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.
Arkadelphia is a city in Clark County, Arkansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 10,380. The city is the county seat of Clark County. It is situated at the foothills of the Ouachita Mountains. Two universities, Henderson State University and Ouachita Baptist University, are located here. Arkadelphia was incorporated in 1857.
Ouachita Baptist University (OBU) is a private Baptist university in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. The university's name is taken from the Ouachita River, which forms the eastern campus boundary. It is affiliated with the Arkansas Baptist State Convention, a state convention affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention.
The Arkansas Razorbacks, also known as the Hogs, are the intercollegiate athletics teams representing the University of Arkansas, located in Fayetteville. The University of Arkansas student body voted to change the name of the school mascot in 1910 to the Arkansas Razorbacks after a hard-fought battle against LSU in which they were said to play like a "wild band of Razorback hogs" by former coach Hugo Bezdek. The Arkansas Razorbacks are the only major sports team in the U.S. with a porcine nickname, though the Texas A&M–Kingsville Javelinas play in Division II.
Henderson State University (HSU) is a public university in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. Founded in 1890 as Arkadelphia Methodist College, Henderson has an undergraduate enrollment of around 2,500 students. The campus is located on 156 acres (0.63 km2).
Clifford Allen Harris is an American former professional football player who was a safety for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL) for ten seasons. A Pro Football Hall of Famer, he appeared in five Super Bowls and was selected to six consecutive Pro Bowls. Harris retired from football at 31 to focus on his work within the oil business.
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 Harding Bisons football program represents Harding University in college football as a Division II member of the Great American Conference. Harding is located in Searcy, Arkansas. The Bisons are led by head coach Paul Simmons, a former Harding linebacker. They were NCAA Division II national champions in 2023.
The Henderson State Reddies football program is a college football team that represents Henderson State University. The team is a member of the Great American Conference which is in the Division II of the National Collegiate Athletic Association and are currently coached by Scott Maxfield, who is in his seventh year at the university. Home games are played at Carpenter-Haygood Stadium in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. Henderson State shares the longest rivalry in Division II football with Ouachita Baptist University Tigers, the Battle of the Ravine, which began in 1895. Gus Malzahn, deemed the father of the Hurry Up, No Huddle offense played wide receiver for the Reddies, and is one of their most famous alumni.
The Ouachita Baptist Tigers are composed of 16 teams representing Ouachita Baptist University in intercollegiate athletics, including men and women's basketball, golf, soccer, swimming, and tennis. Men's sports include baseball, football, and wrestling. Women's sports include volleyball, cross country, and softball. The Tigers compete in the NCAA Division II and are members of the Great American Conference. The wrestling team competes as a single-sport member of the Great Lakes Valley Conference. The men's and women's swimming teams compete in the New South Intercollegiate Swim Conference.
The Ouachita Baptist Tigers football program is the intercollegiate American football team for Ouachita Baptist University located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. The team competes in NCAA Division II and are members of the Great American Conference. Ouachita Baptist's first football team was fielded in 1896. The team plays home games at Benson-Williams Field at Cliff Harris Stadium in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. Todd Knight has served as head coach for the Tigers since 1999.
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.
Kiehl Frazier (kaɪl) is a former American football quarterback and safety. He attended Ouachita Baptist University in 2014, having attended Auburn University the previous three years. Frazier played backup to returning quarterback Clint Moseley for the starting quarterback position for the 2011-2013 Auburn Tigers football team.
Omon Fitzgerald Hill is a former American football player and coach and college administrator. Hill served as the head football coach at San Jose State University from 2001 to 2004, compiling a record of 14–33. He was the president of Arkansas Baptist College from 2006 to 2016.
The Battle of the Ravine is an American college football rivalry game played annually by Henderson State University and Ouachita Baptist University. The football rivalry game is tied for the oldest rivalry game in NCAA Division II, alongside the Black Hills Brawl. The current, full title is the "Southern Bancorp Battle of the Ravine".
The Southern Arkansas Mulerider baseball team represents Southern Arkansas University in NCAA Division II college baseball. SAU has competed in the Great American Conference (GAC) since 2011. Prior to joining the GAC, SAU competed in the NAIA's Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference from 1950 until moving to the NCAA in 1996. Upon moving to the NCAA, SAU competed in the Western Division of the Gulf South Conference from 1996–2011. The Muleriders play their home games on campus at Walker Stadium at Goodheart Field. Justin Pettigrew is the current head coach.
The Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference (AIC) was an athletic conference in existence from 1927 or 1928 to 1995 affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The conference membership consisted entirely of colleges and universities in the state of Arkansas.
The 2024 Harding Bisons football team represents Harding University in the 2024 NCAA Division II football season as a member of the Great American Conference (GAC). The Bisons are led by eighth-year head coach Paul Simmons and play their home games at First Security Stadium in Searcy, Arkansas.
The 2024 Ouachita Baptist Tigers football team represented Ouachita Baptist University during the 2024 NCAA Division II football season as a member of the Great American Conference (GAC). Led by twenty-fifth year head coach Todd Knight, the Tigers played their home games at Benson–Williams Field at Cliff Harris Stadium in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. Knight was named the American Football Coaches Association Regional Coach of the Year for Region 4.
