UP Fighting Maroons

UP was one of the founding members of the UAAP in 1938. It was also a founding member and the originator of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the year 1924.

UP is a perennial contender for the overall championship in the UAAP every season. The team last won the UAAP Seniors Overall Championship (now referred to as Collegiate) in the 1997-1998 season, two years before UP last hosted the competitions before its centennial.

The UAAP has eight member-universities and holds tournaments in 13 sports (17 sports disciplines). Only four of the eight member-universities participate in all of the thirteen sports; UP is one of these four.

Team monikers

Prior to the establishment of the NCAA in 1924, the sports press have been referring to the collegiate teams by the color of their uniforms. School varsity teams were called the Blue and Whites, the Red and Whites, the Green and Whites and in the case of UP, the Maroon and Greens. In the late 1930s, schools started to adopt mascots and the sports press would now refer to their varsity teams by the name of their mascots. Sportswriters wrote about the games played by the Blue Eagles, the Green Archers, the Red Lions in their sports articles for their news dailies. In the case of UP, the varsity team was called the UP Parrots when the school adopted the parrot as its mascot. Sometime in the 1990s, the moniker UP Parrots was changed to UP Fighting Maroons when the parrot was dropped as the team mascot. The new moniker revived the old (vintage 1920s) name Maroons, and the adjective "fighting" was added to describe the kind of spirit that the varsity teams of UP have when they participate in the arena of competitive sports.

Aside from Fighting Maroons, which is applicable for all teams, there are other official varsity team names that exist, which are sourced from the school's official student publications. They are as follows: (Note that either UP/UPIS is appended before the team names for the case of the collegiate and high school teams, respectively.)

Note, however, that such student publications are starting to use Fighting Maroons for all teams and just specify the team thus referred to in the lede or in the first mention.

Other varsity teams:

• UP Varsity Pep Squad
• Filipiniana Dance Troupe
• UP Streetdance Club
• UP Esports Varsity Team

Team logo

Prior to July 2015, there was no official logo for the UP Fighting Maroons. The University Seal was used in the uniforms of the university's student-athletes. The UP System's registered trademarks such as the Oblation and sometimes the university seal were used to represent the university's varsity team in UAAP broadcasts. A new logo representing the varsity team had to be designed after UP College of Human Kinetics Dean Ronnie Dizer told ABS-CBN Sports, the official broadcaster of the UAAP, that the Oblation logo is no longer allowed in UAAP coverage.

On July 20, 2015, a set of six logos were released by the University of the Philippines. The new main logo uses a clenched left fist as a primary symbol with the teams initials UMP. The logo according to the university highlights the "institution’s unique history and tradition, catalysts for change and defenders of the people.” The letter "M" is incorporated at the bottom part of the fist. The M design of the main logo is named the "M Cut". A partial version of the logo which composes only of the fist with the M Cut of the main logo may be used where the name of the team or the university is not required to be shown.

In addition, an internal, secondary, and tertiary logos were also revealed. The internal logo is in shape of the Oblation, the secondary logo is a geometric shapes arranged in a form of a fist, and the tertiary logo composes of a man and a woman raising and clenching one of their fists, named Isko & Iska. The later two logos, the secondary and tertiary are used for marketing and promotional purposes.

The proposal for the new brand identity was initiated by Mandy Reyes and Pete Jimenez of Nowhere to Go but UP, an alumni organization. The design team is composed of the following: Dan Matutina (along with Bernice de Leon-Yumul, Joanna Malinis, and Raxenne Maniquiz of Plus63 Design Co.), Kay Aranzanso, Ralph Guibani, and AJ Dimarucot.

June 20, 2015, leaked proposal

Prior to the July release of the new logos, one of the proposals for a new logo for the UP Fighting Maroons were unofficially released on June 15. The logo released on June 15 features a warrior holding a shield with the inscription "UP" in baybayin on his left hands aiming to throw a spear with his right hand.

The new logo was negatively received by the UP community. UP alumnus and Supreme Court spokesman Atty. Theodore Te criticized the logo and remarked that "There is a reason why there is an Oblation in every UP campus. And so many clenched fists too. That is the spirit behind the Oblation: service and sacrifice; the giving of self. It is the same spirit that moves every UP student and alum to raise a fist or offer a hand and not see any contradiction." Jojo Robles, a columnist at The Standard and another UP alumnus, agreed with Te's comments and implied that the logo violated the trademark of a vinegar manufacturer and called on the manufacturer to sue the designers.

