Little Rock Central High School (LRCH) is an accredited comprehensive public high school in Little Rock, Arkansas, United States. The school was the site of the Little Rock Crisis in 1957 after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that segregation by race in public schools was unconstitutional three years earlier. This was during the period of heightened activism in the civil rights movement.
The University of Central Arkansas is a public university in Conway, Arkansas. Founded in 1907 as the Arkansas State Normal School, the university is one of the oldest in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As the state's only normal school at the time, UCA has historically been the primary source of teachers in Arkansas. It was one of about 180 "normal schools" founded by state governments to train teachers for the rapidly growing public common schools. Some closed but most steadily expanded their role and became state colleges in the early 20th century and state universities in the late 20th century.
First Security Field at Estes Stadium is a 10,000-seat multi-purpose stadium in Conway, Arkansas. It is home to the Central Arkansas Bears football team, representing the University of Central Arkansas in the NCAA's United Athletic Conference. The facility opened in 1939. In 2007, university President Lu Hardin announced that corporate sponsorship had been secured for the stadium from a local bank. As a result, the formal title of the stadium is First Security Field at Estes Stadium. The stadium is named after Dan Estes, who coached the Bears from 1915 to 1932.
The Central Arkansas Bears and Sugar Bears represent the University of Central Arkansas (UCA) in NCAA Division I ASUN Conference, The football team competes in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision as a member of the United Athletic Conference (UAC). The athletic program is supported by the efforts of a diverse group of over 400 male and female student-athletes. Its men's teams are called the Bears and the women's are the Sugar Bears.
The Central Arkansas Bears football program is the intercollegiate American football team for University of Central Arkansas (UCA) located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) as a member of the United Athletic Conference (UAC), which started play in 2023. For the 2021 season, UCA was a de facto associate member of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC), and in 2022 it played in its full-time home of the ASUN Conference. Central Arkansas's first football team was fielded in 1908. The team plays its home games at the 12,000-seat Estes Stadium in Conway, Arkansas. The Bears are coached by Nathan Brown, in his seventh year.
The 2011 Central Arkansas Bears football team represented the University of Central Arkansas as a member of the Southland Conference during the 2011 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by 12th-year head coach Clint Conque, the Bears compiled an overall record of 9–4 with a mark of 6–1 in conference play placing second in the Southland. Central Arkansas received an at-large bid into the NCAA Division I FCS Football Championship playoffs, where the Bears defeated Tennessee Tech in the first round before falling to Montana in the second round.
The Central Arkansas Bears basketball team represents the University of Central Arkansas (UCA) in NCAA Division I men's basketball competition. UCA currently plays in the ASUN Conference, which it joined in 2021 after 15 seasons as a member of the Southland Conference. The Bears play home games at the Farris Center located on the UCA campus in Conway, Arkansas and are currently led by head coach John Shulman.
The 2012 Ole Miss Rebels football team represented the University of Mississippi in the 2012 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by Hugh Freeze, who was in his first season with Ole Miss. The Rebels played their home games at Vaught–Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Mississippi, and competed in the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC).
The Central Arkansas Bears baseball team is a varsity intercollegiate athletic team of the University of Central Arkansas (UCA) in Conway, Arkansas. The team is a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference, which is part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I, since the start of the 2022 season. The Bears, coached by Nick Harlan, play home games at Bear Stadium on the UCA campus.
The 2012 Central Arkansas Bears football team represented the University of Central Arkansas in the 2012 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Bears were led by 13th year head coach Clint Conque and played their home games at Estes Stadium. They were a member of the Southland Conference. They finished the season 9–3, 6–1 in Southland play to share the conference championship with Sam Houston State. Due to their victory over Sam Houston State, the Bears received the Southland's automatic bid into the FCS Playoffs where they lost in the second round to Georgia Southern.
The Red Beans and Rice Bowl is the name of the rivalry between the Central Arkansas Bears and the McNeese Cowboys. The winner of the game receives a bronzed bowl trophy. The name of the game was chosen by the two schools to recognize the importance of the rice industry in Louisiana and Arkansas. The two teams have met thirteen times on the football field, with Central Arkansas leading 7–6.
The 2014 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team represented Texas Tech University in the 2014 NCAA Division I FBS football season as members of the Big 12 Conference. Kliff Kingsbury lead the Red Raiders in his second season as the program's fifteenth head coach. The Red Raiders played home games on the university's campus in Lubbock, Texas at Jones AT&T Stadium. They finished the season 4–8, 2–7 in Big 12 play to finish in eighth place.
The 2015 Central Arkansas Bears football team represented the University of Central Arkansas in the 2015 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Bears were led by second-year head coach Steve Campbell and played their home games at Estes Stadium. They were a member of the Southland Conference. They finished the season 7–4, 7–2 in Southland play to finish in a tie for second place. They were not invited to the FCS Playoffs.
The 2016 Central Arkansas Bears football team represented the University of Central Arkansas in the 2016 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Bears were led by third-year head coach Steve Campbell and played their home games at Estes Stadium. They were a member of the Southland Conference. They finished the season 10–3 overall and 8–1 in Southland play to finish in second place. They received an at-large bid to the FCS Playoffs where they defeated Illinois State in the first round, before losing in the second round to Eastern Washington.
The 2017 Central Arkansas Bears football team represented the University of Central Arkansas in the 2017 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Bears were led by fourth-year head coach Steve Campbell and played their home games at Estes Stadium. They were a member of the Southland Conference. They finished the season 10–2, 9–0 in Southland play to be crowned Southland Conference champions. They received the Southland's automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs where they lost to New Hampshire in the Second Round.
The 2018 Central Arkansas Bears football team represented the University of Central Arkansas in the 2018 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Bears were led by first-year head coach Nathan Brown and played their home games at Estes Stadium. They were a member of the Southland Conference. They finished the season 6–5, 5–4 in Southland play to finish in a four-way tie for fourth place.
The 2019 Central Arkansas Bears football team represents the University of Central Arkansas in the 2019 NCAA Division I FCS football season as a member of the Southland Conference. The Bears are led by second-year head coach Nathan Brown and play their home games at Estes Stadium. UCA finished the regular season 9–3 overall, 7–2 in Southland Conference play, earning a share of the 2019 Southland Conference championship, and a first round bye in the FCS playoffs with a #8 seeding.
The 2020 Central Arkansas Bears football team represented the University of Central Arkansas in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I FCS football season as a member of the Southland Conference. The Bears were led by third-year head coach Nathan Brown and played their home games at Estes Stadium.
The 2021 Central Arkansas Bears football team represented the University of Central Arkansas in the 2021 NCAA Division I FCS football season as a member of the ASUN Conference. The Bears were led by fourth-year head coach Nathan Brown and played their home games at Estes Stadium.
The 2022 Central Arkansas Bears football team represented the University of Central Arkansas as a member of the ASUN Conference during the 2022 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Bears were led by fifth-year head coach Nathan Brown and played their home games at Estes Stadium.