The Oakland Golden Grizzlies are the athletic teams that represent

Oakland University Oakland University (OU or Oakland) is a public university, public research university in Auburn Hills, Michigan, Auburn Hills and Rochester Hills, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1957 through a donation of Matilda Dodge Wilson and husband ...

(OU) in the

Horizon League The Horizon League is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I. Headquartered in Indianapolis, the league's eleven member schools are located in ...

and Division I of the

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

(NCAA). The school fields 16 teams:

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's golf, men's and women's soccer, softball, men's and women's swimming and diving, women's tennis, men's and women's track, and women's volleyball. The Golden Grizzlies have won 10 NCAA national championships and were runners-up 16 times.

History

Early in the history of

(OU), academic excellence was stressed at the expense of competitive intercollegiate athletics. While the focus on academic excellence has continued and expanded, the university has also come to recognize the importance of intercollegiate athletics. Throughout the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, OU competed in the

(NCAA) Division II

Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. The GLIAC was founded in June 1972. Its eleven member ...

(GLIAC) as the "Pioneers", becoming a perennial powerhouse in numerous sports and winning multiple National Championships in men's and women's swimming. During the transition to NCAA Division I status in 1998–99, OU's sports teams became the "Golden Grizzlies". In 2007 the OU Athletics Administration announced a marketing and sponsorship partnership with

Palace Sports and Entertainment A palace is a large residence, often serving as a royal residence or the home for a head of state or another high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome whi ...

, which owns and operates the nearby

The Palace of Auburn Hills The Palace of Auburn Hills, commonly known as the Palace, was a multi-purpose arena located in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Opened in 1988, it was the home of the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA), the Detroit Shock of the ...

, as well as the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

. At the conclusion of the 2012–13 season, Oakland left The Summit League to become members of the

. Tracy Huth served as

athletic director An athletic director (commonly "athletics director" or "AD") is an administrator at many American clubs or institutions, such as colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches a ...

from 2006 to 2014. He stepped down on January 24, 2014. Robby Stewart is serving as interim athletic director until a replacement is found.

Conference affiliation

The Golden Grizzlies first joined a Division I conference in 1998 when they joined the

Mid-Continent Conference The Summit League, or The Summit, is an NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletic conference with its membership mostly located in the Midwestern United States, from Minnesota in the east, to the Dakotas, Nebraska and Colorado to the West, and Mis ...

(now known as The Summit League). Oakland joined the

July 1, 2013. ;Notes

Sports sponsored

A member of the

, Oakland University sponsors teams in eight men's and ten women's

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

sanctioned sports.

Baseball

OU's baseball team is led by interim coach Brian Nelson, replacing outgoing head coach Jordon Banfield. During Banfield's tenure, the Golden Grizzlies advanced to the Horizon League Championships in both 2022 and 2023, and clinched a number-two seed in the 2023 Championships, the first time since 2012. The baseball program has produced nearly two dozen players who have gone on to play professional baseball, with two advancing to

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

, Don Kirkwood, who pitched for the

California Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West Division. Since 1966, the team has pl ...

, the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

, and the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...

during his 5-year MLB career (1974–1978), and Mike Brosseau, who debuted in 2019 as a utility man for the

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in the Tampa Bay area. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. They are one of two major ...

Basketball, men's

The OU men's basketball team is coached by

Greg Kampe Greg Charles Kampe (; born December 9, 1955) is an American college basketball coach and the current head men's basketball coach at Oakland University. He guided the Oakland Golden Grizzlies men's basketball, Golden Grizzlies to their first NCAA ...

, who is now among the top ten longest-serving coaches in the NCAA Division I ranks, and the longest-serving active coach in Division I Men's Basketball. OU qualified for the

NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship The NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, branded as March Madness, or The Big Dance, is a single-elimination tournament played in the United States to determine the men's college basketball national champion of the Division I level ...

tournament for the first time in 2005. The Golden Grizzlies defeated

Alabama A&M University Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University (Alabama A&M or AAMU) is a public historically black land-grant university in Normal, Huntsville, Alabama. Founded in 1875, it took its present name in 1969. It was one of about 180 " normal s ...

in the opening-round game at

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Dayton metro ...

, on March 15, 2005, before being eliminated three days later by the

North Carolina Tar Heels The North Carolina Tar Heels (also Carolina Tar Heels) are the college sports in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The name Tar Heel is a nickname used to refer to ...

