Misplaced Pages

#223776

92-513: FIU's colors are navy blue and gold, and their mascot is the Panther (taken from the Florida panther , an endangered species endemic to the nearby Everglades ), which is embodied by a panther named Roary the Panther. The school's original nickname was the "Sunblazers", but it was changed in 1987 to the "Golden Panthers", with the word "Golden" officially dropped beginning with the 2010–11 school year. FIU

184-890: A Georgia man was sentenced to 2 years probation, fined, and handed a hunting ban during his probation for killing a Florida panther that had walked 600 miles north to Troup County, Georgia . In 2014, a male panther was shot and killed in the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia. The conservation of Florida panther habitats is especially important because they rely on the protection of the forest, specifically hardwood hammock, cypress swamp, pineland, and hardwood swamp, for their survival. Conservation strategies for Florida panthers tend to focus on their preferred morning habitats. However, GPS tracking has determined that habitat selection for panthers varies by time of day for all observed individuals, regardless of size or gender. They move from wetlands during

276-461: A "brand refresh" on July 1, 2023, the same day that Jacksonville State, Liberty, New Mexico State, and Sam Houston joined. The former abbreviation of "C-USA" was retired in favor of "CUSA", and the logo was slightly updated. On November 27, 2023, Pete Thamel reported on X that Conference USA was expected to add Delaware as a new member for the 2025–26 season. On Tuesday, November 28, 2023, both CUSA and Delaware announced on their websites and social

368-417: A Division II member and is one of the most successful programs in the school's history. The team has reached the post-season 14 times in school history, including nine times as a Division I program. The other five appearances came as a Division II program and included a Division II College World Series appearance. Many players from past years have been drafted by Major League Baseball teams and have played in

460-499: A biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), was successful in demonstrating that agencies continued to use incorrect information after it had been clearly identified as such. As a result of the DQA ruling, USFWS admitted errors in the science the agency was using and subsequently reinstated Eller, who had been fired by USFWS after filing the DQA complaint. In two white papers, environmental groups contended that habitat development

552-463: A cowlick in a Florida panther population was 94% compared to other pumas at 9%, while the frequency of a kinked tail was 88% as opposed to 27% for other puma subspecies. To increase genetic diversity of the Florida panther, eight Texas pumas were introduced to the Florida population to hopefully promote the survival of the native population. This genetic rescue aided in reducing the inbreeding coefficient in

644-440: A faster rate than females and for a longer time. It was described as a distinct cougar subspecies ( Puma concolor coryi ) in the late 19th century. The Florida panther had for a long time been considered a unique cougar subspecies , with the scientific name Felis concolor coryi proposed by Outram Bangs in 1899. A genetic study of cougar mitochondrial DNA showed that many of the purported cougar subspecies described in

736-584: A member of NCAA Division I-AA, now known as the NCAA FCS Football Championship Subdivision . Three years later, the FIU Athletics Department decided to move the program up to Division I-A. FIU became the fastest school to make such a move from a program's inception. On August 29, 2002, the program played its first game at home against Saint Peter's College in front of a sold-out crowd of 17,314. FIU defeated St. Peter's by

828-636: A member of the Atlantic Sun Conference in 1998, Independent from 1999 to 2000, and of the Sun Belt Conference from 2001 through 2012. The team plays its home games at Felsberg Field at FIU Softball Stadium. FIU's Swimming & Diving team competes in Conference USA after previously being a member of the Sun Belt Conference from 2003–2004 through 2012–2013. FIU's Track & Field teams compete in Conference USA after previously being

920-531: A member of the Atlantic Sun Conference in 1998. FIU's indoor and sand volleyball teams are both under the helm of Rita Buck-Crockett. The indoor volleyball was established in 1974, while in 2013 the sand volleyball team is the newest sport for the athletic program. The indoor squad plays their matches at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center and the sand squad plays primarily on sand courts on FIU's main campus. Founded in 1989, FIU Rugby competes in

1012-509: A national team championship while a member of the conference is Jacksonville State , which won the 2024 bowling championship in its first season of both varsity bowling and CUSA membership. The only other school to have won such a championship while a CUSA member is Marshall , which moved to the Sun Belt Conference in 2022. Marshall won the 2020–21 men's soccer championship in May 2021 (with

SECTION 10

#1732858515224

1104-570: A new conference which took the Big East name, leaving the football-playing members to become the American Athletic Conference ). Conference USA responded by adding Middle Tennessee and Florida Atlantic , both from the Sun Belt. On April 1, 2013, Conference USA announced it was adding Western Kentucky, also from the Sun Belt, to offset Tulsa's departure to The American in all sports which

