1.
Melbourne, Florida
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Melbourne /ˈmɛlbərn/ is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 76,068, the municipality is the second-largest in the county by both size and population. Melbourne is a city of the Palm Bay – Melbourne – Titusville. In 1969 the city was expanded by merging with nearby Eau Gallie, evidence for the presence of Paleo-Indians in the Melbourne area during the late Pleistocene epoch was uncovered during the 1920s. Loomis found a second elephant, with a large rough flint instrument among fragments of the elephants ribs. Loomis found in the same stratum mammoth, mastodon, horse, ground sloth, tapir, peccary, camel, at a nearby site a human rib and charcoal were found in association with Mylodon, Megalonyx, and Chlamytherium teeth. A finely worked spear point found with these items may have displaced from a later stratum. In 1925 attention shifted to the Melbourne golf course, a crushed human skull with finger, arm, and leg bones was found in association with a horse tooth. A piece of ivory that appeared to have been modified by humans was found at the bottom of the stratum containing bones. Other finds included a spear point near a mastodon bone and a scraper and blade found with bear, camel, mastodon, horse. After the Civil War, pioneer families arrived, and Melbourne was founded in 1867 by former slaves, the first settlers arrived after 1877. They included Richard W. Goode, his father John Goode, Cornthwaite John Hector, Captain Peter Wright, Balaam Allen, Wright Brothers, and Thomas Mason. The city, formerly called Crane Creek, was named Melbourne in honor of its first postmaster, Cornthwaite John Hector and he is buried in the Melbourne Cemetery, along with many early residents in the area. The first school in Melbourne was built in 1883 and is on permanent exhibit on the campus of Florida Institute of Technology, by 1885, the town had 70 people. The Greater Allen Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church was founded in 1885 and is still active, in the late 1890s, the Brownlie-Maxwell Funeral Home opened and it is still in business. The oldest black-owned business in the county is Tuckers Cut-Rate plumbing, in the early 1900s, houses were often built in the frame vernacular style. In 1919, a fire destroyed most of the downtown along Front Street. At the time, it was rebuilt west of US Hwy 1, during the Jim Crow years, black people were required to enter movie theaters via a different entrance from whites and sit in the balcony
2.
Florida
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Florida /ˈflɒrᵻdə/ is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, Florida is the 22nd-most extensive, the 3rd-most populous, and the 8th-most densely populated of the U. S. states. Jacksonville is the most populous municipality in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States, the Miami metropolitan area is Floridas most populous urban area. The city of Tallahassee is the state capital, much of the state is at or near sea level and is characterized by sedimentary soil. The climate varies from subtropical in the north to tropical in the south, the American alligator, American crocodile, Florida panther, and manatee can be found in the Everglades National Park. It was a location of the Seminole Wars against the Native Americans. Today, Florida is distinctive for its large Cuban expatriate community and high population growth, the states economy relies mainly on tourism, agriculture, and transportation, which developed in the late 19th century. Florida is also renowned for amusement parks, orange crops, the Kennedy Space Center, Florida has attracted many writers such as Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, Ernest Hemingway and Tennessee Williams, and continues to attract celebrities and athletes. It is internationally known for golf, tennis, auto racing, by the 16th century, the earliest time for which there is a historical record, major Native American groups included the Apalachee, the Timucua, the Ais, the Tocobaga, the Calusa and the Tequesta. Florida was the first part of the continental United States to be visited and settled by Europeans, the earliest known European explorers came with the Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de León. Ponce de León spotted and landed on the peninsula on April 2,1513 and he named the region La Florida. The story that he was searching for the Fountain of Youth is a myth, in May 1539, Conquistador Hernando de Soto skirted the coast of Florida, searching for a deep harbor to land. He described seeing a wall of red mangroves spread mile after mile, some reaching as high as 70 feet. Very soon, many smokes appeared along the whole coast, billowing against the sky, the Spanish introduced Christianity, cattle, horses, sheep, the Spanish language, and more to Florida. Both the Spanish and French established settlements in Florida, with varying degrees of success, in 1559, Don Tristán de Luna y Arellano established a settlement at present-day Pensacola, making it the first attempted settlement in Florida, but it was abandoned by 1561. Spain maintained tenuous control over the region by converting the tribes to Christianity. The area of Spanish Florida diminished with the establishment of English settlements to the north, the English attacked St. Augustine, burning the city and its cathedral to the ground several times. Florida attracted numerous Africans and African-Americans from adjacent British colonies who sought freedom from slavery, in 1738, Governor Manuel de Montiano established Fort Gracia Real de Santa Teresa de Mose near St
3.
