College Sports Established
1957
Location
Rochester, Michigan
College Name
Oakland University
Collegiate History
1998 - Present / NCAA Division I
Conference History
2013 - Present / Horizon League
1998 - 2013 / Summit League
Nickname
Golden Grizzlies - Regarding sports teams, nicknames are often as important as the players themselves. The Oakland Golden Grizzlies are no exception! This NCAA Division 1 school has a long and storied history, with its nickname dating back to the early 1970s.
This team's original name was "Golden Grizzlies," chosen by then-athletic director Bob Miller in 1971. He chose this moniker because of his love for grizzly bears and their ferocity on the field, symbolizing strength and courage - traits he wanted his team to embody.
But why did they choose “golden”? Well, there are two theories behind it: one being that gold is associated with royalty, and another being linked to Oakland University’s colors at the time (yellow/gold). Both theories make sense, given what we know about these brave animals – golden grizzlies represent power and dominance!
Over time, some aspects of their mascot have changed, but not its core meaning: strength through unity & determination in competition against all odds – something many sports fans can relate to! Today, you'll see them represented by Grizzly Bear wearing a crown or headdress while holding either an ax or spear - symbols of courage & leadership, respectively.
So whether you're an avid fan of college athletics or just curious about how teams get their names – now you know why Oakland Golden Grizzlies proudly wear theirs across fields today!
NCAA Championships
Baseball 0
Men's Basketball 0
Women's Basketball 0
Football 0
Soccer 0
- 1978
- 1982
- 1995
- 2001
- 2006
- 2010
-
Conference league championship
The Oakland Golden Grizzlies baseball teamis a member of the Horizon League, which is part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s Division I. Oakland won the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) league championship in 1978. OU’s baseball team is led by head coach Jordon Banfield. Since Banfield has taken over, the Golden Grizzlies have advanced to the Horizon League ... -
Pioneers GLIAC Dominance
The Golden Grizzlies, then called the Pioneers, began play in 1974. In 1998, the team joined the Mid-Continent Conference (now known as the Summit League) in Division I and changed their name to the Golden Grizzlies. They have qualified for the NCAA tournament twice, in 2002 and 2006, both times after winning the Summit League tournament. Both times they lost ... -
Grizzlies Men’s GLIAC Championship
The Oakland men’s basketball program began competing in the 1967 season. The Pioneers were without a conference until 1974 when they joined GLIAC. Oakland won two regular season GLIAC championships, in 1995–96 and 1996–97, their final two seasons in the league. Oakland played at the Division II level until 1997 when they changed their nickname to the Golden Grizzlies and ... -
Golden Grizzlies Soccer Success
The men’s soccer team at OU was most recently coached by Eric Pogue, starting in the 2009 season. Parsons coached Oakland for 28 years and accumulated 363 wins in his coaching career, and made the NCAA Division I tournament on multiple occasions. The women’s soccer team at OU was most recently coached by Juan Pablo Favero. In addition to making ... -
Ice Hockey D-1 Championship
The Oakland men’s club ice hockey team won the American Collegiate Hockey Association’s Division 2 national championship in 2004, was national runner-up in 2005, and in 2006 again won the Division 2 championship. The team moved up to ACHA Division 1 for the 2006–07 season and won the national championship over Penn State University by a score of 5–1. The ... -
Men’s basketball Back-to-Back Summit League Titles
OU qualified for the NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Championship tournament for the first time in 2005. In 2010, Oakland made their second ever trip to the NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Championship tournament after winning the Summit League Tournament. They came in as a 14 seed against No. 3 Pittsburgh. In 2011, Oakland won the Summit League regular season ...
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 player has played for this team as an added player by a fan.
History of the Golden Grizzlies
Oakland University began its journey into collegiate athletics in 1959 when it became an independent school with no conference affiliation. 1969, they joined Division II before moving up to Division I-A (now known as FBS) two years later. During this period, they were known by several nicknames, such as The Pioneers and The Wildcats, before settling on The Golden Grizzlies in 1997 after much deliberation from students and alumni alike.
Since joining Division I-A/FBS Athletics at Oakland, he has seen many successes, including multiple NCAA Tournament appearances across various men's & women's basketball programs, along with other individual success stories throughout all levels of competition within both divisions that make up OU Athletics today (Division 1 & 2). With the addition of new head coaches for football & baseball last season, there is hope that these two significant sports will become more competitive soon, too! Additionally, several Olympic athletes have come out from competing under OU banners, including swimmer Ryan Lochte, who won gold medals during his time representing Team USA at both Beijing 2008 Olympics Games, where he was also named "Male Athlete Of Year" by Sports Illustrated magazine afterward - which speaks volumes about how well respected he was even then already!
As we move forward into 2021, we look towards another exciting year for our beloved golden grizzlies, whether through wins on the field or court - or simply watching them strive against adversity off it: Go Grizz!!
Sports Fan Products
