Jacksonville Dolphins The Jacksonville University Dolphins are the athletics team of Jacksonville University in Jacksonville , Florida , USA . The Dolphins participate in NCAA Division I athletics , and are members of the Atlantic Sun Conference , the National Lacrosse Conference , and the Pioneer Football League . Sports sponsored . Jacksonville offers 20 different varsity sports , of which all but one ( men ' s rowing ) are sponsored by the NCAA . NCAA - sponsored sports include basketball , cross country , golf , lacrosse , soccer , and tennis , offered to both men and women ; baseball and football , offered to men only ; and rowing , softball , volleyball , and track ( both indoor and outdoor ) , offered only to women . Baseball . The Jacksonville Dolphins baseball team began play in 1957 , and was independent until joining the Sun Belt Conference in 1978 . The Dolphins were affiliated with that conference until 1998 , when they joined the Atlantic Sun Conference . The Dolphins have participated in 13 NCAA tournaments , beginning in 1968 . Jacksonville ' s best showing in the NCAA tournament came in the 1976 South Regional , when they were one game away from the College World Series , but were eliminated by Auburn 7 – 5 . The Dolphins also were part of the NCAA tournament in 1972 , 1976 , 1989 , 1991 , 1994 , 1995 , 1999 , 2001 , 2003 , 2006 , 2007 , 2009 , and 2011 . Mens ' basketball . The Jacksonville Dolphins men ' s basketball program was established in 1949 . Jacksonville has appeared in five NCAA Division I men ' s basketball tournaments , most recently in 1986 . Their most successful tournament was the first they participated in , the 1970 NCAA tournament . The Dolphins , led by NBA Hall - of - Famer Artis Gilmore , the school ' s all - time leader in rebounds , blocks and field goals , and Rex Morgan , the career assists leader , advanced to the title game before losing to UCLA 80 – 69 . During that 1969 – 70 season , the team became the first NCAA basketball program to average 100 points per game in a season . The Dolphins have won one Atlantic Sun regular - season title ( 2008 – 09 ) , but have not yet won the conference tournament and the accompanying automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as a member of the Atlantic Sun conference . Football . The Jacksonville Dolphins football team competes in the Pioneer Football League , a Division I football - only conference . Their first season of play was in 1998 , and they have been members of the Pioneer Football League since 2001 . They play their home games at D . B . Milne Field , which has a listed capacity of 5000 spectators . The Dolphins won the PFL conference title in 2008 and 2010 , and represented the PFL in the 2008 Gridiron Classic , losing to Albany . Awards . Pioneer Football League Offensive Freshman of the Year Pioneer Football League Defensive Player of the Year Pioneer Football League Coach of the Year Lacrosse . Jacksonville fielded both men ' s and women ' s NCAA Division I lacrosse teams starting with the 2010 season ; both programs became the first in Florida to compete in an official game on February 6 , 2010 . JU ' s lacrosse programs were founded by current Director of Lacrosse Mindy McCord , who also serves as the program ' s head women ' s coach . Assisting Mindy McCord are Brooke Richards Magnusson , a former University of Maryland standout and Maryland prep player of the year , and Jen Heup . The women ' s team was a founding member of the National Lacrosse Conference . In addition to Jacksonville , the eight - team conference includes southern - based universities Davidson , High Point , Presbyterian , Liberty , and Longwood , as well as northern programs Detroit - Mercy and Howard . The conference will be a provisional conference for two years by NCAA standards ; it must exist for two years to earn a potential automatic qualifier into the NCAA tournament . The men ' s team , the only men ' s Division I lacrosse team in Florida , is a member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference . The current coach of the men ' s team is Guy Van Arsdale . Traditions and rivalries . Jacksonville University ' s most notable rivalry is with crosstown opponents the University of North Florida Ospreys . The two universities contest the " River City Rumble " , in which the school with the most wins over the other across all sports receives a trophy , the SunTrust Old Wooden Barrel . JU has dominated the men ' s basketball series , going 13 - 1 at the close of the 2010 – 2011 regular season .