United States
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Forty-eight of the fifty states and the federal district are contiguous and located in North America between Canada and Mexico. The state of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east, the state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U. S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean, the geography, climate and wildlife of the country are extremely diverse. At 3.8 million square miles and with over 324 million people, the United States is the worlds third- or fourth-largest country by area, third-largest by land area. It is one of the worlds most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, paleo-Indians migrated from Asia to the North American mainland at least 15,000 years ago. European colonization began in the 16th century, the United States emerged from 13 British colonies along the East Coast. Numerous disputes between Great Britain and the following the Seven Years War led to the American Revolution. On July 4,1776, during the course of the American Revolutionary War, the war ended in 1783 with recognition of the independence of the United States by Great Britain, representing the first successful war of independence against a European power. The current constitution was adopted in 1788, after the Articles of Confederation, the first ten amendments, collectively named the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791 and designed to guarantee many fundamental civil liberties. During the second half of the 19th century, the American Civil War led to the end of slavery in the country. By the end of century, the United States extended into the Pacific Ocean. The Spanish–American War and World War I confirmed the status as a global military power. The end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 left the United States as the sole superpower. The U. S. is a member of the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Organization of American States. The United States is a developed country, with the worlds largest economy by nominal GDP. It ranks highly in several measures of performance, including average wage, human development, per capita GDP. While the U. S. economy is considered post-industrial, characterized by the dominance of services and knowledge economy, the United States is a prominent political and cultural force internationally, and a leader in scientific research and technological innovations. In 1507, the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller produced a map on which he named the lands of the Western Hemisphere America after the Italian explorer and cartographer Amerigo Vespucci
4.
Boarding school
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A boarding school is a school at which most or all of the students live during the part of the year that they go to lessons. The word boarding is used in the sense of bed and board, i. e. lodging, some boarding schools also have day students who attend the institution by day and return to their families in the evenings. Many independent schools are boarding schools, Boarding school pupils normally return home during the school holidays and often weekends, but in some cultures may spend most of their childhood and adolescent life away from their families. In the United States, boarding schools comprise various grades, most commonly grades seven or nine through grade twelve—the high school years, other schools are for younger children, grades two through eight. A military school, or military academy, also features military education, in the former Soviet Union schools were introduced, these sometimes are known as Internat-schools. Some schools were a type of specialized school with a focus in a particular field or fields such as mathematics, physics, language, science, sports. Other schools were associated with orphanages after all children enrolled in Internat-school automatically. Also, separate boarding schools were established for children with special needs, general schools offered extended stay programs featuring cheap meals for children and preventing them from coming home too early before parents were back from work. In post-soviet countries, the concept of boarding school differs from country to country, the term boarding school often refers to classic British boarding schools and many boarding schools around the world are modeled on these. A typical boarding school has separate residential houses, either within the school grounds or in the surrounding area. Pupils generally need permission to go outside defined school bounds, they may be allowed to travel off-campus at certain times, depending on country and context, boarding schools generally offer one or more options, full, weekly, or on a flexible schedule. Each may be assisted in the management of the house by a housekeeper often known as matron. In the U. S. boarding schools often have a resident family that lives in the dorm and they also have janitorial staff for maintenance and housekeeping, but typically do not have tutors associated with an individual dorm. Nevertheless, older pupils are often unsupervised by staff, and a system of monitors or prefects gives limited authority to senior pupils, houses readily develop distinctive characters, and a healthy rivalry between houses is often encouraged in sport. Houses may also have common rooms for television and relaxation and kitchens for snacks, some facilities may be shared between several houses or dorms. In others, separate houses accommodate needs of different years or classes, in some schools, day pupils are assigned to a dorm or house for social activities and sports purposes. Each student has a timetable, which in the early years allows little discretion. Boarders and day students are taught together in school hours and in most cases continue beyond the day to include sports, clubs and societies
5.
United States Air Force Academy
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The United States Air Force Academy, is a military academy for officer cadets of the United States Air Force. Its campus is located in the western United States in Colorado, the Academys stated mission is to educate, train, and inspire men and women to become leaders of character, motivated to lead the United States Air Force in service to our nation. It is the youngest of the five U. S. service academies, Graduates of the Academys four-year program receive a Bachelor of Science degree, and are commissioned as second lieutenants in the U. S. Air Force. The Academy is also one of the largest tourist attractions in Colorado, admission is extremely competitive, with nominations divided equally among Congressional districts. Recent incoming classes have had about 1,200 cadets, historically, tuition along with room and board are all paid for by the Air Force. Cadets receive a stipend, but incur a commitment to serve a number of years of military service after graduation. All cadets participate in either intercollegiate or intramural athletics, and a character development. Each of the components of the program is intended to give cadets the skills, prior to the Academys establishment, air power advocates had been pushing for a separate Air Force Academy for decades. As early as 1918, Lieutenant Colonel A. J, hanlon wrote, As the Military and Naval Academies are the backbone of the Army and Navy, so must the Aeronautical Academy be the backbone of the Air Service. No service can flourish without some such institution to inculcate into its embryonic officers love of country, proper conception of duty, and highest regard for honor. Mitchells arguments did not gain traction with legislators, and it was not until the late 1940s that the concept of the United States Air Force Academy began to take shape. Support for an air academy got a boost with the National Security Act of 1947 and this was only intended to be a short term fix, however, and disagreements between the services quickly led to the establishment of the Service Academy Board by Secretary of Defense James Forrestal. Following the recommendation of the Board, Congress passed legislation in 1954 to begin the construction of the Air Force Academy, the legislation established an advisory commission to determine the site of the new school. Among the panel members were Charles Lindbergh, General Carl Spaatz, and Lieutenant General Hubert R. Harmon, the original 582 sites considered were winnowed to three, Alton, Illinois, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, and the ultimate site at Colorado Springs, Colorado. The Secretary of the Air Force, Harold E. Talbott, meanwhile, Air Training Command began developing a detailed curriculum for the Academy program. The early Air Force Academy leadership had the model of West Point and Annapolis in designing a curriculum, faculty. While at Lowry, they were housed in renovated World War II barracks, there were no upper class cadets to train the new cadets, so the Air Force appointed a cadre of Air Training Officers to conduct training. The ATOs were junior officers, many of whom were graduates of West Point, Annapolis and they acted as surrogate upper class cadets until the upper classes could be populated over the next several years
6.
Florida Institute of Technology
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The Florida Institute of Technology is a private doctoral/research university in Melbourne, Florida. Florida Tech has seven academic divisions with emphases on science, technology, engineering, mathematics. The universitys 130-acre primary residential campus is located near the Melbourne International Airport and it is about 50 miles from the Kennedy Space Center and 75 miles from Orlando. The university was founded in at the drawn of the Space Race in 1958 as Brevard Engineering College to support NASA and has been known by its present name since 1966. Florida Tech is the independent, technological university in the Southeast and considered one of the Top Tier 1 schools for Aueronautics, Astronomy, Engineering. Florida Institute of Technology was founded as Brevard Engineering College to Support NASA by Dr. Jerome P. Keuper in 1958, classes were originally held at the Melbourne Municipal Airport in buildings formerly used by the Naval Air Station Melbourne. They were also one of the first known colleges to have a Rocket propulsion class, in 1961, the university moved its location to Melbourne, Florida. During the 1960s additional classroom and laboratory buildings, a library, the university was accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in 1964 and officially changed its name to Florida Institute of Technology in 1966. Also in 1966, Dr. Jack Morelock founded the Department of Oceanography, in 1967 The School of Aueronautics was created. Defense scientist and NASA would meet with students recruiting for the space program, in 1969 the Panther Battalion Army ROTC program was formed. In 1972, the university launched its first off-campus program at the request of the United States Navy, the Evans Library was completed in the early 1984. The following year the library was renovated and dedicated as the Jerome P. Keuper Administration Building. In 1988, the Homer R. Denius Student Center was renovated, the student plaza completed, the Claude Pepper Institute for Aging and Therapeutic Research and Skurla Hall, home of the School of Aeronautics, opened in 1990. In 1997, the university received a $50 million grant from the F. W. Olin Foundation, an engineering building and life sciences building were opened in 1999 in result of the grant. Seven new residence halls were completed in 2003, however, Melbourne Beach resident Jim Ortega, who had retired from the University of Virginia to Florida in 1998, stepped forward with the additional funds needed to secure a 32-inch telescope. Naming the Telescope after him the Ortega Telescope, in 2005, the F. W. Olin Physical Sciences Center opened. Construction on the Emil Buehler Center for Aviation Training and Research at Melbourne International Airport began in 2008. The following year, the College of Business became the Nathan M. November 20,2015, marked the unveiling of the Harris Student Design Center and this facility provides space for students completing design projects
7.