1196-531: A potential threat to panthers in South Florida after a female panther from the park died. Antigen analysis on select Florida panther populations has shown evidence of feline immunodeficiency virus and puma lentivirus among certain individuals. The presence of these viruses is likely related to mating behaviors and territory sympatry. Although, since Florida panthers have lower levels of the antibodies produced in response to FIV, consistently positive results for

1288-400: A reported panther attack in Florida. However, in western states, people have been attacked and fought back successfully with rocks, sticks, or even their bare hands. In 1982, the Florida panther was chosen as the Florida state animal . The animal is the namesake of South Florida 's hockey team , and the team has donated to the preservation of panther habitats. In 2023 the Florida panther

1380-401: A significant threat to a subspecies that already has a low population count and a high level of inbreeding. Chemical compounds that have created abnormalities in Florida panther reproduction include herbicides, pesticides, and fungicides such as benomyl , carbendazim , chlordecone , methoxychlor , methylmercury , fenarimol , and TCDD . The Florida panther has low genetic diversity due to

1472-422: A variety of environmental and genetic factors. Factors that include habitat destruction contributed to the formation of an isolated population of puma in the Florida panther. Isolation was followed by a gradual decline in the population size that increased the likelihood of inbreeding depression . The lower genetic diversity and higher rates of inbreeding led to the increased expression of deleterious traits in

1564-768: Is a member of the NCAA, participating in Division I, and is a member of Conference USA . FIU joined the Sun Belt Conference in 1998 having previously competed in the Trans America Athletic Conference (TAAC; now the Atlantic Sun Conference), from 1991 to 1998. They joined Conference USA in 2013. The FIU Athletic Department has produced scores of professional and Olympic athletes, including current players in Major League Baseball , Major League Soccer ,

1656-451: Is considered to be a conservational flagship because it is a major contributor to the keystone ecological and evolutionary processes in their environment. A population of 240 panthers would require 8,000–12,000 square miles (21,000–31,000 km ) of habitat and sufficient genetic diversity to avoid inbreeding as a result of small population size. However, a study in 2006 estimated that about 3,800 square miles (9,800 km ) were free for

1748-470: Is safer to cross than a road. The number of Florida panthers killed by vehicular collisions has increased in recent years, and traffic collisions were responsible for the majority of recorded panther deaths each year between 2014 and 2021. It was formerly considered endangered or critically endangered by the IUCN , but it has not been listed since 2008. It was listed as Felis concolor coryi in 1967 under

1840-540: The American Athletic Conference , the football-sponsoring portion of the former Big East Conference. This was again the result of Big East schools leaving for the ACC, this time being Syracuse and Pittsburgh , as well as Notre Dame for non-football sports. It was announced in early 2012 that Conference USA was in talks with the Mountain West Conference about forming either a football alliance or conference merger in

1932-542: The American Athletic Conference , which had been rocked by the impending departure of three of its most prominent schools ( Cincinnati , Houston , UCF ) for the Big 12 Conference , was preparing to receive applications from six CUSA members: Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, North Texas, Rice, UAB, and UTSA. ESPN reported the next day that The American had received all six schools' applications, and The American announced all six as future members on October 21, though it did not announce

SECTION 20

#1732858515224

2024-569: The Big Cypress National Preserve , Everglades National Park , Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge , Picayune Strand State Forest , as well as rural communities in the counties of Collier , Hendry , Lee , Miami-Dade , and Monroe County . It is the only confirmed cougar population in the Eastern United States , and currently occupies 5% of its historic range. In the 1970s, an estimated 20 Florida panthers remained in

2116-421: The Big Cypress National Preserve , Everglades National Park , Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge , Picayune Strand State Forest , as well as rural communities in the counties of Collier , Hendry , Lee , Miami-Dade , and Monroe County . It is the only confirmed cougar population in the Eastern United States , and currently occupies 5% of its historic range. As of 2024, about 200 individuals are left in

2208-491: The Caloosahatchee River , are major barriers to natural population expansion. While young males wander over extremely large areas in search of an available territory, females occupy home ranges close to their mothers. For this reason, panthers are poor colonizers and expand their range slowly, despite occurrences of males far away from the core population. The National Park Service has identified mercury poisoning as

