Southeastern Conference

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Southeastern Conference (SEC)
Established: 1933
NCAA	Division I FBS
Members	12
Sports fielded	17 (men's: 8; women's: 9)
Region	Southern United States
Headquarters	Birmingham, AL
Commissioner	Michael Slive (since 2002)
Website	http://www.secsports.com/
Locations

The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is a college athletic conference headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, which operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I in athletic competitions; for football, it is part of the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS; formerly Division I-A), where it is commonly regarded as the strongest conference in the country.^[1] The conference is one of the most successful both on the field and financially, averaging more than six national championships per year since 1990 and consistently leading all conferences in revenue distribution to its members including a record $127.2 million for the 2007-2008 fiscal year.^[2] The Southeastern Conference was also the first to hold a championship game (and award a subsequent title) for football and was one of the founding members of the Bowl Championship Series (BCS). The current commissioner of the Southeastern Conference is Michael Slive.^[3] The current president of the Southeastern Conference is Michael F. Adams, current University of Georgia President.

Contents 1 History 2 SEC Commissioners 3 Current members 4 Sports 4.1 Conference sports facilities 4.2 Football 4.2.1 Championship Game 4.2.2 Bowl tie-ins 4.2.3 Rivalries 4.2.4 Player Awards 4.2.4.1 50th anniversary All-Time SEC Team 4.3 Men's basketball 4.3.1 Basketball tournament 4.3.2 Rivalries 4.3.3 Awards 4.4 Other Sports 4.4.1 Rivalries 5 National Championships 6 Conference Champions 7 Southeastern Conference Schools Ranked by Endowment[18] 8 Facts 9 See also 10 References 11 External links

[edit] History

The SEC was established in December 1932, when the 13 members of the Southern Conference located west and south of the Appalachian Mountains left to form their own conference.^[4][5] Ten of the thirteen charter members have remained in the conference since its inception: the University of Alabama, Auburn University, University of Florida, University of Georgia, University of Kentucky, Louisiana State University, University of Mississippi, Mississippi State University, University of Tennessee, and Vanderbilt University.

The other charter members were:

• Sewanee: Left the SEC in 1940. The school has since deemphasized varsity athletics and is currently a member of the Division III Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference.
• Georgia Tech: Left the SEC in 1964. In 1975, it became a founding member of the Metro Conference, one of the predecessors to today's Conference USA. Georgia Tech competed in the Metro in all sports except football, in which it was independent. In 1978, Georgia Tech joined the Atlantic Coast Conference for all sports, where it has remained.
• Tulane: Left the SEC in 1966. Along with Georgia Tech, it was a charter member of the Metro Conference. Unlike Tech, however, Tulane remained in the Metro until the Metro Conference merged into the new Conference USA in 1995. Tulane remained an independent in football until the formation of Conference USA.

In 1991, the SEC expanded from 10 to 12 members with the addition of:

• University of Arkansas (see Arkansas Razorbacks for team history before SEC)
• University of South Carolina (see South Carolina Gamecocks for team history before SEC).

In 1992, the SEC adopted the divisional setup that exists today. Also in 1992, the SEC was the first conference to receive permission from the NCAA to conduct an annual championship game in football, featuring the winners of the conference's Eastern and Western divisions.^[6] It was held at Birmingham's Legion Field the first two years and at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta thereafter.^[6]

During the 2007-2008 fiscal year review meeting, there was discussion among SEC leadership about the possibility of starting a TV network dedicated to it's conference, much in the same way the Big Ten Conference has done with the the Big Ten Network. A decision was made to postpone the decision until at least the following year. ^[7]

[edit] SEC Commissioners

The office of Commissioner was created in 1940^[8]

• Martin S. Conner 1940-1946
• N.W. Dougherty acting commissioner 1946
• Bernie Moore 1948-1966
• A. M. (Tonto) Coleman 1966-1972
• Dr. H. Boyd McWhorter 1972-1986
• Dr. Harvey W. Schiller 1986-1989
• Roy F. Kramer 1990-2002
• Michael Slive 2002-present

[edit] Current members

The SEC currently has twelve member institutions in nine Southeastern states.^[9] The geographic domain of the conference stretches from Arkansas to South Carolina (west to east) and from Kentucky to Florida (north to south). One or both of the flagship universities in each state in the geographic domain of the SEC is a member of the conference, along with one of the preeminent private universities in the nation.