Melbourne Airport
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Melbourne Airport, colloquially known as the Tullamarine airport, is the primary airport serving the city of Melbourne, and the second busiest airport in Australia. It was opened in 1970 to replace the nearby Essendon Airport, Melbourne Airport is the sole international airport of the four airports serving the Melbourne metropolitan area. The airport is 23 km from the city centre, the airport has its own postcode—Melbourne Airport, Victoria. This is adjacent to the suburb of Tullamarine, the Melbourne–Sydney air route is the fourth most-travelled passenger air route in the world. The airport features flights to 33 domestic destinations and to destinations in the Pacific, Europe, Asia. Melbourne Airport is the number one point for the airports of four of Australias seven other capital cities. Melbourne serves as a hub for Qantas and Virgin Australia, while Jetstar Airways. A regular coach service provides transport to and from the city. Melbourne is the busiest airport for international export freight as of August 2011, domestically, Melbourne serves as headquarters for Australian air Express and Toll Priority and handles more domestic freight than any other airport in the nation. In 2003, Melbourne received the International Air Transport Association Eagle Award for service, the airport comprises four terminals, one international terminal, two domestic terminals and one budget domestic terminal. Most recently Melbourne Airport was awarded by Skytrax for having the best Airport hotel in the Australia/Pacific in the World Airport Awards, Melbourne Airport was also ranked the 43rd best airport for 2012. Melbourne reached 30 million passengers for the first time in the 12 months ending July 2013 and this increased to 33.1 million passengers per annum by July 2015. Before the opening of Melbourne Airport, Melbournes main airport was Essendon Airport which was designated an international airport in 1950. In the mid-1950s, over 10,000 passengers were using Essendon Airport, due to the encroachment of the urban boundary, the airport had become surrounded by residential housing, meaning that expansion of Essendon Airport was not possible. The search for a replacement for Essendon commenced in February 1958, in 1959 the Commonwealth Government acquired 5,300 ha of grassland in then-rural Tullamarine. The first sod at Tullamarine was turned two years later in November 1964, on 1 July 1970, Melbourne Airport was opened to international operations by Prime Minister John Gorton, ending Essendons near 2-decade run as Melbournes international airport. Essendon still was home to domestic flights for one year, until they were transferred to Melbourne Airport on 26 June 1971, in the first year of operations, Melbourne handled six international airlines and 155,275 international passengers. Melbourne Airport was originally called Melbourne International Airport and it is at Tullamarine, a name derived from the indigenous name Tullamareena
8.
Piper PA-28 Cherokee
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The Piper PA-28 Cherokee is a family of light aircraft built by Piper Aircraft and designed for flight training, air taxi, and personal use. The PA-28 family of aircraft are all-metal, unpressurized, single-engine, piston-powered airplanes with low-mounted wings and they have a single door on the copilot side, which is entered by stepping on the wing. The first PA-28 received its type certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration in 1960, current models are the Warrior, Arrow and the Archer TX and LX. The Archer was discontinued in 2009, but with investment from new company ownership, the PA-28 series competes with the high-winged Cessna 172, and the similarly low-winged Grumman American AA-5 series and Beechcraft Musketeer designs. The Piper PA-32 is a larger, six-seat variant of the PA-28, the PA-32R Saratoga variant was in production until 2009. The original Cherokees were the Cherokee 150 and Cherokee 160, which started production in 1961, in 1962, Piper added the Cherokee 180 powered by a 180-horsepower Lycoming O-360 engine. The extra power made it practical to fly with all four seats filled, in 1968, the cockpit was modified to replace the push-pull style engine throttle controls with quadrant levers. In addition, a window was added to each side. Piper continued to expand the line rapidly, in 1963, the company introduced the even more powerful Cherokee 235, which competed favorably with the Cessna 182 Skylane for load-carrying capability. The Cherokee 235 featured a Lycoming O-540 engine derated to 235 horsepower and it included tip tanks of 17-gallon capacity each, bringing the total fuel capacity of the Cherokee 235 to 84 gallons. The aircraft had its fuselage stretched in 1973 giving much more leg room in the rear, the stabilator area was increased as well. In 1973 the marketing name was changed from 235 to Charger, in 1974 it was changed again to Pathfinder. Production of the Pathfinder continued until 1977, there was no 1978 model year. In 1979 the aircraft was given the Piper tapered wing and the name was changed again, in 1964, the company filled in the bottom end of the line with the Cherokee 140, which was designed for training, and initially shipped with only two seats. The PA-28-140 engine was modified shortly after its introduction to produce 150 horsepower. In 1967, Piper introduced the PA-28R-180 Cherokee Arrow and this aircraft featured a constant-speed propeller, retractable landing gear and was powered by a 180-horsepower Lycoming IO-360-B1E engine. A 200-hp version powered by a Lycoming IO-360-C1C was offered as a beginning in 1969 and designated the PA-28R-200. At the time the Arrow was introduced, Piper removed the Cherokee 150, the Arrow II came out in 1972, featuring a five-inch fuselage stretch to increase legroom for the rear-seat passengers
9.
