Sam Houston Bearkats

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Sam Houston Bearkats
SHSU athletics logo.svg
University Sam Houston State University
Conference Conference USA
NCAA Division I (FBS)
Athletic directorBobby Williams
Location Huntsville, Texas
Varsity teams17 (18 in 2025)
Football stadium Bowers Stadium
Basketball arena Johnson Coliseum
Baseball stadium Don Sanders Stadium
Softball stadium Bearkat Softball Complex
Soccer stadium Pritchett Field
Other venuesMcAdams Tennis Center
York Track & Field Complex
Mascot Sammy Bearkat
NicknameBearkats
Fight songBearkat Fight Song
ColorsOrange and white [1]
   
Website gobearkats.com
Sam Houston State word mark.png
Conference USA logo in Sam Houston State's colors CUSA logo in Sam Houston colors.svg
Conference USA logo in Sam Houston State's colors

The Sam Houston Bearkats are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Sam Houston State University, located in Huntsville, Texas. Sam Houston's colors are orange and white. Sam Houston sports teams participate in NCAA Division I (Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS-formerly known as Division I-A) for football) in Conference USA (CUSA), having joined that conference on July 1, 2023 after spending 34 years in the Southland Conference and two years in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). SHSU's primary rival is Stephen F. Austin (SFA) and tensions between the two schools can run high before major sporting events that pit one against the other.

Contents

As a whole, the Sam Houston athletic department captured the Southland Conference Commissioner's Cup in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2013, 2014, 2018 and 2019 for all-around athletic department [2] and topped the Southland Conference for all-academic recognition. The Kats are the only athletic department in the Southland Conference to get the Commissioner's Cup for 3 consecutive years while the 7 total cups are the most in league history.

Sam Houston boasts both the best average student athlete GPA as well as the highest number of student athletes named to the Southland Conference honor roll. [3] This is particularly evident in the men's basketball program, which fielded 6 of the 13 student athletes who gained Academic All-Conference honors, including junior Ryan Bright, who was also named student athlete of the year for men's basketball.

Sam Houston's move to the WAC was announced on January 14, 2021 as part of a major expansion of that conference. Also announced as future WAC members were three other Southland members from Texas (Abilene Christian, Lamar, SFA) plus Big Sky Conference member Southern Utah. [4] Initially, all five schools were to join in July 2022, but the entry of SHSU and the other Texas schools was moved to 2021 after the Southland expelled its departing members. [5]

Sam Houston was announced as a future member of Conference USA effective July 1, 2023 on November 5, 2021. [6]

Sports sponsored

Men's sportsWomen's sports
Baseball Basketball
Basketball Beach volleyball (2024-25)
Cross countryBowling
Football Cross country
GolfGolf
Track & Field†Soccer
Softball
Tennis
Track & Field†
Volleyball
† – Track & Field includes both indoor and outdoor

Baseball

Bryce Johnson, now an outfielder for the San Francisco Giants in Major League Baseball, played for the Bearkats.

Basketball

Both men's and women's basketball teams hold home games in Bernard Johnson Coliseum located on the campus of Sam Houston State University. Built in 1976, Johnson Coliseum is a 6,100 multi-seat arena that serves as host to both basketball and volleyball home matches. [7]

Men's basketball

The men's program has been the most consistent in the conference over the past decade under the direction of former head coach Bob Marlin, winning regular season titles in 2000 and 2003 with an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2003 (the first in school history), and again in 2010. The Bearkat men's basketball team has won more games in the 11 seasons under Coach Marlin than any other Southland school. The team also ranks #2 in wins among Division I schools in Texas in the current decade behind the Texas Longhorns. [8] The Bearkat teams under Coach Marlin have compiled five 20-win seasons. Marlin's teams have been the only teams among Texas Division I programs to win at least 2 conference championships in the past 6 seasons. Under the direction of Bob Marlin, Bearkat men's basketball players have broken 23 school records and 30 Division I school records.

