The Southland Conference, abbreviated as SLC, is a collegiate athletic conference which operates in the South Central United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I for all sports; for football, it participates in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). The Southland sponsors 18 sports, 10 for women and eight for men, and is governed by a presidential Board of Directors and an Advisory Council of athletic and academic administrators. Tom Burnett was named the Southland's sixth commissioner on December 23, 2002. From 1996 to 2002, for football only, the Southland Conference was known as the Southland Football League.
The McNeese Cowboys and Cowgirls are composed of 14 teams representing McNeese State University in intercollegiate athletics, including men's and women's basketball, cross country, golf, and track and field. Men's sports include baseball and football. Women's sports include volleyball, tennis, soccer, and softball. The Cowboys and Cowgirls compete in NCAA Division I, with Cowboys football competing in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), and are members of the Southland Conference.
The Lamar Cardinals and Lady Cardinals refers to the college athletics teams of Lamar University, in Beaumont, Texas. The Cardinals and Lady Cardinals teams compete in seventeen NCAA Division I sports as a member of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) after officially joining the conference on July 1, 2021.
The UTSA Roadrunners is a collegiate athletic program that represents the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). The UTSA Roadrunners are also commonly referred to as "UTSA", "Roadrunners", "Runners", “The Meep Meeps”, or simply “The Birds”, and are represented by the mascot Rowdy. The origin of Rowdy dates back to 1977, when the Roadrunner was chosen as the university's mascot by student election. The Roadrunners compete in the NCAA Division I Conference USA in 17 varsity sports. UTSA is San Antonio's only institution that competes in Division I FBS. UTSA joined the Western Athletic Conference on July 1, 2012. In April 2012, it was announced that UTSA would join Conference USA on July 1, 2013. Eight years later on October 21, 2021 it was announced that UTSA would join the American Athletic Conference. The UTSA Cheer team has garnered two National Cheerleading Associations’ (NCA) collegiate national championships, first in 2012 and again in 2021. The cheer team has also secured a pair of top 5 finishes in 2019.
Houston Baptist Huskies, also known as Houston Baptist, HBU or Huskies, refers to the sports teams of Houston Baptist University. HBU's official school colors are royal blue and orange. With the inception of the athletics program at the university in 1960 until 1990 the Huskies were a part of the NCAA. After playing for seventeen years as a member of the NAIA, the Huskies began play as an NCAA Division I team again in 2007 and became a full member of the NCAA for the 2011–12 academic year.
The UT Arlington Mavericks are the athletic teams that represent the University of Texas at Arlington in Arlington, Texas. The Mavericks currently compete in the NCAA Division I Sun Belt Conference in 15 varsity sports, but will move to the Western Athletic Conference in July 2022. The number rose to 15 in the fall of 2017 as the University announced women's golf will begin their first season of competition.
The Central Arkansas Bears and Sugar Bears represent the University of Central Arkansas (UCA) in NCAA Division I's Football Championship Subdivision as a member of the ASUN Conference. 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 Nicholls Colonels are the 15 teams representing Nicholls State University, a university in Louisiana, in intercollegiate athletics. The Colonels compete in the NCAA Division I and the Colonels football team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). The Colonels sports teams are members of the Southland Conference.
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 ASUN Conference, which will play its first football season in 2022. For the 2021 season, UCA was a de facto associate member of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). 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 second year.
The Nicholls Colonels football program is the intercollegiate American football team for Nicholls State University located in Thibodaux, Louisiana, United States. The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and are members of the Southland Conference. Nicholls' first football team was fielded in 1972. The team plays its home games at the 10,500 seat Manning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium in Thibodaux, Louisiana. The Colonels are coached by Tim Rebowe.
The Sam Houston Bearkats football program is the intercollegiate American football team for Sam Houston State University located in the U.S. state of Texas. The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) as a member of the Western Athletic Conference through the 2020–21 season. Sam Houston's first football team was fielded in 1912. The team plays its home games at the 12,593-seat Bowers Stadium in Huntsville, Texas. On January 23, 2014, K. C. Keeler was named the 15th head coach in Sam Houston program history.
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. 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.
The 2011 NCAA Division I FCS football season, part of college football in the United States, was organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level. The season began on September 1, 2011, and concluded with the 2012 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game on January 7, 2012, at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas. North Dakota State won their first FCS championship, defeating Sam Houston State by a final score of 17–6.
The 2018 Lamar Cardinals football team represented Lamar University in the 2018 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Cardinals were led by second-year head coach Mike Schultz and played their home games at Provost Umphrey Stadium. They played as a member of the Southland Conference. They finished the season 7–5, 6–3 in Southland play to finish in third place. They received an at-large berth to the FCS Playoffs, where they lost in the first round to Northern Iowa.
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 Nicholls Colonels football team represented Nicholls State University in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I FCS football season as a member of the Southland Conference. The Colonels were led by sixth-year head coach Tim Rebowe and played their home games at Manning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium.
The 2020 Sam Houston State Bearkats football team represented Sam Houston State University in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I FCS football season as a member of the Southland Conference. The Bearkats were led by seventh-year head coach K. C. Keeler and played their home games at Bowers Stadium.
The 2021 Nicholls Colonels football team represented Nicholls State University in the 2021 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Colonels were led by seventh-year head coach Tim Rebowe. They played their home games at Manning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium as members of the Southland Conference.