Association | NCAA |
---|---|
Founded | 1970 |
Commissioner | Matt Wilson (since 2014) |
Sports fielded |
|
Division | Division II |
No. of teams | 12 |
Headquarters | Birmingham, Alabama |
Region | Southeastern United States |
Official website | www |
Locations | |
The Gulf South Conference (GSC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level, which operates in the Southeastern United States.
Originally known as the Mid-South Athletic Conference or Mid-South Conference, the Gulf South Conference 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 (SLU) 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 SLU 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 was another season of change for the GSC. Central Arkansas moved to Division I, leaving the West Division with eight schools while Lincoln Memorial left for the South Atlantic Conference due to travel and location issues, leaving the East Division with seven schools.
Montevallo announced on June 27, 2008 that they would be leaving for the Peach Belt Conference following the 2008–09 season due to issues between the University's President and the Commissioner.
The GSC moved away from divisional play after the 2010-11 season after its six Arkansas members broke away, dropping the membership to eight. Thanks to an aggressive expansion plan, the GSC sponsored the Division II applications of Union University (TN) and Shorter University (GA), which became official members in 2014-15. The next step in bolstering its membership came in 2012, backing the Division II application of Lee University (TN) which was on track to join the league officially in 2015-16. The league added its first-ever associate member, Florida Tech, in football only in 2013. The Conference planned to add an old friend back into the fold when Mississippi College submitted its application to rejoin Division II and was on track for 2016-17 membership.
Former Commissioner Jim McCullough brought the GSC office to Birmingham when he was hired in 1979. The conference welcomed its seventh commissioner in May 2014 when Matt Wilson was selected to follow Nate Salant who retired after a 22-year stint.
Beginning with the 2011–12 academic year; Arkansas Tech University, University of Arkansas at Monticello, Harding University, Henderson State University, Ouachita Baptist University, and Southern Arkansas University left the GSC to form the Great American Conference. [1]
The University of New Orleans, which was transitioning from Division I to Division II, was accepted into the conference in June 2011, [2] but the school announced intentions to stay at Division I in March 2012. [3] In July 2011, Shorter University and Union University (Jackson, Tenn.) were accepted into the NCAA and began the multi-year transition process from the NAIA to NCAA. [4] Both universities began GSC competition in the 2012–13 academic year but will not be eligible for NCAA national tournaments until the 2014–15 academic year. [5] In August 2011, the GSC added the Florida Institute of Technology as an associate member for football beginning in the 2013 season. [6]
On October 11, 2012, Mississippi College announced that it would petition the NCAA to leave Division III and return to the conference. [7] The transition was a lengthy process; Mississippi College officially became a Division II candidate starting with the 2013–14 academic year, with the school becoming a full Division II member for 2016–17. [8]
In 2013, Lee University joined the GSC, bringing the membership to 11. Lee University moved to Division II provisional membership for the 2014-15 season. They will complete transition to Division II in the 2015-16 season. Mississippi College entered its second candidacy year with the 2014-15 season in its path to full Division II membership in 2016-17 and added Gulf South Conference teams to its schedule. [9]
The next change to the conference's membership was officially announced on December 6, 2016 when North Alabama was accepted to the ASUN Conference and would begin a transition to Division I sports in 2018. [10] In May 2020, affiliate member Florida Tech announced the discontinuation of their football program due to the financial fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. [11]
The GSC currently has 12 full members:
The GSC currently has six affiliate members:
Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined | Colors | GSC sport | Primary conference |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chowan University | Murfreesboro, North Carolina | 1848 | Baptist | 1,316 | Hawks | 2023–24 | football | Carolinas | |
Flagler College | St. Augustine, Florida | 1968 | Nonsectarian | 2,671 | Saints | 2021–22 | women's lacrosse | Peach Belt (PBC) | |
Lander University | Greenwood, South Carolina | 1872 | Public | 3,279 | Bearcats | 2019–20 | women's lacrosse | Peach Belt (PBC) | |
Erskine College | Due West, South Carolina | 1839 | Presbyterian | 800 | Flying Fleet | 2024–25 | football | Carolinas | |
North Greenville University | Tigerville, South Carolina | 1891 | Baptist | 2,428 | Trailblazers | 2018–19 | football | Carolinas | |
Spring Hill College | Mobile, Alabama | 1830 | Catholic | 1,317 | Badgers | 2014–15 | women's golf; men's soccer; women's soccer | Southern (SIAC) |
The GSC had 19 former full members, with all but four being public schools.
The GSC had three former affiliate members, one was a public school and two were private schools:
Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined | Left | GSC sport(s) | Primary conference | Current conference in GSC sport |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Florida Institute of Technology | Melbourne, Florida | 1958 | Nonsectarian | 6,451 | Panthers | 2013–14 | 2019–20 | football | Sunshine State (SSC) | dropped program |
University of Montevallo | Montevallo, Alabama | 1896 | Public | 2,559 | Falcons | 2015–16 | 2016–17 | women's lacrosse | Gulf South (GSC) | |
Young Harris College | Young Harris, Georgia | 1886 | United Methodist | 1,408 | Mountain Lions | 2015–16 | 2022–23 | women's lacrosse | Carolinas |
Full member (all sports) Full member (non-football) Associate member (football only) Associate member (sport)
School | Football | Basketball | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Stadium | Capacity | Arena | Capacity | |
Alabama–Huntsville | non-football school | Spragins Hall | 2,250 | |
Auburn–Montgomery | non-football school | AUM Basketball Complex | 2,670 | |
Chowan | Garrison Stadium | 5,000 | football-only school | |
Christian Brothers | non-football school | Canale Arena | 1,000 | |
Delta State | McCool Stadium | 8,000 | Walter Sillers Coliseum | 4,000 |
Erskine | J. W. Babb Stadium | 4,000 | football-only school | |
Lee | non-football school | Walker Arena | 2,700 | |
Mississippi College | Robinson-Hale Stadium | 8,500 | A.E. Wood Coliseum | 3,500 |
Montevallo | non-football school | Trustmark Arena | 2,000 | |
North Greenville | Younts Stadium | 5,000 | football-only school | |
Trevecca Nazarene | non-football school | Trojan Fieldhouse | 1,500 | |
Union | non-football school | Fred DeLay Gymnasium | 2,200 | |
Valdosta State | Bazemore-Hyder Stadium | 11,500 | The Complex | 5,350 |
West Alabama | Tiger Stadium | 7,000 | Pruitt Hall | 1,500 |
West Florida | Pen Air Field | 4,000 | UWF Fieldhouse | 1,180 |
The GSC sponsors competition in 8 men's sports and 9 women's sports. The conference began sponsoring women's lacrosse and men's / women's track & field in the 2015–16 school year. [13] [14]
Sport | Men's | Women's |
---|---|---|
Baseball | ||
Basketball | ||
Cross country | ||
Football | ||
Golf | ||
Lacrosse | ||
Soccer | ||
Softball | ||
Tennis | ||
Track & field outdoor | ||
Volleyball |
School | Baseball | Basketball | Cross country | Football | Golf | Soccer | Tennis | Track & Field outdoor | Total GSC sports |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Alabama–Huntsville | 5 | ||||||||
Auburn–Montgomery | 5 | ||||||||
Christian Brothers | 7 | ||||||||
Delta State | 6 | ||||||||
Lee | 7 | ||||||||
Mississippi College | 8 | ||||||||
Montevallo | 7 | ||||||||
Trevecca Nazarene | 6 | ||||||||
Union | 5 | ||||||||
Valdosta State | 6 | ||||||||
West Alabama | 7 | ||||||||
West Florida | 7 | ||||||||
Totals | 12 | 12 | 11 | 5+3 | 9 | 11+1 | 9 | 7 | 77 |
Affiliate members | |||||||||
Chowan | 1 | ||||||||
Erskine | 1 | ||||||||
North Greenville | 1 | ||||||||
Spring Hill | 1 |
Departing members in pink.