Landing gear
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Landing gear is the undercarriage of an aircraft or spacecraft and may be used for either takeoff or landing. For aircraft it is generally both, for aircraft, the landing gear supports the craft when it is not flying, allowing it to take off, land, and taxi without damage. Faster aircraft usually have retractable undercarriages, which folds away during flight to reduce air resistance or drag, for launch vehicles and spacecraft landers, the landing gear is typically designed to support the vehicle only post-flight, and are typically not used for takeoff or surface movement. Aircraft landing gear usually includes wheels equipped with shock absorbers, or more advanced air/oil oleo struts, for runway. Some aircraft are equipped with skis for snow or floats for water, the undercarriage is a relatively heavy part of the vehicle, it can be as much as 7% of the takeoff weight, but more typically is 4–5%. The taildragger arrangement was common during the early era, as it allows more room for propeller clearance. Most modern aircraft have tricycle undercarriages, taildraggers are considered harder to land and take off, and usually require special pilot training. Sometimes a small wheel or skid is added to aircraft with tricycle undercarriage. Concorde, for instance, had a tail bumper wheel. Both Boeinga largest WW II bomber, the B-29 Superfortress and the 1960s-introduction Boeing 727 trijet airliner each have a tail bumper. Some aircraft with conventional landing gear have a fixed tailwheel. Another arrangement sometimes used is central main and nose gear with outriggers on the wings and this may be done where there is no convenient location on either side to attach the main undercarriage or to store it when retracted. Examples include the Lockheed U-2 spy plane and the Harrier Jump Jet, to decrease drag in flight some undercarriages retract into the wings and/or fuselage with wheels flush against the surface or concealed behind doors, this is called retractable gear. If the wheels rest protruding and partially exposed to the airstream after being retracted, most retraction systems are hydraulically operated, though some are electrically operated or even manually operated. This adds weight and complexity to the design, in retractable gear systems, the compartment where the wheels are stowed are called wheel wells, which may also diminish valuable cargo or fuel space. Pilots confirming that their landing gear is down and locked refer to three green or three in the green, a reference to the electrical indicator lights from the nosewheel/tailwheel and the two main gears. Red lights indicate the gear is in the position, amber lights indicate that the landing gear is in transit. Multiple redundancies are usually provided to prevent a failure from failing the entire landing gear extension process
10.
Piper PA-44 Seminole
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The Piper PA-44 Seminole is an American twin-engined light aircraft manufactured by Piper Aircraft. The PA-44 is a development of the Piper Cherokee single-engined aircraft and is used for multi-engined flight training. The Seminole was built in 1979-82, in 1989-90, and again since 1995, the first production Seminoles are equipped with two 180 hp Lycoming O-360-E1A6D engines. The right-hand engine is a Lycoming LO-360-E1A6D variant, which turns in the direction to the left-hand engine. This feature eliminates the critical engine and makes the aircraft more controllable in the event that an engine needs to be shut down or fails, the Seminole was first certified on March 10,1978 and introduced as a 1979 model year in late 1978. Later production Seminoles were built with Lycoming O-360-A1H6 engines, the PA-44-180T Turbo Seminole version was certified on November 29,1979 and built between 1981 and 1982. It features two turbocharged 180 hp Lycoming TO-360-E1A6D engines, which offer a significant improvement in performance at high density altitude, the Turbo Seminole had its takeoff gross weight raised to 3925 lb, while the landing weight remained at 3800 lbs. The PA-44 features a high T-tail similar to the T-tailed Arrow IV, the Seminole resembles the competitive Beechcraft Duchess. PA-44-180 Seminole Normally aspirated version powered by two Lycoming O-360-E1A6D or two O-360-A1H6 engines, PA-44-180T Turbo Seminole Turbocharged version powered by two Lycoming TO-360-E1A6D engines. The PA-44 is popular with air charter companies and flight schools, and is operated by private individuals and companies
11.
