The Northern Iowa Panthers are the athletic teams of the University of Northern Iowa. The university is a member of the Missouri Valley Conference and competes in NCAA Division I, (Division I FCS in football) fielding 16 varsity teams in 12 sports:

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History

The school's mascot is the Panther. They participate in the NCAA's Division I (I-FCS for football) in the Missouri Valley Football Conference (formerly the Gateway Football Conference), as an independent in wrestling and in the Missouri Valley Conference for all other sports. Northern Iowa previously competed in the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, North Central Conference, and the Mid-Continent Conference.

UNI Fight

Hail our Panthers, we are ever loyal,
Showing strength and unity. GO CATS!
As you rise, we firmly stand behind you,
Urge you on to victory.
Rah! Rah! Rah!
As you lead us on to fame and honor,
Fight! Fight! Fight! will be our cry.
So give us a yell, OH |!
The Purple and the Gold,
Victory for UNI!


(Bridge)
U-N-I Fight! U-N-I Fight!
Hail our Panthers, we are ever loyal,
Showing strength and unity. GO CATS!
As you rise, we firmly stand behind you,
Urge you on to victory.
Rah! Rah! Rah!
As you lead us on to fame and honor,
Fight! Fight! Fight! will be our cry.
So give us a yell, OH |!
The Purple and the Gold,
Victory for UNI!

Football

Women's Volleyball

• Head coach: Bobbi Petersen (203-61 in 8 seasons)
• Holds the 2nd best all-time home winning streak in division 1 women's volleyball with 74 straight home wins from 1997 to 2004.
• Is tied with Stanford for the 9th best all-time home winning streak in division 1 women's volleyball with 50 straight home wins from 1992-1996.
• Ranks as the 16th all-time winningest division 1 women's volleyball program in NCAA history. Posting a record of 821-284-22 in 33 seasons
• Holds the 4th best all-time consecutive conference wins (regular season) with 66 straight Missouri Valley Conference wins from 1997-2001.
• Since 1986 UNI women's volleyball has been in 13 NCAA tournaments, with 3 sweet 16 teams(1998, 2001 and 2002). With an 11-12 record in NCAA tournament play.

Wrestling

• Won the NCAA wrestling championships as Iowa State Teachers College in 1949
• Notable wrestler Gerald Leeman wrestled for Iowa State Teachers College

Men's Basketball

• See also Northern Iowa Panthers men's basketball
• Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championships:1925, 1929
• NAIA National Tournament appearances: 1946, 1948, 1949, and 1953 (2-4 combined tournament record)
• North Central Conference Championships:1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1953, 1961, 1964, 1969
• 2004 and 2009 Missouri Valley Conference Champions

NCAA Tournament History

Division II (formerly NCAA College Division)

Division I

Women's Basketball

Coach	Record	When Coached	No. of Years
Tony DiCecco	183-161	1995-2007	12 years
Wanda Green	78-59	1968-1978	10 years
J.D. Anderson	59-55	1980-1984	4 years
Kim Mayden	36-96	1984-1989	5 years
Terri Lasswel	35-125	1989-1995	6 years
Sandra Williamson	7-40	1978-1980	2 years

2007-08 Roster

Name	Year	Position
Jacqui Kalin	Freshman	Guard
Traci Ollendieck	Senior	Guard
Lizzie Boeck	Freshman	Center
Erin Brocka	Freshman	Guard\Forward
Nicole Clausen	Sophomore	Guard
Kristin Iehl	Sophomore	Guard
Rachel Madrigal	Freshman	Guard
Alexa Mennen	Sophomore	Center
Nelia Olson	Freshman (redshirt 2007-08)	Forward
Lindsey Swanson	Sophomore (Out for season)	Guard
Danielle Wubbens	Sophomore	Guard\Forward
Kim Wypiszynski	Junior (redshirt 2007-08)	Forward\Center
Rachel Yeggy	Freshman	Forward
Charmaine Bell	Sophomore (redshirt 2007-08, 08-09, transfer rules	Guard
Tanya Warren	First Year	Head Coach
Brad Nelson		Assistant Coach
Kelley Jacobs		Assistant Coach
Nate Oakland		Assistant Coach
Amy Swisher		Graduate Manager

Career Points Leaders

• * Amy Swisher -- 1,851
• * Diane Roberts -- 1,701
• * Allison Starr -- 1,463

Baseball

UNI has announced that the men's baseball program will discontinue after the 2008-2009 season.

History of UNI Nickname

On September 8, 1931, the following appeal appeared in the student newspaper, the College Eye, under the headline "Contest Started for School Name":

"Who wants to be called Tutors, Pedagogues, and Teachers all the time? Every leading school in the country has some name by which they are known in the realm of sport. Iowa is known as the Hawkeyes, Minnesota as Gophers, Chicago as Maroons, and so forth. Why not give Iowa State Teachers College a name which signifies something characteristic about the school besides the fact that it is a teachers college?"

The article goes on to note that entries would be judged by a member of the Department of Physical Education, other faculty, and students.

When the contest was announced, the Iowa State Teachers College had already been participating in intercollegiate athletics on a regular and organized basis for over thirty-five years. Teachers College teams had participated in contests with other Iowa colleges, and occasionally with teams from outside the state, in baseball, football, basketball, and track and field. Until the end of World War I, students certainly did get excited about these contests, but they probably took just as much pleasure in the success of the school's debate and oratorical teams. The school's sole mission, the preparation of teachers, tended to attract many more women than men to the Teachers College. And, consequently, the school did not have an abundance of material from which to draw its athletes in the days when only men participated in intercollegiate athletics. Following the war, however, the college made a distinct effort to attract men to the teaching profession. An important part of this effort was the addition of physical education courses to the curriculum that would help to prepare men for teaching positions that included athletics coaching responsibilities. Improved athletics facilities, including the construction of the West Gymnasium, showed that the school was taking a more serious attitude toward intercollegiate athletics.

On September 18, 1931, the College Eye announced that Paul Bender, acting head of the Department of Physical Education for Men; George Holmes, professor of journalism; Robert Burley, president of the Student Council; and the sports editor of the College Eye would judge entries. The winner would receive a leather briefcase from the Berg Drug Company. Second place would be a dresser alarm clock from Chase Jewelry Store. Third place would be a season football pass.