School | Basketball | Cross country | Golf | Lacrosse | Soccer | Softball | Tennis | Track & field outdoor | Volleyball | Total GSC sports |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Alabama–Huntsville | 7 | |||||||||
Auburn–Montgomery | 6 | |||||||||
Christian Brothers | 8 | |||||||||
Delta State | 5 | |||||||||
Lee | 9 | |||||||||
Mississippi College | 7 | |||||||||
Montevallo | 9 | |||||||||
Trevecca Nazarene | 7 | |||||||||
Union | 6 | |||||||||
Valdosta State | 6 | |||||||||
West Alabama | 7 | |||||||||
West Florida | 7 | |||||||||
Totals | 12 | 12 | 6+1 | 3+2 | 12+1 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 84 |
Affiliate members | ||||||||||
Flagler | 1 | |||||||||
Lander | 1 | |||||||||
Spring Hill | 2 |
School | Men | Women | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lacrosse | Swimming & Diving | Track & Field Indoor | Wrestling | Acrobatics & tumbling | Swimming & Diving | Track & Field Indoor | |||
Alabama–Huntsville | PBC | IND | IND | ||||||
Delta State | NSISC | NSISC | |||||||
Lee | IND | IND | |||||||
Mississippi College | IND | IND | |||||||
Montevallo | PBC | NSISC [a] | IND | CC | IND [a] | NSISC [a] | IND | ||
West Florida | NSISC |
Sport | School | Year(s) |
---|---|---|
Baseball | Valdosta State | 1979 |
Troy State | 1986 • 1987 | |
Jacksonville State | 1990 • 1991 | |
Delta State | 2004 | |
West Florida | 2011 | |
Men's basketball | North Alabama | 1979 • 1991 |
Jacksonville State | 1985 | |
Women's basketball | Delta State | 1975 • 1976 • 1977 • 1989 • 1990 • 1992 |
Southeastern Louisiana | 1977 | |
Football | West Alabama | 1971 |
Troy State | 1984 • 1987 | |
Mississippi College | 1989 | |
Jacksonville State | 1992 | |
North Alabama | 1993 • 1994 • 1995 | |
Delta State | 2000 | |
Valdosta State | 2004 • 2007 • 2012 • 2018 | |
West Florida | 2019 | |
Men's golf | Troy | 1976 • 1977 • 1984 |
West Florida | 2001 • 2008 | |
Lee | 2022 | |
Women's golf | Troy State | 1984 • 1986 • 1989 |
Women's gymnastics | Jacksonville State | 1984 • 1985 |
Men's ice hockey | Alabama–Huntsville | 1996 • 1998 |
Women's soccer | Christian Brothers | 2002 |
West Florida | 2012 | |
Softball | Valdosta State | 2012 |
North Alabama | 2016 | |
Men's tennis | West Florida | 2004 • 2005 • 2014 • 2017 |
Valdosta State | 2006 • 2011 | |
Men's track & field outdoor | Southeastern Louisiana | 1975 |
Women's volleyball | North Alabama | 2003 |
The Sun Belt Conference (SBC) is a collegiate athletic conference that has been affiliated with the NCAA's Division I since 1976. Originally a non-football conference, the Sun Belt began sponsoring football in 2001. Its football teams participate in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). The 14 member institutions of the Sun Belt are distributed across the Southern United States.
The Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) is a collegiate athletic conference headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, which is made up of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the Southern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I for most sports; in football, it participates in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), formerly referred to as Division I-AA.
The Peach Belt Conference (PBC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. The 10 member institutions are located in the South Atlantic states of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. In addition, seven affiliate members participate in one sport each; namely sports not sponsored by their home conferences.
The Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The 13 member universities that compete in 19 sports are located in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee. Basketball teams compete as a single division in the NAIA.
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 West Alabama Tigers football program is the intercollegiate American football team for the University of West Alabama located in the U.S. state of Alabama. The team competes in the NCAA Division II and is a member of the Gulf South Conference. West Alabama's first football team was fielded in 1938. The team plays its home games at the 7,000 seat Tiger Stadium in Livingston, Alabama. The Tigers are coached by Brett Gilliland.
The West Alabama Tigers are the athletic teams that represent the University of West Alabama, located in Livingston, Alabama, in intercollegiate sports at the Division II level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The Tigers have primarily competed in the Gulf South Conference since the 1970–71 academic year. Men's and women's rodeo compete as affiliate members in the Ozark Region of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association.
The Great American Conference (GAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level, with headquarters located in Russellville, Arkansas. Athletic competition began play during the 2011–12 school year. Its twelve all-sports member schools are located in Arkansas and Oklahoma in the South Central United States. The conference also has four men's soccer affiliate members, two in Kansas and two in Oklahoma.
