National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I and the Conference USA (C-USA). The varsity sports teams have won five athletic championships and Panther athletes have won various individual NCAA national championships.
== History ==
In 1943, state senator Ernest R. Graham (father of future Florida governor and U.S. senator Bob Graham) initially proposed to the state legislature the establishment of a public university in Miami-Dade County. His bill did not pass, but he persisted in presenting his proposal to colleagues, advising them of the county's need for a state university. He felt the establishment of a public university was necessary to serve the city's growing population.
In 1964, Senate Bill 711 was introduced by Florida senator Robert M. Haverfield. It instructed the state Board of Education and the Board of Regents to begin planning for the development of the state university. The bill was signed into law by then-governor W. Haydon Burns in June 1965. FIU's founding president, Chuck Perry, …