The university clarified that the logo is still to be revised and the final version of the logo was released a month later on June 20, 2015.

The following table shows the number of championships in the UAAP (and also the NCAA). It can be noted that UP has titles in all but two (beach volleyball and 3x3) of the disciplines in the UAAP program. The University boasts successful swimming and athletics programs, with 35 and 25 titles apiece in the league (38 for swimming and 31 for athletics, if one includes NCAA). UP also holds the most titles in badminton (15) in the UAAP.

Legend:

• Dashes (-) mean no team.
• Black boxes mean no championships were awarded in this event and division. In the case of NCAA, no titles were awarded in the entire time UP was part of the said league.

Streaks

Double championships
A double crown is achieved when the collegiate (Men's and Women's) and high school (Boys' and Girls') squads win the championship of the same sport in the same year in the UAAP.

• Collegiate:
  • Badminton: 4 (consecutive: 1997-98, 1998-99, 1999-2000, 2000-01)
  • Swimming: 4 (1993-94, 1997-1998, 2010-2011, 2013-2014)
  • Judo: 3 (consecutive: 1995-96 and 1996-1997, 2007-08)
  • Volleyball: 2 (1977-78, 1979-80)
  • Football: 1 (2015-2016)
  • Baseball/Softball: 1 (2001-2002)
  • Table Tennis: 1 (1998-1999)

These are "double crowns" of a different nature.

• Men's & Boys'
  • Basketball: 2 (NCAA: 1925-26 and 1926-27)
• Men's & Girls'
  • Swimming: 2 (2006-07 and 2007-08)

The following tables show the rankings history of the teams in the UAAP.

Collegiate Division

• Gold border denotes overall championship season.

High School Division

Basketball

UP Fighting Maroons Season 84 Championship Team

• Ricci Rivero (co-captain)
• Noah Webb (co-captain)
• Carl Tamayo (Season 84 ROY and Mythical Team Selection)
• Zavier Lucero (Season 84 Mythical Team Selection)
• Maodo Malick Diouf (Season 84 Finals MVP)
• JD Cagulangan
• CJ Cansino
• James Spencer
• Gerry Abadiano
• Harold Alarcon
• Terrence Fortea
• Bismarck Lina
• Brix Ramos
• CJ Catapusan
• RC Calimag
• Anton Eusebio
• Henry Galinato Jr. (reserve)
• AJ Madrigal (reserve)
• Jboy Gob (reserve)
• Alonso Tan (reserve)

Notable players

• Fort Acuña
• Bright Akhuetie
• Eric Altamirano
• Paul Desiderio
• Bryan Gahol
• Ryan Gregorio
• Yeng Guiao
• Nic Jorge
• Poch Juinio
• Joe Lipa
• Ronnie Magsanoc
• Paolo Mendoza
• Andre Paras
• Benjie Paras
• Kobe Paras
• Bo Perasol
• Mikee Reyes
• Ricci Rivero
• Carl Tamayo

Volleyball

Notable players

Women

• Jed Montero
• Kathy Bersola
• Tots Carlos
• Pia Cayetano
• Ayel Estrañero
• Isa Molde
• Nicole Tiamzon
• Marian Buitre
• Angeli Araneta
• Lorie Bernardo

Men

• Lino Cayetano
• Kiko Pangilinan
• Lloyd Belgado
• Evan Raymundo
• Alfred Valbuena
• Wendel Miguel
• Jeffrey Lansangan

Football

The UP Fighting Maroons' men's and women's football teams clinched the university's first-ever double in the UAAP in Season 78 to close out UP's hosting year with a bang.

They have an artificial football pitch venue called the UP Diliman Football Stadium or the UP Diliman Football Field. Its 68 by 105 meters (223 ft × 344 ft) pitch was installed by 2018, and has a grandstand underconstruction.

UP Men's Football UAAP Season 86 Championship Team

Beach volleyball

The school has men's and women's beach volleyball teams.

Softball

The UP Fighting Maroons's women's softball team has won four UAAP softball championships: Seasons 58 (1995-96), 59 (1996-97), 64 (2001-02) and 70 (2007-08) They have also won Season 57 (1994-95) where women's softball was first held as an exhibition sports after a eight-year hiatus.