2300-580: The MAC , as well as Rice , SMU , Tulsa , and later UTEP from the WAC . UCF played in the MAC for football only; for all other sports, it was a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN). With CUSA's membership now consisting of 12 schools, all of which sponsor football, the conference adopted a two-division alignment. In 2013, CUSA entered its next phase with the departure of four schools (Houston, Memphis, SMU, and UCF) for

2392-458: The Metro Conference and Great Midwest Conference , two Division I conferences that did not sponsor football. However, the merger did not include either Great Midwest member Dayton or Metro members VCU and Virginia Tech . Since this left an uneven number of schools in the conference, Houston of the dissolving Southwest Conference was extended an invitation and agreed to join following

2484-520: The Miami Orange Bowl in the 2007 season, and actually won the final college football game played at the stadium before it was demolished to make way for the new Marlins Park . Ocean Bank Convocation Center (previously known as Sunblazer Arena, Golden Panther Arena, Pharmed Arena, U.S. Century Bank Arena, and FIU Arena), is a 6,000-seat multi-purpose arena that opened on February 1, 1986. The FIU Panthers' basketball and volleyball teams play there. It

2576-858: The Mountain West Conference in 2026. On November 5, 2024, the conference announced that former full member South Florida would join as an affiliate member in beach volleyball in 2025. In 2019, Conference USA inducted its first Hall of Fame class, comprising 20 student-athletes, three coaches, and two administrators. The inductees included former University of Cincinnati basketball player Kenyon Martin , baseball player Kevin Youkilis , and men's basketball head coach Bob Huggins . Conference USA sponsors championship competition in eight men's and 11 women's NCAA sanctioned sports. Twelve schools are affiliate members—one in baseball, four in beach volleyball, six in bowling, and one in both beach volleyball and bowling. The most recent changes in sports sponsorship were

2668-527: The NCAA 's Division I in all sports. CUSA's offices are located in Dallas, Texas .   Member departing for the Mountain West Conference in 2026. In this table, all dates reflect the calendar year of entry into Conference USA, which for spring sports is the year before the start of competition. In this table, all dates reflect each school's actual entry into and departure from Conference USA. For spring sports,

2760-723: The National Basketball Association , the National Football League , and in the Women's National Basketball Association . FIU's current athletic director is Scott Carr, who was hired on November 30, 2021. He most recently worked as deputy AD with the UCF Knights , and also previously worked in executive athletic roles with the Auburn Tigers and Southern Miss Golden Eagles . FIU's baseball team began play in 1973 as

2852-603: The New Big East in 2013). Another two schools ( Charlotte and Saint Louis ) left for the Atlantic 10 ; TCU joined the Mountain West (and is now in the Big 12 with several other former Southwest Conference members); and a ninth member, Army , which was C-USA football-only, opted to become an independent in that sport again. With the loss of these members, CUSA lured six schools from other conferences: UCF and Marshall from

FIU Panthers - Misplaced Pages Continue

2944-728: The Ocean Bank Convocation Center . The current head coach is Jesyka Burks-Wiley, who won the Coach of the Year honor in Conference USA in the 2020–21 season. The FIU Panthers football team competes in the NCAA FBS Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly known as Division I-A), the highest level in intercollegiate football, and is a member of Conference USA . They are led by head coach Butch Davis and play at Pitbull Stadium on FIU's Westchester campus. The team began playing in 2002 as

3036-450: The WAC , New Mexico State and Sam Houston . Liberty and New Mexico State previously played football as FBS independents , while Jacksonville State and Sam Houston played at the FCS level in their respective conferences. On October 7, 2022, Pete Thamel of ESPN reported that current football-sponsoring ASUN member Kennesaw State was in talks to become the tenth member of Conference USA for

3128-814: The 19th century are too similar to be recognized as distinct. It was reclassified and subsumed to the North American cougar ( P. c. couguar ) in 2005. Despite these findings, it was still referred to as a distinct subspecies P. c. coryi in 2006. In 2017, the Cat Classification Taskforce of the Cat Specialist Group revised the taxonomy of Felidae , and now recognises all cougar populations in North America as P. c. couguar . The Florida panther lives in pinelands, tropical hardwood hammocks and mixed freshwater swamp forests . Its range includes

3220-666: The 2016 season, presumably keeping the school in CUSA for the immediate future. The return of football was later pushed back to 2017 with their first game in September. The Blazers won the 2018 conference championship their second year back and won the CUSA title again in 2020. Commissioner Britton Banowsky stepped down on September 15, 2015, to become the head of the College Football Playoff Foundation. Executive associate commissioner and chief operating officer Judy MacLeod