Since the departure of Bob Marlin to the University of Louisiana in 2010, the Bearkat Men's Basketball team has been under the direction of Jason Hooten, who had previously served as an assistant under Bob Marlin. In his first year as head coach, Hooten produced an 18–13 record, while garnishing a #3 seed in the Southland Conference tournament.

Women's basketball

The women's basketball team began play in 1969 under coach Jody Conradt and were a force in their first 5 seasons with an overall 92–31 record. [9] Under current head coach Brenda Nicholls the Bearkats have seen success in recent years, earning Southland Conference tournament berths in each of the last four seasons, including one regular season conference championship, a tournament final, a Women's Basketball Invitational appearance and a WNIT appearance. [9] In team history, the squad has seen postseason action in 20 seasons, with the most successful run being in 2013 where the Bearkats earned berth into the Women's National Invitation Tournament, [10] where the team lost to Tulane in the opening round, 57–65. [11] The Bearkats lone Women's Basketball conference championship came in 2013. [12] The women's basketball program is among the most efficient programs in NCAA Division I, ranking #2 nationally in cost per win in 2006 at less than $25,000 per win with 18 wins against Division I opponents (21 overall).

Football

K. C. Keeler is currently the head coach of the Bearkats. Keeler previously coached Delaware to three FCS Championship games, winning one in 2003. The Sam Houston Bearkats won the 2020 NCAA Division I Championship with a 23–21 victory of South Dakota State.

During their time in the FCS, Sam Houston became a powerhouse name in the subdivision. The Bearkats made 11 FCS Playoff appearances between 2000 and 2021, their final season of eligibility in the FCS. In that time frame, the Bearkats boast 22 playoff wins, 8 conference titles, 7 semifinal appearances and a National Championship.

Every year, the "Battle of the Piney Woods" rivalry game is held between the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks and the Bearkats. The Bearkats have dominated the rivalry for the past decade and own an all-time advantage in the football series 58-35–2, including 18 of the last 21 and each of the last 10. Since 2010 the rivalry game has been played at NRG Stadium in Houston, the home of the Houston Texans. The game annually draws one of the largest crowds of the season in the FCS. Sam Houston usually brings about 20,000 fans to the game in Houston.

The Bearkats shared the NAIA national title with Concordia (MN) in 1964, when they finished the national championship game in a 7–7 tie.

Previous coaching history

Willie Fritz was the head football coach (2010–2013) at Sam Houston and was the 2011 American Football Coaches Association Coach of the Year [13] and 2012 AFCA Regional Coach of the Year. [14]

In 2011, Fritz's second year as head coach, the Bearkats were the only FCS school to have an undefeated regular season thus earning the team the No. 1 seed in the playoffs. [15] The 2011 Bearkats were NCAA Division I National Championship Finalists, eventually losing to the North Dakota State Bison in the FCS National Championship game. [16] They would return to the title game the following season, only to lose to the North Dakota State Bison again. [17] However, on May 2, 2021 the Bearkats defeated the NDSU Bison in the quarterfinals of the 2021 NCAA Division I FCS championship.

Related Research Articles

Kurt Charles Keeler is an American football coach and former player. He is the head football coach at Sam Houston State University, a position he had held since 2014. Previously, Keeler was the head coach at his alma mater, the University of Delaware, from 2002 to 2012, and at Rowan University from 1993 to 2001.

Robert Lee Marlin is an American college basketball coach who is the current head men's basketball coach for the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns men’s basketball team. Previously, he was the head coach at Sam Houston State from 1998 to 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Texas State Bobcats</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of Texas State University

