[4] As a primary member of the Atlantic 10 Conference, the University of Rhode Island sponsors teams in eight men's and ten women's NCAA sanctioned sports, with football competing in the Coastal Athletic Association Football Conference.

[5][6] URI Basketball went to the NCAA tournament in 2017 after an 18 year drought, nearly upsetting Final Four participant #3 Oregon in the second round.

Rhode Island's softball team has appeared in one Women's College World Series in 1982.

At one time a real ram was housed at a dairy barn across from the campus, but that stopped in the 1960s, and was picked up for one year in 1974.

Unlike other popular universities, the Rhody the Ram mascot program is run by the URI Student Alumni Association, a student run organization that serves the university by organizing many popular events on campus.

[14][15] University of Rhode Island sports are televised regionally on the Ocean State Network, a joint venture of Cox Communications and WJAR.

[17] The University's ACHA men's ice hockey and women's basketball home games have live streaming video available on their respective websites.

[20] February 3, 1998 – Rhody the Ram tried to prevent the St. Joe's Hawk from his eternal flapping by putting an inner tube over its head, temporarily immobilizing his arms.