Drifting is a driving technique where the driver intentionally oversteers, with loss of traction, while maintaining control and driving the car through the entirety of a corner or a turn. The technique causes the rear slip angle to exceed the front slip angle to such an extent that often the front wheels are pointing in the opposite direction to the turn (e.g. car is turning left, wheels are pointed right or vice versa, also known as opposite lock or counter-steering). Drifting is traditionally done by clutch kicking (where the clutch is rapidly disengaged and re-engaged with the intention of upsetting the grip of the rear wheels), then intentionally oversteering and countersteering. This sense of drift is not to be confused with the four wheel drift, a classic cornering technique established in Grand Prix and sports car racing.

As a motoring discipline, drifting competitions were first popularized in Japan in the 1970s and further popularized by the 1995 manga series Initial D. Drifting competitions are held worldwide and are judged according to the speed, angle, showmanship, and line taken through a corner or set of corners.

History

Origin
Despite the popular belief that drifting originated in 1970s Japan, this driving technique was first practiced in Europe before 1950. Automotive icon Enzo Ferrari credits Italian driver Tazio Nuvolari as being the inventor of the four-wheel drift.  Later, British racing driver Stirling Moss improved upon Nuvorali's technique, mastering the art of drifting through curves in Formula 1 races by steering with the accelerator pedal. More recently, drifting as a specialized competition became popular in Japan. It was most popular in the All Japan Touring Car Championship races. Famous motorcyclist turned driver Kunimitsu Takahashi was the foremost creator of drifting techniques in the 1970s. This earned him several championships and a legion of fans who enjoyed the spectacle of smoking tires. The bias-ply racing tires of the 1960s–1980s lent themselves to driving styles with a high slip angle. As professional racers in Japan drove this way, so did street racers.

Keiichi Tsuchiya, known as the , became particularly interested by Takahashi's drift techniques. Tsuchiya began practicing his drifting skills on the mountain roads of Japan, and quickly gained a reputation amongst the racing crowd. In 1987, several popular car magazines and tuning garages agreed to produce a video of Tsuchiya's drifting skills. The video, known as Pluspy, became a hit and inspired many of the professional drifting drivers on the circuits today. In 1988, alongside Option magazine founder and chief editor Daijiro Inada, he helped to organize one of the first events specifically for drifting called the Ikaten (short for Ikasu Hashiriya Team Tengoku). He has also drifted through every turn in Tsukuba Circuit.

Popularity
One of the earliest recorded drift events outside Japan took place in 1996 at Willow Springs Raceway in Willow Springs, California, hosted by the Japanese drifting magazine and organization Option. Daijiro Inada (founder of the Japanese D1 Grand Prix), the NHRA Funny Car drag racer Kenji Okazaki, and Keiichi Tsuchiya gave demonstrations in a Nissan 180SX that the magazine had brought over from Japan. Entrants included Rhys Millen and Bryan Norris. Drifting has since exploded into a form of motorsport in North America, Australia, Asia and Europe.  Grassroots drifting has seen a huge increase in popularity in the 21st century, which has in turn caused prices of FR cars to increase and parts become more scarce.

Drifting has evolved into a competitive sport where drivers compete (almost exclusively in rear-wheel-drive cars) to earn points from judges based on various factors. At the top levels of competition, IDCR in Worldwide, the D1 Grand Prix in Japan pioneered the sport. Other events such as Drift Games Extreme (formally known as the IDC — Irish Drift Championship) in Ireland, Formula D in the United States, Drift Allstars, King of Europe, Drift Masters and the British Drift Championship in Europe, WDS in China, RDS in Russia, Formula Drift Asia in the Malaysia/Singapore/Thailand/Indonesia/Philippines, NZ Drift Series in New Zealand, the Australian Drifting Grand Prix, Spec - D Drift Series in Western Canada and the Greek Drift Championship (Drift Wars) have come along to further expand it into a legitimate motorsport worldwide. Drivers within these series are able to keep their cars sliding for extended periods of time, often linking several turns.

Drift competition

Judging takes place on just a small part of the circuit, a few linking corners that provide good viewing, and opportunities for drifting. The rest of the circuit is irrelevant, but it pertains to controlling the temperature of the tires and setting the car up for the first judged corner. In tandem passes, the lead driver (in the lead car, Senko) often feints their entry to the first corner to upset the chase driver (in the chase car, Atooi); however, in some European series, this practice is frowned upon by judges and considered foul play, resulting in deduction of points.

There are typically two sessions – a qualifying or practice session, and a final session. In qualifying sessions, referred to as , drifters get individual passes in front of judges (who may or may not be the final judges) to try to make the final 16. This is often on the day preceding the final.

The finals are tandem passes called . Drivers are paired off, and each heat comprises two passes, with each driver taking a turn to lead. The best of the eight heats go to the next four, to the next two, to the final. The passes are judged as explained above; however, there are some provisos such as:

 Overtaking the lead car under drift conditions is frowned upon even if the chasing car doesn't interrupt the lead car's drift.
 Overtaking the lead car under grip conditions automatically forfeits a pass.
 Spinning forfeits a pass, unless the other driver also spins.
 Increasing the lead under drift conditions helps to win a pass.
 Maintaining a close gap while chasing under drift conditions helps to win a pass.
The level of smoke from the tires is also a factor.

Points are awarded for each pass, and usually, one driver prevails. Sometimes, the judges cannot agree, or cannot decide, or a crowd vocally disagrees with the judge's decision. In such cases, more passes may be run until a winner is produced. On occasion, mechanical failure determines the battle's outcome, either during or preceding a heat. If a car cannot enter a tandem battle, the remaining entrant (who automatically advances) will give a solo demonstration pass. In the event of apparently close or tied runs, crowds often demonstrate their desire for another run with chants of 'one more time'.

Commitment is about how much throttle the driver applies, and the confidence and dedication the driver shows when approaching track edges and barriers. The higher the rate-to-angle, the more speed and angle a driver can carry through the course. In addition, the fewer corrections they apply through the course and the closer they drive to the track edges or barriers, the higher their style score.

This can be broken down into 4 main criteria that is used to score drifters.

 Speed/Fluidity - In this area drivers are judged on how fast and well they maintain momentum when entering and exiting corners on the track. This is the commitment section and often demonstrates the driver's confidence.
 Angle - Drivers aim to take corners at a large angle but this can be difficult because the larger an angle is the more the car slows down. This is why a driver wants to maintain their speed through the large angle. Achieving this correctly judges will give you a higher score.
 Line - In almost any drifting scene or competition the driver will need to follow a "line".  A line is a path that is forged by the driver throughout the course. Line suggestions will be given by judges prior the race and may have areas where clipping points and getting close to the wall are "suggested". The closer a driver gets to the wall on a drift, and the more they follow the suggested line accurately, the higher points they receive.
 Style - All this leads into the last core criteria and possibly the most Important. Drivers will use a variety of techniques and strategies and depending on their style it can look very different. Some drivers will have a  smooth and precise approach while others will have a more aggressive and sharp approach. Style will be ultimately up to the judges opinion but most look for little to no corrections made throughout the drift, speed and momentum, and consistency and acuteness.

Outside Japan
There is some regional variation. For example, in Australia, the chase car is judged on how accurately it emulates the drift of the lead car, as opposed to being judged on its own merit — this is only taken into consideration by the judges if the lead car is on the appropriate racing line. Other variations of the tansō/tsuisō and the tansō-only method is multi-car group judging, seen in Drift Tengoku videos where the four-car team is judged in groups.

The D1GP drift series has been prototyping and fine-tuning an electronic judging system based on custom sensors that record and transmit car data to a computer that judges the run. This system is also being tested in some European series. It is designed to remove subjectivity and/or predisposition of judges. Usually the track for such a system is broken up into several sections (usually three) and the system automatically generates scores based on speed, angle and fluidity of the driver in each section, combining the scores for the final score. In certain situations judges can change or overrule a score, which happens, though rarely.

Formula Drift is the top United States Drifting series. Its judging style for competition is based on line, angle, and speed. When judging for line the driver is judged based on their ability to stay on the line set in place by the judges. Points are allocated to outside zones and inner clips, and are also allocated to touch and go areas. Angle is the drivers ability to maintain a high level of angle that will be set by the angle judge in the drivers meeting. Style is judged based on three areas of focus; initiation, fluidity, and commitment. Initiation is based on how early and smooth the driver initiates into a drift. Fluidity is how smooth the driver drives from lock to lock, high angles of drift, and just overall smoothness on the track. Commitment is judged on consistent throttle throughout, and how close the driver is willing to get to walls and clipping points.
The King of Europe Drift ProSeries has developed its own telemetry system, which uses GPS data to accurately measure speed, angle and line, thus leading to a very objective result for the qualifying sessions.

Drift cars

Drift cars are usually light- to moderate-weight rear-wheel-drive coupes and sedans, offering a large range of power levels. There have also been all-wheel drive cars that have been converted to rear-wheel drive such as the Subaru WRX, Toyota Avensis, Scion tC, Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, Dodge Charger, and Nissan GT-R. Early on, AWD cars without conversion were allowed in some drifting competitions, and usually the rules allowed only a certain percentage of power to be sent to the front wheels, but they are banned in most (if not all) drifting competitions today.

Despite the possibility of obtaining desirable Japanese domestic market vehicles in continents outside Japan, drifters in other countries prefer to use local versions of the same cars (for example, a Nissan 240SX instead of a Nissan Silvia S13, etc.), or even domestic cars. A high volume of Japanese imports were brought to countries such as Australia and New Zealand, however it is not unusual to see Australian/New Zealand domestic vehicles such as the Holden Commodore or Ford Falcon used in drifting competitions.