3312-565: The 2024 season, and that Florida Atlantic and UAB would remain in CUSA beach volleyball after otherwise departing for The American. On May 10, 2023, CUSA announced that it would add bowling , a women-only sport in the NCAA, effective in 2023–24. The Southland Bowling League , a single-sport conference established by the Southland Conference , was merged into CUSA. The bowling league added Wichita State when it elevated its club team to varsity status in 2024–25. The conference unveiled

3404-491: The 2024 season. One week later, CUSA officially announced Kennesaw State's 2024 entry. This was followed by the Sun Belt Conference adding beach volleyball for the 2023 season (2022–23 school year), taking with it the three full SBC members that had previously housed that sport in CUSA: Coastal Carolina, Georgia State, and Louisiana–Monroe. Southern Miss also left CUSA beach volleyball as part of its full-time move to

3496-628: The Endangered Species Preservation Act of 1966, and continues to be protected as an endangered animal under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 . Recovery efforts are currently underway in Florida to conserve the state's remaining population of native panthers. This is a difficult task, as the panther requires contiguous areas of habitat – each breeding unit, consisting of one male and two to five females, requires about 200 square miles (500 km ) of habitat. This animal

3588-400: The Florida panther include nighttime speed reduction zones, special roadsides, headlight reflectors, and rumble strips . Another method of reducing collisions is the creation of wildlife corridors . Because wildlife corridors emulate the natural environment, animals are more likely to cross through a corridor rather than a road because a corridor provides more cover for prey and predators, and

3680-723: The Florida panther population, introducing more genetic variation. The results indicated that the survival rates of hybrid kittens were three times higher than those of purebred pumas. Due to the successes of this restoration effort, the genetic depletion of the Florida panther population is now not as much of a problem as it used to be, but is being monitored since the population is still in a fragile state. Florida panthers live in home ranges between 190 and 500 square kilometres (73 and 193 sq mi). Within these ranges are many roads and human constructions, which are regularly traveled on by Florida panthers and can result in their death by vehicular collision. Efforts to reduce collisions with

3772-536: The Florida panther through poaching and wildlife control measures. Besides human mortality, the biggest threat to the Florida panther is habitat fragmentation . It was historically persecuted, and the population reduced to a small area in southern Florida. The population became inbred with individuals having kinked tails, and heart and sperm problems. The two highest causes of mortality for individual Florida panthers are automobile collisions and territorial aggression between Florida panthers. When these incidents injure

FIU Panthers - Misplaced Pages Continue

3864-910: The NCAA tournament. FIU was seeded #16 and played the #1 seeded UCLA Bruins in the first round of the West Regional, which was played at the Taco Bell Arena in Boise, Idaho . The Panthers lost the game to the Bruins by the score of 92–56, being the first tournament win in UCLA's successful run to the National Championship that year. FIU alumni who have played in the National Basketball Association include Carlos Arroyo and Raja Bell . The women's basketball team plays their home games on-campus at

3956-575: The SBC. CUSA would add three new beach volleyball members for that season; Jacksonville State joined CUSA for beach volleyball in advance of full membership that July, Tulane became an associate member, and full member UTEP added a new beach volleyball program. Tarleton announced on April 24, 2023, that it would join CUSA as an associate member for the school's first season of varsity beach volleyball in 2024; CUSA confirmed this on May 11, adding that Missouri State and TCU would also join in beach volleyball for

4048-473: The SWC's disbanding at the end of the 1995–96 academic year. The conference immediately started competition in all sports, except football which started in 1996. Being the result of a merger, CUSA was originally a sprawling, large league that stretched from Florida to Missouri, Wisconsin to Texas. Many of its original schools were located in major urban centers and had strong basketball traditions, which helped establish

4140-565: The South Independent Rugby Conference against in-state Florida rivals such as USF and UCF . FIU Rugby has improved since hiring Head Coach Ronny Suarez in late spring 2015, defeating two-time D1-AA national champions Central Florida in October 2015. Pitbull Stadium was originally opened in 1995 as a standard track and field athletics stadium, with mobile seats for the football end zones and an artificial turf infield. In 2007,

4232-482: The Sun Belt Conference on October 27, followed later in the week by Marshall. On March 29, 2022, CUSA agreed to allow Marshall, Old Dominion, and Southern Miss to move to the Sun Belt beginning July 1, 2022, a year earlier than initially announced. In response to these losses, on November 5, Conference USA announced the addition of four new members to start the 2023 athletic season. These included two ASUN schools, Liberty and Jacksonville State , along with two from