The conference is divided into two geographic divisions: the Eastern Division and the Western Division. The twelve current members of the Southeastern Conference are:

Institution	Location (Population)	Founded	Affiliation	Enrollment*	Year Joined	Nickname	Mascot
Eastern Division
University of Florida	Gainesville, Florida (108,655)	1853	Public	51,913	1932	Gators	Albert and Alberta
University of Georgia	Athens, Georgia (111,580)	1785	Public	33,831	1932	Bulldogs	Uga / Hairy Dawg
University of Kentucky	Lexington, Kentucky (270,789)	1865	Public	27,209	1932	Wildcats	Blue / The Wildcat / Scratch
University of South Carolina	Columbia, South Carolina (119,961)	1801	Public	27,065	1991	Gamecocks	Cocky
University of Tennessee	Knoxville, Tennessee (173,890)	1794	Public	26,400	1932	Volunteers, Lady Volunteers	Smokey
Vanderbilt University	Nashville, Tennessee (607,413)	1873	Private / Non-sectarian	11,607	1932	Commodores	Mr. C
Western Division
University of Alabama	Tuscaloosa, Alabama (83,052)	1831	Public	25,580	1932	Crimson Tide	Big Al
University of Arkansas	Fayetteville, Arkansas (67,158)	1871	Public	18,647	1991	Razorbacks, Ladybacks	Big Red / Tusk / Boss Hog / Sooie / Pork Chop
Auburn University	Auburn, Alabama (51,906)	1856	Public	24,137	1932	Tigers	Aubie / War Eagle VII
Louisiana State University	Baton Rouge, Louisiana (224,097)	1860	Public	33,587	1932	Tigers, Lady Tigers	Mike the Tiger
University of Mississippi	Oxford, Mississippi (14,051)	1848	Public	17,323	1932	Rebels	Colonel Reb
Mississippi State University	Starkville, Mississippi (22,638)	1878	Public	17,032	1932	Bulldogs	Bully the Bulldog

• ^* Enrollment figures include both undergraduate and graduate students.

[edit] Sports

The Southeastern Conference sponsors championships in many different sports.

• Football
• Men's Basketball
• Women's Basketball
• Baseball
• Softball (except Vanderbilt)
• Women's Soccer
• Women's Volleyball (except Vanderbilt)
• Men's Cross-Country (except South Carolina)
• Women's Cross Country
• Men's Track & Field (except Vanderbilt)
• Women's Track & Field
• Men's Swimming and Diving (except Arkansas, MSU, Ole Miss, and Vanderbilt)
• Women's Swimming and Diving (except MSU and Ole Miss)
• Men's Tennis
• Women's Tennis
• Men's Golf
• Women's Golf
• Women's Gymnastics (Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU only)

Under SEC conference rules reflecting the large number of (male) scholarship participants in football and attempting to address gender equity concerns (see also Title IX), each member institution is required to provide two more women's varsity sports than men's. The equivalent rule was recently adopted by the NCAA for all of Division I.^[10]

While South Carolina and Kentucky field men's soccer teams, the conference does not sponsor the sport; both schools in 2005 joined Conference USA for the sport.^[11]

[edit] Conference sports facilities

School	Football stadium	Capacity	Basketball arena	Capacity	Baseball stadium	Capacity
Eastern Division
Florida	Ben Hill Griffin Stadium	88,548	Stephen C. O'Connell Center	12,000	McKethan Stadium	7,000
Georgia	Sanford Stadium	92,746	Stegeman Coliseum	11,000	Foley Field	3,291
Kentucky	Commonwealth Stadium	67,530	Rupp Arena (men and women)[1] Memorial Coliseum (women only)	23,000 8,500	Cliff Hagan Stadium	3,000
South Carolina	Williams-Brice Stadium	80,250	Colonial Center	18,000	Sarge Frye Field[2]	6,000
Tennessee	Neyland Stadium	104,079	Thompson-Boling Arena	24,535	Lindsey Nelson Stadium	4,000
Vanderbilt	Vanderbilt Stadium	39,790	Memorial Gymnasium	14,168	Hawkins Field	2,027
Western Division
Alabama	Bryant-Denny Stadium	92,138	Coleman Coliseum	15,043	Sewell-Thomas Stadium	6,118
Arkansas	Razorback Stadium (primary) War Memorial Stadium (secondary)[3]	76,000 53,727	Bud Walton Arena	19,200	Baum Stadium	10,737
Auburn	Jordan-Hare Stadium	87,451	Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum[4]	10,500	Plainsman Park	4,096
LSU	Tiger Stadium	92,910	Pete Maravich Assembly Center	14,164	Alex Box Stadium[5]	7,760
Ole Miss	Vaught-Hemingway Stadium	60,850	Tad Smith Coliseum	8,700	Swayze Field	3,500
Mississippi State	Davis Wade Stadium (Scott Field)	55,082	Humphrey Coliseum	10,500	Dudy Noble Field	7,200 (15,500)[6]

