UC Davis Aggies The UC Davis Aggies ( or Ags ) compete in NCAA Division I sports in the Big West Conference . For football , the Aggies compete in Division I FCS ( formerly known as Division I - AA ) , and are members of the Big Sky Conference , granting UC Davis the distinction of being one of only three UC campuses to field a football team ( Cal and UCLA being the other two ) . The Aggies are also members of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation in gymnastics and lacrosse , the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association in rowing , and an associate member of the Pacific - 12 Conference in wrestling . The Aggies achievements in Division 2 motivated a decision ( following a year of heavy discussion by campus administrators , faculty , staff , students , alumni and the local community ) in 2003 for the athletics program to re - classify to Division I . Aggie Stadium is the home of the UC Davis football and lacrosse teams . The UC Davis Women ' s rugby was ranked 4th in the nation in 2007 . On April 20 , 2010 , the school announced that effective July 1 , four sports will be eliminated due to the national economic downturn . The sports are : Women ’ s rowing , wrestling , men ’ s swimming and diving , and men ’ s indoor track and field . Colors , Mascot , Spirit . The official school colors are blue and gold . The blue is due to the UC ' s early connection to Yale and as a result is often referred to as " Yale Blue " ( e . g . , see and ) , although UCD ' s official blue , usually called " Aggie Blue " , Pantone 295 differs from Yale Blue ( approximately Pantone 289 ) . The official school mascot is the mustang . Students at UC Davis are referred to as Aggies in honor of the school ' s agricultural heritage . Unlike most colleges , there is a distinction between the name for students and the mascot . There was a movement to change the school ' s mascot from the mustang to the cow , but despite student support this was turned down after opposition from alumni . Many people will call the mustang mascot of UC Davis an Aggie , but this is not its proper name ; the mustang mascot is named Gunrock . The name dates to 1921 when the US Army brought a horse named Gun Rock to UC Davis to supply high - quality stock for cavalry horses . The mustang mascot was selected to honor that cavalry horse . UC Davis students gather at sporting events to rally as the Aggie Pack , the largest student - run school spirit organization in the United States . The Aggie Pack cheers on the sports team to the music of the Cal Aggie Marching Band - uh ! and its alumni band . Rivalries . The highlight of the recent 4 - year transition to Division I occurred on September 17 , 2005 , when the Aggies defeated the heavily favored Stanford Cardinal at Stanford Stadium by a score of 20 – 17 on a TD pass with 8 seconds left in the game . The Aggies also pulled off an upset against Stanford in basketball just months later , beating the Cardinal 64 – 58 with a late rally at home on December 4 , 2005 . The win in these two major sports and the addition of the Aggies beating the Cardinal in soccer earlier in 2005 as well as a win in wrestling and two wins in baseball pulled the Aggies ' win loss record with Stanford to 5 – 1 for men ' s sports the 05 - 06 year . The Aggie football team plays Sacramento State in the annual Causeway Classic for the Causeway Carriage . The team also plays Cal Poly in the annual Battle for the Golden Horseshoe . Division 2 success : 1990 - 2003 . The Aggies finished first in NCAA Division II six times in 2003 and won the NACDA Director ' s Cup 4 years in a row from 1999 to 2003 . In 1998 , the UC Davis men ' s basketball team won the NCAA Division II national championship despite being one of the few non - scholarship institutions in Division II at that time . They have also won NCAA Division II championships in Softball ( 2003 ) , Men ' s Tennis ( 1992 ) , and Women ' s Tennis ( 1990 , 1993 ) . Wrestling . UC Davis also has a note - worthy wrestling program , which competes in the Pac - 10 at the Division I level . In 2007 , UC Davis wrestler Derek Moore gained All - American status , as well as won the NCAA Division I Championships for his weight class . In addition , he received the " Most Outstanding Wrestler " award of the NCAA tournament . In so doing , Derek Moore became the first UC Davis student - athlete to become a NCAA champion at the Division I level . That same year , UC Davis finished within the top 25 for Division I collegiate wrestling programs in the country .