University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Getting to Know Our Opponents -- Charlotte
8/13/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- The countdown is on as your Golden Eagles prepare for the 2015 Football season! The Golden Eagles and 49ers take the field at Jerry Richardson Stadium in Charlotte, N.C. on Saturday, Oct. 24.
Getting to know... Charlotte
General Information:
Location: Charlotte, N.C.
Founded: 1946
Enrollment: 27,251
Nickname: 49ers
Chancellor: Dr. Philip Dubois
Athletics Director: Judy Rose
Colors: Green and White
Athletics Website: www.charlotte49ers.com
Institution Website: www.uncc.edu
Twitter (Athletics): @charlotte49ers
Twitter (Game Day): @49ersGameDay
Football Information:
Lettermen Returning / Lost: 55 / 9
Starters Returning / Lost: 16 / 6
Offense: 9 / 2
Defense: 7 / 4
Head Coach:
In 2011, Brad Lambert took on the responsibility of building the 49ers upstart football program from scratch. Just four years later, he leads the program's historic leap into the FBS as a member of Conference USA. Entering his third season as head coach on the sidelines, he is in his fifth season as the program's architect.
Football Stadium:
Jerry Richardson Stadium, a 15,000-seat facility that was built so that it is expandable to 40,000 seats, houses the 49ers football program which took the field for the first time in the inaugural 2013 season. The Football Stadium Complex includes the 15,000 seat Jerry Richardson Stadium, the Judy W. Rose Football Center, McColl-Richardson Field and two practice fields. A 6,636 square-foot press box, complete with media seating, a university box and television and radio booths adorn the west sideline at the concourse level. The field house includes coaches offices and meeting rooms, locker rooms and weight and training rooms as well as a 1,920 square-foot Academic Center, a 2,757 square-foot tiered classroom and a 5,947 square-foot Hospitality Deck.
About Charlotte:
Charlotte is the largest city in North Carolina. The city is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. Charlotte is home to the corporate headquarters of Bank of America and the east coast operations of Wells Fargo. Notable attractions include Carolina Panthers of the NFL, the Charlotte Hornets of the NBA, 2 NASCAR Spring Cup Races and the NASCAR All-Star Race, the Wells Fargo Championship, the NASCAR Hall of Fame, Carowinds amusement park and the U.S. Nation Whitewater Center. Nicknamed the "Queen City," Charlotte and its resident county received its name in honor of Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, who had become queen consort of Great Britain the year before the city's founding. A second nickname derives from the American Revolutionary War, when British commander General Cornwallis occupied the city but was driven out by hostile residents, prompting him to write that Charlotte was "a hornet's nest of rebellion," leaving Charlotte with another nickname as "The Hornet's Nest."
Notable Alumni:
Seth Avett of The Avett Brothers, musician (2002)
Clay Aiken, singer, Broadway star, and 1st Runner Up of the second season of American Idol.
Eddie Basden, Cleveland Cavaliers guard/forward, 2005
Leemire Goldwire, professional basketball player, May 2008
John Maine, New York Mets pitcher
Kelly Earnhardt Miller, NASCAR owner
