Sports in New York's Capital District

Last updated
The MVP Arena in Albany, the largest sporting and concert venue in the Capital District Times Union Center 2011.jpg
The MVP Arena in Albany, the largest sporting and concert venue in the Capital District

Sports in New York's Capital District are very popular, and there is a rich history of professional teams and college athletics.

Contents

The "major league" sport of the region is thoroughbred horse racing at the Saratoga Race Course, which has been held annually since 1863 with only a few breaks. The Saratoga Race Course is the oldest racetrack in the US, and possibly the oldest sporting venue of any kind in the country. [1] The Saratoga meet runs for 40 racing days beginning in July and ending on Labor Day, [2] and includes fifteen grade I stakes races. The Travers Stakes, America's "Midsummer Derby" is the highlight of the meet; winners include Man o' War, Whirlaway, Native Dancer, Sword Dancer, Alydar, and Birdstone.

According to legend, the game of baseball was invented by Abner Doubleday of Ballston Spa. The Troy Trojans were a Major League Baseball team in the National League for four seasons from 1879 to 1882. In 1883 the New York Gothams, later the New York and San Francisco Giants, took the Trojans place in the National League. Nearly half of the original Gotham players had been members of the Trojans. Many other Major League ballplayers have had their start at various levels in the Capital District, including former Tri-City ValleyCats' José Altuve, Dallas Keuchel, George Springer, Ben Zobrist, and Hunter Pence. Others include Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera of the New York Yankees who once played for the Albany-Colonie Yankees. [3]

NBA head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, Phil Jackson, won his first championship ring when he guided the Albany Patroons to the 1984 CBA championship. Three years later, the Patroons completed a 50–6 regular season, including winning all 28 of their home games; at that time, Denver Nuggets head coach George Karl was the Patroons' head coach. Future NBA stars Mario Elie and Vincent Askew were part of that season's squad. A third NBA head coach has roots in the Capital District as well, Pat Riley, most famous as the coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, but also of the New York Knicks and Miami Heat. Riley played for Linton High School in Schenectady, [4] where he was also a football star. He also played on the Schenectady Little League Baseball team when in 1954 it won the Little League Baseball World Series.

Mike Tyson received his early training in the Capital District and his first professional fight was in Albany in 1985 and Tyson's first televised fight was in Troy in 1986. He fought professionally four times in Albany and twice each in Troy and Glens Falls between 1985 and 1986.

Since 1973, the AKRFC, [5] has been promoting rugby and now includes a DII men's team, a DI women's team, and youth rugby all across the Capital Region. They play on Dick Green Field at 100 Frisbie Ave, Albany, named after the late Dick Green who suffered a heart attack while practicing at Lincoln Park.

Since 2002, The Tri-City ValleyCats have won three New York-Penn League titles, and have captured seven Stedler Division titles.

Since 1988, the Siena College men's basketball team (the Siena Saints) have appeared in six NCAA Tournaments (1989, 1999, 2002, 2008, 2009, and 2010).

Since 2005, the University at Albany Great Danes men's basketball team has appeared in five NCAA Tournaments (2006, 2007, 2013, 2014, and 2015).

The University at Albany Great Danes women's basketball team has made six consecutive NCAA Tournaments (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017).

Roller derby leagues in the area include Albany's Albany All-Stars Roller Derby, [6] [7] Troy's Hellions of Troy Roller Derby. [8] and Capital District Men's Roller Derby. [9]

Major professional teams

TeamSportLeagueVenue (capacity)EstablishedTitles
Albany FireWolves Box Lacrosse NLL MVP Arena (14,236)20210

Current minor league teams

NCAA college athletic programs

The Dutchman's Shoes trophy is awarded to the winner of the annual college football game between the RPI Engineers and the Union College Dutchmen, the oldest football rivalry in New York.