The Texas State Bobcats are the sports teams that represent Texas State University. Currently, they compete in the Sun Belt Conference in NCAA Division I. The Bobcat has been the mascot of Texas State University since 1921, when the university adopted the name from the recommendation of a committee formed to raise school spirit. Though considerably smaller than mountain lions, bobcats are known for their stubborn fierceness and great courage. The football squad used the bobcat for the first time in 1921 and went undefeated with a 7–0 season. Texas State had several officially recognized live bobcat mascots until the 1970s. In 1964, the Texas State Bobcat was given the official name of "Boko" by Beth Greenlees, a sophomore from Luling, Texas, who beat out about 100 other students in a "Name the Bobcat" contest. Her winning submission earned her a $5 prize and the honor of being the person who named the Texas State mascot. Boko has twice been named “USA National Champion” mascot. Texas State had no official fight song until 1961, when Paul Yoder was commissioned to compose "Go Bobcats." The song is the rousing "call to arms" for all Texas State athletic games and competition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lamar Cardinals and Lady Cardinals</span> Texas college athletics team

The Lamar Cardinals and Lady Cardinals refers to the college athletics teams of Lamar University, in Beaumont, Texas. The Cardinals and Lady Cardinals teams compete in seventeen NCAA Division I sports as a member of the Southland Conference. The Cardinals rejoined the Southland after spending the 2021–22 athletic year in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC).

The Sam Houston State Bearkats baseball team is a varsity intercollegiate athletic team of Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas, United States. The team is currently a member of Conference USA, an athletic conference in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The team plays its home games at Don Sanders Stadium.

The Sam Houston Bearkats football program is the intercollegiate American football team for Sam Houston State University located in the U.S. state of Texas. The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) as a member of the Conference USA. Sam Houston's first football team was fielded in 1912. The team plays its home games at the 12,593-seat Bowers Stadium in Huntsville, Texas. On January 23, 2014, K. C. Keeler was named the 15th head coach in Sam Houston program history.

The Sam Houston Bearkats men's basketball team, represents Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas, United States. The Bearkats were one of four programs, all from Texas, that left the Southland Conference on July 1, 2021 to join the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). Sam Houston had previously been a member of the Southland Conference since the 1987–88 season. The Bearkats have played home games at Johnson Coliseum, a 5,529 seat indoor arena, since 1976, when it was then called University Coliseum. On July 1, 2023 the Bearkats joined Conference USA.

Jason Trey Hooten is the head coach of the New Mexico State University men's basketball program as of March 24, 2023. Hooten was previously head coach at Sam Houston State University for 13 seasons. And was an assistant coach for there for the previous six years, before being named as the Bearkats' head men's basketball coach on April 2, 2010. In his time with the Bearkats, Hooten had a 261-169 record and six 20-plus victory seasons.

The Sam Houston Bearkats softball team represents Sam Houston State University in NCAA Division I college softball. The team participates in Conference USA. The Bearkats are currently led by head coach Garrett Valis. The team plays its home games at the Bearkat Softball Complex located on the university's campus.

The Sam Houston Bearkats women's basketball team is the women's basketball team that represents Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas. The Bearkats are members of Conference USA. Sam Houston joined the Western Athletic Conference on July 1, 2021 after playing the previous 34 seasons in the Southland Conference, the Bearkats played in the WAC until the conclusion of the 2023 season. The Bearkats are currently coached by Ravon Justice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013–14 Sam Houston State Bearkats men's basketball team</span> American college basketball season

The 2013–14 Sam Houston State Bearkats men's basketball team represented Sam Houston State University during the 2013–14 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bearkats, led by fourth year head coach Jason Hooten, played their home games at the Bernard Johnson Coliseum and were members of the Southland Conference. They finished the season 24–11, 13–5 in Southland play to finish in third place. They advanced to the championship game of the Southland Conference tournament where they lost to Stephen F. Austin. They were invited to the CollegeInsider.com Tournament where they defeated Alabama State in the first round before losing in the second round to San Diego.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros</span>

The UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros is a collegiate athletic program that represents the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV). The Vaqueros inherited the NCAA Division I status of the Texas–Pan American Broncs and compete in the Western Athletic Conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 Sam Houston State Bearkats football team</span> American college football season

The 2015 Sam Houston State Bearkats football team represented Sam Houston State University in the 2015 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Bearkats were led by second-year head coach K. C. Keeler and played their home games at Bowers Stadium. They were a member of the Southland Conference. They finished the season 11–4 overall and 7–2 in Southland play to finish in a tie for second place. They received an at-large bid to the FCS Playoffs where they defeated Southern Utah, McNeese State, and Colgate to advance to the Semifinals, where they lost to Jacksonville State. The 2015 season marked the Bearkats' 100th season of football.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game</span> Postseason college football game

The 2021 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game played to determine a national champion in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision for the 2020–21 season. It was played at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, on May 16, 2021. It was the culminating game of the 2020–21 FCS Playoffs. The Sam Houston State Bearkats defeated the South Dakota State Jackrabbits, 23–21.

