History of the Bears
The Northern Colorado Bears are the athletic teams representing the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, Colorado, in intercollegiate athletics. The university sponsors seventeen teams, including men's and women's basketball, cross country, golf, tennis, and track and field; women's-only soccer, softball, swimming and diving, and volleyball; and men's-only baseball, football, and wrestling. The Bears compete in NCAA Division I, with the football team competing at the FCS level, and most teams are members of the Big Sky Conference. Three Northern Colorado teams have separate affiliations in sports that the Big Sky does not sponsor. The baseball team competes in the Summit League, the women's swimming and diving team is an affiliate member of the Western Athletic Conference, and the wrestling team is a member of the Big 12 Conference.
College Sports Established
1893
Location
Greeley, Colorado
College Name
University of Northern Colorado
Collegiate History
2006 - Present / NCAA Division 1
1923 - 2006 / NCAA Division II
Conference History
2006 – Present / Big Sky Conference
2003 - 2006 / Independent
1978 - 2003 / North Central Conference
1976–1978 / Independent
1972 - 1976 / Great Plains Athletic Conference
1923 - 1972 / Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference
Nickname
Bears - UNC’s mascot has been a bear since 1923. Before the school adopted the bear, athletes used the nickname the “Teachers.” The bear was said to be inspired by a bear on top of an Alaskan totem pole donated by an 1897 alumnus in 1914. The totem pole was kept in the University Center, but under the federal Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990, the pole was reclaimed by the Tlingit in 2003.
NCAA Championships
Baseball 0
Men's Basketball 0
Women's Basketball 0
Football 0
Soccer 0
To qualify as the greatest player for this team, the player must have played one season for this team. If not, we will remove the player.
* verifies that the player has played for this team as an added player by a fan.
