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Central Arkansas Bears and Sugar Bears | |
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University | University of Central Arkansas |
Conference | ASUN Conference (primary) United Athletic Conference (football) |
NCAA | Division I (FCS) |
Athletic director | Matt Whiting |
Location | Conway, Arkansas |
Varsity teams | 17 (7 men's, 10 women's) |
Football stadium | Estes Stadium |
Basketball arena | Farris Center |
Baseball stadium | Bear Stadium |
Softball stadium | Farris Field |
Soccer stadium | Bill Stephens Track/Soccer Complex |
Other venues | Prince Center (volleyball) |
Mascot | Bruce D. Bear and Sugar Bear |
Nickname | Bears and Sugar Bears |
Colors | Purple and gray [1] |
Website | www |
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 (formerly I-AA football) 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. [2]
UCA joined the ASUN in July 2021 after having been a member of the Southland Conference. At the time, the ASUN did not sponsor football, but had committed to launching an FCS football league in the near future. [3] UCA played the 2021 season as a de facto associate member of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC), competing in a football partnership between the two leagues officially branded as the "ASUN–WAC Challenge". [4] The ASUN started its football league in the 2022 season, but maintained its football partnership with the WAC. After that season, the two conferences merged their football leagues to create the UAC.
NAIA
NCAA
Prior to moving to Division II, UCA competed in NAIA Division I for most sports, winning the national football championship three times (1984 {co-champs}, 1985 {co-champs} and 1991) and finishing runner-up once (1976). Between 1979 and 1992, UCA won or shared 13 out of 14 Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference championships (AIC) and went to the playoffs 12 times in that span. A number of former Bears have found success in the NFL, including Tom McConnaughey, Jacob Ford, Landon Trusty, Willie Davis, Tyree Davis, Dave Burnette, Curtis Burrow, Andre Collins, David Evans, and most notably Monte Coleman.
From 1993 to 2006, UCA competed in the West Division of the Gulf South Conference. In 2005–2006, UCA's men's athletic teams won that conference's All Sports Trophy. However, on July 1, 2006, UCA began the transition to Division I and joined the Southland Conference, with the Bears also becoming Associate members of the Missouri Valley Conference for men's soccer.
In 2008, the UCA Bear Football Team defeated more Southland Conference opponents than any other conference team and were declared "Unofficial Southland Conference Champions." (Neither the Southland Conference nor the NCAA would recognize UCA as the champions due to the transition period from Division II.)
Men's sports | Women's sports |
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Baseball | Basketball |
Basketball | Beach volleyball |
Cross country | Cross country |
Football | Golf |
Golf | Soccer |
Soccer | Softball |
Track and field† | Tennis |
Track and field† | |
Volleyball | |
† – Track and field includes both indoor and outdoor |
Former National Basketball Association player Scottie Pippen played basketball at Central Arkansas. Pippen was a 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) walk-on his first year at UCA, but by the start of his sophomore year, he had grown to 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) and would be a starter for the next three seasons. Pippen was drafted by the Seattle SuperSonics with the fifth pick in the 1987 NBA draft, and then traded to the Chicago Bulls for Olden Polynice. Pippen won six NBA championships (1991–1993 and 1996–1998) while playing for the Bulls (1987–1998). While still an active player, Pippen was voted as one of the NBA's Top 50 Players of All-Time, and the Chicago Bulls retired his jersey number (#33). His jersey at UCA is also retired, and hangs in the rafters. Pippen also played for the Houston Rockets (1998–1999) and the Portland Trail Blazers (1999–2003). Pippen is retired, and lives with his family in Fort Lauderdale, Florida; his son Scotty Jr. currently plays college basketball at Vanderbilt.
The Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN) is a collegiate athletic conference operating mostly in the Southeastern United States. The league participates at the NCAA Division I level, and began sponsoring football at the Division I FCS level in 2022. Originally established as the Trans America Athletic Conference (TAAC) in 1978, it was renamed as the Atlantic Sun Conference in 2001, and briefly rebranded as the ASUN Conference from 2016 to 2023. The conference still uses "ASUN" as an official abbreviation. The conference headquarters are located in Jacksonville. On May 8, 2024, the conference announced it would move its headquarters from Atlanta, Georgia to Jacksonville, Florida in the fall of 2024.