The 2020–21 Sam Houston State Bearkats men's basketball team represented Sam Houston State University in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bearkats, led by 11th-year head coach Jason Hooten, played their home games at the Bernard Johnson Coliseum in Huntsville, Texas.

The 2021 Sam Houston Bearkats football team represented Sam Houston State University in the 2021 NCAA Division I FCS football season as a member of the Western Athletic Conference. The Bearkats were led by eighth-year head coach K. C. Keeler and played their home games at Bowers Stadium.

The 2021–22 Sam Houston State Bearkats women's basketball team represented Sam Houston State University during the 2021–22 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Bearkats, led by fourth year head coach Ravon Justice, play their home games at the Bernard Johnson Coliseum as members of the Western Athletic Conference.

The 2021–22 Sam Houston State Bearkats men's basketball team represented Sam Houston State University in the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They played their home games at the Bernard Johnson Coliseum in Huntsville, Texas and were led by 12th-year head coach Jason Hooten, as first-year members of the Western Athletic Conference.

The 2022 Sam Houston Bearkats football team represented Sam Houston State University as a member of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) during the 2022 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by ninth-year head coach K. C. Keeler, the Bearkats compiled an overall record of 5–4. Sam Houston played home games at Bowers Stadium in Huntsville, Texas.

References

  1. ↑ "Athletic Branding". Sam Houston State University Department of Marketing and Communications. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  2. ↑ "Sam Houston State Retains Straight Commissioners Cup". Southland Conference. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
  3. ↑ http://www.gobearkats.com/fls/19900/pdf/mbb_guide_32_36.pdf?DB_OEM_ID=19900%5B%5D
  4. ↑ "WAC Announces Expansion, Plans to Reinstate Football" (Press release). Western Athletic Conference. January 14, 2021. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  5. ↑ "WAC Announces Expedited Entrance for Four Texas Institutions" (Press release). Western Athletic Conference. January 21, 2021. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  6. ↑ "Conference USA Adds Four Members" (Press release). Conference USA. November 5, 2021. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
  7. ↑ "Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum". Sam Houston State Athletics. Retrieved April 27, 2013.
  8. ↑ "Sam Houston State Men's Basketball Notes" (PDF). Sam Houston State Athletics. Retrieved May 14, 2013.
  9. 1 2 SHSU Women's Basketball Record Book: Annual Team Record. Sam Houston State Athletics. p. 2.
  10. ↑ "Tulane First Hurdle Thursday in WNIT". GoBearkats.com. March 20, 2013. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
  11. ↑ "Sam Houston State Falls to Tulane in WNIT First Round". Southland.com. March 21, 2013. Archived from the original on July 12, 2013. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
  12. ↑ "SHSU women win Southland Championship". GoBearkats.com. March 8, 2013. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
  13. ↑ "SHSU's Willie Fritz Named AFCA Coach of the Year". Archived from the original on March 5, 2014. Retrieved April 12, 2013.
  14. ↑ "Willie Fritz earns AFCA Regional Coach of the Year" . Retrieved April 12, 2013.
  15. ↑ "SHSU receives No. 1 seed in FCS playoffs" . Retrieved April 12, 2013.
  16. ↑ "FCS National Championship Game Notes: North Dakota State 17 Sam Houston State 6". Archived from the original on July 6, 2012. Retrieved April 12, 2013.
  17. ↑ "FCS NatSam Houston State feels the blow again". NCAA.com. Retrieved April 12, 2013.
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