Florida Atlantic

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Florida Atlantic.png
Location: Boca Raton, Florida
Division: NCAA Division I FBS
Conference (football): Sun Belt Conference
Stadium: Lockhart Stadium
Conference (basketball): Sun Belt Conference
Arena: FAU Arena

The Florida Atlantic University, or FAU, Owls compete as members of the Sun Belt Conference in NCAA Division I FBS football and in NCAA Division I basketball. Florida Atlantic is a public institution located in the Palm Beach-area city of Boca Raton, Florida. The school has an undergraduate enrollment of around 23,000.

FAU shares a large chunk of northwestern Boca Raton with Palm Beach State College, on a plot of land nestled between FL 800 (Spanish River Boulevard) and FL 806 (Glades Road) just east of I-95 and the Boca Raton Airport. Glades Road is Exit 45 off I-95; the Broward Avenue entrance to campus is just a quarter-mile east of the highway. FAU Arena (5,000), colloquially referred to as "The Burrow", is on Volusia Street just off Broward Avenue, on the western edge of the campus. FAU Football Stadium (30,000), on Lee Street (whicb Broward Avenue turns into as it veers east) on the north side of campus, is due to open for the 2011 season. The team's former football home, Lockhart Stadium (20,000), is an off-campus facility 12 miles south of campus.

Florida Atlantic shares, as one might expect, a strong rivalry with Florida International. The annual football game between the two is known as the Shula Bowl, named for former Miami Dolphin head coach Don Shula, who has been supportive of both universities' programs. FAU also has an active rivalry with Troy, who moved from the Atlantic Sun Conference to the [[Template:sbc]] along with FAU.

In football, FAU is most well-known for its coach. Howard Schnellenberger, former coach at Miami (FL) and Louisville, has been the only coach in the program's history. Tennessee Titans backup QB Rusty Smith is the only FAU player to ever see action in the NFL; former Miami Dolphins all-pro G attended the school in the 70s before the football program existed, then transferred to Duke. FAU has never sent an alum to the NBA.

Conference Affiliations

Football

Sun Belt Conference NCAA I FBS 2006-present
NCAA Division I FCS Independents NCAA I FCS 2001-2005

Basketball

Sun Belt Conference NCAA I 2006-present
Atlantic Sun Conference NCAA I 2001-2006
Trans-America Athletic Conference NCAA I 1993-2001
NCAA Division II Independents NCAA II 1988-1993

Post-Season Appearances

Football

New Orleans Bowl 2007
Motor City Bowl 2008

Basketball

NCAA Division I Men's Tournament 2002
National Invitation Tournament 2011

Championships

Football

Sun Belt Conference Champions 2007

Basketball

Sun Belt Conference Regular Season Champions 2011
Sun Belt Conference Eastern Division Regular Season Champions 2011
Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament Champions 2002

External Links

Florida Atlantic University Athletics