4324-503: The Sun Belt's FIU. However, the only MW member school that ultimately moved to CUSA men's soccer was New Mexico. For the 2013–14 season CUSA invited five new members to join their conference, with all accepting. UTSA and Louisiana Tech joined from the WAC and North Texas and FIU , (an affiliate member of CUSA joining for men's soccer in 2005), from the Sun Belt Conference. Old Dominion , which already housed five of its sports in CUSA, moved

4416-582: The Trans America Athletic Conference (now known as the Atlantic Sun Conference ) from 1991 to 1999. FIU has regularly qualified for the NCAA tournament in men's soccer, both as Division I and Division II program. In addition to the national championships achieved by the team as a Division II program, the team reached the Division I championship game in 1996, losing to St. John's University 4–1. Recently, two new soccer fields were finished in

4508-536: The Year honors, and was named a NCBWA and Louisville Slugger /TPX Preseason All-American . The current head coach of the FIU men's basketball team is Jeremy Ballard , who was hired on April 20, 2018. FIU men's basketball team had its lone NCAA tournament appearance in the 1995 tournament under then Head Coach Bob Weltlich . FIU won the TAAC Basketball Tournament and in doing so earned an automatic bid for

4600-640: The arena. Infinity Insurance Park is a baseball stadium located in the Modesto A. Maidique Campus of Florida International University in Westchester, Florida. It is used as the home venue of the university's baseball team. The facility opened on January 26, 1996, with an FIU victory against Bethune–Cookman, 1–0. The baseball team played its 2000 season at the Homestead Sports Complex in Homestead, Florida while

4692-472: The current season, see 2023–24 Conference USA men's basketball season . This list goes through the 2022–23 season. This list goes through the 2022–23 season. Champions from the previous school year are indicated with the calendar year of their title. "RS" is regular season, "T" is tournament. Women's swimming & diving was dropped after the 2021–22 season. Fall 2023 Winter 2023–24 Spring 2024 The only current CUSA member to have won

SECTION 50

#1732858515224

4784-447: The daytime to prairie grasslands at night. The implications of these findings suggest that conservation efforts must be focused on the full range of habitats used by Florida panther populations. Female panthers with cubs build dens for their litters in an equally wide variety of habitats, favoring dense scrub, but also using grassland and marshland. In 2003, a controversy began involving the leading Florida panther expert David Maehr. He

4876-502: The dropping of men's soccer and women's swimming and diving after the 2021–22 season, plus the addition of bowling in 2023–24. Incoming members are highlighted in gray. Conference USA used a divisional format for football from 2005 to 2021. CUSA champions Bowl games Through the 2023 season, the highest-ranked champion from the so-called "Group of Five" conferences ( The American , CUSA, MAC , Mountain West , and Sun Belt )

4968-574: The effective date. The entry date would eventually be confirmed as July 1, 2023. The day after The American announced its expansion, The Action Network reported that Southern Miss had accepted an invitation to join the Sun Belt Conference in 2023, a move which was formally announced by the university on October 26. The report added that the Sun Belt was preparing to add two other CUSA members in Marshall and Old Dominion, as well as FCS program James Madison . Old Dominion officially announced its move to

5060-402: The endangered panther population. Panther kittens are born in dens created by their mothers, often in dense scrub. The dens are chosen based on a variety of factors, including prey availability, and have been observed in a range of habitats. Kittens will spend the first 6–8 weeks of life in those dens, dependent on their mother. In the first 2–3 weeks, the mother spends most of her time nursing

5152-552: The facility underwent an expansion. In 2005, the facility also hosted the Sun Belt Conference Baseball Tournament. The stadium was renamed Infinity Insurance Park in 2018. Florida panther The Florida panther is a North American cougar ( P. c. couguar ) population in South Florida . It lives in pinelands, tropical hardwood hammocks and mixed freshwater swamp forests . Its range includes

5244-530: The field of panthers to study black bears in Kentucky ; he died in a plane accident in 2008, while doing bear research. If encountered, the advice for people is not to run since this may stimulate the panther's instinct to chase. Instead, it is best to stand and face the animal and make eye contact. Most Florida panthers will avoid a confrontation. In the event of being attacked, an individual should fight back, without turning their back. Further, there has never been

