The four schools met at the Fifth Avenue Hotel in Manhattan on October 19, 1873, to establish a set of rules governing their intercollegiate competition, and particularly to codify the new game of football.

[14][15] While in the Big East, the Scarlet Knights won four conference tournament titles: men's soccer (1997), baseball (2000, 2007), and women's basketball (2007).

On December 28, 2013, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights faced the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl, which they lost 16 to 29.

[3] In 1925, the mascot was changed to Chanticleer, a fighting rooster from the medieval fable Reynard the Fox (Le Roman de Renart) which was used by Geoffrey Chaucer in the Canterbury Tales.

"[28] The song Loyal Sons which exhorts Rutgers athletes (particularly football players) to "hit the line and run the ends boys...Score once more.

This rivalry stems from Navy and Rutgers being two of the only three programs (the third is Army) to come out of the original, informal "Ivy League" that are still members of the top tier of NCAA college football (currently Division I FBS).

Flood had replaced Schiano who, after leading Rutgers to its first bowl games in decades, accepted the head coaching job for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

[33][34] Rutgers ascended the major college football polls from starting the season unranked to achieving its highest ranking ever after the Scarlet Knights' November 9 victory over the third-ranked, undefeated Louisville Cardinals.

With a 37–10 victory over the Kansas State Wildcats in the inaugural Texas Bowl, Rutgers finished the 2006 season with a record of 11–2 and were ranked twelfth in the nation in the final Associated Press poll.

[38][39] The 2006 team featured players such as Maxwell Award finalist, All-American halfback Ray Rice, quarterback Mike Teel, fullback Brian Leonard, tight end Clark Harris, wide receiver Tiquan Underwood, All-American defensive tackle Eric Foster, safety Courtney Greene, kicker Jeremy Ito, and punter Joe Radigan, who holds the longest-punt record (78 yards) in Rutgers history.

They achieved a 7-5 record, their best since joining the Big Ten in 2014, despite facing significant injuries to key players like running back Kyle Monangai and defensive leaders Mohamed Toure and Aaron Lewis.

The team showcased notable victories, including a decisive 41-14 win over Michigan State in snowy conditions, and a thrilling 21-18 upset against Washington, where they survived a last-second field goal attempt.

Head coach Greg Schiano emphasized the importance of maintaining focus amid rising expectations, comparing praise to poison that must be avoided.

Looking ahead, the Scarlet Knights are concentrating on strong recruiting and player development to navigate a challenging 2025 schedule, aiming to build upon the foundation laid in the previous season.

Since its inception in 1887, the Scarlet Knights have won 560 games and one national Class B championship, as well as producing 197 All-Americans and 10 lacrosse hall of famers.

Founded in 1984, the Scarlet Knights women's soccer team has earned fourteen at-large bids to the NCAA Tournament (1987, 2001, 2003, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022) and has won three Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference championship titles (1990, 1991, 1992).

Ice hockey has existed in some form at Rutgers dating back to 1892 following a game against a “picked team of Princeton men” on Westons Mill Pond.

[70] In 2011, Dowling received the Drake Group's Robert Maynard Hutchins Award[71] for his opposition to the degradation of academic and intellectual values at Rutgers by commercialized Div IA athletics.

Rutgers efforts to upgrade the quality of its football program have raised criticism of many alumni, faculty and students regarding the size of athletic department's budget, wishing to divert its funds elsewhere.

[73] Most of the athletics budget comes from self-generating revenue (ticket sales, merchandise, broadcast rights), while the rest is taken from mandatory student fees.

[75] A final complaint was that the upgraded football schedule would prevent competing against long standing rivals Princeton, Columbia, Lehigh, and Lafayette.

[citation needed] Since joining the Big Ten conference in 2014, Rutgers racked up $265 million debt by 2021,[76] leading Phil Murphy, the governor of New Jersey, to describe the financial situation as "quite concerning".

[77][78] In March 2022, Rutgers president Jonathan Holloway admitted that the athletic department was "highly unlikely" to break even despite Big 10 revenue and increased investments.

Though the College Avenue Gymnasium has hosted a large variety of athletic events—including memorable games in the 1976 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament in which Rutgers advanced to the "Final Four", subsequently ending the season fourth in the nation—it was also the site of conventions to revise the New Jersey State Constitution in 1947 and 1966.

Lloyd is recently notable for scoring 3 goals on the way to a gold medal in the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup Final vs Japan.

Among Rutgers Men's Basketball, Roy Hinson, class of 1982, was a long-time player in the league, and Quincy Douby was drafted in 2006 as a guard for the Sacramento Kings.

Rutgers Rowing has produced an exceptional number of Olympians and National Team members who have won Olympic Medals and World Championships.

Other Rutgers Rowing Olympians and National Team members include: Notable Head Rowing Coaches who are Rutgers alums: The Super Bowl winners from 2007 to 2009 each had a Rutgers Undrafted free agent start for them: Super Bowl XLI – Gary Brackett – Middle linebacker – Indianapolis Colts Super Bowl XLII – Shaun O'Hara – Center – New York Giants Super Bowl XLIII – Darnell Stapleton – Offensive guard – Pittsburgh Steelers See List of Rutgers University people#Athletic coaches Rutgers–Newark fields teams for NCAA Division III competition in men's and women's soccer, basketball, tennis, and volleyball, as well as baseball for men and softball for women.

In 2006, Rutgers–Camden won the NCAA Division III Softball championship, defeating two-time defending champion St. Thomas, 3–2 to capture the school's first national title.

"There is an additional amount of work that BTN needs for their network that we can now shoot for them since we're here and local," said Rutgers senior associate athletics director Jason Baum, who has overseen the venture since its launch in 2009.