Other sports

Defunct professional teams

Sports facilities

Sports figures

Many sports figures have connections to the Capital District:

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Capital District (New York)</span> Region in New York, United States

The Capital District, also known as the Capital Region and the endonym Capitaland, is the metropolitan area surrounding Albany, the capital of the U.S. state of New York. The Capital District was first settled by the Dutch in the early 17th century and came under English control in 1664. Albany has been the permanent capital of the state of New York since 1797. The Capital District is notable for many historical events that predate the independence of the United States, including the Albany Plan of Union and the Battles of Saratoga.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albany River Rats</span> Minor league professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League

The Albany River Rats were a minor league professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Albany, New York at the Times Union Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sports in Syracuse</span> Overview article

Syracuse, New York, United States, is a top-division, minor-league and college sports city. Teams include the Syracuse Mets of AAA Baseball and the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL. The most attended sporting events in Syracuse are those of the NCAA Division I Syracuse University Orange.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Houston Field House</span>

Houston Field House is a multi-purpose arena located on the campus of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy, New York. It is the nation's third-oldest college hockey rink, behind Northeastern University's Matthews Arena and Princeton University's Hobey Baker Memorial Rink. Further, it is the second-oldest arena in the ECAC Hockey League, behind Princeton's rink. Until the opening of the Times Union Center in Albany in 1990, it was the largest arena in the Capital Region.

MVP Arena Indoor arena in Albany, New York, U.S.

MVP Arena is an indoor arena located in Albany, New York. It is configurable and can accommodate from 6,000 to 17,500 people, with a maximum seating capacity of 15,500 for sporting events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Capital District Transportation Authority</span> Public transport operator in the New York Capital District

The Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA) is a New York State public-benefit corporation overseeing a number of multi-modal parts of public transportation in the Capital District of New York State. CDTA runs local and express buses, including four lines of an express bus service called BusPlus, and day-to-day management of three Amtrak stations in the Capital region–the Albany-Rensselaer, Schenectady and Saratoga Springs Amtrak stations. In 2022, the system had a ridership of 13,109,300, or about 49,600 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2023.

Nevin Donald Harkness was an NCAA head coach of ice hockey and lacrosse at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Cornell University and of ice hockey at Union College. Harkness was also head coach of the Detroit Red Wings and later was the team's general manager. He was inducted into the Lake Placid Hall of Fame in 1993, the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2001 and into the RPI Hockey Ring of Honor in 2007. He is also a member of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in Eveleth, Minnesota, having been inducted in 1994.

Sports in Minnesota include professional teams in all major sports, Olympic Games contenders and medalists, especially in the Winter Olympics, collegiate teams in major and small-school conferences and associations and active amateur teams and individual sports. The State of Minnesota has a team in all five major professional leagues. Along with professional sports, there are numerous collegiate teams including the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers and St. Thomas Tommies in NCAA Division I, as well as many others across the Minnesota public and private colleges and universities.

TW3 was a cable television network owned by Time Warner Cable. It was carried on Time Warner Cable systems in the Capital District of New York and that area's suburbs including Saratoga County, the southern Adirondack region, the Mohawk Valley, and most of Berkshire County, Massachusetts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sports in Omaha, Nebraska</span>

Sports in Omaha, Nebraska are supported by a high attendance at events and tax support from the City of Omaha. Omaha, Nebraska is home to several professional sports teams and modern sports venues.

Evansville, Indiana is the home to two minor league professional sports teams and one amateur sports team. The city is also the home to two NCAA collegiate teams, and nine high schools that participate in the Indiana High School Athletic Association. Evansville is also the host to the annual Hoosier Nationals and Demolition City Roller Derby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ford Center (Evansville)</span> Multi-use indoor arena in downtown Evansville, Indiana

The Ford Center is a multi-use indoor arena in downtown Evansville, Indiana with a maximum seating capacity of 11,000. It officially opened in November 2011 and is mainly used for basketball, ice hockey, and music concerts. It is home to the Evansville Thunderbolts minor league hockey team in the SPHL and the Evansville Purple Aces men's basketball team, representing the University of Evansville. The UE women's basketball team also played at Ford Center from the venue's opening, but moved its home games back to its campus starting with the 2017–18 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RPI Engineers</span> Sports teams of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

The RPI Engineers are composed of 21 teams representing Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in intercollegiate athletics, including men and women's basketball, cross country, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, swimming & diving, tennis, and track and field. Men's sports include baseball, football, and golf. Women's sports include field hockey, and softball. The Engineers compete in the NCAA Division III and are members of the Liberty League for all sports except ice hockey, which competes in NCAA Division I, as a member of ECAC Hockey.

