance on November 21, 1929. At one time a real ram was housed at a dairy barn across from the campus, but that stopped in the 1960s, and was picked up for one year in 1974. Unlike other popular universities, the Rhody the Ram mascot program is run by the URI Student Alumni Association, a student run organization that serves the university by organizing many popular events on campus.{{cite web|title=Rhody The Ram|publisher=urisaa.org| url=http://www.urisaa.org/9.html|access-date=March 21, 2013}}{{cite web|date=April 8, 2011|title=Rhody the Ram celebrates 88th birthday|publisher=ramcigar.com|url=http://www.ramcigar.com/rhody-the-ram-celebrates-88th-birthday-1.2149623#.UUqj4XCsEnU|access-date=March 21, 2013|archive-date=January 1, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140101084407/http://www.ramcigar.com/rhody-the-ram-celebrates-88th-birthday-1.2149623#.UUqj4XCsEnU|url-status=dead}}

University of Rhode Island sports are televised regionally on the Ocean State Network, a joint venture of Cox Communications and WJAR.{{cite web|title=Ocean State Networks|url=http://coxsportsonline.com/ocean-state-networks/|publisher=Cox Sports Online|access-date=June 10, 2014|archive-date=February 10, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140210215739/http://coxsportsonline.com/ocean-state-networks/|url-status=dead}} OSN provides television and streaming coverage of all regular season men's basketball games not broadcast on a national carrier, and select football, baseball, soccer and women's basketball games. Select men's basketball games are also covered by ESPN, and A-10 tournament games are televised by contract with ESPN, CBS and NBC.{{cite web|title=A-10 signs new eight-year television deal with ESPN, CBS, NBC|url=http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/eye-on-college-basketball/20433855/a10-signs-new-eightyear-television-deal-with-espn-cbs-nbc |publisher=CBSSports.com |access-date=June 10, 2014}} The University's ACHA men's ice hockey and women's basketball home games have live streaming video available on their respective websites.

Commercial coverage of men's basketball and football is provided by iHeartMedia stations WHJJ and WWBB in the Providence area, with rights managed by Learfield IMG College.{{Cite web |title=Rhode Island Rams |url=https://affiliateresources.learfieldimgcollege.com/rhode-island-rams/ |access-date=July 30, 2020 |website=Learfield IMG College Affiliate Resources}} The longtime announcer for both sports is Steve McDonald, who in 2011 was awarded the inaugural Ben Mondor Award for "extraordinary contributions in...sports in Rhode Island".{{cite web|title=WHJY and Voice of the Rams Steve McDonald to Receive Ben Mondor Award |url=http://www.golocalprov.com/sports/whjy-and-voice-of-the-rams-steve-mcdonald-to-be-receive-ben-mondor-award|publisher=GoLocalProv|access-date=June 10, 2014}}

Non-commercial coverage of home games for football, baseball, men's (and select women's) basketball, as well as the school's ACHA men's ice hockey team can be heard on the University's student radio station WRIU. Other sports, including men's and women's soccer, softball, women's ice hockey and select women's basketball games are carried on WRIU's online station RIU2.{{cite web|title=Sports Programming|url=http://www.wriu.org/sports/index.html|publisher=WRIU|access-date=January 7, 2013|archive-date=December 31, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121231135654/http://www.wriu.org/sports/index.html|url-status=dead}}

February 3, 1998 – Rhody the Ram tried to prevent the St. Joe's Hawk from his eternal flapping by putting an inner tube over its head, temporarily immobilizing his arms. While trying to remove the tube, the Hawk's head (costume) fell off. The incident was televised and repeated on ESPN.{{cite magazine| title=Rhody the Ram v. The Hawk|magazine=Sports Illustrated

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