, who went on to win the National Championship. In 2010, Oakland made their second ever trip to the

tournament after winning the Summit League Tournament. They came in as a 14 seed against No. 3

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

, where they were eliminated. In the 2010–11 season, Oakland narrowly lost 77–76 to then-No. 7 Michigan State before beating then-No. 7 University of Tennessee 89–82. In the 2011–12 season, Oakland beat Tennessee for the second year in a row 89–81. In 2011, Oakland won the Summit League regular season and tournament for the second consecutive season and again received a 14 seed. This time, they played No. 3

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, where they lost 85–81. In the 2016–17 season, Oakland placed first in their league, earning a trip to the National Invitation Tournament as a 7 seed, where they lost to Richmond in the second round after upsetting 2nd seeded Clemson in the opening round. In 2024, after winning the Horizon League Tournament (behind Conference Player of the Year Trey Townsend), Kampe's 14 seed Grizzlies were matched up against John Calipari's 3 seeded Kentucky Wildcats. Utilizing a flexible zone defense and clutch shot-making from Jack Gohlke (10–20 on 3-pointers, 2nd-most in NCAAM history), the Golden Grizzlies upset UK despite a powerful performance from Antonio Reeves, 80–76, at the

PPG Paints Arena PPG Paints Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, that serves as the home of the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). It previously was the home of the Pittsburgh Power of the Arena Football Leagu ...

Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

. Kampe, in his 40th season, earned an NCAA Tournament victory over a blueblood, and declared it his best. The Golden Grizzlies lost in an overtime “boxing match” against DJ Burns Jr and the 11 seed NC State in the Second Round, with Townsend leading all players with 30 points and 13 rebounds. Golhke added 22 off the bench. With a 4–1 record, 2024 marks the best postseason in OU history as of yet. Nearly two dozen OU players have gone on to play professional basketball. After being among the top ten scorers in all of NCAA Division I basketball in 2003 and 2004, Mike Helms was drafted into the

Continental Basketball Association The Continental Basketball Association (CBA), originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association, was a men's professional basketball m ...

and played briefly for the

Michigan Mayhem The Michigan Mayhem were a minor league professional basketball team based in Muskegon, Michigan, that competed in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA). In the CBA's 2004–2005 season, the Mayhem finished third in the league's Eastern Conf ...

, in addition to playing in the National Basketball League of

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, where he finished second in the league in scoring in 2006. His OU teammate,

Kelly Williams Kelly Williams (born February 7, 1982) is a Filipino-American professional basketball player for the TNT Tropang 5G in the PBA. He played collegiate basketball at Oakland University, an NCAA Division I school in the United States, and he als ...

, who is

Filipino American Filipino Americans () are Americans of Filipino ancestry. Filipinos in North America were first documented in the 16th century and other small settlements beginning in the 18th century. Mass migration did not begin until after the end of the Sp ...

, was the No. 1 overall draft pick in the 2006

Philippine Basketball Association The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines, composed of twelve company-branded Franchising, franchise teams. Founded in 1975, it is the first professional basketball league in Asia ...

draft and was named the league's Rookie of the Year in 2007. Rawle Marshall, who led OU to its first NCAA tournament berth in 2005, became the first player from the university to make a

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA) roster, playing in 23 games for the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Divisi ...

in the 2005–06 season and 40 games for the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

in the 2006–07 season. In the 2011 NBA draft the Atlanta Hawks selected All-American and Lou Henson Award winner Keith Benson in the second round (48th pick) making Benson the first basketball player from Oakland to be drafted by an NBA team.

Kay Felder Kahlil Ameer "Kay" Felder Jr. (born March 29, 1995) is an American professional basketball player for the Criollos de Caguas (basketball), Criollos de Caguas of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN). Felder, a point guard, declared for the 201 ...

left Oakland a season early as a junior and was drafted in the second round of the

2016 NBA draft The 2016 NBA draft was held on June 23, 2016, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. It was televised nationally in the U.S. by ESPN, and was live streamed for the first time in NBA draft history by The Vertical. National Basketball Association (NBA) ...

by the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Easte ...

, who traded him to the defending champion

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers, often referred to as the Cavs, are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Divis ...

for cash considerations.

Brian Gregory Brian Francis Gregory (born December 15, 1966) is an American basketball executive and former coach and player who is the general manager of the Phoenix Suns. He was vice president of player programming for the Phoenix Suns, and a former college ...