• ^ One men's home game per year played at Freedom Hall in Louisville.
• ^ New stadium scheduled to open for 2009 season.
• ^ Two games played each year at Little Rock, one non-conference game and one SEC game.
• ^ New arena scheduled to open for 2010-11 season.
• ^ New Alex Box Stadium scheduled to open for 2009 season.
• ^ Though Mississippi State's Dudy Noble Field official seating capacity is 7,200, its total capacity is 15,500, which includes privately owned seating in Left Field Lounge. Mississippi State holds the all-time NCAA on-campus record for one day attendance at 14,991.^[12]

[edit] Football

Before expansion, each SEC school played 6 conference games. Five of these games were against permanent opponents, developing some traditional rivalries between schools, and the 6th game rotated around the other 4 members of the conference.

From 1992 through 2001, each team had two permanent inter-divisional opponents, allowing many traditional rivalries from the pre-expansion era (such as Florida vs. Auburn, Kentucky vs. LSU and Vanderbilt vs. Alabama) to continue. However, complaints from some league athletic directors about imbalance in the schedule (for instance, Auburn's two permanent opponents from the East were Florida and Georgia – two of the SEC's stronger football programs at the time – while Mississippi State played relatively weaker Kentucky and South Carolina every year) led to the SEC reducing the permanent opponents to only one per team.

Under the current format, each school plays a total of eight conference games, consisting of the other five teams in its division, two schools from the other division on a rotating basis, and one school from the other division that it plays each year. All permanent inter-divisional games, with the exception of Arkansas vs. South Carolina, were played annually before SEC expansion in 1992.^[13] The following table shows the permanent opponent for each school listed by total number of games played (records through 2007 with western wins listed first)^[14]:

Western Division	Eastern Division	Series Record
Auburn	Georgia	53-50-8
Alabama	Tennessee	45-37-8
Ole Miss	Vanderbilt	46-34-2
LSU	Florida	23-28-3
Mississippi State	Kentucky	16-19
Arkansas	South Carolina	10-6

Other league athletic directors have advocated discarding the current format and adopting the one used by the Big 12 Conference, where teams play three teams from the opposite division on a home-and-home basis for two seasons, and then switch and play the other three teams from the opposite side for a two-year home-and-home. However, the potential loss of such heated (and profitable, as the games are often shown on national TV) long-standing rivalries as LSU-Florida, Alabama-Tennessee, and Auburn-Georgia have scuttled such plans on the drawing board. The loss of the annual rivalry between Nebraska and Oklahoma has led some Big 12 athletic directors to make a push to adopt the SEC format for the Big 12.

Interestingly, before the institution of divisional play, many of Auburn's yearly rivalries were with teams in the East (Florida, Georgia and Tennessee), while Tennessee's yearly rivalries were with teams in the West (Alabama, Auburn and Ole Miss).

[edit] Championship Game

Main article: SEC Championship Game

The SEC Championship Game is held by the Southeastern Conference each year. The championship game pits the Southeastern East Division champion against the West Division champion in a game held after the regular season has been completed. The first championship game was during the 1992 season. The first two SEC Championship football games were held at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama. Since 1994, the game has been played at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia.

[edit] Bowl tie-ins

The post-season bowl game tie-ins for the SEC for the 2007 season were:

1. Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, LA (vs. BCS) – has hosted all SEC teams but Mississippi State, South Carolina and Vanderbilt
2. Capital One Bowl in Orlando, FL (vs. Big Ten)
3. Outback Bowl in Tampa, FL (vs. Big Ten)
4. Cotton Bowl in Dallas, TX (vs. Big 12)
5. Chick-Fil-A Bowl in Atlanta, GA (vs. ACC)
6. Liberty Bowl in Memphis, TN (vs. Conference USA)
7. Music City Bowl in Nashville, TN (vs. ACC)
8. Independence Bowl in Shreveport, LA (vs. Big 12)

The Outback, Cotton, and Chick-Fil-A Bowls each pick in the same tier and base their selections on regional differences. For example, the Cotton Bowl has preference on teams from the Western Division while the Outback Bowl has preference over teams in the Eastern Division.

Under SEC guidelines, the Capital One Bowl must pick the SEC Championship game loser if that team has won two or more games than the next team in the selection order. The SEC Championship game loser has not played in the Capital One Bowl since Tennessee following the 2001 season.

