As an Osprey, there is nothing quite like supporting your fellow classmates on the baseball diamond, basketball court or even on the soccer pitch. With the ASUN conference resuming play in the fall, here are a few things about our athletics program that you might not have known.

1.UNF (University of No Football)

It comes to no surprise that this is number one on my list. Since 1972, UNF has never had a football program and it seems like they want to keep it that way for years to come.

Our own hodges stadium seats 9,400 and while that is enough seats for events like track and field an soccer, a new stadium that seats 30,000 would need to be constructed to fulfill requirements for funding and ticket sales.

A full in-depth look at the future of football at UNF can be seen here

2. River City Rumble

Across town, there lies a small school with a tiny gymnasium for an arena and the remains of an abandoned football program. Jacksonville University they call it. The River City rumble is an annual rivalry between UNF and JU to see who can acquire more head-to-head wins in a season.

The prize for the team with the most amount of wins is “The Old Wooden Barrel” (pictured below). While this season was cut short due to Covid-19, UNF retained the Barrel by having a 9-2 record against the Dolphins.

You can check out more history on the Rivalry at the link here

 3. The Birds of Trey

While men’s basketball continues their winning history, our team nickname ensures our goal of being lights-out behind the line and putting up big numbers against top-ranked teams.

Leading ALL division-1 programs in total 3 point field goals made and total 3 point field goals attempted is nothing to take lightly. While our group of sharpshooters is changing over the offseason and multiple key players having graduated, next years team will have a name to live up to.

The Birds of Trey are one on North Florida’s most interesting teams and the emphasis on 3-point attempts is truly a unique spectacle.

4. Women’s Tennis

While most eyes are drawn to watching baseball and basketball during the school-year, our women’s tennis program has been quietly making big strides and winning big matches.

Finishing the 2020 season with a 10-1 record before the season was cut short, the Ospreys didn’t have a chance to compete for a fifth consecutive ASUN Championship title. This team has been dominant for a while and as they fly under-the-radar, they continue to make a name for themselves.

5. Osprey Nation Student Rewards App

When the athletics department announced an app that students could use to earn points for incentives, the Osprey community was excited for the listed features and the prizes to be won.

While points can be used for things like free t-shirts and coupons, you can do very unique things if you save up enough points. You can throw out the first pitch at a home baseball game or even have Ozzie (our mascot) follow you around campus for a few hours. These points are earned by checking in on the app at events and home games.

The opportunities and prizes for points are worth the download.

You can check out a recap of the app here

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