College Sports Established
1907
Location
Tulsa, Oklahoma
College Name
University of Tulsa
Collegiate History
1973 - Present / NCAA Division 1
1921 - 1973 / University Division of the NCAA
1907 - 1921 / Athletic Association of the United States
Conference History
2014 - Present / American Athletic Conference
2005 - 2014 / Conference USA
1996 - 2004 / Western Athletic Conference
1935 - 1996 / Missouri Valley Conference
1907 - 1935 - Independent
Nickname
Golden Hurricane - The Tulsa Golden Hurricane is one of the most well-known nicknames in college sports. But where did it come from? The answer lies in the history of Tulsa University and its athletic program.
Tulsa University was founded in 1894 and began playing football shortly after that, becoming a charter member of the Missouri Valley Conference (now known as The American Athletic Conference). In 1922, they changed their name to “Golden Tornadoes” after a local newspaper ran an article describing their team's power on the field. This nickname stuck until 1934 when new head coach Howard Archer suggested changing it to “Golden Hurricanes” due to Oklahoma's location near Tornado Alley and because he felt tornadoes were too destructive for his players' safety.
Since then, "Hurricanes" has been used by both athletes and fans alike with great pride! It symbolizes strength and serves as a reminder that no matter what storms come our way, we can always overcome them together if we remain united under one banner - just like our beloved Golden Hurricane mascot!
NCAA Championships
Baseball 0
Men's Basketball 0
Women's Basketball 0
Football 0
Soccer 0
- 1976
- 1984
- 2013
- 2019
- 2020
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Congressman Steve Largent from Tulsa
Steve Largent was another talented Tulsa receiver who graduated to a long NFL career (1976–1989 Seattle), was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame because of numerous enduring records as a receiver, served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1994–2002, and then ran as one of the two major candidates for Governor of Oklahoma in 2002. -
men’s basketball team Wins NIT Championship
In 1984: The men’s basketball team reaches the NIT for the second time since 1976, winning the championship over Kentucky. -
football team wins its third CUSA championship
In 2013: The football team wins its third CUSA championship and plays in the Liberty Bowl again, defeating Iowa State. -
Zaven Collins – AAC Defensive Player of the Year
In 2019: Zaven Collins is born in Hominy, Oklahoma. He would go on to become one of the best linebackers in Tulsa history, winning several awards including AAC Defensive Player of the Year, Bronko Nagurski Trophy and Chuck Bednarik Award in 2020. He was also a consensus All-American and a finalist for the Butkus Award. He was drafted by the ... -
The football team reaches its first AAC championship game
In 2020: The football team reaches its first AAC championship game, losing to Cincinnati. They also play in the Armed Forces Bowl, losing to Mississippi State.
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 Hurricane
Tulsa was one of only two teams to play football outside the Ivy League in its early days. The team quickly rose to prominence, with its first undefeated season just five years after it began playing competitively. During this period, they also won three conference championships and established themselves as one of the premier programs on campus.
As times changed, so did Tulsa’s athletic program; by 1960, they had joined Division I-A (now FBS) for football, where their success continued into a modern-day competition, winning multiple Conference USA Championships since 2001, including back-to-back titles from 2005–2006 under head coach Steve Kragthorpe who is now coaching at Purdue University. They are coached by Philip Montgomery, whose tenure has seen them make six bowl game appearances since 2015, including four New Year’s Six Bowl Games. It is impressive for any school not partaking in Power Five conferences, such as Big Ten or SEC schools.
In addition to Football, Tulsa has excelled athletically across all other sports throughout its history, boasting numerous All-Americans along with National Champions across Basketball, Cross Country/Track & Field, Soccer, Softball & Golf, among others; most recently becoming American Athletic Conference champions twice while being nationally ranked each year between 2016 - 2019 during men's basketball season under head coach Frank Haith who left his post last spring following seven successful seasons leading TU Hoops.
With over 120 years worth of accomplishments behind them, undoubtedly, The University Of Tulsa will continue to be a major player on both regional and national levels in collegiate athletics well into future generations!
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