It was announced on April 30, 2008, that the SEC will replace Conference USA in the Papajohns.com bowl in Birmingham, AL. The SEC representative will play a team from the Big East.^[15] The Papajohns.com bowl will receive the lowest bowl eligible team from the SEC, giving the conference 9 bowl teams if that many are eligible.

[edit] Rivalries

The SEC members have long histories. Some of the football rivalries involving SEC teams include:

Rivalry	Name	Trophy	Games Played[7]
Alabama-Auburn	The Iron Bowl	James E. Foy, V-ODK Sportsmanship Trophy	72
Alabama-LSU	LSU Alabama Rivalry (or more recently, The Saban Bowl)		71
Alabama-Tennessee	The Third Saturday In October		90
Arkansas-LSU	The Battle for the Golden Boot	The Golden Boot[8]	53
Arkansas-Texas[9]	Arkansas-Texas rivalry		76
Arkansas-Texas A&M	Arkansas-Texas A&M rivalry[10]		65
Auburn-Georgia	The Deep South's Oldest Rivalry		111
Auburn-LSU	The Tiger Bowl[11]	None	42
Florida-Florida State	Battle for the Governor's Cup		52
Florida-Miami	Battle for the Seminole War Canoe	The War Canoe Trophy[12]	53
Florida-Georgia	The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party[13]		85
Florida-Tennessee	The Third Saturday in September		37
Georgia-Georgia Tech	Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate	The Governor's Cup	102
Kentucky-Indiana		None[14]	36
Kentucky-Louisville	Battle for the Governors Cup (Football)	The Governor's Cup	20
LSU-Tulane	The Battle for the Rag	The Tiger Rag[15]	96
LSU-Ole Miss	A Southern Tradition		95
Mississippi State-Alabama	The 90 Mile Drive		92
Mississippi State-Ole Miss	"The Battle for the Golden Egg" or "The Egg Bowl"	The Golden Egg Trophy (a gold football)	104
Ole Miss-Arkansas	The "Nut Bowl"		54
South Carolina-Clemson	The Palmetto Bowl	Hardee's Trophy	105
South Carolina-Georgia	The Border Bash		60
South Carolina-Tennessee	The Halloween Game [16]		26
Tennessee-Kentucky	The Border Bowl	The Beer Barrel[17]	103
Tennessee-Vanderbilt			102

^ Following the 2007 season.^[16]
^ Trophy first awarded in 1996.
^ Series was annual rivalry when Arkansas and Texas were both in the Southwest Conference. Teams have played only twice in regular season since Arkansas joined the SEC. Will play again in 2008 & 2014.
^ Series was annual rivalry when Arkansas and Texas A&M were both in the Southwest Conference. Teams will begin playing annually in the Dallas Cowboys New Stadium again in 2009.
^ The series doesn't have a nickname, but due to the close margin most years, some individual games do. Not an annual rivalry until Auburn and LSU were placed in SEC West division in 1992.
^ Series has only been played twice in regular season since 1987.
^ Played in Jacksonville. Now officially referred to as the "Florida-Georgia/Georgia-Florida Game" due to sensitivity about consumption of alcohol by college students.
^ For decades the trophy of this game was a red, white, and blue bourbon barrel, but this practice was discontinued in 1999 following a DUI accident that killed two Kentucky football players.
^ Whereabouts of the original rag are unknown; a new rag was presented to LSU after victories in 2001 and 2006. Series was only contested twice from 1995 through 2005, but a 10-year contract began in 2006.
^ Since joining the SEC this game has been played on or around Halloween every year, accordingly many students dress in costume for this game. The contrasting team colors are also typical Halloween colors.
^ For 74 years the trophy of this game was the Beer Barrel: an orange, white, and blue beer keg. However, this practice was discontinued in 1999 following the aforementioned DUI accident.

[edit] Player Awards

Each year, the conference selects various Players of the Year – Offensive, Defensive, Special Teams, Freshman. In 1994, the conference began honoring former players from each school annually with the SEC Football Legends program.

[edit] 50th anniversary All-Time SEC Team

In 1982, the SEC Skywriters, a group of media covering the Southeastern Conference, selected members of their All-Time SEC Team for the first 50 years (1933-82) of the SEC.