The American South Conference was an NCAA Division I athletic conference that existed from 1987–88 to 1990–91. The charter members were Arkansas State University, Lamar University, Louisiana Tech University, the University of New Orleans, the University of Southwestern Louisiana and the University of Texas–Pan American. The University of Central Florida (UCF) became the only expansion school during the conference's final academic season before the conference merged with the Sun Belt Conference. The Sun Belt, which was losing all but three members, merged with the American South conference. The combined conference retained the name of the older Sun Belt Conference. Craig Thompson, the American South's first and only commissioner, became commissioner of the merged Sun Belt. After serving as Sun Belt commissioner for eight years, he became commissioner of the newly formed Mountain West Conference in 1998.
The Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys and Golden Suns are the athletic teams that represent Arkansas Tech University in Russellville, Arkansas. They are a charter member of the Great American Conference of the NCAA Division II.
The Montevallo Falcons are the athletic teams that represent the University of Montevallo, in Montevallo, Alabama, in intercollegiate sports at the Division II level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The Falcons have primarily competed in the Gulf South Conference since the 2017–18 academic year. Rivals include West Alabama, Auburn Montgomery, Alabama–Huntsville, and North Alabama.
The 2016 Valdosta State Blazers football team represented Valdosta State University as a member of the Gulf South Conference (GSC) during the 2016 NCAA Division II football season. They were led by first-year head coach Kerwin Bell and played their home games at Bazemore–Hyder Stadium in Valdosta, Georgia. Valdosta State compiled an overall record of 8–3 with a mark of 6–2 in conference play, placing second in the GSC. They were invited to the NCAA Division II Football Championship playoffs, where they lost in the first round to UNC Pembroke.
The 2017 North Alabama Lions football team represented the University of North Alabama during the 2017 NCAA Division II football season. They were led by first-yer head coach Chris Willis. The Lions played their home games at Braly Municipal Stadium and were members of the Gulf South Conference. They finished the season 5–5, 5–3 in GSC play to finish in a five-way tie for second place.
The 2018 Mississippi College Choctaws football team represented Mississippi College during the 2018 NCAA Division II football season. They were led by fifth-year head coach John Bland. The Choctaws played their home games at Robinson-Hale Stadium and were members of the Gulf South Conference (GSC).
The 2018 Valdosta State Blazers football team represented Valdosta State University as a member of the Gulf South Conference (GSC) during the 2018 NCAA Division II football season. They were led by third-year head coach Kerwin Bell, who also served as offensive coordinator. The Blazers played their home games at Bazemore–Hyder Stadium in Valdosta, Georgia. Valdosta State compiled an overall record of 14–0 with a conference mark of 8–0, winning the GSC title. They beat Ferris State in the NCAA Division II Championship Game to win the program's fourth national title.
The 2018 West Alabama Tigers football team represented University of West Alabama during the 2018 NCAA Division II football season. They were led by fifth-year head coach Brett Gilliland. The Tigers played their home games at Tiger Stadium and are members of the Gulf South Conference.
The 2018 West Florida Argonauts football team represented the University of West Florida in the 2018 NCAA Division II football season. They were led by third-year head coach Pete Shinnick. The Argonauts played their home games at Blue Wahoos Stadium and are members of the Gulf South Conference.
The 2019 Mississippi College Choctaws football team represented Mississippi College during the 2019 NCAA Division II football season. They were led by sixth-year head coach John Bland. The Choctaws played their home games at Robinson-Hale Stadium and were members of the Gulf South Conference (GSC).
The 2019 West Florida Argonauts football team represented the University of West Florida as a member of the Gulf South Conference (GSC) during the 2019 NCAA Division II football season. They were led by fourth-year head coach Pete Shinnick. The Argonauts played their home games at Blue Wahoos Stadium. The Argonauts won the 2019 NCAA Division II Football Championship by defeating Minnesota State, 48–40 in the 2019 NCAA Division II Football Championship Game.
The 2022 Gulf South Conference football season was the season of college football played by the eight member schools of the Gulf South Conference (GSC) as part of the 2022 NCAA Division II football season.