Grabbing Your A10tion

Richmond Spiders

Location: Richmond, Va.
Founded: 1830
Enrollment: 2950
Nickname: Spiders
Colors: Red and Blue
President: Dr. William E. Cooper
Director of Athletics: Jim Miller
Joined the A-10: 2001
Driving distance from Charlotte: 294 miles
Website: www.richmondspiders.com
Sports in which the 49er and Spiders will compete: Baseball, Men’s Basketball, Women’s Basketball, Men’s Cross-Country, Women’s Cross-Country, Men’s Golf, Men’s Soccer, Women’s Soccer, Men’s Tennis, Women’s Tennis, Men’s Track and Field, Women’s Track and Field
Other Sports: Field Hockey, Football, Women’s Lacrosse, Women’s Swimming
Recent League Tournament Titles: Men’s Tennis (2005, 2004, 2002); Women’s Tennis (2005, 2004, 2002); Baseball (2003); Women’s Soccer (2002); Women’s Indoor Track (2003)
Recent NCAA appearances: Men’s Basketball (2004); Women’s Basketball (2005); Baseball (2003, 2002); Men’s Soccer (2002); Women’s Soccer (2002); Men’s Tennis (2005, 2004, 2002); Women’s Tennis (2005, 2004, 2002)

1.) We are the Champions: For the third straight year, Richmond won the Atlantic 10’s Commissioner’s Cup for overall departmental success and also captured its third straight A-10 Women’s Commissioner’s Cup. Among their highlights were titles in both men’s and women’s tennis, for the second straight year.

2.) Famous alums: William K Howell, Retired President of Miller Brewing Company; Michael Bragg, former Washington Redskins; Sean Casey, Cincinnati Reds; Brian Jordan, two-sport star with Atlanta Braves and Atlanta Falcons; Johnny Newman, former Charlotte Hornet; Bruce Hornsby, Grammy winning musician

3.) Good night, John Boy? Earl Hamner, Jr., a Richmond alum, was the writer and creator of The Waltons TV show. In fact, in the show, John Boy attended Boatwright University, which for all intents and purposes was the University of Richmond. Frederic W. Boatwright was President of the university for 51 years.

4.) Why the Spiders? The nickname dates back to 1894, when Richmond Dispatch Sports Editor Evan Ragland Chesterman, reported that a fan yelled at pitcher H.K. Ellyson, who had a weaving pitching motion, and to some other team members, with elongated movements: “You boys look like a bunch of Spiders trying to play ball.” The name stuck. Richmond is the only school in the country nicknamed Spiders. A line for the the fight song “Spider born and Spider bred/And when I die, I’ll be a Spider dead” prompted one alumnus to have the following epitaph carved on his headstone: “Spider Dead”

5.) Ties to Murphy Brown: Richmond professors Bob Alley and Irby Brown wrote the book: Murphy Brown: The Making of a Sitcom. On the show, Murphy’s boss, Miles Silverberg, was played by Gant Shaud, Richmond class of 1985.

6.) Besting Packer: In the 1991-92 season Richmond women’s basketball player Ginny Doyle set a record for men and women for most consecutive free throws. CBS analyst Billy Packer suggested it was easier for her because the women’s ball is smaller than the men’s ball. Ginny challenged him to a free throw contest and he accepted. Using the men’s ball, Ginny hit 20 of 20. Packer hit 11 of 20.

7.) Upset Specials: In the 1991 NCAA Tournament, Richmond became the first #15 seed to knock off a #2 seed, when they beat Syracuse, 73-69. In 1998, Richmond again beat the odds. The #14-seed Spiders eliminated #3-seed South Carolina, 62-61.

8.) Habitat for Humanity: In 1988, students organized a bike race to raise money for Habitat for Humanity. The race has grown into a very successful fundraiser, enabling Habitat to construct 12 homes in the Richmond area and 12 homes abroad. Richmond donates more money to Habitat than any other collegiate chapter, having contributed over $300,000.

9.) Good Pub: According to Kaplan’s college guidebook The Unofficial, Unbiased, Insider’s Guide to the 320 Most Interesting Colleges, Richmond offers “exceptional academic programs set in a comfortable and beautiful environment.” The Fiske Guide to Colleges say’s Richmond is one of the country’s “best and most interesting” universities and ranked Richmond’s Robins School of Business as one of the nation’s top private undergraduate business programs, along with MIT, Penn and USC. Princeton Review’s The Best 351 Colleges gave its highest four-star rating to Richmond for academics, student selectivity and campus life.

10.) Other Richmond facts: Richmond is the historic capital city of Virginia, with a population of 750,000 in the greater metropolitan area. The university is celebrating its 175th anniversary this year. Richmond’s admissions office receives approximately 6000 applications each year for its 800-student freshman class.