Coach: Paul Bear Bryant Offense QB Archie Manning, Ole Miss 1968-70 HB Charley Trippi, Georgia 1942,45-46 HB Billy Cannon, LSU 1957-59 HB Herschel Walker, Georgia 1980-82 WR Don Hutson, Alabama 1932-34 WR Terry Beasley, Auburn 1969-71 TE Ozzie Newsome, Alabama 1974-77 OL John Hannah, Alabama 1970-72 OL Bruiser Kinard, Ole Miss 1935-37 OC Dwight Stephenson, Alabama 1977-79 OL Bob Suffridge, Tennessee 1938-40 OL Billy Neighbors, Alabama 1959-61 PK Fuad Reveiz, Tennessee 1981-84

Defense DL Doug Atkins, Tennessee 1950-52 DL Bill Stanfill, Georgia 1966-68 DL Jack Youngblood, Florida 1968-70 DL Lou Michaels, Kentucky 1955-57 DL Gaynell Tinsley, LSU 1934-36 LB Lee Roy Jordan, Alabama 1960-62 LB Jack Reynolds, Tennessee 1967-69 LB D. D. Lewis, Miss. State 1965-67 DB Tucker Frederickson, Auburn 1962-64 DB Jake Scott, Georgia 1967-68 DB Tommy Casanova, LSU 1969-71 DB Don McNeal, Alabama 1977-79 DB Jimmy Patton, Ole Miss 1953-55 P Craig Colquitt, Tennessee 1958-60

[edit] Men's basketball

Teams play a 16-game conference schedule, facing each team from its own division twice and each team from the opposite division once. Before expansion, teams played a double round-robin, leading to an exhausting 18-game conference schedule. Not surprisingly, no team ever ran the table when the conference schedule featured 18 games; three teams went 17-1 (Kentucky in 1970 and 1986, LSU in 1981). Since the league slate was trimmed to 16 games, Kentucky has gone undefeated in SEC play in 1996 and 2003.

[edit] Basketball tournament

Main article: SEC Men's Basketball Tournament

The SEC Men's Basketball Tournament (sometimes known simply as the SEC Tournament) is the conference championship tournament in basketball for the Southeastern Conference. It is a single-elimination tournament and seeding is based on regular season records. The winner receives the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA men's basketball tournament. The tournament is most often held at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia, though sometimes takes place at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana or Sommet Center in Nashville, Tennessee.

[edit] Rivalries

Several men's basketball rivalries have developed in the SEC:

• Arkansas-Kentucky

The dominance of these two teams in the '90s over everyone else in the SEC led to quite a rivalry, mostly by default, being the best two teams in the conference. The rivalry cooled in the following years as the Razorbacks have slipped toward the middle of the pack in the SEC West. With the recent success of new Razorback head coach and former Kentucky player, John Pelphrey, the series has once again risen in prominence.

• Kentucky-Florida

This conference matchup has become a major rivalry in recent years with the rise of the Florida basketball program under Billy Donovan (a former Kentucky assistant). Kentucky holds an 84-30 advantage in the series.

• Kentucky-Indiana

A "border war" between two of the sport's historic giants. This rivalry is traditionally played at neutral sites, the RCA Dome (Lucas Oil Stadium beginning in 2009) in Indianapolis and Freedom Hall in Louisville, rather than in Bloomington and Lexington. The all-time record in this rivalry is 28-22 in Kentucky's favor.

• Kentucky-Louisville

This rivalry, nicknamed the Battle for Bluegrass, is unlike most that involve SEC schools in that it is relatively recent. For nearly 60 years, UK refused to schedule UofL in the regular season in either basketball or football. After a UofL victory over UK in the Mideast Regional final in the 1983 NCAA basketball tournament, pressure mounted on UK to schedule UofL; Cardinals supporters went so far as to propose a law mandating that the two schools schedule one another. The bill was never introduced, as a basketball series began in the 1983-84 season. The rivalry added a new edge in 2001 when the Cardinals hired former Kentucky coach Rick Pitino (although he was not hired directly from UK). Former UK head coach Tubby Smith is a former UK assistant under Pitino, and reportedly recommended Pitino to Louisville. The Wildcats hold a 26-12 lead in the all-time series.

• Kentucky-Tennessee

This rivalry is also a "border war.", and the schools are located just three hours apart on Interstate 75. The two teams have played over 200 times in their history. When the two teams play at Knoxville, Thompson-Boling Arena is almost always sold out. Kentucky leads the rivalry 139-64.

• Alabama-Mississippi State

Not only are these two schools the closest to one another geographically within the SEC – a mere 95 miles separate them – but their respective head coaches, Mark Gottfried and Rick Stansbury, often battle each other for the same recruits.

