Virginia Union Panthers

From Hoopedia

Virginia Union University (VUU) is a historically black university located in Richmond, Virginia. It was formed in 1899 by the merger of two older schools, Richmond Theological Institute and Wayland Seminary, each founded after the end of American Civil War by the American Baptist Home Mission Society. VUU's 84-acre campus is located at 1500 North Lombardy Street in Richmond's North Side.

Virginia Union is perhaps most widely known for its NCAA Division II basketball program. Under the leadership of head coach Dave Robbins since 1978, the "Panthers" have been to the "Final Four" eight times and have won three NCAA Division II national championship titles (1980, 1992, 2005). The team was the 2006 National runner-up with a record of 30-4. The team has also captured the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) conference championship a record 20 times. The school plays in an annual exhibition game with the Division I cross - town rival Virginia Commonwealth University. The Panthers have won two out of the past three meetings with the Rams.

Coach Robbins' program has also produced eight NBA players, including Chicago Bulls star center Ben Wallace, and former New York Knicks power forward Charles Oakley.