The Houston Christian Huskies, HCU or Huskies are the athletic teams that represent Houston Christian University, located in Houston, Texas, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the Division I level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), primarily competing in the Southland Conference for most of its sports since the 2013–14 academic year; as of the current 2023 NCAA soccer season, its men's soccer team competes in the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC). The Huskies previously competed the D-I Great West Conference from 2008–09 to 2012–13 after spending one season as an NCAA D-I Independent during the 2007–08 school year ; in the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 1998–99 to 2006–07; and as an NAIA Independent from 1989–90 to 1997–98. Houston Christian's (HCU) official school colors are royal blue and orange.
The Eastern Kentucky Colonels are the intercollegiate athletic teams of Eastern Kentucky University (EKU), located in Richmond, Kentucky, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the NCAA Division I ranks, primarily competing in the ASUN Conference since the 2021–22 academic year. Its football team competes in the United Athletic Conference (UAC), which starts play in 2023 as a football-only merger of the ASUN and the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). The Colonels previously competed in the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) from 1948–49 to 2020–21.
The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks and Ladyjacks are composed of 16 teams representing Stephen F. Austin State University (SFA) in intercollegiate athletics. Stephen F. Austin teams participate in Division I as a member of the Southland Conference (SLC), having rejoined that conference on July 1, 2024 after three years in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). The football team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision for football in the SLC. The only SFA sport not sponsored by the SLC is women's bowling, which competes in Conference USA (CUSA).
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 Jacksonville State Gamecocks football program is the intercollegiate American football team for Jacksonville State University (JSU) located in the U.S. state of Alabama. The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) as a member of the Conference USA. Jacksonville State's first football team was fielded in 1904. The team plays its home games at the 24,000-seat Burgess–Snow Field at AmFirst Stadium in Jacksonville, Alabama.
The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks football program is the intercollegiate American football team for Stephen F. Austin State University (SFA) located in the U.S. state of Texas. The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) as members of the Southland Conference, which SFA rejoins for the 2024 season after a three-year absence. SFA had played the 2023 season in the United Athletic Conference (UAC), newly formed for the 2023 season as a merger of the football leagues of SFA's previous home of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) and the Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN). It replaced an alliance between the two conferences that operated in the 2021 and 2022 seasons.
Abilene Christian Wildcats refers to the sports teams of Abilene Christian University located in Abilene, Texas. The Wildcats joined the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) on July 1, 2021, after having spent the previous eight years in the Southland Conference. The nickname "Wildcat" is derived from the mascot of the team.
The Abilene Christian Wildcats football program is the intercollegiate American football team for the Abilene Christian University located in the U.S. state of Texas. The team was a member of the Southland Conference through the 2020–21 season, but joined the Western Athletic Conference in July 2021, coinciding with that league's reinstatement of football as an official conference sport. After the 2022 season, the WAC fully merged its football league with that of the ASUN Conference, creating what eventually became the United Athletic Conference, and ACU accordingly moved its football team to the new league. The school's first football team was fielded in 1919. The team plays its home games at the on-campus Anthony Field at Wildcat Stadium.
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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 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.
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The Central Arkansas Sugar Bears softball team represents the University of Central Arkansas, located in Conway, Arkansas. The Sugar Bears are a member of the ASUN Conference and participate in NCAA Division I college softball. The team is currently led by head coach David Kuhn and plays home games at Farris Field.
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The Central Arkansas Sugar Bears basketball team is the women's basketball team that represents the University of Central Arkansas (UCA) in Conway, Arkansas. The Sugar Bears compete in the ASUN Conference. They completed a 15-season tenure in the Southland Conference in 2020–21. The Sugar Bears are coached by Tony Kemper.
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 were full members of the Western Athletic Conference through the 2023–24 school year In March 2024, it was reported that the Vaqueros would leave the WAC for the Southland Conference, beginning in the 2024-25 academic year.
The Central Arkansas Bears basketball statistical leaders are individual statistical leaders of the Central Arkansas Bears basketball program in various categories, including points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks. Within those areas, the lists identify single-game, single-season, and career leaders. The Bears represent the University of Central Arkansas (UCA) in men's basketball as members of the NCAA Division I ASUN Conference.
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