Since the beginning of the modern sports era, and with the exception of 2007-08, there have been 1,641 NCAA Division I National Champions. Today there are 36 such championships awarded each academic year. Since the NCAA National Basketball Tournament when I noticed the UCLA Bruin’s men’s team uniforms were slightly different from normal, I decided to take a look at who has won all of these NCAA Division I National Championships. This then led me to break the country into regions and finally to look at it in terms of the Division I conferences.
Single season UCLA phenom, Kevin Love... Notice the "C".
The thing that caught my eye about the Bruin’s uniforms was that the “C” in UCLA instead of being blue like the other three letters, was gold. After a little research I found that the gold C represented one hundred NCAA National Championships. UCLA is the first school to get that many titles and they were happy to use this avenue to gain national recognition.
So what did I find? Well 168 schools share those 1,641 national championships. I thought about posting them all with their titles but reason got the best of me. If you know the universities in your home state, you should be able to figure out which schools have won championships over the past 107 years. If you need specific information, ask in the comments and it will be provided. Here is a breakdown by geographical region and state…
Boston Col. Men's Hockey, Syracuse Men's Lacrosse, Brown Women's Rowing Crew
NORTHEAST Schools Titles
Connecticut 2 38
Delaware 1 2
Maine 1 2
Maryland 3 35
Massachusetts 5 20
New Hampshire 2 5
New Jersey 3 24
New York 10 54 3.29%
Pennsylvania 7 65 3.96%
Rhode Island 3 7
Vermont 1 5
Washington DC 3 3
41 24.40% 260 15.84%
North Carolina Field Hockey, Wake Forest Soccer, Georgia Women's Gymnastics
SOUTHEAST Schools Titles
Alabama 2 28
Florida 4 38
Georgia 3 35
Kentucky 5 15
Mississippi 1 1
North Carolina 4 50
South Carolina 3 6
Tennessee 3 20
Virginia 5 31
West Virginia 3 18 .
33 19.64% 242 14.75%
Ohio State Buckeye's Fencing Team Celebrates
MIDWEST Schools Titles
Illinois 6 33
Indiana 4 51
Iowa 5 42
Michigan 8 83
Minnesota 2 24
Montana 2 3
Nebraska 1 20
North Dakota 1 7
Ohio 4 35
South Dakota 0 0
Wisconsin 2 26
Wyoming 1 3
36 21.43% 327 19.93%
LSU Tigers National Championship Football Team
University of Denver Pioneers National Champion Ski Team
Kansas Jayhawks National Championship Basketball Team
SOUTHWEST Schools Titles
Arkansas 1 42
Colorado 3 49
Kansas 2 11
Louisiana 4 48
Missouri 2 12
New Mexico 1 1
Oklahoma 3 75 4.57%
Texas 11 99 6.03%
27 16.07% 337 20.54%
Stanford Women's Cross Country National Champion
University of Alaska-Fairbanks National Championship Rifle Team
WEST Schools Titles
Alaska 1 9
Arizona 2 34
California 15 364 22.18%
Hawaii 1 3
Idaho 3 7
Nevada 1 2
Oregon 3 18
Utah 2 30
Washington 3 8
31 18.45% 475 28.95%
Totals 168 1,641
* * * * *
Regional Comparison:
Schools %Total Titles % Total
WEST 31 18.45 475 28.95
SOUTHWEST 27 16.07 337 20.54
MID WEST 36 21.43 327 19.93
NORTHEAST 41 24.40 260 15.84
SOUTHEAST 33 19.64 242 14.75
* * * * *
Conference Comparison:
Schools %Total Titles % Total
Pacific 10 10 5.95% 374 22.79%
Big Ten 11 6.55 245 14.93
Big 12 12 7.14 191 11.64
Southeast 12 7.14 185 11.27
Atlantic Coast 12 7.14 114 6.95
Conference USA 12 6.55 48 2.93
Big East 8 4.76 47 2.86
Mountain West 9 5.36 41 2.5
WAC 9 5.36 17 1.04
MAC 13 7.74 7 .43
Sun Belt 8 4.76 4 .24
Independents 4 2.38 36 2.19
120 71.43% 1,309 79.77%
* * * * *
Finally, the 2007-08 academic year is winding down… With Baseball and Outdoor Track and Field yet to determine their champions, here are the schools that have won titles this year:
Five titles have been won by affiliate members of Division I and three titles remain unclaimed…
Arizona State University National Championship Softball Team
* * * * *
Are there any conclusions to be drawn from all of this?