The American market saw a relatively high volume of JDM cars being imported over the last decade, despite Japanese domestic vehicles being right-hand-drive only. Locally-sold imports such as the Lexus SC and Nissan 240SX feature heavily in American drifting, but they are usually modified with JDM engines to mirror their Japanese domestic equivalents (usually with a Toyota JZ-GTE or Nissan CA18DET/SR20DET/RB26DETT respectively).

In the UK, there are a high level of Japanese imports used within the drifting scene, due in part to the UK sharing a right-hand drive layout with Japan. However, these cars often cost more than UK-market cars, partly due to import costs. There are plenty of UK and European models used as drift cars as well — older BMWs are particularly prominent due to cost and availability, with Volvo 300 series and Ford Sierras also proving popular.

In the Formula Drift Professional series, cars range from highly tuned Japanese automobiles reflecting the original styles of drifting to all-new age makes and models. Due to no power limit restrictions in the series, it is not uncommon for competitors to use a variety of different powerplants. Popular variations of Chevrolet LS engines are often seen bolted down to Japanese frames.

In the King of Europe Drift Series, the main professional drift series in Europe, BMW models have long ruled the scene, winning event after event, year after year. The most successful models include the E30, E36 and E46, which also present an advantage in cost (being more affordable than their Japanese rivals). For a few years, BMW V8 engine swaps were the most popular, providing a healthy 300 to 400 horsepower output. With the continuous evolution of the sport, however, these have now become obsolete, making way for more powerful American V8 engines or classic Nissan RB26DETT and Toyota 2JZ-GTE engines.

As an example, the top 15 cars in the 2003 D1GP, top 10 in the 2004 D1GP, and top 10 in the 2005 D1GP were as follows:

The top cars in the Red Bull Drifting Championship were as follows:

As for 2017, the top cars participating in Formula Drift are the Nissan 370Z, Nissan Silvia S14, Nissan Silvia S15, Toyota 86, BMW E46, Ford Mustang, and the Mazda MX-5.

Drift tuning

Drivetrain
A mechanical limited slip differential (LSD) is considered essential for drifting. Drifting with an open or viscous differential in a sustained slide generally yields relatively less impressive results. All other modifications are secondary to the LSD.

The preferred form of LSD for drifting is the clutch type, in "two-way" form, for its consistent and aggressive lockup behavior under both acceleration and deceleration. Some drift cars use a spool "differential", which actually has no differential action at all — the wheels are locked to each other. Drifters on a budget may use a welded differential, where the side gears are welded to give the same effect as a spool. This makes it easier to break rear traction, because it reduces maximum traction in all situations except traveling in a straight line. Welded differentials have an inherent risk involved: due to the tremendous amount of internal stress, the welds may fail and the differential completely lock up leaving the rear wheels immobilized. Helical torque-sensing differentials such as the Torsen or Quaife (available on cars in certain stock trims such as the S15, FD3S, MX-5, JZA80, and UZZ3x) are also adequate. It is common for drifters to change the final gear ratio depending on the type of track layout.

The clutches on drift cars tend to be very tough ceramic-brass button or multiple-plate varieties for durability, as well as to allow rapid "clutch kick" techniques to upset the grip of the rear wheels. Gearbox and engine mounts are often replaced with urethane or aluminum mounts, and dampers are added to control the violent motion of the engine and gearbox under these conditions. The driveshafts are often replaced with carbon fiber drive shafts, as they offer the highest rotational mass savings, are stronger than alternative metals, and flexible enough to absorb and dissipate vibrations, thus easing the load on the gearbox as well as the rest of the drivetrain.

Gear sets may be replaced with closer ratios to keep the engine in the power band, or, on some cars that produce enough power and torque to four-gear transmissions similar to the ones used in NASCAR (such as the Andrews four-speed dog box that Vaughn Gittin Jr. ran in his 2016 Mustang) with more open-ratio gears, this limits the number of shifts the driver has to do during their run. These may be coarser dog engagement straight cut gears instead of synchronised helical gears, for durability and faster shifting at the expense of noise and refinement. Wealthier drifters may use sequential gearboxes to make gear selection easier and faster, while sequential shift lever adapters can be used to make shifts easier without increasing shift time.

Steering and suspension
Steering angles are also crucial as the driver progresses. The first stage of these modifications is usually a modified steering knuckle or upright. Extended control arms can be employed on MacPherson strut vehicles like the Nissan S-Chassis to allow for more clearance for higher steering angles. Many aftermarket companies have developed full lock kits including modification of the vehicle's original scrub radius, kingpin axis, Ackermann angle, amount of bump steer, caster angle, and kinematics as to maximize front grip and eliminate mechanical bind at steering angles in excess of 60°. While MacPherson strut vehicles are prevalent in professional drifting, double wishbone suspension vehicles can also be competitive, with often better caster and camber curves.

Springs and shock absorbers are also tuned for higher skill levels, depending on track layout, which is included on almost all production cars. While Ackermann geometry is helpful in making a car turn easier, it inhibits the ability to slide sideways at full lock necessary to compete in drifting.

Common Modifications -
Drift cars need a stiff suspension to reduce things like body roll and bouncing. Having a stiff suspension also allows for stronger suspension components that can take the damage and more importantly better handling making it safer for the driver to drift. The suspension (especially for a drift car) can get pretty complex. However,  Some of the first modification done to a drift car will be the addition of coil-overs as they are the heart of your cars suspension. This is a simple but major modification that stiffens the suspension instantaneously and allows for your car to handle well; all while adding some style with a lowered look.

Sway bars and bushings are typically what many drift builds would complete next. Sway bars are sometimes discounted in the drift world but have a big importance. Sway bars limit the amount of "sway" or body roll you feel when taking corners, thus allowing for a more stable drift . Bushings are replaced with harder bushing to hold up in heavy loading and keep the alignment in place.

When replacing suspension components, oftentimes an alignment will be required to ensure you will handle correctly. The alignment can get tricky when looking on forums so its recommended that you get adjustable parts so that you can adjust your alignment as needed.

Steer Modifications -

Steering modification is done by many people to help with angle. Having more angle allows for more countersteer which prevents you from spinning out. There are angle kits are what is needed to complete this mod. Modifying the steering knuckles are a common way to achieve wider steering and sometimes putting a spacer between the inner tire rod joint and steering rack is done.

Cockpit
Because of the high centrifugal forces encountered during drifting, drivers are usually retained by a racing seat and five-point harness. This allows the hands to merely turn the wheel, instead of bracing the body in the seat. The same applies for the feet, which are free to move rapidly between clutch, brake and accelerator pedals. The steering wheel is usually relatively small, dished, and perfectly round, so that it can be released and allowed to spin in the driver's hands as the caster returns the front wheels to center. The locking knob on the hand brake is usually replaced with a spin turn knob; this stops the hand brake locking on when pulled. Nearly all drivers move the hand brake location or add an extra hydraulic hand brake actuator for greater braking force. Additional gauges are used to monitor boost levels, oil pressure and temperature, intake and coolant temperatures, and air-fuel ratio, among other data. Some drivers, especially in larger cars, move the seating position for a better weight distribution, such as Daigo Saito and his 2014 JZX100 Mk.II Chaser.

Tires

In the United States, competitive drifters are required to run USDOT-approved (road-legal) tires similar to racing slicks in rubber composition, but with shallow treads included. This is permitted, with the exception of some major championships including D1GP and Formula Drift, which only permit commercially available tires that are approved by the sanctioning body. Professional drifting has come to the point where grip is tuned into cars to be defeated. It makes for a faster drift necessary in the current professional climate. Tires typically used by drifters are around the DOT tread wear rating of 200. Examples include the Hankook Ventus RS-3, Falken Azenis RT615K, Nitto NT05, Yokohama ADVAN Neova AD08R, and Achilles Radial 123s. Some other companies from Asia have also started developing their technology through sponsoring professional drivers. These companies include Nankang, Westlake and Zestino. Tires are often modified with lettering to give them a more customized look.

R/C drifting
R/C drifting refers to the act of drifting with a radio-controlled car. R/C cars are equipped with special low-grip tires, usually made from PVC or ABS piping. Some manufacturers make radial drift tires that are made of actual rubber compounds. The car's setup is usually changed to allow it to drift more easily. R/C drifting is most successful on AWD R/C cars. However, RWD chassis drift cars offer the most realistic experience.  Companies such as Overdose, Yokomo, MST, Tamiya, Team Associated, and Hobby Products International have made dedicated drift cars and supported the hobby.

In the media

Film and television
One of the key sources responsible for the international spread of drifting is the Japanese manga and anime series Initial D, which features Takumi Fujiwara, a high school student who learns to drift on the Mount Akina tōge (mountain pass) using a custom Toyota AE86. The series features a large number of Japanese performance vehicles, including the Mazda RX-7, the Nissan Skyline, the Toyota Supra, the Toyota MR-2, the Mazda MX-5 and many other vehicles.

Hollywood embraced the drifting subculture in the film The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006).

Paul Newman's character Doc Hudson, a 1951 Fabulous Hudson Hornet in Cars (2006), uses drifting techniques on a dirt track in the desert to demonstrate his skills to skeptical NASCAR rookie Lightning McQueen.

The 2017 film Baby Driver features an extended drifting chase scene in which Ansel Elgort's eponymous character drives a Subaru WRX to evade the police after a bank robbery.

The 2019 Netflix television series Hyperdrive is a reality competition show that focuses heavily on drifting, won by Diego Higa of Brazil.

Computer and console gaming
Drifting's popularity in computer games extends back to early arcade racers where techniques for games such as Sega Rally and Ridge Racer involved drifting. The technique is now considered mainstream in modern games in all their forms. In-game communities have developed within games such as Assetto Corsa, BeamNG.drive, Forza Motorsport and Gran Turismo, made up of teams who battle in user-created tournaments.