Upstate New York is a storied region in North American athletics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bleecker Stadium</span> Multi-purpose stadium in Albany, New York

Bleecker Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Albany, New York. The stadium was once a reservoir for the Albany public water system. Today it has a baseball diamond, football/soccer field, and a softball field used by area high schools, colleges, and youth and adult leagues. Bleecker Stadium hosts several post-season games and series, including the Capital District Pop Warner Super Bowls. The stadium is on Clinton Avenue which is to the south, Ontario Street is to the east, and Second Street is to the north. Swinburne Park borders Bleecker to the west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Union Garnet Chargers men's ice hockey</span> Mens college ice hockey program

The Union Garnet Chargers ice hockey team is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I men's college ice hockey program that represents Union College. The Garnet Chargers are a member of ECAC Hockey. They play at the Frank L. Messa Rink at Achilles Center in Schenectady, New York. The Garnet Chargers won the 2014 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey tournament by defeating the Minnesota Golden Gophers 7–4.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Union Garnet Chargers</span> Sports program at Union College in Schenectady, New York

The Union Garnet Chargers comprise the 24 teams representing Union College in intercollegiate athletics, including men and women's basketball, crew, cross country, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, swimming & diving, tennis, and track and field. Men's only sports include baseball and football. Women's only sports include field hockey, golf, softball, and volleyball.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sports in Dallas</span>

The city of Dallas and the Dallas metropolitan division is home to teams in six major sports: the Dallas Cowboys, Dallas Mavericks, Texas Rangers, Dallas Stars, FC Dallas, and Dallas Wings.

Wichita, Kansas is home to several professional, amateur, and college sports teams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rensselaer–Union men's ice hockey rivalry</span>

The Rensselaer–Union men's ice hockey rivalry is a college ice hockey rivalry between the RPI Engineers men's ice hockey and Union Garnet Chargers men's ice hockey programs. The first meeting between the two occurred on February 26, 1904.

References

  1. Olmsted, Larry (29 May 2013). "Nation's Oldest Racetrack Turns 150 And Plans Summer Of Fun". Forbes. Retrieved 20 June 2013.
  2. Silver, Dan (October 7, 2009). "NYRA Expands 2010 Saratoga Meet by Four Days". New York Racing Association. Archived from the original on July 24, 2010. Retrieved 2010-06-29.
  3. Pietrusza, David. "Capital Region Baseball Time Line Part III: 1951-" . Retrieved 2010-07-02.
  4. "Schenectady City School District Hall of Fame & Reunion Pat Riley Biography". Schenectady City School District. Archived from the original on 2008-08-04. Retrieved 2009-05-01.
  5. "AKRFC". weebly.com.
  6. "Roller Derby Worldwide :: Find a Roller Derby League". derbyroster.com. Archived from the original on 9 January 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  7. "Albany All Stars Roller Derby". Albany All Stars. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  8. "Derby Info". Derby Info. Retrieved 2021-11-23.
  9. "MRDA | Men's Roller Derby Leagues | MRDA". Archived from the original on 2013-02-08.
  10. O'Brien, Tim. "Ball club to call Albany home". Times Union (Albany). Hearst Newspapers. Retrieved 2009-02-24.[ dead link ]
  11. "Albany Dutchmen Unveil New Home Stadium" . Retrieved 2011-05-16.
  12. "Head of the Fish". Regatta Central. Retrieved 2 November 2013.
  13. Haqqie, Azra (June 4, 2011). "At the end of their finish line: Awareness". Albany Times-Union . Albany, New York. Retrieved 2011-06-04.
  14. "Saratoga Polo Association – home page" . Retrieved Dec 18, 2013.
  15. 1 2 Miller, Chuck. "Remembering Albany's Professional Soccer Teams" . Retrieved Dec 16, 2013.
  16. "Albany Capitals". NASLHistory. 30 August 2010. Retrieved Dec 16, 2013.