Well… The obvious one has to be that the western region has dominated Division I NCAA athletics since 1900. By state, California is dominant, while the Pacific 10, the premier conference of the west, is also the most dominant.
UCLA National Championship Women's Tennis Team
Men's Golf National Championship
UCLA's National Champion Women's Water Polo Team
Here are the top twenty National Championship schools in NCAA Division I (including the 2007-08 results):
School Titles % of Total
1. UCLA 103 6.14%
2. Stanford 96 5.72
3. USC 95 5.66
4. Oklahoma St. 48 2.86
5. Louisiana St. 45 2.68
6. Texas 43 2.56
7. Arkansas 42 2.50
8. Michigan 41 2.44
9. Penn State 38 2.27
10. No. Carolina 33 1.97
11. California 30 1.79
12. Ohio State 29 1.73
13. Georgia 27 1.61
13. Yale 27 1.61
15. Oklahoma 26 1.55
15. Denver 26 1.55
17. Notre Dame 25 1.49
17. Wisconsin 25 1.49
19. Indiana 23 1.37
19. Iowa 23 1.37
* * * * *
I’ve heard comments about the weather in California that makes the athletes from this area better… If that’s the case, then why isn’t the Southeast region one of the strongest in the country? Another reason I’ve heard is that the sports being played are more favorable to warm weather. Sports like swimming and water polo. I have to say that these types of sports are more than offset by ice hockey and skiing. Then there are the sports almost exclusively played at the Division I level in other parts of the country. These include lacrosse and fencing…
Taking all of this into consideration, can you think of any other reasons why the far west produces the most NCAA Division I National Championships?
So here it is, mid-March and one of the greatest sports spectacles in America is about to begin. The brackets have been filled and we are now on the cusp of three weeks that will end with the crowning of a new NCAA Basketball National Champion. Yes, it's once again...
So why is this a crying shame? Let me explain, but first, answer a couple of questions...
First, what is the most popular sport in America? If you said something other than football you'd better think again.
Second, why is the NCAA National Basketball Championship Tournament known as the "Crown Jewel" of the NCAA? The answer to the second question is that it is an honest to goodness tournament.
The NCAA basketball tournament is seeded based upon which teams have won their conference championships and on each of the other participants' season long records against quality competition. The eventual champion will be faced with winning the title on the court by defeating the greatest teams from around the nation. What a concept! And so they call it the "Crown Jewel" of the NCAA and yet it takes place in a sport that is not the most popular in college.
Now I'm sure that there will be an argument made by someone (most likely someone involved in the bowl game process) that claims that college football is so popular because of the current bowl system. To that I call baloney, and I'm being very nice right there.
It is a crying shame that every sport in the NCAA with the exception of it's most popular sport, football at the Division IA level, plays a season-ending championship tournament. (Notice I'm not using the latest vernacular "FBS" or "Football Bowl Series" since it glorifies the bowl system that has kept the game under it's thumb for decade upon decade).
When will the NCAA find the nerve to re-take control of it's premier sporting event from the bowl games and their sponsors? Isn't it about time to install a Division IA football national tournament? It would surely rival the NFL and it's Super Bowl Tournament as the most popular sports event in America and rightfully take over the title "The Crown Jewel" of the NCAA!
Born in the Philippines of missionary parents, home schooled until entering college. Tim Tebow was able to take advantage of a Florida law passed in 1990 that allowed him to play sports with the local school while not attending classes there. He led his high school team, the Nease Panthers, to a state title his senior year while earning All-State honors. This led to him being named Florida’s Mr. Football and to the Parade High School All-America team. Tim quickly became one of the most recruited high school athletes in the nation. His notoriety grew as the result of being a subject in an ESPN "Faces in Sports" documentary and from being featured in Sports Illustrated on the "Faces in the Crowd" page. Plus he played in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl for graduating high school seniors, a game shown nationally on NBC television.
Tebow took his time deciding which university to attend, but after entertaining several, it came down to Alabama or Florida. Both of his parents are Florida alumni, and I think that may have played into his decision to become a Gator and play for Urban Meyer. The fact that Meyer has Florida playing a spread offense certainly didn’t hurt either!