5336-400: The future. However, when the conferences discussed their plans with the NCAA, they were told that if they merged, the new league would receive only one automatic bid to NCAA championships; at least one of the former conferences would lose expected future revenues from the NCAA men's basketball tournament; and at least one former conference would lose exit fees from any schools that departed for

5428-410: The joining date is the calendar year before the start of competition. For fall sports, the departure date is the calendar year after the last season of competition. Full members (all-sports) Full members (non-football) Affiliate members (football-only) Affiliate member (other sport) Other Conference Other Conference CUSA (abbreviated "C-USA" before 2023) was founded in 1995 by the merger of

5520-513: The kittens; after this period, she spends more time away from the den, to wean the kittens and to hunt prey to bring to the den. Once they are old enough to leave the den, they hunt in the company of their mother. Male panthers are not encountered frequently during this time, as female and male panthers generally avoid each other outside of breeding. Kittens are usually 2 months old when they begin hunting with their mothers, and 2 years old when they begin to hunt and live on their own. Humans threaten

5612-460: The league on a national basis. The conference saw radical changes for the 2005–06 academic year. The Big East Conference had lost several members, and looked to Conference USA to attract replacements. Five CUSA members departed for the Big East, including three football-playing schools ( Cincinnati , Louisville , and South Florida ) and two non-football schools ( DePaul and Marquette ; both joined

SECTION 60

#1732858515224

5704-607: The majors. FIU's most notable baseball alumni is Mike Lowell , former third baseman of the New York Yankees , Florida Marlins , and Boston Red Sox . Lowell was the 2007 World Series MVP . Garrett Wittels finished the 2010 season with a 56-game hitting streak , two hits shy of the Division I record, set the FIU season record for hits, was nominated for the Best Male College Athlete ESPY Award for his 2010 performance, won Sun Belt Conference Player of

5796-516: The male and female were released in early 2013 to the Rotenberger Wildlife Management Area and Collier County , respectively. Primary threats to the population as a whole include habitat loss , habitat degradation, and habitat fragmentation. Southern Florida is a fast-developing area, and many developments such as Ave Maria near Naples , have become extremely controversial for their location in prime panther habitat, and for

5888-459: The new league. As a result, both CUSA and the MW backed away from a full merger. As of April 2012 , the likeliest scenario was an all-sports alliance in which both conferences retained separate identities. However, after the MW added more members, the alliance was apparently abandoned. For men's soccer, there was a chance that the MW, SEC, and CUSA along with the one Sun Belt member (FIU), that sponsor

5980-426: The official move to make Delaware the eleventh all-sports member of the conference. Six months later, on May 10, 2024, both CUSA and Missouri State University jointly announced on their respective websites that Missouri State would also join the league for the 2025–26 season, bringing league membership up to 12. The 12-member lineup will last only one year, as UTEP, the longest-tenured current member, will leave for

6072-560: The panthers, federal and Florida wildlife officials take them to White Oak Conservation in Yulee, Florida , for recovery and rehabilitation until they are well enough to be reintroduced. Additionally, White Oak raises orphaned kittens and has done so for 12 individuals. Most recently, an orphaned brother and sister were brought to the center at 5 months old in 2011 after their mother was found dead in Collier County, Florida . After being raised,

6164-412: The panthers. The introduction of eight female cougars from a closely related Texas population has apparently been successful in mitigating inbreeding problems. One objective to panther recovery is establishing two additional populations within historic range, a goal that has been politically difficult. Florida panthers, usually wandering males, have occurred as vagrants outside of Florida. In 2008,

6256-454: The populations, resulting in lower overall fitness of the Florida panther population. This also lowers the adaptive capacity of the population and increases the likelihood of genetic defects such as cryptorchidism and other complications to the heart and immune system. Specifically concerning the Florida panther, one of the morphological consequences of inbreeding was a high frequency of cowlicks and kinked tails. The frequency of exhibiting

6348-585: The presence of infection is difficult to find. In the 2002–2003 capture season, feline leukemia virus was first observed in two panthers. Further analysis determined an increase in FeLV-positive panthers from January 1990 to April 2007. The virus is lethal, and its presence has resulted in efforts to inoculate the population. While no new cases have been reported since July 2004, the virus does have potential for reintroduction. In August 2019, Florida's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission identified, through

6440-564: The prey base is. Female panthers frequently shift both their home range and movement behavior due to their reproductive rates. According to a 2022 study from the University of Georgia, Florida panthers are now the main cause of death for white-tailed deer in Southwest Florida. Of 241 deer captured and fitted with GPS collars during the study, 96 were killed by Florida panthers. This shows improved health (and therefore ability to hunt) in

