History of the Owls

The Florida Atlantic Owls are the athletics teams of Florida Atlantic University. The Owls participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)'s Division I as members of Conference USA. On October 21, 2021, Florida Atlantic accepted the invitation to join the American Athletic Conference (AAC) and will become a full member on July 1, 2023.

Florida Atlantic has attracted high-profile coaches for various sports, including Howard Schnellenberger and Lane Kiffin for football and Mike Jarvis for basketball. Other former coaches include Matt Doherty, Rex Walters, and Sidney Green.

College Sports Established
1980

Location
Boca Raton, Florida

College Name
Florida Atlantic University

Collegiate History
1994 - Present / NCAA Division I
1984 - 1993 / NCAA Division II
1980 - 1983 / NAIA District 25

Conference History
2023 - / American Athletic Conference
2014 - 2023 / Conference USA
2007 - 2013 / Sun Belt Conference
1994 - 2006 / Trans America Athletic Conference
1980 - 1993 / Independent

Nickname
Owls - The logo and mascot of Florida Atlantic University's athletic teams is the burrowing owl. Owlsley and Hoot are the names of the mascots for Florida Atlantic University. The presence of this bird has been popular on the land of the university, even preceding the construction of FAU. At the dedication ceremony in 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson even made notice and reference to the popular presence of the bird.[4] In 1971, the National Audubon Society designated FAU's land an official owl sanctuary, honoring the tradition of the bird's presence and moving to protect the birds from attempts to expand construction of the university. Owls are still dominant in their presence on the Boca Raton campus to this day. With the addition of intercollegiate athletics in the mid-1980s, the university used the bird as its mascot - an animal that denotes wisdom, determination and cognizance.

NCAA Championships
Baseball 0

Men's Basketball 0

Women's Basketball 0

Football 0

Soccer 0