Assetto Corsa has become a popular choice for many due to the simulator featuring true to life physics that can translate to real world driving and the ever expanding variety of Championships it offers. Some of the most notable include the Virtual Drift Championship, The Drift Corner Grand Prix, and more recently the eSports Drifting Championship. Some championships have also been created by real world event organizers such as the Drift Masters Virtual Championship. Assetto Corsa is also extremely modifiable with individual players able to create their own custom built cars and tracks from scratch. Many models are controversially pulled from games such as Forza Motorsport 7 and then modified to fit the needs of the driver. The data that drives these cars is also completely customizable, allowing players to recreate engines from real world dynomometer data as well as suspension geometry. This results in an extremely realistic simulation of each vehicle when data is created accurately. Championships often scrutinize car data closely and are constantly aiming to more accurately depict the features of a virtual cars real life counterpart. Because of this, drivers are beginning to use Assetto Corsa as a tool to practice for real world championships.

BeamNG.drive is rising in popularity in the drifting world, through controversial YouTube Shorts content creators and in-game updates. BeamNG.drive has multiple in-game drifting vehicle configurations, from drift missiles to competition vehicles. BeamNG.drive is regarded as one of the most in-depth and realistic driving computer games, as the game focuses heavily on vehicle tunability and simulation, with one of the widest ranges of vehicle customisation options, from everything from individual coilover dampening to adding on roof racks. There are also multiple in-game missions that focus heavily on drifting. The popular multiplayer mod for BeamNG.drive, BeamMP, is downloaded through third-party software and can be used for tandem drifting, drifting competitions and more.

Drifting also features heavily in the Need for Speed franchise (notably games since Need for Speed: Underground), the Grid franchise, the Juiced franchise and in Japanese domestic console games such as Initial D: Extreme Stage (PS3), which is based solely on drifting. It has become mainstream enough that there are also indie games about drifting such as Absolute Drift.

Drifting and the related technique of powersliding feature heavily in the Mario Kart franchise, where a successful drift or powerslide around corners will award the player with a short nitrous boost known as a "mini-turbo", with longer drifts awarding a slightly longer speed boost. Similar gameplay mechanics also exist in games from the Asphalt series, where drifting and other fast-paced vehicular maneuvers are a recurring theme.

Browser-based games include the popular Drift Hunters, NZ Performance Car's Drift Legends (the first online game to feature real racetracks, and now ported to iPhone/iPod touch) and Mercedes-AMG's Wintersport Drift Competition (the first manufacturer-backed drifting game). Drifting games for mobile devices are readily available from major developers and independent studios.

Documentaries
High Performance Imports. Volume 10 features Australian journalists from express publications, and Australian professional drifter Darren Appleton traveling to Japan, purchasing a drift vehicle (Nissan R32 GTS-T four-door), traveling with the likes of D1 champions and entering a drift event.

In 2011 Phil Morisson and James Robinson of Driftworks embarked on a journey to Japan where they would shoot a documentary about the local drifting scene, which would become known to the public as "Outsiders".

See also
 Opposite lock
 Tafheet—illegal street drifting in Arab countries.
 Fishtailing
 Handbrake turn
 Jackknifing
 Scandinavian flick
 Slip, similar technique applied to aircraft in flight, in which an aircraft is travelling somewhat sideways while moving forward
 Spinning (motorsport)

References

External links

Driving techniques
Motorsport terminology
Sports originating in Japan
Articles containing video clips

Drifting (motorsport)


Capital Safety is a manufacturer of fall protection, confined space, and rescue equipment for oil and gas, construction, utilities, wind energy, transportation, telecommunication, mining, and general industriesi. The company's fall protection products are sold throughout the worldii. In addition to manufacturing, Capital Safety also provides in-house and on-site fall protection and rescue training servicesiii. It partners with insurance providers to hold 4-hour to 5-day safety training classesiv.

Capital Safety is based in Bloomington, Minnesotav. It has offices and facilities in China; Colombia, Brazil; Mexico; Dubai; Singapore; Australia/New Zealand; Canada; France; the United Kingdom and Slovakiavi.

History

In 2006, Capital Safety acquired Unique Concepts Ltd., a confined space safety equipment brandviii.  In 2007, Arle Capital acquired Capital Safetyix. In 2010, Capital Safety acquired TAG Safety Ltd (UK) and the Technical Institute of Training in Height (ITFH) of Francex.  In January 2011, Capital Safety formed its Global Wind Energy team with wind-energy workers from the U.S., Canada, Europe, Asia and Australiaxi. In June 2011, Capital Safety opened a wind turbine training structurexii, located in Red Wing, Minnesota. Capital Safety also has a Wind Turbine training structure in Greenfield UK, near Manchester. In July 2011, Capital Safety acquired Latin America-based personal protection equipment company Arsegxiii. In March 2011, Capital Safety acquired Uniline Safety Systemsxiv. In January 2012, KKR & Co www.kkr.com. acquired Capital Safety for $1.1 billionxv. Stephen Oswald became Chief Executive Officer in March 2012xvi. On June 23, 2015, 3M www.3m.com announced a deal to acquire Capital Safety for $1.8 billion.

The Capital Safety brands—including DBI-SALA® and Protecta®—products, and people are now a part of 3M Fall Protection.

Locations

Capital Safety is headquartered in suburban Minneapolis, Minnesota, with primary manufacturing and training facilities in Red Wing, Minnesota. It operates manufacturing, distribution and training facilities worldwidexvii. In the United States, distribution centers are located in Minnesota, southern California, Texas and Connecticutxviii. The wind turbine training structure is in Red Wing, MN and opened in June 2011xix. It also has a 7,000 square-foot training facility in Houston, Texas which includes competent person, authorized person, qualified person, program administrator, rescue, tower climber, and confined space coursesxx. Capital Safety has an international training center with telecommunications towers, masts and confined space rescue areas in Saddleworth, Manchesterxxi.

References

"Company Overview of Capital Safety, Inc." Bloomberg Businessweek. March 2012. http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=4370615
"Business News." Industrial Hygiene News. March 2012, p. 19 https://web.archive.org/web/20160303232031/http://www.industrialhygienenews-digital.com/industrialhygienenews/20120304?pg=19 - pg19
"Red Wing, MN Leading Employers." Red Wing Port Authority. n.d. https://web.archive.org/web/20120306030821/http://www.economicgateway.com/red-wing-port-authority/community-profile/?show=business_climate
"Capital Safety Announces Acquisition of Unique Concepts Ltd. of Winnipeg." Occupational Health and Safety Canada. N.p., 16 Jan. 2006. Web. 2 July 2012. http://www.ohscanada.com/pressroom/productdetail.aspx?id=3501
Banerjee, Devin. "KKR to Acquire Capital Safety From Arle Capital Partners for $1.1 Billion." Bloomberg. N.p., 28 Nov. 2011. Web. 2 July 2012. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-11-28/kkr-agrees-to-acquire-capital-safety-from-arle-capital-for-1-12-billion.html
"Capital Safety Acquires Technical Institute of Training in Height." Contractor Supply Magazine. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 July 2012. http://www.contractorsupplymagazine.com/pages/News---20110113-Capital-Safety-Acquires-Technical-Institute-of-Training-in-Height.php
Dvorak, Paul. "Safety Team Ready to Harness Wind-turbine Issues." Windpower Engineering & Development. N.p., 20 Jan. 2011. Web. 2 July 2012. http://www.windpowerengineering.com/maintenance/safety/safety-team-ready-to-harness-wind-turbine-issues/
Pickerel, Kelly. "At the Top of Their Game." Wind Builder. N.p., 9 Jan. 2011. Web. 2 July 2012.
"Capital Safety Acquires Shares in Arseg to Significantly Strengthen Its Latin American Business." Construction Distribution Magazine. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 July 2012. http://www.constructiondistribution.com/online/article.jsp?siteSection=2
"Capital Safety Group acquires Uniline Safety Systems" Safety Access & Rescue. Web. 2 July 2012.
Zuckerman, Gregory. "KKR to Acquire Capital Safety From Arle Capital Partners for $1.1 Billion." Wall Street Journal. N.p., 29 Nov. 2011. Web. 2 July 2012. https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052970204753404577066312140823368
"New CEO Joins Capital Safety." Occupational Health & Safety. N.p., 17 Mar. 2012. Web. 2 July 2012. http://ohsonline.com/articles/2012/03/17/new-ceo-joins-capital-safety.aspx
"Capital Safety Opens Distribution Center in Connecticut." ISHN. March. 2011. http://www.ishn.com/articles/capital-safety-opens-distribution-center-in-connecticut
"Capital Safety Opens Training Structure." Red Wing Republican Eagle. September 2011.
"Capital Safety Opens Training Facility in Houston." EC&M. Web. 6 May 2008. http://ecmweb.com/contractor/capital-safety-opens-training-facility-houston
"Company news." A+A. Web. 2 July 2012. http://www.aplusa-online.com/cipp/md_aplusa/custom/pub/show,lang,2/oid,10506/exh_id,367/~/Web-NewsDatasheet/news_datasheet
Electra Largest Investments." Electra Investments. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 July 2012. http://www.electratrust.com/portfolio/top_invest_amtico.asp.
Anderson, Jake. "Capital Safety Equipment Co. to Move HQ to Twin Cities." Twin Cities Business. N.p. 15 March 2012. Web. 12 Sept. 2012. http://tcbmag.com/News/Recent-News/2012/March/Global-Safety-Equipment-Co-to-Move-HQ-to-Twin-Citi
"View or download the new Protecta fall protection catalog." National Safety's Weblog. April 2011. http://nationalsafety.wordpress.com/2011/04/08/view-or-download-the-new-protecta-fall-protection-catalog/
St. Anthony, Neal. "Safety equipment firm plans Twin Cities headquarters." Star Tribune. March 2012. http://www.startribune.com/printarticle/?id=142512835

Companies established in 1998
Privately held companies based in Minnesota

Capital Safety


Krishna Patrika is an Indian Telugu-language newspaper. It was founded in 1902 by Konda Venkatappayya and Dasu Narayana Rao as a weekly magazine. Mutnuri Krishna Rao was the editor of the publication from 1907 until his death in 1945.

