Every day is a good day to learn more about UC San Diego, but we've chosen a particular one to spread knowledge with our feature called "Triton Tuesday." Each Tuesday, get the inside scoop with fun facts about Triton athletics, the UC San Diego campus and community, and our beautiful home of San Diego, California, in a Did You Know? format.
 
Scholar-athletes at UC San Diego are fortunate to have access to some pretty impressive facilities. But don't just take our word for it. Several pro teams and world class athletes have trained right here on-campus in La Jolla!
 
Last winter, the Vancouver Whitecaps FC of MLS trained on campus for nearly two weeks. They utilized UC San Diego's RIMAC Fields for training in addition to the Spanos Athletic Performance Center facilities for strength and conditioning. The Whitecaps played two exhibition matches inside Triton Soccer Stadium, facing Columbus Crew SC and FC Dallas.



The Whitecaps were not the first pro soccer team to train on the UC San Diego campus. In 2018, AS Roma of Italian Serie A prepped for the International Champions Cup at the Tritons' facility in La Jolla.



Not only international footballers honed their craft at UC San Diego. The NFL's Chargers trained at UC San Diego for many years. In fact, the team's owners constructed a state-of-the-art strength training facility, the Alex G. Spanos Athletic Performance Center, that is used by our scholar-athletes today! 


 
NBA Champions have trained and taught inside RIMAC Arena. In 2009, LeBron James held his first King's Academy summer camp at RIMAC. More than 500 youngsters from 23 states and nine countries descended upon UC San Diego to receive instruction from James and his staff. Four years later, former L.A. Clipper Chris Paul hosted more than 300 campers at the Chris Paul Basketball Camp inside RIMAC.

Several NBA teams have held summer workouts on campus, including the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves Phoenix Suns, and Sacramento Kings.

Of course, as we detailed last summer, the original Dream Team got its start at UC San Diego. The 1992 Olympics Team USA men's basketball squad trained at Main Gym before heading off to win gold in Barcelona, Spain. You can read more about that by clicking here.


 
RIMAC Arena has played host to more than basketball standouts as well. In the spring of 2013, UC San Diego welcomed a pair of Olympic medal-winning volleyball squads for the inaugural USA Volleyball Cup. In that matchup, Team USA hosted Japan in a battle of the Silver and Bronze medal-winning teams from the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.


 

PRIOR TRITON TUESDAYS
SUMMER 2021 SERIES
• Four Research Vessels at Scripps Institute of Oceanography (June 22)
• Trolley Extension Through UC San Diego (June 29)
• Best Places to Dine at UC San Diego (July 6)
• Explore Our Oceans Without Leaving Campus at Birch Aquarium (July 13)

FALL 2020 SERIES
• 1992 Dream Team Finds a Home at Main Gym (Sept. 1)
• UC San Diego Home to Award-Winning Faculty (Sept. 8)
• UC San Diego Athletics Hall of Fame (Sept. 15)
• Exploring Dr. Seuss in San Diego (Sept. 22)
• La Jolla's Wonderful Weather (Sept. 29)
• Academic Excellence on Display by the Tritons (Oct. 6)
• Getting to Know Our Unique College System (Oct. 13)
• La Jolla's Local Beaches (Oct. 20)
• Renowned Surf in San Diego (Oct. 27)
• University Rankings Recap (Nov. 3)
• Notable Triton Alumni (Nov. 10)
• Sustainability at UC San Diego (Nov. 17)
• UC San Diego's Student Body (Nov. 24)
• The Stuart Collection at UC San Diego (Dec. 1)
• UC San Diego's 30 National Championships (Dec. 8)
 
About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program began a new era in 2020 as a member of the Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have earned prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions.