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George Mason Patriots

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File:NEWgmusportslogo.png
Current George Mason athletic logo

The George Mason Patriots are the athletic teams of George Mason University. The school's athletic program includes 22 NCAA Division I varsity sports, consisting of 11 men's and 11 women's teams. They compete in the Colonial Athletic Association, of hwich they were a founding member of in 1985. Their mascot is Gunston the Patriot, a furry creature who is seen mostly in basketball games wearing a George Mason jersey and a three-sided hat. He is named after Gunston Hall, the home of Founding Father and school namesake George Mason.

History

The Patriots began to move from NAIA and NCAA Division II status into the NCAA Division I ranks with men’s basketball in the 1978-79 season. Within a few years, all other sports also were elevated to Division I status. George Mason reached its current level of 22 varsity sports with the addition of women’s lacrosse (1993-94), women’s rowing (1997-98) and men’s and women’s swimming & diving (1999-2000). George Mason does not field an intercollegiate team in football.

Athletic teams

Championships and titles

National Champtionsip Titles

Overall, a total of 23 George Mason student-athletes have claimed 35 individual national championships, 13 George Mason teams have made more than 117 NCAA postseason appearances, Patriot student-athletes have earned national All-America honors 300+ times

NCAA Tournament Appearances

Colonial Athletic Association Titles

Mason athletes have captured 280 individual CAA championships.

Men's basketball

While many of the school's athletic programs have had historical seasons, the men's basketball program remains the flagship sport at the University. The men's basketball team has played at the Patriot Center since 1985 and played the prior years in the PE Building on the west side of the Fairfax Campus. The men's basketball team has made the NCAA tournament four times (1989, 1999, 2001, and 2006) and the NIT tournament three times (1986, 2002 and 2004). The Patriot basketball team is most famous for it's 2006 NCAA run to the Final Four. GMU beat perenial powers UNC, Connecticut, and Michigan State, as well as a highly ranked Wichita State team, before losing to eventual National Champion Florida in the Final Four.

The program's largest rivals include conference foes UNC Wilmington, Old Dominion, Virginia Commonwealth, James Madison, and Hofstra.

The best-known player in Patriots history is George Evans, a Gulf War veteran who played from 1997-01 and was a CAA player of year three consecutive seasons. He shares the CAA record with NBA legend David Robinson for winning the award three straight times. Other Patriot standouts include Andre Gaddy, Carlos Yates, Kenny Sanders, Curtis McCants, Nate Langley, Robert Dykes, Rob Rose, Jason Miskiri, Jai Lewis, Lamar Butler, Tony Skinn, Folarin Campbell, and Will Thomas.

2006 season

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Will Thomas grabbing a rebound against Wichita State.

The Patriots enjoyed their best season in 2006 when they won a school-record 23 games in the regular season, and for one week were even ranked in the USA Today/ESPN top 25 for the first time. Head coach Jim Larranaga, who began his stint at George Mason in 1997, also became the CAA's all-time leader in coaching victories and was named the winner of the 2006 Clair Bee Coach of the Year Award[1] on march 31, 2006, and the Virginia Coach of the Year on June 26, 2006, the same day he was nominated for an ESPY award.[2] Although the team lost to Hofstra during the CAA tournament, George Mason were still able to grab an at-large bid in the NCAA tournament. This marks the first time in which the Patriots earned an at-large bid and the first time in 20 years in which the CAA sent two teams to the tournament (the other being conference tounament winner UNC Wilmington).

The at-large selection of teams from mid-major conferences (which included George Mason) to the tournament was criticized by media personalities, most notably Billy Packer. In the case of George Mason, this was possibly because of the absence of Tony Skinn, who was suspended for one game by the Patriots for punching Hofstra guard Loren Stokes in the groin during the CAA tournament semifinal loss. Moreover, many believed that Hofstra, who didn't get invited to the tournament despite of the fact that they beat the Patriots twice in a span of ten days, deserved to get in instead of them. Nevertheless, the Patriots entered the tournament as an 11th seed playing the 6th seeded Michigan State Spartans.

The Patriots were the first team out of the CAA to reach the Final Four and also became the second team to reach it as a two-digit (11th) seed (the other being the LSU Tigers in 1986, also an 11th seed). Finally, they became the first mid-major team to reach the Final Four since 1979, when both the Penn Quakers (#9 seed) and the Larry Bird-led Indiana State Sycamores (#1 seed) advanced that far.

George Mason's cinderella story ended in Indianapolis, when the eventual National Champion Florida Gators defeated them 73-58 on April 1, 2006. Despite their loss, many sports analysts consider their performance in the 2006 tourney to be the best run by a mid-major in tournament history. In the final rankings of 2005-2006 season, the USA Today/ESPN poll ranked the Patriots eighth in the nation; their highest rank to date.

First Round - March 17, 2006 - UD Arena, Dayton, Ohio

11 George Mason Patriots - 75
6 Michigan State Spartans - 65

Second Round - March 19, 2006 - UD Arena, Dayton, Ohio

11 George Mason Patriots - 65
3 North Carolina Tar Heels - 60 (defending National Champion)

Sweet 16 - March 24, 2006 - Verizon Center, Washington, D.C.

11 George Mason Patriots - 63
7 Wichita State Shockers - 55

Elite 8 - March 26, 2006 - Verizon Center, Washington, D.C. (in overtime)

11 George Mason Patriots - 86
1 Connecticut Huskies - 84

Final Four - April 1, 2006 - RCA Dome, Indianapolis, Indiana

11 George Mason Patriots - 58
3 Florida Gators - 73

References

  1. ^ Coach Larranaga Receives Clair Bee Coach of the Year Award
  2. ^ Larranaga Named Virginia Coach of the Year


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