founding of the Charlotte 49ers men’s basketball team in 1965:

• The team was founded as part of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNC Charlotte), which had just been established in 1946 as the Charlotte Center of the University of North Carolina. It became a full-fledged four-year university in 1961, and the athletics program began to expand around this time as well.
• The men’s basketball team was one of the first sports programs at UNC Charlotte, along with baseball and soccer. It was initially coached by Bill Foster, who had previously coached at the high school and junior college levels.
• In its first season, the team played a mix of junior colleges and small colleges in the region and finished with a 7-14 record. The 49ers would steadily improve in the years to come, and by the 1970s they were regularly competing against larger schools and making appearances in the postseason.
• Today, the Charlotte 49ers men’s basketball team competes in Conference USA and has made 12 appearances in the NCAA Tournament, with its best showing being a trip to the Sweet Sixteen in 1995. Notable players who have gone on to play in the NBA include Cedric Maxwell, Eddie Basden, and Rodney White.