Houston Christian University (HCU), formerly Houston Baptist University (HBU), is a private Baptist university in Houston, Texas. It is affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas. Its Cultural Arts Center houses three museums: the Dunham Bible Museum, the Museum of American Architecture and Decorative Arts, and the Museum of Southern History.
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 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 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.
The Incarnate Word Cardinals football program is the intercollegiate American football team for the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) located in San Antonio, Texas. The program began in 2009 and originally competed in NCAA Division II as members of the Lone Star Conference. In 2013, the school moved to Division I. For the 2013 season, UIW competed as a member of the Southland Conference for all sports except football. Football competed with an 11-game schedule as an Independent. UIW began playing Southland football in the 2014 season. The team plays its home games at the 6,000 seat Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium.
The 2013 Houston Baptist Huskies football team represented Houston Baptist University—now known as Houston Christian University—as an independent in the 2013 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Huskies, playing the program's first season, were led by first-year head coach Vic Shealy and compiled a record of 3–4. However, they were not considered a FCS team for scheduling purposes until 2014. They played three home games at Crusader Stadium and one home game at BBVA Compass Stadium. This was an exhibition season for the Huskies. The season did not count against the players academic eligibility, but they also were not eligible for the FCS playoffs. They played a mixed schedule of schools from the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), NCAA Division II, and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).
The 2014 Houston Baptist Huskies football team represented Houston Baptist University—now known as Houston Christian University—as a member of the Southland Conference during the 2014 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by second-year head coach Vic Shealy the Huskies compiled an overall record of 2–9 with a mark of 1–7 in conference play, placing tenth in the Southland. 2014 was Houston Baptist's first official season of college football—the seven-game 2013 season was technically an exhibition season—and the first as a member of the Southland Conference for football.
The 2015 Houston Baptist Huskies football team represented Houston Baptist University—now known as Houston Christian University—as a member of the Southland Conference during the 2015 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by third-year head coach Vic Shealy the Huskies compiled an overall record of 2–9 with a mark of 0–8 in conference play, placing last out of 11 teams in the Southland. Houston Baptist played home games at Husky Stadium in Houston.
The 2016 Houston Baptist Huskies football team represented Houston Baptist University—now known as Houston Christian University—as a member of the Southland Conference during the 2016 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by fourth-year head coach Vic Shealy the Huskies compiled an overall record of 4–7 with a mark of 4–5 in conference play, placing seventh in the Southland. Houston Baptist played home games at Husky Stadium in Houston.
The 2017 Sam Houston State Bearkats football team represented Sam Houston State University in the 2017 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Bearkats were led by fourth-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 12–2, 8–1 in Southland play to finish in second place. They received an at-large bid to the FCS playoffs where they defeated South Dakota in the first round and Kennesaw State in the quarterfinals before losing in the semifinals to North Dakota State.
The 2017 Houston Baptist Huskies football team represented Houston Baptist University—now known as Houston Christian University—as a member of the Southland Conference during the 2017 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by fifth-year head coach Vic Shealy the Huskies compiled an overall record of 1–10 with a mark of 0–9 in conference play, placing last out of 11 teams in the Southland. Houston Baptist played home games at Husky Stadium in Houston.
The 2018 Houston Baptist Huskies football team represented Houston Baptist University—now known as Houston Christian University—as a member of the Southland Conference during the 2018 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by sixth-year head coach Vic Shealy the Huskies compiled an overall record of 1–10 with a mark of 0–9 in conference play, placing last out of 11 teams in the Southland. Houston Baptist played home games at Husky Stadium in Houston.
The 2020 Houston Baptist Huskies football team represented Houston Baptist University in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Huskies played four non-conference games in the fall of 2020 and opted out of the Southland Conference season played in the spring of 2021 and instead competed as an FCS independent. Led by eighth-year head coach Vic Shealy, Houston Baptist compiled a record of 1–3. The team played home games at Husky Stadium in Houston.
The 2022 NCAA Division I FCS football season, part of college football in the United States, is organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level. The regular season began on August 27 and ended on November 19. The postseason began on November 26, and ended on January 8, 2023, with the 2023 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. South Dakota State defeated defending champion North Dakota State, 45-21, to win the title.
The 2022 Houston Christian Huskies football team represented Houston Christian University as a member of the Southland Conference during the 2022 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by tenth-year head coach Vic Shealy the Huskies compiled an overall record of 2–9. The Huskies tied for seventh place with Lamar in conference play with a 1–5 conference record. The Huskies played home games at Husky Stadium in Houston.
The 2022–23 Houston Christian Huskies men's basketball team represented Houston Christian University in the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Huskies, led by 32nd-year head coach Ron Cottrell, played their home games at Sharp Gymnasium in Houston, Texas as members of the Southland Conference. They finished the season 10–22, 7–11 in Southland play to finish in a tie for sixth place. As the No. 6 seed in the Southland tournament, they lost New Orleans in the first round.
The 2023 Incarnate Word Cardinals football team represented the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) as a member of the Southland Conference during the 2023 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Cardinals played their home games at Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium in San Antonio, Texas. They were led by first-year head coach Clint Killough.
The 2023 Houston Christian Huskies football team represented Houston Christian University as a member of the Southland Conference during the 2023 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by first-year head coach Braxton Harris, the Huskies played their home games at Husky Stadium in Houston. On November 11, the Huskies secured their first winning conference record along with their first non-losing season in program history with a road victory over McNeese State. Led by first-year head coach Braxton Harris, the Huskies compiled an overall record of 5–5. The Huskies finished in fourth place in conference play with a 4–3 record.
The 2023 Lamar Cardinals football team represented Lamar University in the 2023 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Cardinals played their home games at Provost Umphrey Stadium in Beaumont, Texas, and competed in the Southland Conference. They were led by first–year head coach Pete Rossomando. The Cardinals finished the season with a 6–5 overall record, and a 5–2 record in Southland Conference play for a third-place conference finish. The 2023 season was the first season since 2018 with an overall winning record.
The 2023–24 Houston Christian Huskies men's basketball team represented Houston Christian University in the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Huskies, led by 33rd-year head coach Ron Cottrell, played their home games at Sharp Gymnasium in Houston, Texas as members of the Southland Conference. They finished the season 6–23, 4–14 in Southland play to finish in a tie for eighth place. They failed to qualify for the Southland tournament.
Jalyx Benjamin HuntJAY-liks; born March 13, 2001) is an American professional football linebacker for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Cornell Big Red and the Houston Christian Huskies and was selected by the Eagles in the third round of the 2024 NFL draft.
