College Sports Established
1930
Location
Norfolk, Virginia
College Name
Old Dominion University
Collegiate History
1991 - Present / NCAA Division I
Conference History
1982 - 1991, 2023 - Present / Sun Belt Conference
2013 - 2023 / C-USA Conference
1991 - 2013 / Colonial Athletic Association
Nickname
Monarchs - The Old Dominion Monarchs are a powerhouse in the NCAA, and their name is steeped in history. The school adopted the nickname when it became an independent university after its separation from William & Mary College. It’s believed that the “Monarch” part of the name came from King Charles I, who granted a charter to establish William & Mary College in 1693.
The story goes that King Charles I declared himself as “monarch of all Virginia” and thus bestowed his status upon those associated with William & Mary College – including Old Dominion University after they separated from W&M decades later. This explains why today's ODU sports teams are called "the Monarchs."
In addition to honoring its royal roots, there is speculation that this nickname may have been chosen for another reason: to simultaneously represent strength and power on behalf of both schools. After all, monarchs were seen as strong rulers during medieval times – so calling one's team "the Monarchs" could be interpreted as a symbolic representation of both institutions' collective strength!
Whatever you believe about how Old Dominion got its famous moniker - one thing remains clear: it has remained unchanged since being adopted over 100 years ago! So if you're looking for a way to show your support for ODU athletics without wearing any apparel or gear - refer to them proudly by their timeless title: The Monarch.
NCAA Championships
Baseball 0
Men's Basketball 0
Women's Basketball 0
Football 0
Soccer 0
- 1930
- 1970
- 1992
- 2013
-
Monarchs Football – Tommy Scott era
According to sports historian Peter Stewart, in September 1930 a reporter asked Coach Tommy Scott whether the Norfolk Division of the College of William & Mary should have a football team. Scott answered that he had not thought of having one, but within two days a team was “put together hurriedly” and began playing other small colleges. In late December ... -
Starting of Women’s Basketball team
The ODU Monarchs women’s basketball team contributed to the initial rise in popularity of women’s intercollegiate basketball in the United States in the 1970s. Women’s college basketball was organized under the auspices of the AIAW in the early 1970s, at a time when competitive power was distributed among small colleges that had established a niche (such as Immaculata, Delta State, ... -
Six CAA Championship Winner
The Old Dominion University Monarchs men’s basketball team have captured six CAA championship titles (1992, 1995, 1997, 2005, 2010, and 2011) since their conference admission in 1992, which is the most among all CAA schools. -
Basketball Head Coach Jeff Jones
Jeff Jones became the head coach of Old Dominion for the 2013–14 season and has led ODU 1 NIT Final Four appearance. Jones is 89–51 in four years as head coach of the Monarchs. Jeff Jones lead the Monarchs to the 2019 Conference USA Championship and the 2019 NCAA Tournament where they fell to eventual Elite 8 participant Purdue in ...
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 Monarchs
From its inception, Old Dominion was a powerhouse on both men's and women's sides. The men’s basketball team won five consecutive conference championships from 1976-1981 under legendary coach Paul Webb while making two NCAA tournament appearances and four NIT appearances over his tenure at ODU (1975–1987). The football program achieved similar success by winning three Division II National Championships between 1979 and 1997 before transitioning into FBS-level play for the 2018 season, where it currently competes as an independent member within Conference USA. On top of that impressive resume, there are multiple other notable accomplishments, including 11 national titles across various sports since joining Division I in 1975 and 24 total conference titles since then too!
In addition to all these accolades on paper, what makes ODU stand out is their dedication towards developing young talent into successful professionals once they leave campus life behind them - something which can be seen through many former Monarch greats who have gone onto achieve greatness such as NBA Hall Of Fame inductee David Robinson (Class Of 1987), NFL Pro Bowl wide receiver Antonio Brown (Class Of 2010), MLB All-Star Josh Hamilton (Class Of 1999) name few! It is clear why so many sports fans consider themselves proud members of “Monarch Nation.” When you root for Old Dominion University Athletics, you know your support will always be rewarded with nothing but quality wins, no matter how tough things may get at times throughout the seasons ahead!
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