• Ole Miss-Mississippi State

The in-state rivalry between these two teams in men's basketball dates back to the early 1900s. The two teams have played against each other more than 230 times in the SEC's most-played rivalry. Mississippi State leads 133-103 in 236 all time games.

• Tennessee-Florida

What had been a recent football rivalry has become a basketball rivalry as well, as the Volunteers under Bruce Pearl (and even previously under Buzz Peterson) have had recent success against Florida.

[edit] Awards

The SEC Men's Basketball Player of the Year is awarded to the player who has proven himself, throughout the season, to be the most exceptional talent in the Southeastern Conference. Various other awards, such as the best tournament player in the SEC Tournament and all conference honors are given out throughout the year.

[edit] Other Sports

Besides football and men's basketball, there are a number of other sports in which the Southeastern conference actively competes.

[edit] Rivalries

• Tennessee-UConn, women's basketball

The Lady Vols have historically been the nation's dominant program in that sport. Starting in the mid-1990s, UConn has emerged as Tennessee's main rival for national prominence. The Huskies won four national titles between 2000 and 2004; in three of those years, their victim in the NCAA final was Tennessee. Connecticut also defeated Tennessee in the 1995 Championship game, the Huskies' first-ever title. For more information, see UConn-Tennessee rivalry.

• Alabama-Georgia, women's gymnastics

These two storied programs have often butted heads for not only SEC titles, but NCAA titles, as well. Georgia has won nine national championships to Alabama's four.

• LSU-Tulane, baseball

Historically these schools are arch-rivals, but following Tulane's decades long deemphasis of sports, this is the only sport in which the two schools are evenly matched. On several occasions matchups between the two have drawn national record-setting attendances. Tulane reached its first College World Series in 2001 by defeating LSU in three games in the super regional at Zephyr Field.

• LSU-Mississippi State, baseball

Before the arrival of Skip Bertman as LSU's baseball coach in 1984, Mississippi State had long dominated the conference in baseball, with most of that success coming under legendary coach Ron Polk (who returned to coach the Bulldogs in 2002 after retiring following the 1997 season), who coached future MLB stars such as Rafael Palmeiro, Will Clark and Jeff Brantley. But when Bertman arrived in Baton Rouge, LSU's long-dormant program took off, winning 11 SEC championships and five College World Series championships in 18 seasons from 1984 through 2001. This success in Omaha has been a constant source of irritation to the State faithful, who still are waiting for their first national championship trophy in Starkville.

• Auburn-Texas, men's swimming and diving

One of the youngest rivalries featuring an SEC team, the Tigers and Texas Longhorns are the two most successful swimming and diving programs in the country. The two have combined for 16 National Titles since 1981 (9 for Texas, 7 for Auburn) and between 1999 and 2007 won every national title. The two regularly face off in a meet during the regular season, Auburn owns an 11-8 record over the Longhorns. Texas was the only team to beat Auburn between 2001 and 2008.

[edit] National Championships

Main article: List of SEC National Champions

Since its founding in 1932, and the first full academic year of competition in 1933, SEC members have won a total of 161 team national championships.^[17]

[edit] Conference Champions

Main article: List of SEC Conference Champions

The Southeastern Conference sponsors eight men's sports and ten women's sports, and awards a conference championship in every one of them.

[edit] Southeastern Conference Schools Ranked by Endowment^[18]

1. Vanderbilt University- $3.5 billion
2. University of Florida- $996 million
3. University of Kentucky- $958 million
4. University of Arkansas- $877 million
5. University of Alabama- $849 million
6. University of Tennessee- $811 million
7. University of Georgia- $619 million
8. Louisiana State University – $593 million
9. University of Mississippi- $495 million
10. University of South Carolina- $439 million
11. Auburn University- $360 million
12. Mississippi State University- $287 million

[edit] Facts

An SEC school, University of Mississippi, has been chosen to host the first United States Presidential Election debate of 2008, to be held September 26, 2008. This is also the first ever presidential debate to be held at an SEC school.^[19]

[edit] See also

• List of Southeastern Conference Champions
• List of SEC National Champions
• List of SEC men's basketball tournament locations
• SEC Championship Game
• SEC Tournament
• SEC on CBS

