The Providence Friars are the athletics teams, which represent the Providence College. Opened in 1917, it is a catholic college, situated in Rhode Island. The current college’s president is the rev. Fr. Brian J. Shanley. All school’s athletic teams participate in the NCAA’s (the National Collegiate Athletics Association) Division I and the Big East Conference. The college became the winner of the Big East and the Hockey East Championships, won the ECAC (the Eastern College Athletic Conference) and the MAAC (the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) titles.
The school’s athletic director is Robert Driscoll.
The teams’ major colors are black and white. On solemn occasions the Providence Friars are dressed in white habits covered by a black cloak with a hood. The colors are symbolic. They symbolize the order. White stands for the purity of life, which is a must for every Dominican.
The school’s mascot is a friar in a black hood of the Dominicans, or blackfriars. The name “Friars” first appeared in 1929 in the Providence Journal article dedicated to sports. The college has also got an animal mascot, which is a Dalmatian (a breed of dogs known for its white coat with black spots) named the “Friar Boy”. It was reported, that originally the teams were called the Cardinals, but there are no official records to prove this version.
The Providence Friars men’s basketball team is the two-time winner of the NIT (the National Invitation Tournament) Championship. In 1973 and 1987 the team participated in the Final Four. Moreover, the Providence Friars have fifteen NCAA basketball tournament berths, sixteen NIT berths, and twenty-four All-Americans berths. In 1983 the Providence Friars women’s basketball team became the winner of the Big East Tournament. The head coach of the men’s basketball team is Tim Welsh. The women are trained by Phil Seymore.
The home of the Providence Friars basketball teams is the Dunkin’ Donuts Center with the seating capacity of almost thirteen thousand people. It was opened in 1972. Originally, the facility was known as the Providence Civic Center, but later it was renamed into Dunkin’ Donuts, after the new sponsor. At this sports facility the Providence Friars have had much success. They settled a 369-146 record.
The most notable coaches in the history of the Providence Friars basketball team were Joe Mullaney, Rick Pitino, and Dave Gavitt. Among the most notable alumni Doris Burke should be mentioned, who is presently the ESPN (the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) basketball commentator. There are also several notable alumni among the former basketball players: Marvin Barnes (the 1974 ABA Rookie of the Year), Eric Williams and Otis Thorpe (longtime NBA players), Austin Croshere and Ryan Gomes (current NBA players).
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