, Oakland's career assist leader, played under Kampe from 1987 to 1990 before beginning a coaching career. He was an assistant under

Tom Izzo Thomas Michael Izzo (, ; born January 30, 1955) is an American college basketball coach who has been the head coach at Michigan State University since 1995. On April 4, 2016, Izzo was elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Izzo has le ...

when

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State o ...

won the 2000 NCAA title, and is now the head coach for the

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets men's basketball The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets men's basketball team represents the Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia Tech Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Yellow Jackets in NCAA Division I basketball. The team plays its home games in McCamish Pavilion on the ...

team.

Basketball, women's

The OU women's basketball team is coached by Jeff Tungate. Both basketball teams host games at the Athletics Center O'rena. On March 7, 2006, the women's basketball team defeated

Western Illinois University Western Illinois University (WIU) is a public university in Macomb, Illinois, United States. It was founded in 1899 as Western Illinois State Normal School. As the normal school grew, it became Western Illinois State Teachers College. Once West ...

to capture the 2006 Mid-Continent title. On March 19, in the first round of the NCAA tournament, the No. 16 Grizzlies lost to No. 1

Ohio State Buckeyes The Ohio State Buckeyes are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Ohio State University, located in Columbus, Ohio. The athletic programs are named after the colloquial term for people from the state of Ohio and after the state tree, ...

68–45. In June 2013, former coach Beckie Francis was fired for intimidation and emotional abuse, because of her fixation on players weight and pushing her religious views upon the team.

Cross country (men's and women's)

Both the men's and women's cross country teams at Oakland are coached by Paul Rice.

Golf (men's and women's)

OU's golf program benefits from the two world-class golf courses located on the university's campus.

Soccer, men's

The men's soccer team at OU is coached by Paul Doroh, starting in the 2024 season. Doroh was an assistant under longtime head coach Eric Pogue for eight years. In 2024, Pogue and Oakland parted ways., and Doroh assumed the interim head coaching position. He was announced as head coach on April 22, 2024.

Soccer, women's

Oakland (in black) v Michigan match in 2013 The women's soccer team at OU is coached by Devin Zvosec. In addition to making the NCAA Division I tournament in 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2006, the team qualified again in 2007. They lost to

Purdue University Purdue University is a Public university#United States, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded ...

, 4–0, in the first round of the tournament on November 16, 2007. In 2024, long-time head coach Juan Pablo Favero announced his retirement.

Softball

The OU women's softball team is currently coached by Chris Stelma. He succeeds interim head coach Samantha Henderson, who in turn replaced legendary head coach Lauren Karn.

Swimming and diving (men's and women's)

Both the men's and women's swimming and diving teams at Oakland are coached by Mitch Alters. Alters took over for long-time head coach

Pete Hovland Peter Neal Hovland (August 17, 1954-) was a competitive swimmer for Chico State, and an Assistant and Head coach for Michigan's Oakland University from 1979 to 2023, where he led the men's team to four consecutive NCAA national titles from 1994 t ...

following his 2023 retirement. Hovland began coaching the men's team in 1981–82. He took over the women's program in 2001. Oakland's men's team has won five NCAA Division II national championships (1980, 1994–1997) and were runners-up 10 times (1979, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1987–1991, 1993). Through 2024, the men's team has won 46 consecutive conference meets, including every GLIAC (21), Summit League (14) and Horizon League (11) conference meet the team has participated in. The Golden Grizzlies women's team won five consecutive NCAA Division II national championships from 1990 to 1994. They were runners-up the following three seasons (1995–1997). Through 2018, the team has won 31 conference meets, 8 in the GLIAC, 4 in the National Independent Conference (NIC), 14 in The Summit League and 5 in the Horizon League. The team won every Summit League (14) and Horizon League (5) conference meet, 4 of the 8 NIC conference meets, and 8 of the 9 GLIAC conference meets it participated in. They have currently won 24 consecutive conference tournaments.

Tennis, women's

The women's tennis team at OU is coached by David Brown.

Track (men's and women's)

The coach of the men's and women's track teams at OU is Paul Rice. Track is the newest of OU's 16 NCAA Division I sports. Micah Jones made history in 2011 as the first individual to lead the track team to the nationals.

Volleyball

The women's volleyball team at OU is coached by Krista Rice, who became head coach on March 16, 2022.