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Official Site of the Southeastern Conference
• Aerial and Satellite Photography of SEC Stadiums from SightseeBySpace.com
• 2008 SEC Football Bubble Schedule

v • d • e NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision Conferences Atlantic Coast Conference * · Big 12 Conference * · Big East Conference * · Big Ten Conference * · Conference USA · Mid-American Conference · Mountain West Conference · Pacific-10 Conference * · Southeastern Conference * · Sun Belt Conference · Western Athletic Conference · Independents * Conference champion receives an automatic BCS bid

v • d • e Southeastern Conference (SEC) Eastern Division Florida (Gators) • Georgia (Bulldogs & Lady Bulldogs) • Kentucky (Wildcats) • South Carolina (Gamecocks) • Tennessee (Volunteers & Lady Vols) • Vanderbilt (Commodores) Western Division Alabama (Crimson Tide) • Arkansas (Razorbacks & Lady'Backs) • Auburn (Tigers) • LSU (Tigers & Lady Tigers) • Mississippi (Rebels & Lady Rebels) • Mississippi State (Bulldogs & Lady Bulldogs)

v • d • e Baseball Stadiums of the Southeastern Conference Eastern Cliff Hagan Stadium (Kentucky) • Foley Field (Georgia) • Hawkins Field (Vanderbilt) • Lindsey Nelson Stadium (Tennessee) • McKethan Stadium (Florida) • Sarge Frye Field (South Carolina) Western Alex Box Stadium (LSU) • Baum Stadium (Arkansas) • Dudy Noble Field (Mississippi State) • Plainsman Park (Auburn) • Sewell-Thomas Stadium (Alabama) • Swayze Field (Ole Miss)

v • d • e Basketball Arenas of the Southeastern Conference Eastern Colonial Center (South Carolina) • Memorial Coliseum (Kentucky women) • Memorial Gymnasium (Vanderbilt) • Rupp Arena (Kentucky men) • Stegeman Coliseum (Georgia) • Stephen C. O'Connell Center (Florida) • Thompson-Boling Arena (Tennessee) Western Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum (Auburn) • Bud Walton Arena (Arkansas) • Coleman Coliseum (Alabama) • Humphrey Coliseum (Mississippi State) • Maravich Assembly Center (LSU) • Tad Smith Coliseum (Ole Miss)

v • d • e Football stadiums of the Southeastern Conference Eastern Ben Hill Griffin Stadium (Florida) • Commonwealth Stadium (Kentucky) • Neyland Stadium (Tennessee) • Sanford Stadium (Georgia) • Vanderbilt Stadium (Vanderbilt) • Williams-Brice Stadium (South Carolina) Western Bryant-Denny Stadium (Alabama) • Davis Wade Stadium (Mississippi State) • Jordan-Hare Stadium (Auburn) • Razorback Stadium (Arkansas primary) • Tiger Stadium (LSU) • Vaught-Hemingway Stadium (Ole Miss) • War Memorial Stadium (Arkansas secondary)

v • d • e Marching bands of the Southeastern Conference Eastern The Pride of the Sunshine (Florida) • Georgia Redcoat Marching Band (Georgia) • Wildcat Marching Band (Kentucky) • Mighty Sound of the Southeast (South Carolina) • Pride of the Southland Band (Tennessee) • Spirit of Gold Marching Band (Vanderbilt) Western Million Dollar Band (Alabama) • Razorback Marching Band (Arkansas) • Auburn University Marching Band (Auburn) • LSU Tiger Marching Band (LSU) • Famous Maroon Band (Mississippi State) • The Pride of the South (Ole Miss)

v • d • e Official Fight Songs of the Southeastern Conference Eastern Division Orange and Blue (Florida) • Glory, Glory (Georgia) • On, On, U of K (Kentucky) • The Fighting Gamecocks Lead the Way (South Carolina) • Here's To Old Tennessee (Tennessee) • Dynamite (Vanderbilt) Western Division Yea Alabama (Alabama) • Arkansas Fight Song (Arkansas) • War Eagle (Auburn) • Fight for LSU (LSU) • Forward Rebels (Mississippi) • Hail State (Mississippi State)

v • d • e Current head men's baseball coaches of the Southeastern Conference Eastern Division Kevin O'Sullivan (Florida) • David Perno (Georgia) • Gary Henderson (Kentucky) • Ray Tanner (South Carolina) • Todd Raleigh (Tennessee) • Tim Corbin (Vanderbilt) Western Division Jim Wells (Alabama) • Dave van Horn (Arkansas) • Vacant (Auburn) • Paul Mainieri (LSU) • John Cohen (Mississippi State) • Mike Bianco (Ole Miss)

v • d • e Current head men's basketball coaches of the Southeastern Conference Eastern Division Billy Donovan (Florida) · Dennis Felton (Georgia) · Billy Gillispie (Kentucky) · Darrin Horn (South Carolina) · Bruce Pearl (Tennessee) · Kevin Stallings (Vanderbilt) Western Division Mark Gottfried (Alabama) · John Pelphrey (Arkansas) · Jeff Lebo (Auburn) · Trent Johnson (LSU) · Rick Stansbury (Mississippi State) · Andy Kennedy (Ole Miss)