History
Krishna Patrika was started in Machilipatnam in 1902. Krishna Patrika started publishing on 2 February 1902 by founders Konda Venkatappayya and Dasu Narayana Rao as a weekly magazine. Venkatappayya edited until 1905. He gave the editorial responsibilities to Mutnuri Krishna Rao when he moved to Guntur.

The newspaper
The vernacular press played a role in the Indian Freedom Movement. Several newspapers, both in English and the regional languages and in different parts of the country, prepared the people for the freedom struggle by instilling among them strong feelings towards independence.

In the Andhra region, among the Telugu journals, the Krishna Patrika played a prominent role in the freedom struggle. Krishna Patrika and Andhra Patrika were two newspapers in Telugu, which were started in the early years of the 20th century and survived till the country became independent.

A unique feature of the Krishna Patrika was that it was started by a District Association. Its first issue appeared on 2 February 1902, in accordance with a resolution of the Krishna District Association, passed in the year 1899. The Journal claimed that no other political association in the country was managing a newspaper for the purpose of political education. In 1909, the Krishna District Association gave up its ownership of the paper.

Mutnuri Krishna Rao was largely responsible for the success of the Krishna Patrika, who for a long time was its editor. He was one of the founders of the paper and from 1902 was associated with it as its sub-editor. In 1907 he became its editor and continued to serve the journals in that capacity until his death in 1945. Krishna Rao was known for his scholastic proficiency and oratory. He was an intellectual, nationalist and great writer in the Andhra region during his times. He invited the nationalist leader of Bengal, B.C. Pal, to tour Andhra during the Vandemataram movement in 1907 and Pal made a great impact on the Andhras. However, in later years Krishna Rao did not actively involve himself in politics, but many national leaders considered him as their political guru. Even though he was a supporter of the Congress and its policies, he kept himself aloof from the party to devote his entire time and attention to the Krishna Patrika.

During India's Freedom Struggle, particularly in the early phases, weekly journalism played a more important part than daily journalism. Daily newspapers were very few and were less popular than some weeklies. Krishna Patrika was a prominent nationalist weekly in the country, though it was started as a bi-weekly newspaper. It enjoyed a position of preeminence among the political weeklies in the Andhra region. But for a short stint as biweekly it remained a political weekly throughout the period of the struggle for freedom.

The Krishna Patrika carried on publicity for all the phases of India's struggle for freedom, like the Vandemataram movement, the Home-Rule movement, the Non-Cooperation Movement, the Civil Disobedience Movement and the Quit India Movement. It provided the leaders and active participants in the freedom struggle with much information, which they used against the British Government. To the common man, the material published in the journal, inspired and promoted patriotism.

The Krishna Patrika influenced not only the urban educated elite but also rural masses. During certain periods, the journal was sent free of cost to all schools in the rural areas and its contents were read not only to the students but also to the villagers. That increased the reach of the journal, extending its influence to the masses. Many contemporary leaders who were in their youth during the Freedom Struggle acknowledged the impact of Krishna Patrika. Prof. N. G. Ranga, Bezawada Gopala Reddy, Gottepati Brahmayya, Tenneti Viswanadham and others stated that the Krishna Patrika and Andhra Patrika influenced them in to abandon their studies to take active part in the Freedom Struggle. The confidential reports of the British Government, on the contemporary newspapers, mention the pernicious influence of the Krishna Patrika and the Andhra Patrika on the people.

The influence, popularity and services of the Krishna Patrika and Andhra Patrika so much impressed the people of Andhra, that they honoured the two papers in 1929. Celebrations to honour the people were organised on 8 and 9 September 1929, at Vijayawada. N. V. L. Narasimha Rao, Freedom Fighter, was the Chairman of the Reception Committee for the celebrations. An address eulogising the services of the papers was presented to the editors of the two papers. Konda Venkatappayya, speaking on that occasion, declared, "those two papers have been able to inculcate among the people, courage, spirit of sacrifice and intense patriotism". Certain Associations in Hyderabad like the Andhra Jana Sangham also met in Hyderabad and passed a resolution praising the services of Andhra Patrika and Krishna Patrika.

Kanuparti Varalakshmamma, a freedom fighter and social reformer, stated that many people left schools, resigned their jobs, faced the lathi blows, lost their property and entered the jails after reading the contents of Krishna Patrika.

Like many papers of those days, the Krishna Patrika faced many financial troubles. It survived due to contributions from philanthropists, zamindars and other patriots. The editor and other staff had to live on meagre salaries and sometimes lived without salaries.

Revival
Popularly known as "Piratla" by his friends was a student activist, a social worker and a champion of citizens' rights to protect India's democratic institutions. He never worked for his personal benefit—he participated in Loknayak Jayaprakash Narayan's Movement as an all India Secretary for student's and youth wing. He struggled for safeguarding democracy during the Emergency Period and went underground for a year and spent his life under MISA for nine months in Musheerabad and Rajahmundry central jails in Andhra Pradesh. Later on, he took over the old Krishna Patrika and became an editor and publisher of the newspaper. Even today, with over 100 years of its existence, the Krishna Patrika is striving in the direction of India's renaissance in all walks of life. Under the editorship of Piratla, Krishna Patrika had celebrated its centenary celebrations at Delhi. Sri Mutnuri Krishna Rao, an editor of Telugu journalism, was the editor. Inspired by his editorials, people offered Satyagraha and wore Khadi for their life of this paper for more than four decades. Piratla Venkateswarlu
began his career as a full-time Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) worker. He was the All India General Secretary of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the students' wing of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Later, he took up journalism by working for the news channel Jagruthi. He became the editor of Krishna Patrika Telugu daily in 1982 and ran the publication till 2012. He is also actively associated with the small newspapers' association of India. In August 2001, its centenary was celebrated in Delhi in quiet dignity with the blessings of India's Prime Minister, at that time Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Piratla Venkateswarlu passed away on 8 December 2014.

Present day
The newspaper is now published in Vijayawada.

References

External links
 Official site

Daily newspapers published in India
Telugu-language newspapers

Krishna Patrika


Ecpyrrhorrhoe puralis is a moth in the family Crambidae. It was described by South in 1901. It is found in China (Hubei). It is an introduced species in the eastern United States, where it has been recorded from Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia.

The wingspan is about 25 mm. Adults have been recorded on wing from April to September in North America.

The larvae feed on Paulownia tomentosa.

References

Moths described in 1901
Pyraustinae

Ecpyrrhorrhoe puralis


Edmund McCullough Cameron (April 22, 1902 – November 25, 1988) was an American football and basketball player, coach, and college athletics administrator.  He served as the head basketball coach at Washington and Lee University for one season in 1924–25 and at Duke University from 1928 to 1942, compiling a career college basketball record of 234–104.  Cameron was also the head football coach at Duke University from 1942 to 1945, tallying a mark of 25–11–1, and the athletic director at the school from 1951 to 1972.  Cameron was part of Duke athletics from 1926 to 1972, the second longest tenure in the school's history.  Duke's home basketball arena was renamed as Cameron Indoor Stadium in his honor in 1972.

Early life and playing career
Cameron attended Culver Military Academy in Culver, Indiana before becoming a fullback at Washington and Lee University in Virginia.  At Washington and Lee, he was captain of both the basketball and football teams, and tied for the national scoring title in football.

Coaching career
When Washington and Lee coach Jimmy DeHart was hired by Duke, Cameron followed him to coach the freshman team.  After Wallace Wade was lured away from University of Alabama by Duke, school administrators urged him to retain Cameron.  Cameron eventually became the backfield coach, scout, and recruiter for Wade.  In 1929, he got the additional responsibility of head basketball coach, a position he kept until 1949.

Cameron's first two Duke basketball teams made the Southern Conference tournament finals even as a new team in the league.  Cameron's teams had a 226–99 record (.695), 119–56 (.680) in conference play, during his 14 years as head coach, which included conference championships in 1938, 1941 and 1942.  During his tenure, in 1940, Duke built the largest basketball arena south of the Palestra in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  Cameron coached the first game, a 36–27 victory over Princeton University, on January 6, 1940. That arena would eventually come to bear his name.

After Wade entered the military service in World War II, Cameron became the head football coach.  In four years Cameron's teams won three conference championships, compiled a record of 25–11–1 and won the 1945 Sugar Bowl by beating Alabama, 29–26.  Cameron became permanent Director of Physical Education and Athletics in 1946 when Wade returned and resumed coaching football.

Later life
Cameron was a founder of the Atlantic Coast Conference, chaired the basketball committee of the Southern and ACC conferences for decades, was on the selection committee for the NFL Hall of Fame and was on the governing committee of the Olympics.

Cameron died at the age 86 on November 25, 1988 at his home in Durham, North Carolina.

Head coaching record

Basketball

Football

References

1902 births
1988 deaths
American football fullbacks
American men's basketball coaches
American men's basketball players
Basketball coaches from Indiana
Basketball coaches from Pennsylvania
Basketball players from Indiana
Basketball players from Pittsburgh
Duke Blue Devils athletic directors
Duke Blue Devils football coaches
Duke Blue Devils men's basketball coaches
People from Marshall County, Indiana
Sportspeople from Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania
Players of American football from Pittsburgh
Basketball players from Durham, North Carolina
Washington and Lee Generals football players
Washington and Lee Generals men's basketball coaches
Washington and Lee Generals men's basketball players

Eddie Cameron


The German invasion of Norway occurred on 8 April 1940 during World War II and led to battles between the Allies and Germany.

In April 1940, the United Kingdom and France decided to help Norway by sending soldiers and warships. The Allies had to withdraw, and the Norwegian government had to escape from Norway and seek exile in London. Even though the Germans occupied Norway, some Norwegians formed the Norwegian resistance and kept fighting the Germans. Norway held off the Germans for 62 days, which made Norway the nation that withstood a German invasion for the second-longest period of time, after the Soviet Union.

