Let the Games Begin – Rutgers Athletics

Rutgers athletics is home to world-class athletes who enjoy playing hard. In fact, the State University of New Jersey is home to an amazing soccer team that is actually the only NCAA Division I Soccer Subdivision program in the entire New Jersey and New York metropolitan area. This college is also where Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame coach C. Vivian Stringer coaches the Scarlet Knights women’s basketball team. The teamwork of the various sports teams at this university sends a surge of pride into the stands every time a game is played. Whether you’re serious about Rutgers athletics, a couch potato, or fall somewhere in that gray area, there are tons of opportunities for you to get moving or cheer on the sidelines.

Rutgers’ first athletics game took place against Princeton on November 6, 1869. It was the first intercollegiate football game to take place on land that is currently the university gymnasium. The university won its first game against Princeton by a score of six to four. This game was played with two teams of twenty-five men. The rules were similar to those of rugby. The Rutgers athletic department honored the 1869 team during homecoming ceremonies in 1918.

In 2012, this university’s women’s football, gymnastics, and soccer team received public recognition from the NCAA. This recognition was for having superior academic performance due to their multi-year Academic Progress Index scores. These recognition awards are given each year to teams that score in the top ten percent of each sport.

Interestingly, the college football program is actually the only program to rank in the top ten percent nationally in APR for the past five years in a row. Not to mention the fact that it was the only institution to win four bowl games and rank in the top ten percent during that five-year span. The Scarlet Knights of Rutgers athletics continue to inspire, both in the classroom and on the field of play. In fact, in 2011 the soccer team achieved a national ranking of number two in the Ranking of Academic Progress. Also, in 2010, the football team achieved the number one ranking. What’s even more impressive is that the university has one of only twelve football bowl subdivision programs that has achieved a ranking in the top ten percent for APR scores. The university claims its success is due to the fact that its athletes’ goal is to compete both in the classroom and on the field of play.