Club sports

Football

In fall of 2012, Oakland University approved a club football team. The National Club Football Association is a 26 team league that uses the majority of NCAA rules. The Golden Grizzlies compete in the Great Lakes Conference of the NCFA. OU plays teams such as Ohio State, Miami (OH), UW-Milwaukee, and Wright State club football teams, as well as a varsity teams in Concordia (Ann Arbor), Olivet, and Defiance. The first season received attention from NFL Film's "Together We Make Football".Together We Make Football
/ref> Their first season concluded with a 5–2 record and #8 in the league. In their second year of existence, the 2014 team went undefeated at 9-0 winning their first NCFA National Championship. In 2016, the team achieved the perfect season in the NCFA going 12-0 and went on to win their second NCFA National Championship.

Ice Hockey (men's)

The Oakland men's club ice hockey team won the

American Collegiate Hockey Association The American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) is a college ice hockey association. The ACHA's purpose is to be an organization of collegiate affiliated programs, which provides structure, regulates operations, and promotes quality in collegi ...

's Division 2 national championship in 2004, was national runner-up in 2005, and in 2006 again won the Division 2 championship. The team moved up to ACHA Division 1 for the 2006–07 season and won the national championship over

Penn State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsyl ...

by a score of 5–1. In addition, the Grizzlies career scoring leader, Will McMahon, was named tournament and regular season MVP after tallying 47 goals and 29 assists in 36 games (including playoffs). McMahon finished his career with four ACHA National Player of the Year awards with career totals of 240 goals and 140 assists (380 total points). McMahon was signed by the

Fort Wayne Komets The Fort Wayne Komets are a minor league ice hockey team, which currently plays in the ECHL. They play their home games at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana. In all of North American professional hockey, only the Orig ...

of the IHL following his final season (2007) making him the first Grizzly to sign in a professional hockey league. The team is currently coached by former Ferris State men's ice hockey player Nick Field, who led Oakland to a 12–15–3 record in his first season. The Grizzlies currently compete in the Great Lakes Collegiate Hockey League conference.

National championships

Oakland University won ten national NCAA Division II titles and 16 teams were national runner-up in NCAA Division II. Men's swimming and diving won five championships and finished as runner-up 10 times. Five women's swimming and diving teams also finished first and three came in second. The men's soccer team was NCAA Division II runner-up in 1986, 1994, and 1996. National championships (10): * 1980: Men's swimming and diving – NCAA Division II * 1990: Women's swimming and diving – NCAA Division II * 1991: Women's swimming and diving – NCAA Division II * 1992: Women's swimming and diving – NCAA Division II * 1993: Women's swimming and diving – NCAA Division II * 1994: Men's swimming and diving – NCAA Division II * 1994: Women's swimming and diving – NCAA Division II * 1995: Men's swimming and diving – NCAA Division II * 1996: Men's swimming and diving – NCAA Division II * 1997: Men's swimming and diving – NCAA Division II National runners-up (16): * 1979: Men's swimming and diving – NCAA Division II * 1981: Men's swimming and diving – NCAA Division II * 1983: Men's swimming and diving – NCAA Division II * 1984: Men's swimming and diving – NCAA Division II * 1986: Men's soccer – NCAA Division II * 1987: Men's swimming and diving – NCAA Division II * 1988: Men's swimming and diving – NCAA Division II * 1989: Men's swimming and diving – NCAA Division II * 1990: Men's swimming and diving – NCAA Division II * 1991: Men's swimming and diving – NCAA Division II * 1993: Men's swimming and diving – NCAA Division II * 1994: Men's soccer – NCAA Division II * 1995: Women's swimming and diving – NCAA Division II * 1996: Men's soccer – NCAA Division II * 1996: Women's swimming and diving – NCAA Division II * 1997: Women's swimming and diving – NCAA Division II

Club National championships

* 2004: Men's Ice Hockey – ACHA Division 2 * 2006: Curling – CCUSA Division IV * 2006: Men's Ice Hockey – ACHA Division 2 * 2007: Men's Ice Hockey – ACHA Division 1 * 2014 Football - NCFA Great Lakes Conference Champions * 2014 Football - NCFA National Champions * 2016 Men's Ice Hockey - ACHA Division 3 * 2016 Football - NCFA Great Lakes Conference Champions * 2016 Football - NCFA National Champions * 2017 Football - NCFA Great Lakes Conference Champions * 2018 Football - NCFA Great Lakes Conference Champions * 2019 Football - NCFA Great Lakes Conference Champions * 2021 Football - NCFA Great Lakes Conference Champions

References

External links

* {{Navboxes , titlestyle = {{CollegePrimaryStyle, Oakland Golden Grizzlies, color=white , list= {{Horizon League navbox {{Great Lakes Collegiate Hockey League navbox {{Michigan Sports