1940 in Europe
1940s in Norway
Invasions of World War II
April events

Norwegian campaign


Deron Michael Williams ( ; born June 26, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Illinois Fighting Illini before being drafted third overall in the 2005 NBA draft by the Utah Jazz. A three-time NBA All-Star with the Jazz and Brooklyn Nets, Williams also played for Beşiktaş of the Turkish Basketball League during the 2011 NBA lockout, and was a gold medal winner on the United States national team at the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics.

Early life and high school career
Williams was born in Parkersburg, West Virginia. In elementary school and middle school, Williams won two state wrestling championships. In 1993, as an eight-year-old, he won the 67 lb. weight class Texas State championship. Four years later in 1997, he won the twelve-year-old 116 lb. weight class championship.  Williams attended The Colony High School in The Colony, Texas and averaged 17 points, 9.4 assists, and 2 steals per game as a junior in 2001. That year he led his team, the Cougars, to a 32–2 record and the Class 5A state semifinals against Bryan High. In 2002, as a senior, he averaged 17.6 points, 8.5 assists, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.6 steals per game. His team, the Cougars, went 29–2 that season, losing the 5A Texas State semifinals. Williams was a teammate of Bracey Wright who went on to play for Big Ten rival Indiana University.

College career
Williams was recruited to play college basketball at the University of Illinois for the 2002–03 NCAA season by Bill Self. In his freshman year, he started 30 of 32 games and ranked third in the Big Ten Conference in assists with 4.53 per game.

Bruce Weber assumed the head coach position for the Illini in April 2003 and helped develop Williams throughout his remaining collegiate career.  As a sophomore, Williams improved his scoring average from 6.3 to 14.0 points per game and improved his assists per game from the prior year to 6.17.  Williams was a First-Team All-Big Ten selection by both the coaches and media.

In 2005, as a junior starting point guard, Williams led the Fighting Illini to the NCAA championship game where they lost to the University of North Carolina. That season saw the Illini go undefeated until the final game of the regular season when they lost to Ohio State by one point. Illinois's road to the Final Four was marked by a comeback win over the Arizona Wildcats, where the Illini, led by Williams, came back from fifteen points down in the final minutes to win the game. Williams made the game-tying three-point shot with just 38.5 seconds left in regulation. He then hit the go-ahead three-pointer in overtime, and the Illini never looked back in that game.

Williams received many awards after the 2004–05 season. Those honors include being named a consensus Second Team All American, as well as being named First Team All-Big Ten, Big Ten All-Tournament Team, and All-Final Four team and at the conclusion of the academic year, Williams was named as the  University of Illinois Athlete of the Year. Williams was also a finalist for the Wooden Award and was named Most Outstanding Player of the Chicago Regional in the NCAA Tournament. Williams was named First-Team All-Big Ten as a sophomore in 2004 and as a junior in 2005, the year in which Williams, called by coach Bruce Weber "the MVP of the team", led the Illini to the Final Four. The team included four other future NBA players, including Dee Brown, Roger Powell, James Augustine, and Luther Head.

Williams declared for the NBA draft after the 2005 season, forgoing his final year of collegiate eligibility.

NBA career

Utah Jazz (2005–2011)

2005–06 season

Following the season, Williams declared for the 2005 NBA draft. The Utah Jazz selected Williams with the third overall selection, after Andrew Bogut and Marvin Williams. He started the season coming off the bench, eventually moved into the role of starting point guard, and was later sent back to the bench. Williams finished his rookie season averaging 10.8 points and 4.5 assists per game, in 80 games played. Williams was rewarded by being named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team, as well as being the only other rookie besides Chris Paul to receive a first-place vote in the 2005–06 NBA Rookie of the Year voting (Williams received one first-place vote, from Jazz color commentator Ron Boone). Williams and Chris Paul have shared a friendly rivalry that began after the 2005 NBA draft, where Williams and Paul were the third and fourth selections overall.  Whether Williams or Paul was the superior point guard is the subject of frequent debate among sports writers and fans.

2006–07 season
Williams began the 2006–07 season as the starting point guard for the Jazz. The Jazz started the season with a 12–1 record. This record was the best in team history and in the league. During these first 13 games of the season, Williams played remarkably well, delivering five double-doubles. Two of these double-doubles were back-to-back performances of 26/14 and 27/15 (points/assists). Both of these assists totals bested his previous career-high. In the second of those two games, he also had a career-high in steals, with five. On January 17, 2007, in a game against the Detroit Pistons, he recorded a career-high 31 points. A few days later, on January 24, he recorded a career-high 21 assists in a game against the Memphis Grizzlies. In his second season, his numbers improved in almost all categories, increasing to 16.2 points and 9.3 assists per game (second only to Steve Nash in the NBA). The Jazz improved to post a 51–31 record, winning the Northwest Division title.

The playoffs ended a three-year playoff drought for the Jazz, and in the first round, they faced the Houston Rockets. Williams scored in double figures in each of the seven games in the series, including a 14 assist, 20 point double-double on May 5 to close out the series. The Jazz won the series 4–3, beating the Rockets in Houston to complete the series. It was their first playoff series victory since 2000.

In the second round, Williams and the Jazz faced the Golden State Warriors, the eighth-seeded team that had upset the top-seeded Dallas Mavericks 4–2 in the first round. Williams started off the series strong, posting double-doubles in two of the first four games as the Jazz jumped out to a 3–1 series lead. In the fifth game, Williams was plagued by foul problems and struggled from the floor, hitting only one of eleven shots from the field and scoring just two points. However, despite Williams's poor performance, the Jazz posted a 100–87 victory, sending the Jazz to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 1998 and the John Stockton and Karl Malone era.

The Jazz faced the eventual NBA Champion San Antonio Spurs in the conference finals, a team led by Tim Duncan who had posted three NBA championships since 1999. Williams played his best basketball of the season in the first three games, averaging nine assists and over thirty points over that span. Spurs guard Tony Parker recognized Williams's effort after the Jazz won game three 109–83.

Spurs forward Bruce Bowen also highlighted Williams's skills, as he compared Williams to the previous Jazz All-Star guard John Stockton.

2007–08 season

Williams scored a then-career high 41 points on December 8, 2007, in a game against the Dallas Mavericks, although they ended up losing the game. He also had two 20-assist games on the season. He elevated all of his stats, improving to 18.8 points and 10.5 assists per game, third in the league behind Chris Paul and Steve Nash. Despite his strong performance during the season, he was not selected to represent the Western Conference in the NBA All-Star Game, as the point guard position was filled by Allen Iverson, Steve Nash, and Chris Paul. He did win the NBA Skills Challenge over All-Star weekend.

Much was made of Williams's new leadership role on the team, and how he calls the majority of the plays on the team instead of coach Jerry Sloan, something not even John Stockton did. In March, Williams recorded 212 assists, the most by any NBA player in any month since John Stockton in January 1992. The Jazz again won the Northwest Division and the four seed, this time with a 54–28 record, and again faced a Houston Rockets team that had home-court advantage in the first round. However, the Jazz won the first two games in Houston and went on to win the series in six games. In the second round, the Jazz lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games. Williams was the leading scorer for the Jazz in the 2008 playoffs.

2008–09 season

Williams missed thirteen of the first fifteen games of the season due to a second-degree ankle sprain sustained in the preseason against the Chicago Bulls. He returned November 26 against the Memphis Grizzlies. Since that time, he has led the team through an up-and-down season plagued by injuries to several key players (most notably Carlos Boozer and Andrei Kirilenko), but despite averaging 19.2 ppg and 10.0 apg through the All-Star Break, he was again snubbed from the All-Star Game. Similar to the previous year, he responded to the snub with strong play, scoring 30+ points in five consecutive games before the break (he missed one additional game during this time due to a minor injury) and leading the team to a 5–2 record to close out the first half of the season, including a win over the league-leading Los Angeles Lakers to snap their seven-game winning streak. They followed the All-Star Break with a win against the defending champion Boston Celtics.

On March 1, 2009, Williams became the second active player after Steve Nash to reach 20 or more assists in at least four games in their career.

2009–10 season
On December 14, 2009, Williams was named the Western Conference Player of the Week. A week after his teammate and pick and roll partner Carlos Boozer, was named The Western Conference Player of the Week. The Jazz hadn't had consecutive Western Conference Player of the Week Awards since 1997, when Karl Malone won it back to back.

On January 28, 2010, Williams was named to participate in the 2010 NBA All-Star Game at Cowboy Stadium in Arlington, Texas.  This marked his All-Star debut.  He was also invited to participate in the NBA Skills Challenge, where he finished second to Steve Nash.

Despite playing with injuries to his wrist and ankle, and playing without starters Andrei Kirilenko and Mehmet Okur, Williams became just the second player in Utah Jazz history to record at least 30 points and 10 or more assists in a playoff game. John Stockton is the only other Jazz player to accomplish said feat, doing so twice in his career. Williams scored 33 points on 7–14 shooting from the field while making 16–18 free throws from the line, while also contributing 14 assists on the road in a game 2 win against the Denver Nuggets. He repeated that feat later in series while scoring 34 points and dishing out 10 assists.

On April 28, Williams became the first player in NBA history to record at least 20 points and 10 or more assists in five straight games in a playoff series. Williams points/assists through the first five games, in order, were 26/11, 33/14, 24/10, 24/13, and 34/10.

2010–11 season
After Sloan resigned mid-season on February 7, 2011, he denied reports that conflicts with Williams forced him to leave. "I forced myself out", Sloan responded. Williams acknowledged he had a disagreement with Sloan during the previous night's game, but he added, "I would never force coach Sloan out of Utah. He's meant more to this town, more to this organization than I have by far. I would have asked out of Utah first."