6532-444: The program and the finances involved, leaving open a possible resumption of the program as early as the 2016 season. On January 29, 2015, the conference announced that there was no time pressure in making a decision regarding UAB's future membership. The conference also stated that it would wait for the new study results before any further discussions on the subject. On June 1, UAB announced that it would reinstate football effective with

6624-668: The rest of its athletic program from the CAA (except for field hockey , women's lacrosse and wrestling , with the three sports joining the new Big East , the Atlantic Sun , and the MAC respectively because CUSA does not sponsor those sports) and upgraded its football program from the Football Championship Subdivision . Charter member Charlotte returned from the A-10 and accelerated its recently established football program, which

6716-418: The roads surrounding them that kill panthers at an ever increasing rate. Fragmentation by major roads has severely segmented the sexes of the Florida panther, as well. In a study done between 1981 and 2004, most panthers involved in car collisions were found to be male. However, females are much more reluctant to cross roads. Therefore, roads separate habitat, and adult panthers. Development, as well as

6808-728: The score of 27–3. The FIU football team's main rivals are the Florida Atlantic Owls and the University of Miami Hurricanes . Both FIU and Florida Atlantic play annually in a game known as the Shula Bowl . The game is named after former Miami Dolphins head coach and Football Hall of Fame inductee Don Shula . The Panthers and Hurricanes last played on November 23, 2019, at LoanDepot Park , with FIU defeating UM 30–24. FIU has won two NCAA Division II national championships in men's soccer. In 1982, FIU beat Southern Connecticut State by

6900-581: The score of 2–1, to win the school's first national title in any sport. Two years later the Panthers won their second national title beating Seattle Pacific University 1–0. To date these are the only national titles the university has achieved in athletic competition. The men's soccer team competes in The American . The team previously played in the Atlantic Soccer Conference from 2000 to 2004 and

6992-523: The species and share the importance of preserving wildlife corridors in Florida. The film played a role in raising public awareness and influencing the passage of the Florida Wildlife Corridor Act. Conference USA Conference USA ( CUSA ) is an intercollegiate athletic conference of member institutions in the Southern and Western United States . The conference participates in

7084-508: The species, being smaller than cougars from colder climates, but larger than cougars from the Neotropics . Adult female Florida panthers weigh 29–45.5 kg (64–100 lb), whereas the larger males weigh 45.5–72 kg (100–159 lb). Total length is from 1.8 to 2.2 m (5.9 to 7.2 ft) and shoulder height is 60–70 cm (24–28 in). Male panthers, on average, are 9.4% longer and 33.2% heavier than females because males grow at

7176-411: The sport, would play under the CUSA's men's soccer program. The MW, which does not sponsor men's soccer, would take three of the four members that offer the sport (UNLV, Air Force, New Mexico—San Diego State is a Pac-12 associate member in that sport), join CUSA's three full members that offer the sport (UAB, Marshall, Tulsa), the two SEC members already in CUSA for the sport (Kentucky, South Carolina), and

7268-424: The stadium was closed and converted into a dedicated football stadium, with the track removed, the original turf replaced with FieldTurf , and permanent stands providing 20,000 seats. It was re-opened in time for the 2008 college football season. Further improvements to FIU Stadium are ongoing, with a future capacity target of 45,000 seats. During Pitbull Stadium's reconstruction, the Panthers football team played at

7360-470: The summer of 2007 on the northwest side of campus. These fields will complement the other two, making four soccer fields for use by both the men and women's soccer teams, as well as practice fields for the football team. The women's soccer team competes in Conference USA after previously being unaffiliated from 1985 to 1999 and a member of the Sun Belt Conference from 2000 through 2012. FIU's softball team competes in Conference USA after previously being

7452-564: The use of game cameras, eight endangered panthers affected by an apparent neurological disorder, but were unable to identify any potential infectious diseases that can affect felines and other species. Exposure to a variety of chemical compounds in the environment has caused reproductive impairment to Florida panthers. Tests show that the differences between males and females in estradiol levels are insignificant, which suggests that males have been feminized due to chemical exposure. Feminized males are much less likely to reproduce, which represents