As a freshman at the University of Florida, Tim Tebow played part-time behind senior starting quarterback Chris Leak, even though in the annual "Orange and Blue" Spring scrimmage prior to the 2006 season, Tebow went 15 completions out of 21 pass attempts for 197 yards and one touchdown. There were those that thought he had earned the starting job, but Coach Meyer wasn’t among them. During his first season, Tim passed for 22 completions in 33 attempts for 358 yards and had one interception for an efficiency rating of 201.73. In the process, he threw for 4 touchdowns. Tebow had a much greater impact on the ground as he ended up second on the team, rushing for 478 yards on 89 attempts for a 5.3 yard average per carry. Through his rushing skills, Tim scored an additional 8 touchdowns. All this while playing part-time. I think we all can remember his "jump pass" in the LSU game that year. He also had a hand in the Gators’ other two touchdowns in that critical game victory. Florida made it to the National Championship game against Ohio State and Tim played a large role in the Gators’ offense. He threw for one touchdown and his 32 yards rushing included another touchdown.
So here we are near the conclusion of the 2007 NCAA football season. Florida, which lost 9 defensive starters and 6 starters on offense to graduation or early entry into the NFL, has ended their regular season posting a remarkable 9 win – 3 loss record in the tough Southeast Conference.
After Tim Tebow’s rushing abilities were showcased in his freshman year, many questions were raised concerning his passing ability coming into the 2007 season. Steve Spurrier, who won the 1966 Heisman Trophy as the Gators’ quarterback, and the current "Head Ball Coach" at the University of South Carolina, had the following assessment of Tebow’s passing skills:
"The tapes I’ve watched, he doesn’t miss many open guys. If they’re open, he doesn’t zing it five, 10 yards over their heads," Spurrier said. "He’s made some unbelievable plays when they’re not open and guys hanging all over him."
This quote from Spurrier was made prior to the Florida – South Carolina game this year held in Columbia, South Carolina. A game which generated the following lead paragraph in the Washington Post:
"Tim Tebow accounted for all seven of Florida's touchdowns, a school record five rushing and two passing, as the Gators kept alive their hopes of making the SEC title game with a 51-31 victory over South Carolina on Saturday night."
In today’s headlines we learned that Tim suffered a broken right hand in the 3rd quarter of yesterday’s game and yet he continued to play, throwing a 31 yard touchdown pass in the 4th quarter! He should be ready to play by bowl time...
Tim Tebow has set the following records in only his second year and first as the Gators’ starting quarterback:
University of Florida single-game record for Rushing Yardage by a QB vs. Mississippi – 166 yards
University of Florida single-game record for Touchdowns in a Game vs. South Carolina – 7 TDs
University of Florida single-season record for Rushing Touchdowns (24) (Surpassing both Emmitt Smith and Buford Long)
University of Florida career school record for a quarterback with the most rushing yards (1,285) and rushing touchdowns (32)
Southeast Conference single-season record for Rushing Touchdowns by any player – 24 TDs (Tebow surpassed Shaun Alexander, Garrison Hearst, and LaBrandon Toefield)
Southeast Conference single-season record for Touchdowns by any player – 56 TDs(Danny Wuerffel held the old record at 42 TDs)
The only player in Div. I history to have rushed and passed for at least one touchdown in 12 straight games
Tim Tebow became the only person ever in NCAA history to score 20 touchdowns rushing and 20 touchdowns passing in the same season.
Tim Tebow’s 2007 statistics through yesterday’s overwhelming victory over traditional in-state rival Florida State:
Passing-
236 completions out of 345 attempts for a completion rate of 68.41% and 6 interceptions
3,240 Yards for an average per pass attempt of 9.9 yards
32 Touchdowns and a QB rating of 177.9 through 11 games
Rushing-
927 Yards on 207 carries for an average per run of 4.48 Yards
24 Touchdowns while leading the team in rushing
Tim Tebow has won or is under consideration for the following awards based upon his 2007 efforts on the gridiron:
Three-time SEC Offensive Player of the Week
Two-time Walter Camp Foundation National Offensive Player of the Week
I failed to mention one other award young Mr. Tebow has garnered this year:
ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District III first-team selection
Folks, I’ll venture to say we have never seen the likes of Tim Tebow in our lives. This young man is special. In other words, He is the complete package.
Yes, Tim Tebow is a sophomore and a sophomore has never won the Heisman Award as the best player in a given year in college football. After reading this article, you’ve got to believe this is not your normal sophomore football player. In fact, any student of the game should realize this is not your normal college football player, whether a senior, or otherwise. He is quite simply the best to come down the pike and his abilities will be on display for some time to come.
In short, there is no one more deserving of the Heisman Trophy than Tim Tebow in 2007.
I'm a sports fanatic living on the west coast of Florida. I'm a rare bird that moved here from the left coast a couple of years ago. I advocate an even playing field in all of life's endeavors.
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