New Jersey Nets (2011)
On February 23, 2011, Williams was traded to the New Jersey Nets for guard Devin Harris, forward Derrick Favors, two first round draft picks, and $3 million in cash. While Williams was under contract through  with a player option worth $17.7 million for , Jazz chief executive officer Greg Miller did not believe the team could re-sign Williams. "And while I never saw any indication that he wouldn't re-sign with us, I never saw any indication he would", said Miller.

Williams's acquisition gave the Nets a proven NBA star to build around as the team was preparing to make the transition to their new home in Brooklyn. Williams's impact on the Nets was immediately apparent, although he played in just 12 games due to a nagging wrist injury. As a team, the Nets were one of highest scoring teams post all-star break and big men Brook Lopez and Kris Humphries both saw their scoring numbers increase as Williams averaged 12.8 APG during those 12 games. His 47 assists were an NBA record for a player in his first 3 games with a new team and no Net before him recorded double-doubles in their first 5 games with the team. On April 11, 2011, Williams had wrist surgery on his right wrist which ended his season, although he was initially hesitant to having it. "I was angry and tried to tell the doctors that I didn't want to have the surgery", Williams said. "The two doctors had me outvoted, two against one. I couldn't do anything about it. They told me that there was no reason to postpone it and if I didn't have it, I would be dealing with the same pain again."

Beşiktaş (2011)
During the 2011 NBA lockout, Williams signed a one-year contract for $5 million net income to play for Beşiktaş of the Turkish Basketball League and the FIBA EuroChallenge. His contract allowed him to return to the NBA with the Nets once the work stoppage ended. Beşiktaş was the same team that signed Allen Iverson in 2010. Because Williams was still under an NBA contract, he required clearance from FIBA in order to play elsewhere.

On November 22, 2011, Williams scored 50 points against Göttingen, during a EuroChallenge first group-stage game. In the game, Williams went 17–23 from the field and 7–10 on three-point attempts and 9–11 on free throws. After a tentative agreement to end the 2011 NBA lockout was reached, Williams's jersey #8 was retired by Beşiktaş in a farewell ceremony prior to a game against Zorg en Zekerheid Leiden on November 29, 2011. Williams played a total of 15 games in Turkey.

Return to New Jersey / Brooklyn (2011–2015)

2011–12 season
After the lockout ended, Williams returned to New Jersey, hoping to lead the Nets to the playoffs for the first time since 2007. The Nets caught a bad break in the preseason, though, as Brook Lopez suffered a broken foot that caused him to miss more than 2 months. After winning their opening game at Washington, the Nets went on to lose their next six, putting them in an early hole in the standings in an abbreviated season. The Nets continued to struggle without Lopez, but Williams played well enough to be voted into the All-Star Game for the third time in his career, as he averaged over 22 points and 8 assists at the break.

When Lopez returned after the All-Star break, the Nets began to pick up their play. On March 4, 2012, Williams scored a career-high and Nets franchise-high 57 points against the Charlotte Bobcats. He broke the previous team record of 52 points held by Mike Newlin and Ray Williams. It was the most points scored in the NBA that season and the second-most points scored against the Bobcats by one player in a single game, second to Kobe Bryant. Lopez went down again with a sprained ankle and was out for several more weeks.

Williams remained optimistic that he would resign with the Nets, but was noncommittal as he said he wanted to keep his options open and become a free agent at the end of the season. Williams reiterated this stance on March 16 after the Nets failed to land All-Star center Dwight Howard at the trade deadline.

2012–13 season

On July 11, 2012, Williams signed a five-year, $98.7 million deal to remain with the Nets, who had completed their move to Brooklyn. He was encouraged to stay with the Nets after GM Billy King completed a trade with the Atlanta Hawks for six-time All-Star Joe Johnson, as well as re-signing young big man Brook Lopez and defensive player Gerald Wallace. Williams scored the first regular-season points at the new Barclays Center on November 3, 2012, against the Toronto Raptors. The Nets won the game 107-100 as Williams finished the game with 19 points and 9 assists. On November 26, 2012, the Nets played their crosstown rival, the New York Knicks, at the Barclays Center. The game was scheduled to be played on November 1, 2012, and be the first game of the season for the Knicks and the Nets. The game was postponed due to weather in the New York City area involving Hurricane Sandy. The Nets beat the Knicks 96–89 in overtime, with Williams contributing 16 points and 14 assists. On December 27, 2012, the Nets fired head coach Avery Johnson after a 14 win, 14 loss start. Rumors circulated that Williams might have been involved in the firing, but Williams denied playing a role and said he was surprised Johnson was fired.

Williams announced that he would miss the final two games before the All-Star break to receive a cortisone shot in both of his ankles and platelet-rich plasma treatment in his ankles. His problems stemmed from a bone spur that was causing inflammation in the ankle.

On March 8, 2013, the Nets were playing the Washington Wizards as Williams hit 11 three-pointers in a single game, setting a Nets record. He hit 9 of the 11 threes in the first half, which was an NBA record for three-pointers in a half. Williams finished the night with 42 points in a Nets win.

2013–14 season
On March 28, 2014, Williams recorded his 21st consecutive game with at least one steal, tying the Hawks' Paul Millsap with the longest such streak in the league in 2013–14. Two days later, Williams recorded a steal for the 22nd straight game, marking the longest streak in the 2013–14 season. On April 4, 2014, Williams recorded his 25th straight game with at least one steal, one short of the Nets' franchise record held by Jason Kidd and Mookie Blaylock. The next day, he tied the Nets' franchise record with a steal against the 76ers. He broke the record the next game with two steals against the Miami Heat on April 8. The streak ended at 31 on April 22 after he failed to record a steal in Game 2 of their first-round playoff matchup against the Toronto Raptors.

2014–15 season
After leading the Nets to a 4–2 record to start the 2014–15 season, Williams was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played Monday, November 3 through Sunday, November 9. The award marked his first Player of the Week honor as a Net, having previously won the award three times during his tenure with the Jazz, and his first since the week of November 8–14, 2010. Despite a good start to the season injury-wise for Williams, he went down on December 19 in the 91–95 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, limping off the court in the second quarter with a strained right calf and did not return. He subsequently missed the following two games, only to return on December 26 against Boston coming off the bench for the first time this season, losing his starting spot in favor of Jarrett Jack. He was later ruled out indefinitely on January 8 with a fractured rib that he suffered on January 4 against Miami. After an 11-game absence due to the injury, Williams returned to action on February 2 against the Los Angeles Clippers, recording 15 points and 3 assists off the bench in the 102–100 win.

On February 20 against the Los Angeles Lakers, Williams regained his starting spot from Jack after 13 straight games coming off the bench. He subsequently recorded 12 points and a season-high 15 assists in the 114–105 win. On April 3, 2015, he scored a season-high 31 points in a 114–109 win over the Toronto Raptors.

In Game 4 of the Nets' first-round playoff series against the Atlanta Hawks on April 27, Williams scored a playoff career-high 35 points in a 120–115 overtime win to tie the series at 2-2. The Nets went on to lose the series in six games.

On July 11, 2015, Williams was waived by the Nets. He received a buyout from the final two seasons of his contract with the Nets.

Dallas Mavericks (2015–2017)

On July 14, 2015, Williams signed with the Dallas Mavericks. He made his debut for the Mavericks in the team's season opener against the Phoenix Suns on October 28, recording 12 points and 7 assists in a 111–95 win. On December 1, he scored a then season-high 30 points in a 115–112 overtime win over the Portland Trail Blazers. He missed the team's last four games of December with a left hamstring, returning to action on January 1 against the Miami Heat. He played in 20 minutes off the bench against the Heat, finishing with nine points and five assists. On January 5, he scored 25 points and hit the game-winning three-pointer in double overtime against the Sacramento Kings. On March 20, he recorded season highs of 31 points and 16 assists in a 132–120 overtime win over the Portland Trail Blazers, becoming the first Maverick with 30 points and 15 assists in the same game since Jason Kidd did so in 1996. Between late March and early April, Williams missed eight games with a left abdominal strain. The abdominal strain resurfaced for Williams in Game 4 of the Mavericks' first-round playoff series against the Oklahoma City Thunder, ruling him out for the rest of the game after just 89 seconds and later ruled him out for the rest of the season.
On July 8, 2016, Williams re-signed with the Mavericks. In the Mavericks' season opener on October 26, 2016, Williams scored a team-high 25 points in a 130–121 overtime loss to the Indiana Pacers. On December 3, he had a season-high 15 assists in a 107–82 win over the Chicago Bulls. Two days later, he had his first double-double of the season with 15 points and 13 assists in a 109–101 loss to the Charlotte Hornets. With seven assists on December 18 against the Sacramento Kings, Williams passed Derek Harper for 21st place on the NBA's all-time assists list with 6,584. On January 22, 2017, he had eight assists against the Los Angeles Lakers and moved into 20th place in NBA history with 6,715 assists, passing Kevin Johnson. On February 11, 2017, against Orlando, Williams returned after missing eight games with a sprained right big toe, getting seven points and four assists in 16 minutes in the first half before sitting out the second half on a minutes restriction. On February 23, 2017, Williams was waived by the Mavericks.

Cleveland Cavaliers (2017)
On February 27, 2017, Williams signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers. In his debut for the Cavaliers two days later, Williams scored four points in 24 minutes off the bench in a 103–99 loss to the Boston Celtics. On April 10, 2017, he had a season-high 35 points, nine assists and seven rebounds in a 124–121 overtime loss to the Miami Heat.

National team career

Williams won a bronze medal as a member of the United States U18 team at the FIBA Americas U18 Championship in 2002. He was selected as a member of the USA Olympic team for the 2008 Olympics on June 23, 2008. The team went unbeaten on the way to winning back the gold medal after defeating 2006 World Champion Spain and living up to their "Redeem Team" moniker after missing out in the 2004 Summer Olympics. In 8 games in the 2008 Olympics, Williams averaged 8.0 points per game with 2.8 assists. Williams was one of three-point guards on the national team, alongside Chris Paul and Jason Kidd.