7544-596: The wild, but their numbers had increased to an estimated 230 by 2017. The Florida panther is a large carnivore whose diet consists both of small animals, such as raccoons , armadillos , nutrias , hares , mice , and waterfowl , and larger prey such as storks , white-tailed deer , feral pigs , and small American alligators . The Florida panther is an opportunistic hunter, and has been known to prey on livestock and domesticated animals, including cattle, goats, horses, pigs, sheep, chickens, dogs, and cats. When hunting, panthers shift their hunting environment based on where

7636-463: The wild. Florida panthers are spotted at birth, and typically have blue eyes. As the panther grows, the spots fade and the coat becomes completely tan, while the eyes typically take on a yellow hue. The panther's underbelly is a creamy white, and it has black tips on the tail and ears. Florida panthers lack the ability to roar, and instead make distinct sounds that include whistles, chirps, growls, hisses, and purrs. Florida panthers are average-sized for

7728-674: Was briefly changed to FIU Arena. Later in 2008, the name was changed to U.S. Century Bank Arena when the local bank of that name acquired naming rights. The name reverted to the FIU Arena name in 2014, but was renamed the Ocean Bank Convocation Center in January 2018. Other events such as MTV's Campus Invasion, the Miss Universe Contest, National Political Rallys, music concerts, ceremonies and fairs are also held year-round at

7820-515: Was confirmed the next day. The board of trustees in the University of Alabama system (of which UAB is a member) voted to shut down that football program on December 2, 2014, in a highly controversial move that many have attributed to a pro-Tuscaloosa bias (including trustees such as Paul Bryant Jr. , son and namesake of Alabama football coaching legend Bear Bryant ). According to Conference USA bylaws, member schools must sponsor football. In January 2015, UAB announced an independent re-evaluation of

7912-737: Was covertly paid by land developers to produce faulty science papers that were used to permit construction projects that destroyed Florida panther habitat. In light of accusations against Maehr's work, recovery agencies appointed a panel of four experts, the Florida Panther Scientific Review Team (SRT), to evaluate the soundness of the body of work used to guide panther recovery. The SRT identified serious problems with Maehr's literature, including poor citations and misrepresentation of data to support unsound conclusions. A Data Quality Act (DQA) complaint brought by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility and Andrew Eller,

8004-604: Was featured on a United States Postal Service forever stamp as part of the Endangered Species set, based on a photograph from Joel Sartore 's Photo Ark . The stamp was dedicated at a ceremony at the National Grasslands Visitor Center in Wall, South Dakota . The Florida panther was also prominently featured in the 2022 documentary Path of the Panther , which highlights conservation efforts to protect

8096-568: Was guaranteed a berth in one of the non-semifinal bowls of the College Football Playoff if the group's top team was not in the playoff. Starting in 2024, at least one Group of Five conference champion will receive a berth in the expanded 12-team CFP. For the 2014–19 seasons, Conference USA was guaranteed at least five of the following bowl games. Stadiums and names reflect those in use during that period. Rivalries Current or former CUSA in-conference rivalries: [REDACTED] For

8188-410: Was originally named Sunblazer Arena but was renamed Golden Panther Arena when FIU's athletic teams changed their nickname from Sunblazers to Golden Panthers in 1987. It was eventually renamed on September 1, 2004, in honor of Pharmed Group after a US$ 1 million donation was made to the FIU athletic department by Pharmed owners Jorge and Carlos de Cespedes. After Pharmed was liquidated in 2008 the arena name

8280-460: Was permitted that should not have been, and documented the link between incorrect data and financial conflicts of interest. David Maehr was covertly paid by developers, and his faulty science research gave developers the necessary permitting to clear forests needed by the panthers to retain a viable breeding population. In January 2006, USFWS released a new draft Florida Panther Recovery Plan for public review. The discredited Maehr left Florida and

8372-492: Was set to begin play in 2013 as an FCS school, to FBS in 2015 with full conference rights in 2016. On November 27, 2012, it was announced that Tulane would leave the conference to join the Big East in all sports, and East Carolina would join the Big East for football only (ECU's membership was upgraded to all-sports in March 2013 after the Big East's non-football members, except ACC-bound Notre Dame , announced they were leaving to form

8464-521: Was subsequently named interim commissioner. On October 26 MacLeod was named the conference's third official commissioner, also becoming the first woman to head an FBS conference. Marshall University 's men's soccer program captured the league's first team national championship with its 1–0 overtime win over Indiana in the 2020 College Cup , held in May 2021 due to COVID-19 issues, in Cary, North Carolina . On October 18, 2021, Yahoo Sports reported that

#223776