Introducing the ACC: Virginia Cavaliers

Thomas Jefferson's school hasn't had a winning football season since 2019 but has plaed in 9 of the past 10 NCAA basketball tournaments

Ralph Sampson / Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

After more than a century as a member of the Pac-12 Conference, Cal has moved into the Atlantic Coast Conference. To introduce Cal fans to the Bears’ new conference rivals, we will profile each of the other ACC schools.  Today: Virginia:

VIRGINIA

NICKNAMES: Cavaliers, Wahoos, Hoos

MASCOT: The Cavalier on horseback

LOCATION: Charlottesville, VA (pop. 44,487)

MILES FROM BERKELEY: 2,368 miles

MAJOR AIRPORT: Charlottesville Albemarle Airport

YEAR FOUNDED: 1819

ENROLLMENT: 23.721

TUITION: $15,324 (in-state), $52,254 (out-of-state)

CAMPUS LANDMARK: The Rotunda, designed by university founder Thomas Jefferson, serves as the architectural and academic heart of the campus

MOST POPULAR SPORTS BARS/RESTAURANTS: Ralph Sampson’s American Taproom, South Street Brewery, Citizen Burger Bar

FAMOUS NON-ATHLETE ALUMNI: Author Edgar Allen Poe 1826 (did not graduate); movie producer Samuel J. Goldwyn Jr. 1947; politician Robert F. Kennedy, ’51; television journalist Katie Couric ’79; actress Tina Fey ’92

ATHLETIC WEBSITE: virginiasports.com

Jonas Sanker / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

FOOTBALL

COACH: Tony Elliott (6-16 in third season)

CAL ON THE SCHEDULE: 2025 in Berkeley, date to be announced

2023 RECORD: 3-9, 2-6/tied 11th in ACC

BEST PLAYER ON THE 2024 TEAM: Senior FS Jonas Sanker (First-team All-ACC in 2023)

MOST RECENT BOWL APPEARANCE: 2019 (Lost to Florida 36-28 in the Orange Bowl)

BOWL HISTORY: 21 appearances (8-13, with just 1 victory in past 5 bowls)

MOST RECENT CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP: 1995 co-champion

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS: None

BEST ALL-TIME PLAYER: Defensive back Ronde Barber played 16 seasons for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers through 2012, earning five selections to the Pro Bowl and helping the team win Super Bowl XXXVII

ALSO: Tiki Barber, Herman Moore, Henry Jordan

BEST ALL-TIME COACH: George Welsh (134-86-3 in 19 seasons, 1982-2000) Wallace Wade (110-36-1 in 16 seasons, 1931-41 & 1946-50) guided the Cavaliers to 12 bowl appearances

ALL-TIME RECORD vs. CAL (most recent meeting): Never met in football

Tony Bennett / Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

MEN’S BASKETBALL

COACH: Tony Bennett (364-136 in 15 seasons at Virginia; 433-169 in 18 seasons overall)

ARENA: John Paul Jones Arena (14,593)

2023-24 RECORD: 23-11, 13-7/3rd in ACC

BEST PLAYER ON 2024-25 TEAM: Junior guard Isaac McKneely (12.3 points per game, 44.5% from 3-point in 2023-24)

MOST RECENT NCAA TOURNAMENT APPEARANCE: 2024 (lost to Colorado State in First Four)

MOST RECENT CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP: 2019 co-champion

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY: The Cavaliers won the 2019 title 

BEST ALL-TIME PLAYER: Ralph Sampson (The 7-foot-4 center was a 3-time college player of the year from 1981-83, appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated six time in four seasons, led the Cavaliers to the 1981 Final Four and was a 4-time NBA All-Star)

BEST ALL-TIME COACH: Tony Bennett (School-record 364 victories, 6 regular-season ACC titles, 2 ACC tournament titles, 10 NCAA tournament appearances, 2019 NCAA champion)

ALSO: Terry Holland

ALL-TIME RECORD vs. CAL (most recent meeting): 2-0 (won 56-52 in 2016-17)

Dawn Staley / Photo courtesy of Virginia Athletics

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL 

COACH: Amaka Agugua-Hamilton (31-31 in 2 seasons at Virginia; 105-46 in 5 seasons overall)

ARENA: John Paul Jones Arena (14,593)

2023-24 RECORD: 16-16, 7-11/tied 10th in ACC

BEST PLAYER ON THE 2024-25 TEAM: Sophomore point guard Kymora Johnson (Averaged 15.3 points, 5.4 assists, 1.8 steals to earn second-team All-ACC and All-Freshman honors)

MOST RECENT NCAA TOURNAMENT APPEARANCE: 2018 (lost to South Carolina in the second round)

MOST RECENT CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP: 2000

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY: Lost 70-67 in overtime to Tennessee in the 1991 national championship game

BEST ALL-TIME PLAYER: Dawn Staley ’92 (2,135 points, 729 assists in 4-year career on teams that won 113 games and played in three Final Fours)

BEST ALL-TIME COACH: Debbie Ryan (739-324 in 34 seasons from 178 through 2011)

ALSO: Joanne Boyle

ALL-TIME RECORD vs. CAL (most recent meeting): 3-2 (Virginia won 68-62 in 2018)

Eppa Rixey /

MISCELLANEOUS

VARSITY SPORTS (25): Baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, women's field hockey, football, men's and women's golf, men's and women's lacrosse, women's rowing, men's and women's soccer, softball, men’s and women’s squash, men’s and women's swimming & diving, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's track & field, women's volleyball, men’s wrestling

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS (34): Baseball (2015); boxing (1938); men’s basketball (2019); men’s lacrosse (1972, 1999, 2003, 2006, 2011, 2019, 2021); men’s soccer (1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 2009, 2014); men’s tennis (2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2022, 2023); women’s cross country (1981, 1982); women’s lacrosse (1991, 1993, 2004); women’s rowing (2010, 2012); women’s swimming (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024)

BEST ALL-TIME NON-FOOTBALL/BASKETBALL ATHLETE: Left-handed pitcher Eppa Rixey won 266 games in the majors between 1912 and 1933, four times posting 20 victories in a season on his way to earning a spot in the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1963

MOST FAMOUS OLYMPIAN: Women’s basketball player Dawn Staley (1996-2000-2004) is Virginia’s only three-time gold-medal winner