Prince Fielder
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Prince Semien Fielder is an American professional baseball first baseman and designated hitter for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball. He has also played for the Milwaukee Brewers and Detroit Tigers, in November 2013, he was traded to the Rangers, where he ended his playing career due to injury. Fielder is a six-time All-Star and was previously the iron man leader for games played with 547 consecutive games. The streak ended in May 2014 when Fielder underwent season-ending neck surgery and he holds the Brewers team record for home runs in a season, and is the leagues youngest player to hit 50 home runs in a season. He became the first Brewer to win the Home Run Derby, on August 10,2016, Fielder announced that he would be unable to continue his playing career after undergoing a second neck surgery in three years. Although Fielder is not officially retired, he spend the remaining four years of his contract on the 60-day disabled list. He ended his career with 319 home runs, the number as his father. Prince and Cecil Fielder are also the only combination to each hit 50 MLB home runs in a season. Fielder was born right-handed, but at a young age was converted to being a left-handed hitter by his father. Fielder was a fixture around his fathers teams clubhouses growing up and he appeared with his father on MTV Rock N Jock Softball. When his father played for Detroit, Prince would sometimes come along for batting practice, Fielder hit a home run into the upper deck of Tiger Stadium as a 12-year-old. Fielder attended Saint Edwards School in Vero Beach, Florida, for two years, where he played varsity baseball. Fielder spent his first three years of school playing at Florida Air Academy in Melbourne, Florida. He then transferred to Eau Gallie High School, located in the Eau Gallie neighborhood of Melbourne and he hit.524 with 13 doubles,10 home runs,41 RBIs, and 47 runs in his senior year. He was named by Florida Today as the All-Space Coast Player of the Year in 2002, the Milwaukee Brewers drafted Fielder in the first round, with the seventh overall selection, of the 2002 Major League Baseball draft. He signed with the Brewers, and began his career in minor league baseball with the Ogden Raptors of the Rookie-level Pioneer League. He was promoted to the Beloit Snappers of the Class A Midwest League that season, Fielder spent the 2003 season with Beloit, and was promoted to the Huntsville Stars of the Class AA Southern League for the 2004 season. Fielder began the 2005 season with the Nashville Sounds of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League, Fielder earned his first call-up to Major League Baseball on June 13,2005
12.
Florida Gators
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The Florida Gators are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Florida located in Gainesville, Florida. The University of Florida, its program, its alumni. The Gators compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association and the Southeastern Conference, All Florida Gators sports teams compete in NCAA Division I, and twenty of the twenty-one Gators teams compete in the SEC. The University of Florida was one of the thirteen members who joined together to form the new Southeastern Conference on December 8 and 9,1932. Previously, the university was a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association from 1912 to 1921, albert and Alberta are the official costumed mascots of the Florida Gators. Albert and Alberta are unique among the SECs mascots as the only male-and-female pair, McKethan Stadium for baseball, and James G. Pressly Stadium for soccer and outdoor track and field. The Katie Seashole Pressly Softball Stadium and the Florida Lacrosse Facility are located on Hull Road on the side of the campus. The Mark Bostick Golf Course and Scott Linder Stadium for tennis are located on S. W, second Avenue on the northwestern side of the campus. For the 2014–15 school year, the UAA has a budget of $103,310,001, projected revenues of $104,064,487. Scott Stricklin is Floridas athletic director, the Florida Gators athletic program has been recognized as the best overall in the Southeastern Conference over the past two decades, and consistently as one of the best in the nation. During the 2013–14 school year, the Gators mens and womens teams combined to win the Southeastern Conference All-Sports Trophy for the time in the past twenty-seven years. The mens athletic program was also the winner of the 2010–11 and 2011–12 Capital One Cup, Florida is one of only two schools in NCAA Division I history to hold the mens basketball and football championships during the same school year, the other being Oklahoma State University. In January 2009, the Gators football team won the 2009 BCS National Championship Game with a 24–14 victory over the Oklahoma Sooners, individual Gator athletes have won 279 individual NCAA championships in boxing, golf, gymnastics, swimming and diving, tennis, and track and field. Coach Andy Lopez took over the Gators baseball program in 1994, in 1996, he coached the Gators to a fifty-win season and a College World Series bid. By 2000, the program had seemingly hit a plateau and Lopez was replaced, pat McMahon became the Gators head coach in 2001 after coaching the Mississippi State Bulldogs. The Gators 2005 baseball season was the most successful to date, with the winning the SEC title. The team advanced to the round against the Texas Longhorns. Following their 2005 College World Series run, the Gators opened the 2006 season ranked one in the polls, but struggled to finish 28–28 record
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