v • d • e Current head women's basketball coaches of the Southeastern Conference Eastern Division Amanda Butler (Florida) · Andy Landers (Georgia) · Matthew Mitchell (Kentucky) · Dawn Staley (South Carolina) · Pat Summitt (Tennessee) · Melanie Balcomb (Vanderbilt) Western Division Wendell Hudson (Alabama) · Tom Collen (Arkansas) · Nell Fortner (Auburn) · Van Chancellor (LSU) · Sharon Fanning (Mississippi State) · Renee Ladner (Ole Miss)

v • d • e Current head football coaches of the Southeastern Conference Eastern Division Rich Brooks (Kentucky) · Phillip Fulmer (Tennessee) · Bobby Johnson (Vanderbilt) · Urban Meyer (Florida) · Mark Richt (Georgia) · Steve Spurrier (South Carolina) Western Division Sylvester Croom (Mississippi State) · Les Miles (LSU) · Bobby Petrino (Arkansas) · Houston Nutt (Ole Miss) · Nick Saban (Alabama) · Tommy Tuberville (Auburn)

v • d • e Current head women's gymnastics coaches of the Southeastern Conference Sarah Patterson (Alabama)  · Mark Cook & René Cook (Arkansas)  · Jeff Thompson (Auburn) · Rhonda Faehn (Florida) · Suzanne Yoculan (Georgia) · Mo Mitchell (Kentucky) · D-D Breaux (LSU)

v • d • e Southeastern Conference Baseball Eastern Division Florida Gators • Georgia Bulldogs • Kentucky Wildcats • South Carolina Gamecocks • Tennessee Volunteers • Vanderbilt Commodores Western Division Alabama Crimson Tide • Arkansas Razorbacks • Auburn Tigers • LSU Tigers • Ole Miss Rebels • Mississippi State Bulldogs

v • d • e Southeastern Conference Men's Basketball Teams Eastern Division: Florida Gators • Georgia Bulldogs • Kentucky Wildcats • South Carolina Gamecocks • Tennessee Volunteers • Vanderbilt Commodores Western Division: Alabama Crimson Tide • Arkansas Razorbacks • Auburn Tigers • LSU Tigers • Ole Miss Rebels • Mississippi State Bulldogs

v • d • e Southeastern Conference football teams Eastern Division Florida Gators • Georgia Bulldogs • Kentucky Wildcats • South Carolina Gamecocks • Tennessee Volunteers • Vanderbilt Commodores Western Division Alabama Crimson Tide • Arkansas Razorbacks • Auburn Tigers • LSU Tigers • Ole Miss Rebels • Mississippi State Bulldogs

v • d • e Southeastern Conference women's gymnastics Alabama • Arkansas • Auburn • Florida • Georgia • Kentucky • LSU

v • d • e Student Newspapers of the Southeastern Conference Eastern Division The Independent Florida Alligator (Florida) • The Red and Black (Georgia) • The Kentucky Kernel (Kentucky) • The Daily Gamecock (South Carolina) • The Daily Beacon (Tennessee) • The Vanderbilt Hustler (Vanderbilt) Western Division The Crimson White (Alabama) • The Arkansas Traveler (Arkansas) • The Auburn Plainsman (Auburn) • The Daily Reveille (LSU) • The Daily Mississippian (Ole Miss) • The Reflector (Mississippi State)

v • d • e Commissioners of the Southeastern Conference Martin S. Conner (1940-1946)  • N.W. Dougherty (1946-1948)  • Bernie Moore (1948-1966)  • A. M. "Tonto" Coleman (1966-1972)  • Dr. H. Boyd McWhorter (1972-1986)  • Dr. Harvey W. Schiller (1986-1989)  • Roy F. Kramer (1990-2002)  • Michael Slive (2002-present)

v • d • e Southeastern Conference Athletic Directors Eastern Division Jeremy Foley (Florida) • Damon Evans (Georgia) • Mitch Barnhart (Kentucky) • Eric Hyman (South Carolina) • Mike Hamilton (Tennessee) • None (Vanderbilt) Western Division Mal Moore (Alabama) • Jeff Long (Arkansas) • Jay Jacobs (Auburn) • Joe Alleva (LSU) • Pete Boone (Ole Miss) • Greg Byrne (Mississippi State)