In January 2012, Williams made the 19 man roster of the USA men's basketball team for the 2012 Summer Olympics. He ultimately made the final roster. The team won the gold medal by beating Spain for the second consecutive Olympics with a score of 107–100. During the Olympics, Williams averaged 9.0 points per game with 4.6 assists as he collected his second Olympic gold medal.

Career statistics

NBA statistics

Regular season

|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Utah
| 80 || 47 || 28.8 || .421 || .416 || .704 || 2.4 || 4.5 || .8 || .2 || 10.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Utah
| 80 || 80 || 36.9 || .456 || .322 || .767 || 3.3 || 9.3 || 1.0 || .2 || 16.2
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Utah
| style="background:#cfecec;"|  82* || style="background:#cfecec;"| 82* || 37.3 || .507 || .395 || .803 || 3.0 || 10.5 || 1.1 || .3 || 18.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Utah
| 68 || 68 || 36.8 || .471 || .310 || .849 || 2.9 || 10.7 || 1.1 || .3 || 19.4
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Utah
| 76 || 76 || 36.9 || .469 || .371 || .801 || 4.0 || 10.5 || 1.3 || .2 || 18.7
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Utah
| 53 || 53 || 37.9 || .458 || .345 || .853 || 3.9 || 9.7 || 1.2 || .2 || 21.3
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| New Jersey
| 12 || 12 || 38.0 || .349 || .271 || .793 || 4.6 || 12.8 || 1.3 || .3 || 15.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| New Jersey
| 55 || 55 || 36.3 || .407 || .336 || .843 || 3.3 || 8.7 || 1.2 || .4 || 21.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Brooklyn
| 78 || 78 || 36.4 || .440 || .378 || .859 || 3.0 || 7.7 || 1.0 || .4 || 18.9
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Brooklyn
| 64 || 58 || 32.2 || .450 || .366 || .801 || 2.6 || 6.1 || 1.5 || .2 || 14.3
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Brooklyn
| 68 || 55 || 31.1 || .387 || .386 || .834 || 3.5 || 6.6 || .9 || .3 || 13.0
|-
| align="left" |
| align="left" | Dallas
| 65 || 63 || 32.4 || .414 || .344 || .869 || 2.9 || 5.8 || .9 || .2 || 14.1
|-
| align="left" |
| align="left" | Dallas
| 40 || 40 || 29.3 || .430 || .348 || .821 || 2.6 || 6.9 || .6 || .1 || 13.1
|-
| align="left" |
| align="left" | Cleveland
| 20 || 4 || 20.3 || .463 || .415 || .840 || 1.9 || 3.6 || .3 || .3 || 7.5
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2" | Career
| 845 || 771 || 34.2 || .445 || .357 || .822 || 3.1 || 8.1 || 1.0 || .2 || 16.3
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2" | All-Star
| 3 || 0 || 21.3 || .552 || .500 || .000 || 2.3 || 5.7 || 2.0 || .7 || 13.0

Playoffs

|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2007
| style="text-align:left;"| Utah
| 17 || 17 || 38.6 || .452 || .333 || .790 || 4.3 || 8.6 || 1.5 || .2 || 19.2
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2008
| style="text-align:left;"| Utah
| 12 || 12 || 42.8 || .492 || .500 || .773 || 3.6 || 10.0 || .6 || .3 || 21.6
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2009
| style="text-align:left;"| Utah
| 5 || 5 || 42.2 || .414 || .360 || .829 || 3.8 || 10.8 || 1.8 || .4 || 20.2
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2010
| style="text-align:left;"| Utah
| 10 || 10 || 39.8 || .450 || .392 || .802 || 2.7 || 10.2 || 1.0 || .4 || 24.3
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2013
| style="text-align:left;"| Brooklyn
| 7 || 7 || 41.7 || .425 || .395 || .822 || 3.1 ||  8.4 || 1.0 || .6 || 20.6
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2014
| style="text-align:left;"| Brooklyn
| 12 || 12 || 35.7 || .395 || .340 || .800 || 3.2 || 5.8 || 1.1 || .2 || 14.5
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2015
| style="text-align:left;"| Brooklyn
| 6 || 6 || 32.0 || .391 || .423 || .857 || 6.2 || 5.5 || 1.3 || .0 || 11.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2016
| style="text-align:left;"| Dallas
| 3 || 3 || 16.3 || .333 || .429 || .000 || .7 || 2.7 || .3 || .0 || 5.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2017
| style="text-align:left;"| Cleveland
| 18 || 0 || 14.6 || .438 || .387 || .909 || 1.3 || 2.1 || .6 || .1 || 4.3
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2" | Career
| 90 || 72 || 33.4 || .438 || .393 || .801 || 3.2 || 7.0 || 1.0 || .2 || 15.7

College statistics

|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2002–03
| style="text-align:left;"| Illinois
| 32 || 30 || 27.1 || .426 || .354 || .533 || 3.0 || 4.5 || 1.4 || .2 || 6.3
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2003–04
| style="text-align:left;"| Illinois
| 30 || 29 || 33.9 || .408 || .394 || .787 || 3.2 || 6.2 || 1.0 || .3 || 14.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2004–05
| style="text-align:left;"| Illinois
| 39 || 39 || 33.7 || .433 || .364 || .677 || 3.6 || 6.8 || 1.0 || .2 || 12.5
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 101 || 98 || 31.7 || .422 || .374 || .685 || 3.3 || 5.9 || 1.1 || .2 || 11.0

Personal life
Williams was baptized as a Christian early 2010. He married Amy Young, whom he had known since second grade and had dated since high school, and has four children.

Williams appeared as himself on the Disney Channel show The Suite Life on Deck during the season 3 episode Twister: Part 1 along with Dwight Howard and Kevin Love.

An avid boxing and MMA fan, Williams has trained for years in mixed martial arts and boxing and owns a stake in Fortis MMA. On November 5, 2021, it was announced that he would be fighting on the undercard of the Jake Paul vs. Tommy Fury fight. On November 9, 2021, his opponent was revealed to be Frank Gore.

Exhibition boxing record

Endorsements
Williams was the cover athlete for the video game NBA Baller Beats on the Xbox 360. He attended E3 2012 to promote the game, as well play the game in the NBA Baller Beats booth. Williams currently has endorsement deals with companies such as Nike, Vitaminwater, Red Bull and MetroPCS; he acquired many of the deals during his successful time with the Utah Jazz. Since joining the Nets, Williams has starred in commercials for Red Bull and MetroPCS.

See also

List of National Basketball Association career assists leaders
List of National Basketball Association players with most assists in a game
List of NBA All-Stars
List of Olympic medalists in basketball
United States men's national basketball team
NBA All-Rookie Team

References

External links

FIBA.com profile
TBLStat.net profile

1984 births
Living people
African-American basketball players
All-American college men's basketball players
American expatriate basketball people in Turkey
Basketball players at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Basketball players at the 2012 Summer Olympics
Basketball players from West Virginia
Basketball players with retired numbers
Beşiktaş men's basketball players
Brooklyn Nets players
Cleveland Cavaliers players
Dallas Mavericks players
Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball players
Medalists at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Medalists at the 2012 Summer Olympics
National Basketball Association All-Stars
New Jersey Nets players
Olympic gold medalists for the United States in basketball
People from The Colony, Texas
Basketball players from Denton County, Texas
Sportspeople from Parkersburg, West Virginia
Point guards
United States men's national basketball team players
American men's basketball players
Utah Jazz draft picks
Utah Jazz players
21st-century African-American sportspeople
20th-century African-American people

Deron Williams


The VCU Rams are the athletic teams of Virginia Commonwealth University of Richmond, Virginia, United States. The Rams compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association as members of the Atlantic 10 Conference. The most successful teams have been the men's tennis and basketball teams, which have had success in their conference and on the regional and national stages. The school's colors are black and gold. The athletic director is Ed McLaughlin. The official student supporter group is known as the Rowdy Rams.

History
Virginia Commonwealth University was founded in 1968 through the merger of the Medical College of Virginia and the Richmond Professional Institute. Prior to the VCU Rams, the MCV athletic teams competed as the Medicoes and the RPI athletic teams competed as the Green Devils.

Sports sponsored

A member of the Atlantic 10 Conference, Virginia Commonwealth University sponsors teams in seven men's and eight women's NCAA sanctioned sports.

Men's basketball

The Virginia Commonwealth University men's basketball team is widely regarded as one of the most popular and successful sports programs at the university. The first varsity basketball team was fielded in 1968, and coached by Benny Dees. The present head coach is Ryan Odom.

In the 2011 NCAA tournament, VCU qualified as an at-large bid, having to play in the newly formatted tournament's "First Four" against USC. The decision to allow VCU to participate in the tournament was widely criticized among pundits and the media.  VCU defeated USC 59–46 in the "First Four" play-in game. VCU then went on to upset Georgetown 74–56 in the round of 64. The 11th-seeded VCU Rams then upset 3rd-seeded Purdue 94–76 to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time in school history. In the sweet sixteen, VCU defeated 10th-seeded Florida State 72–71 on a last second bucket in overtime to advance to the Elite 8 for the first time in school history. VCU beat #1 seeded Kansas in the Southwest Regional final by a score of 71–61. It was the Rams' first trip to the Final Four. Against Butler in the Final Four, VCU lost 70–62, ending "one of the greatest Cinderella stories of all time."  The VCU Rams finished 6th in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll at the end of the season. This was the highest ranking in VCU's history and the highest ranking of any team from the CAA.

In 1985 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, VCU received an invitation to the NCAA men's basketball tournament as a #2 seed in its region, the highest seeding that the team has ever earned. However, it was upset in the second round of the tournament by #7 seed Alabama.

