George Mason–VCU rivalry

GMU–VCU rivalry
Trophy None
Statistics
Meetings total 256 known
All-time series VCU leads 139–112–15

The George Mason–VCU rivalry is a college sports rivalry between the VCU Rams of Virginia Commonwealth University and the George Mason Patriots of George Mason University.[1] Both universities are present members of the Atlantic 10 Conference,[2] and for a majority of their rivalry history, members of the Colonial Athletic Association.[3]

The rivalry has no specific name, although there are often referred to as I-95 rivals, referring to the main highway between Richmond and Fairfax.

History

Location of the two institutions
George Mason  VCU

George Mason University's history dates back to 1949, when the University of Virginia opened a branch in Northern Virginia.[4] The extension center offered both for credit and non-credit informal classes in the evenings in the Vocational Building of the Washington-Lee High School in Arlington, Virginia.

A resolution of the Virginia General Assembly in January 1956 changed the extension center into University College, the Northern Virginia branch of theUniversity of Virginia][5] John Norville Gibson Finley served as director.[6] Seventeen freshmen students attended classes at University College in a small renovated elementary school building in Bailey's Crossroads starting in September 1957.[7] In 1958 University College became George Mason College.[5]

The city of Fairfax purchased and donated 150 acres (0.61 km2) of land to the University of Virginia for the college's new site, which is now referred to as the Fairfax Campus. In 1959, the Board of Visitors of the University of Virginia selected a permanent name for the college: George Mason College of the University of Virginia. The Fairfax campus construction planning that began in early 1960 showed visible results when the development of the first 40 acres (160,000 m2) of Fairfax Campus began in 1962. In the Fall of 1964 the new campus welcomed 356 students.[8]

During the 1966 Session of the Virginia General Assembly, Alexandria delegate James M. Thomson, with the backing of the University of Virginia, introduced a bill in the General Assembly to make George Mason College a four-year institution under the University of Virginia's direction. The measure, known as H 33,[9] passed the Assembly easily and was approved on March 1, 1966 making George Mason College a degree-granting institution. During that same year, the local jurisdictions of Fairfax County, Arlington County, and the cities of Alexandria and Falls Church agreed to appropriate $3 million to purchase land adjacent to Mason to provide for a 600-acre (2.4 km2) Fairfax Campus with the intention that the institution would expand into a regional university of major proportions, including the granting of graduate degrees.

The origins of Virginia Commonwealth University begin in 1838, which was when the Medical department of Hampden-Sydney College was founded. By 1844, the Egyptian Building was erected, serving as the main building for the Hampden-Sydney Medical Department. The name "Egyptian Building" was coined due to its Egyptian revival style of architecture. Today, the Egyptian Building is the oldest building at VCU. While initially serving as a part of Hampden-Sydney, the department received an independent charter from the Virginia General Assembly in 1854 to become its own independent institution of higher learning. Subsequently, the department was rebranded as the Medical College of Virginia. The newly named Medical College (MCV) became a state-funded college in 1860, in return for a $30,000 appropriation. As a public school, the school has its first hospital constructed on campus the following year.

Throughout the American Civil War, the MCV became notable in being one of the few universities in the Confederacy to remain open and have a graduating class each year of the Civil War. The MCV is the only existing school in the Southern United States to have this special distinction. Closing out the 1860s, the school opened its first outpatient clinic.[10] By 1879, the General Assembly grants the MCV the right to grant students degrees in Pharmacy. In the 1890s, several major additions to the MCV were added, such as the Pharmacy University College in 1893, the School of Dentistry in 1895, and the School of Pharmacy in 1898. From 1910 through 1965, the School became the independent Richmond Professional Institutue, which merged with the Medical College of Virginia in 1968 to become Virginia Commonwealth University.

During the 1966–67 school year, the Patriots fielded their first athletic teams, while the Rams fielded their first athletic teams under their monicker two years later: in 196869. However, it was not until the 198182 season that both basketball programs would compete against each other.

All-time results

Sport All-time series record[11] Last result Next meeting
Baseball VCU leads 48–41 Mason won 7–6 (10 innings) on April 12, 2015 2017 @ GMU
Men's Basketball VCU leads 34–19 Mason won 76–69 on February 24, 2016 2017 @ TBD
Women's Basketball VCU leads 30–29 VCU won 65–34 on February 24, 2016 January 15, 2017 @ GMU
Women's Lacrosse Mason leads 1–0 Mason won 16–5 on April 30, 2016 2017 @ VCU
Men's Soccer VCU leads 11–10–9 Tied 1–1 on October 3, 2015 October 1, 2016 @ GMU
Women's Soccer Mason leads 12–6–6 VCU won 2–1 on October 22, 2016 October 20, 2016 @ VCU
Men's Tennis VCU won 4–0 on April 15, 2016 2017 @ GMU
Women's Tennis VCU won 7–0 on February 28, 2016 2017 @ GMU
Women's Volleyball Mason won 3–1 on October 4, 2015 October 7, 2016 @ VCU

Series led and games won by George Mason are shaded ██ green. Series led and games won by VCU shaded ██ gold.

References

  1. Kish, Rya. "Atlantic 10 brings new and better rivalries for George Mason". GMUHoops.co. Retrieved August 20, 2016.
  2. "About the Atlantic 10 Conference". Atlantic 10 Conference. Atlantic10.com. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
  3. "CAA Live and Historical Stats". Stat Broadcast. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
  4. Steele, Clarence A. (1949-04-04), Clarence A. Steele to Colgate W. Darden, Jr., April 4, 1949
  5. 1 2 Anderson, Keith. The Los Angeles State Normal School, UCLA's Forgotten Past: 1881-1919. Lulu.com. ISBN 978-1-329-31719-2.:158
  6. Teachman, A. Ellis (2007-09-06), Photograph: J.N.G. Finley
  7. Cristian, Viviana (2009). "Who are We?: Cultural Identity Among Latino College Students in Northern Virginia". Washington, DC: Catholic University of America.:24
  8. Anderson, Keith. The Los Angeles State Normal School, UCLA's Forgotten Past: 1881-1919. Lulu.com. ISBN 978-1-329-31719-2.:185
  9. "A History of George Mason University – Acts of Assembly, Chapter 68 [H33] Article 8. George Mason College, March 1, 1966.". gmu.edu.
  10. MCV History
  11. Sources: gomason.com and vcuathletics.com
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