Gulf South Conference
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| Gulf South Conference | |
|---|---|
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| Data | |
| Classification | NCAA Division II |
| Established | 1970 |
| Members | 15 |
| Sports fielded | 14 (7 men's, 7 women's) |
| Region | Gulf Coast |
| States | 6 - Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, Mississippi, Tennessee |
| Past names | Mid-South Conference |
| Headquarters | Birmingham, Alabama |
| Commissioner | Nate Salant |
| Locations | |
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The Gulf South Conference (GSC) is a College Athletic Conference which operates in the southeastern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division II.
Contents |
[edit] Conference History
Originally known as the Mid-South Conference, the GSC was formed by six universities in the summer of 1970: Delta State, Florence State (now North Alabama), Jacksonville State, Livingston (now West Alabama), Tennessee-Martin and Troy State (now Troy). Scheduling problems for the 1970–71 academic year limited the league to football, won by Jacksonville State.
In 1971, the league changed its name to the Gulf South Conference; added Southeastern Louisiana (SELA) and Nicholls State (increasing the membership to eight); opened an office in Hammond, Louisiana; and began championships in all men’s sports. The following year, Mississippi College and Northwestern Louisiana (NWLA, now Northwestern State) were admitted. NWLA withdrew to go Division I two years later, followed by SELA and Nicholls State in 1979.
The conference continued with seven teams until 1981, when the presidents admitted Valdosta State. West Georgia joined in 1983. Eight years of stability ended in 1991 when Tennessee-Martin and Troy State went Division I, briefly dropping the GSC back to seven members, before the beginning of an expansion resulting in ten new members: Lincoln Memorial (1992–93); Alabama-Huntsville, Henderson State, Central Arkansas, and Mississippi University for Women (MUW) (1993–94); West Florida (1994–95); and Arkansas-Monticello, Arkansas Tech, Montevallo, and Southern Arkansas (1995–96). Jacksonville State went Division I at the end of 1992-93. Mississippi College dropped to Division III at the end of 1995–96 and was replaced by Christian Brothers to keep the Conference at 16 schools. In July 2000, the GSC welcomed Harding University and Ouachita Baptist University, making it the largest NCAA conference at any level with 18 schools. The Conference membership decreased to 17 when MUW dropped its athletics program at the end of the 2002–03 season.
2006–07 will be another season of change for the GSC. Central Arkansas is transitioning to Division I, leaving the West Division with eight schools. Lincoln Memorial will also be leaving, leaving the East Division with seven schools.
Former Commissioner Jim McCullough moved the GSC office to its present Birmingham, Alabama, location. The current Commissioner, Nathan (Nate) N. Salant, has been in office since October 1992.
[edit] Current members
[edit] Conference Stadiums
| School | Football | Basketball | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stadium | Capacity | Arena | Capacity | |
| Alabama-Huntsville | Non-football School | N/A | Spragins Hall | 2,250 |
| Arkansas-Monticello | Convoy Leslie-Cotton Boll Stadium | 5,000 | Steelman Fieldhouse | 1,500 |
| Arkansas Tech | Thone Stadium | 6,000 | Tucker Coliseum | 3,500 |
| Christian Brothers | Non-football School | N/A | Canale Arena | 1,000 |
| Delta State | Parker Field at McCool Stadium | 8,000 | Walter Sillers Coliseum | 4,000 |
| Harding | First Security Stadium | 6,500 | Rhodes Field House | 3,000 |
| Henderson State | Carpenter-Haygood Stadium | 9,600 | Duke Wells Center | 3,000 |
| Montevallo | Non-football School | N/A | People's Bank and Trust Arena | 2,000 |
| North Alabama | Braly Municipal Stadium | 14,215 | Flowers Hall | 3,900 |
| Ouachita Baptist | A.U. Williams Field | 5,225 | Bill Vining Arena | 2,500 |
| Southern Arkansas | Wilkins Stadium | 6,000 | W.T. Watson Athletic Center | 2,600 |
| Valdosta State | Bazemore-Hyder Stadium | 11,500 | The Complex | 5,350 |
| West Alabama | Tiger Stadium | 7,000 | Pruitt Hall | 1,500 |
| West Florida | Non-football School | N/A | UWF Fieldhouse | 2,380 |
| West Georgia | Grisham Stadium | 6,500 | HPE Building | 2,800 |
[edit] Former members
[edit] Conference Sanctioned Sports
GSC members feature comprehensive athletic programs that compete for 14 official conference championships: football, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s soccer, women’s volleyball, men’s and women’s basketball, baseball, softball, men’s and women’s tennis and men’s and women’s golf.
The GSC is perhaps best known for being the premier conference in NCAA Division II football. The three-year run put together by North Alabama in the mid-1990s is one of the most amazing feats in college football history. North Alabama went 41-1 during that span with the only loss being a 3 point loss to that season’s NCAA Division I-AA champion Youngstown State. No other football team on any level has ever won 41 games during a 3 year period.
Current Valdosta State head coach Chris Hatcher has the highest winning percentage in college football.
[edit] National Championships
| Sport | School | Year(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Baseball | Valdosta State[1] | 1979 |
| Delta State | 2004 | |
| Troy State | 1986, 87 | |
| Jacksonville State | 1990, 91 | |
| Men's Basketball | North Alabama | 1979, 91 |
| Jacksonville State | 1985 | |
| Women's Basketball | Delta State | 1975, 76, 77, 89, 90, 92 |
| Southeastern Louisiana | 1977 | |
| Football | Valdosta State | 2004, 07 |
| Delta State | 2000 | |
| North Alabama | 1993, 94, 95 | |
| West Alabama | 1971 | |
| Troy | 1984, 87 | |
| Jacksonville State | 1992 | |
| Men's Golf | West Florida | 2001, 08 |
| Troy | 1976, 77, 84 | |
| Women's Golf | Troy | 1984, 86, 89 |
| Women's Gymnastics | Jacksonville State | 1984, 85 |
| Men's Ice Hockey [2] | Alabama-Huntsville | 1996, 98 |
| Women's Soccer | Christian Brothers | 2002 |
| Men's Tennis | Valdosta State | 2006 |
| West Florida | 2004, 05 | |
| Track and Field | Southeastern Louisiana | 1975 |
| Women's Volleyball | North Alabama | 2003 |
[edit] Notes
- ^ Valdosta State was not a member of the GSC in 1979
- ^ Although not a conference-sanctioned sport, Alabama-Huntsville fields a men's ice hockey team. It won the Division II national championship in 1996 and 1998. After the NCAA discontinued Division II ice hockey, UAH moved to Division I for that sport, and currently competes in the College Hockey America conference.
[edit] External links
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