Until 2006 the team was coached by Jeff Capel, who at the time of his promotion to head coach in 2002 was the youngest coach in Division I NCAA basketball at 27 years old. During his time with VCU, Capel compiled a 79–41 record (.658), and in his first year earned VCU 18 wins, the most ever for a first-year coach at the school. In April 2006, Capel announced his decision to coach the University of Oklahoma basketball team. He was replaced by Anthony Grant, formerly an assistant head coach with the 2006 NCAA champions, the University of Florida.

Regular season conference champs and first-seed VCU defeated sixth-seed George Mason in the CAA championship game on March 5, 2007, to receive an automatic bid to the 2007 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. The Rams defeated the Patriots in a close fought game 65–59 to set a school record for wins in a season, finishing 27–6. The Rams also set a mark for the most conference wins in the regular season by any team ever in the CAA, finishing their CAA campaign 16–2 in the regular season and 3–0 in the tournament. In the first round of the 2007 NCAA tourney the 11 seeded Rams upset 6 seeded Duke by Eric Maynor's game-winning buzzer-beater. VCU then lost in the second round to 3-seed Pitt in overtime.

The team is best known for its Final Four run in the 2011 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, the first time the Rams made it beyond the second round. The Rams' journey to the Final Four under coach Shaka Smart began in one of the four opening round games, commonly called "play-in" games, intended to narrow the field from 68 to 64 teams. Thus, VCU became the first team to advance from the "First Four" to the Final Four.

Women's basketball

Beth O'Boyle coaches the VCU Rams women's basketball team.

The VCU Rams women's team enjoyed the most successful season in their history in the 2008–2009 season. The team finished the season with a mark of 26–7 overall and a 15–3 conference record. Notably the team was a perfect 16–0 at home. After finishing second in their conference the team headed to their first ever NCAA tournament game as the 10th seed, where the #7 seeded Rutgers eliminated them 57–51 on their home court. In the 2009–2010 season head coach Beth Cunningham led the Rams to the WNIT Sweet Sixteen where they were eliminated by the Syracuse Orange.

Baseball

VCU has fielded a baseball team since 1971. The program is led by Bradley LeCroy, who has managed the program since 2023. Since 2013, the Rams participate in the Atlantic 10 Conference in NCAA Division I baseball competitions.

The Rams play at The Diamond, located in central Richmond near the Chamberlayne Industrial Center and Scott's Addition neighborhoods. The Diamond is located on the same athletic complex as the Arthur Ashe Tennis Center, and Sports Backers Stadium, where the men's and women's soccer and track teams play.

During the 2006 MLB Draft, three Rams were selected: Harold Mozingo, a right-handed pitch who was drafted by the Kansas City Royals; Scott Sizemore, drafted by the Detroit Tigers; and Michael Gibbs, who was drafted by the Colorado Rockies.

Men's soccer

Since 1978, the VCU Rams have fielded a men's varsity soccer program. The men's soccer team is coached by David Giffard, who has worked for the Akron Zips men's soccer program under Caleb Porter, who lead Akron to the 2010 NCAA College Cup title, and now coaches the Portland Timbers of Major League Soccer. Giffard has coached the team since 2010. In the Rams' 35 years of existence, the team has reached seven NCAA Tournaments, with all of them coming in the last 15 years. VCU's best finish in the NCAA Tournament came in 2004, when the Rams reached the quarterfinals of the tournament, where they fell to UC Santa Barbara.

The first 20 years of the men's soccer program were otherwise lackluster, as the team failed to reach the NCAA Tournament, nor win any conference tournaments. The first five seasons were led under Ben Satterfield, who failed to have a winning season at the helm of the team. Satterfield's successor, Roosevelt Lundy gave the Rams a few winning seasons in the mid-1980s but failed to give the team a berth into the NCAA Tournament. After the Lundy era came Lincoln Phillips who guided the Rams to the 1991 Metro Conference Men's Soccer Final, but failed to earn a bid into the NCAA Tournament.

In 1995, the program was led by Tim O'Sullivan, who would manage the varsity team for the next 15 seasons. During O'Sullivan's coaching career at VCU, he led the team to three Colonial Athletic Association tournament titles, and two CAA regular season titles. The team is coached by Dave Giffard who has worked as an assistant coach for the University of Akron Zips. Giffard has coached the team since 2010.

The team's most successful run in the College Cup, the men's NCAA Division I Soccer Tournament, came in 2004, where the Rams entered the tournament as ranked 16th in the nation, earning a bye to the second round proper. In the second round, the Rams defeated George Washington, before upsetting the number-one seeded, Wake Forest Demon Deacons in penalty kicks. Reaching the regional finals, or quarterfinals in the entire tournament, VCU lost to eventual national finalists, the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos.

Following a string of three consecutive seasons without a berth in the CAA tournament, Sullivan was fired to be subsequently replaced by Giffard. Giffard led the team to regular season runners-up in the CAA before falling in the playoff semifinals. His second season resulted in both a winning conference and overall record, and at one point being ranked for the first time since 2005, but failure to qualify for both the CAA and NCAA Tournaments.

During the 2012 season, VCU had their inaugural season in the Atlantic 10 Conference, finishing second in the 2012 Atlantic 10 Men's Soccer Tournament. In the tournament, the Rams knocked off the defending finalists, the Charlotte 49ers, before losing to the Saint Louis Billikens in the championship. Their success in the Atlantic 10 resulted in them being seeded 14th in the 2012 NCAA tournament, where they lost in the second round to the Syracuse Orange.

Following the 2012 season, Rams striker Jason Johnson was selected 13th overall in the 2013 MLS SuperDraft by Houston Dynamo.

Men's tennis

The VCU men's tennis team was ranked 14th pre-season by the International Tennis Association (ITA) in 2005, and has been nationally ranked in the top 50 since 1993. The Rams have had 13 straight NCAA tournament appearances and had won nine consecutive Colonial Athletic Association tournament crowns until being dethroned in the 2005 CAA tournament final by William and Mary. In 2000, the men's team reached the NCAA Finals after defeating Illinois (Quarterfinals) and Tennessee (Semifinals) respectively. In the finals, Stanford rallied to win the doubles and swept Virginia Commonwealth in the singles to claim its 17th NCAA men's tennis title 4–0.

Track & field

The VCU men's track team won the 2006 CAA Conference Championship after placing second in the CAA's in the previous 2 years. The team was led by Davion Lambert and James Frierson who were named the Field MVP and Track MVP respectively. The team is looking to be led to another CAA victory with some old and new faces at the CAA Championships this year.

Other sports

The men's golf team has won 13 conference titles: Sun Belt (1990), Colonial (1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2009), and Atlantic 10 (2014, 2015, 2016, 2019).

Lacrosse

VCU announced they would be adding women's lacrosse, as their 17th sport, in the Spring of 2012. Jen O'Brien was hired as the first head coach in August 2013. The team began collegiate play on February 14, 2016 earning a win over Gardner-Webb. In just their third year, on April 22, 2018, the VCU women's lacrosse team defeated UMass, ending their 61 game Atlantic 10 conference win streak. For their efforts in 2018, O'Brien earned A10 Coach of the Year honors.

Club teams

Football

In 2011, Virginia Commonwealth University fielded a club football team that plays fellow club football teams within the Colonial Athletic Association and the state. Prior to the fielding of the team, there has been enduring debate on whether or not the school should field a varsity football team sometime in the near future. Former University President, Eugene P. Trani, has been quoted to never field a football team during his administration.

The club coaches for the football team will be Lamar and Alfonso Bell.

Ice hockey
The VCU men's ice hockey team plays in the Blue Ridge Hockey Conference (BRHC) of the American Collegiate Hockey Association, recently named ECCHA. The team, formed in 1994, has always competed amongst the top teams in their division. The team is coached by Michael Fisher, assistant coach John H Hussar and goalie coach Bobby Dillon. Fisher is a VCU graduate that participated in the 2008-2009 playoff run that clinched the BRHC championship. Hussar is a graduate that played four seasons for VCU.
VCU won the ECCHA championship in 2018–2019.
Starting in fall 2019, John H Hussar will take over as head coach.
The team has a longstanding rivalry with the University of Richmond ice hockey team which always proves to be very entertaining and draws a sizable crowd. The team plays their home games at the Richmond Ice Zone, about fifteen minutes south of Richmond.
While not the most well-known sports team at VCU, the ice hockey team continues to grow each year, adding more and more recruits with diverse backgrounds.
The team's motto is "NONE of us, are as STRONG as ALL of US."

Lacrosse

The Rams Lacrosse Club began competitive play in 2004 with the National College Lacrosse League (NCLL). The club embraces players with and without experience in the sport, often giving new players the opportunity to excel at the club level alongside skilled ones. Rams Lacrosse competes as a Division II team in the Tidewater Division of the NCLL, against Christopher Newport, William & Mary, and cross-town rival University of Richmond. Club highlights include claiming first place in 2005 at the Old Dominion Shootout in Lynchburg over Liberty University, and their best-ever finish in 2007. The club claimed the Tidewater Division title and made it to the second round of the playoffs.

Rugby

The VCU men's rugby team took the 2005 Virginia Rugby Union and the Mid-Atlantic Rugby Football Union Division III Collegiate Championships and received a bid to play in the East Coast Championship which was hosted by VCU April 22–24 of 2006. The team took fourth at the East Coast Championship tournament. Following their Division III success, they accepted an invitation to move to Division II in the Fall of 2006.

Facilities

The Diamond
Baseball
Verizon Wireless Arena at the Stuart C. Siegel Center
Basketball
Volleyball
Sports Backers Stadium
Soccer
Track and Field
Cary Street Field
 Lacrosse
Thalhimer Tennis Center
Leigh Street Field
Men's and Women's Rugby

References

External links

VCU Rams