The Big South Conference is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division I. Originally a non-football conference, the Big South began sponsoring football in 2002 as part of the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), and began operating the Big South–OVC Football Association in partnership with the Ohio Valley Conference in 2023. The Big South, founded in 1983, is firmly rooted in the South Atlantic region of the United States, with full member institutions located in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. Associate members are located in Georgia, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and South Carolina.
Robert Morris University (RMU) is a private university in Moon Township, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1921 and is named after Robert Morris, known as the "financier of the American revolution." It enrolls nearly 5,000 students and offers 60 bachelor's degree programs and 35 master's and doctoral programs. Most students are from the Pittsburgh area, while 16 percent of freshmen in 2018 were from outside Pennsylvania.
Joseph Frank Walton was an American football player and coach who retired after 20 years as the head coach and creator of the football program at Robert Morris University. Walton played eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL) as a pass catching tight end for the Redskins and Giants. He served as head coach of the New York Jets for seven seasons, guiding them to the playoffs twice. He also served as an assistant coach for the New York Giants, the Washington Redskins, the New York Jets and the Pittsburgh Steelers during a 20-year period.
Joe Walton Stadium is a 3,000-seat multi-purpose stadium that is located in Moon Township, Pennsylvania. It is home to the Robert Morris University Colonials football team and men's and women's lacrosse team.
The Robert Morris Colonials are the athletic teams for Robert Morris University, in Moon Township, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh. The Colonials compete in NCAA Division I. In 2020, the school joined the Horizon League as a full member after leaving the Northeast Conference. Several RMU sports that are not sponsored by the Horizon League play in other conferences. Football plays in the Big South Conference, and men's and women's lacrosse respectively compete in the ASUN Conference and Mid-American Conference. The school colors are RMU Blue, RMU Red, and RMU Gray/Silver.
The Robert Morris Colonials football program is the intercollegiate American football team for the Robert Morris University located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). Formerly members of the Northeast Conference, the Colonials were originally intended to compete in the 2020 season as an FCS independent before becoming a football-only member of the Big South Conference in July 2021. The Colonials would ultimately join Big South football several months ahead of schedule. After COVID-19 caused the Big South to move its fall 2020 season to spring 2021, with two teams playing in the fall and a third not playing at all in 2020–21, the conference brought RMU into its football league for its spring 2021 season.
The Robert Morris Colonials men's ice hockey team is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college ice hockey program that represents Robert Morris University. The team plays its home games at the Clearview Arena, located at the RMU Island Sports Center in Neville Township, Pennsylvania, United States. The Colonials are members of Atlantic Hockey America, formed shortly after the 2023–24 season by the merger of RMU's former men's league of the Atlantic Hockey Association and the women-only College Hockey America (CHA), in which RMU had been a member. The Colonials men had been members of CHA until its men's division disbanded at the end of the 2009–10 season.
The Robert Morris Colonials men's basketball team is the basketball team that represents Robert Morris University in Moon Township, Pennsylvania, United States. The school's team currently competes in the Horizon League. The Colonials current head coach is Andrew Toole who is in his fourteenth season at RMU. Toole was hired when, after three years in charge and 73 wins, head coach Mike Rice Jr. left the program in 2010 to take the head coaching job at Rutgers.
The Three Rivers Classic is a two-day Division I college ice hockey tournament which is held annually at PPG Paints Arena, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The inaugural tournament took place on December 28–29, 2012 and featured teams from Miami University, Ohio State University, Pennsylvania State University and Robert Morris University. The second tournament was played out on December 27–28, 2013 and featured Penn State, Robert Morris, Boston College and Bowling Green State University. The Classic is the evolution of a showcase of games that the Robert Morris Colonials have played against the Ohio State Buckeyes and Miami RedHawks at either Consol Energy Center or Mellon Arena in previous years.
The 2010 Robert Morris Colonials football team represented Robert Morris University in the 2010 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Colonials were led by 17th-year head coach Joe Walton and played their home games at Joe Walton Stadium. They are a member of the Northeast Conference.
The 2017 Robert Morris Colonials football team represented Robert Morris University during the 2017 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by fourth-year head coach John Banaszak and played their home games at Joe Walton Stadium. They were a member of the Northeast Conference. They finished the season 2–9, 0–6 in NEC play to finish in last place.
The 2018 Robert Morris Colonials football team represented Robert Morris University during the 2018 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by first-year head coach Bernard Clark and played their home games at Joe Walton Stadium. They were a member of the Northeast Conference. They finished the season 2–9, 0–6 in NEC play to finish in last place.
The 2007 Robert Morris Colonials football team represented Robert Morris University in the 2007 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Colonials were led by 14th-year head coach Joe Walton and played their home games at Joe Walton Stadium. They were a member of the Northeast Conference.
The 2000 Robert Morris Colonials football team represented Robert Morris College, now Robert Morris University, as a member of the Northeast Conference (NEC) during the 2000 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The Colonials were led by 7th-year head coach Joe Walton and played their home games at Moon Stadium on the campus of Moon Area High School. The Colonials finished the 2000 season with their fifth consecutive NEC championship.
The 1999 Robert Morris Colonials football team represented Robert Morris College, now Robert Morris University, as a member of the Northeast Conference (NEC) during the 1999 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The Colonials were led by 6th-year head coach Joe Walton and played their home games at Moon Stadium on the campus of Moon Area High School. The Colonials finished the 1999 season with their fourth consecutive NEC championship.
The 1998 Robert Morris Colonials football team represented Robert Morris College, now Robert Morris University, as a member of the Northeast Conference (NEC) during the 1998 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The Colonials were led by 5th-year head coach Joe Walton and played their home games at Moon Stadium on the campus of Moon Area High School. The Colonials finished the 1998 season with their third consecutive NEC championship.
The 1997 Robert Morris Colonials football team represented Robert Morris College, now Robert Morris University, as a member of the Northeast Conference (NEC) during the 1997 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The Colonials were led by 4th-year head coach Joe Walton and played their home games at Moon Stadium on the campus of Moon Area High School. The Colonials finished the 1997 season with their second consecutive NEC championship and their second consecutive ECAC Bowl title.
The 1996 Robert Morris Colonials football team represented Robert Morris College, now Robert Morris University, as a member of the Northeast Conference (NEC) during the 1996 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The Colonials were led by 3rd-year head coach Joe Walton and played their home games at Moon Stadium on the campus of Moon Area High School. The Colonials finished the 1996 season with a share of the NEC championship in their first year in the conference, and an ECAC Bowl victory in only the third year of the program's existence.
The 1995 Robert Morris Colonials football team represented Robert Morris College, now Robert Morris University, as an independent during the 1995 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The Colonials were led by 2nd-year head coach Joe Walton and played their home games at Moon Stadium on the campus of Moon Area High School. This was the second season of the Colonials' football program's existence.
The 1994 Robert Morris Colonials football team represented Robert Morris College, now Robert Morris University, as an independent during the 1994 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The Colonials were led by head coach Joe Walton during their inaugural season, and played their home games at Moon Stadium on the campus of Moon Area High School.
