Southern Illinois Salukis

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Southern Illinois Salukis
Southern Illinois Salukis logo.svg
University Southern Illinois University
Conference Missouri Valley Conference (primary)
Missouri Valley Football Conference
Mid-American Conference (Men's Swimming & Diving)
NCAA Division I (FCS)
Athletic directorTim Leonard
Location Carbondale, Illinois
Varsity teams16 (8 men's and 8 women's)
Football stadium Saluki Stadium
Basketball arena Banterra Center
Other venues Davies Gym
MascotBrown Dawg & Gray Dawg
NicknameSalukis
Fight songGo Southern Go!
ColorsMaroon and white [1]
   
Website www.siusalukis.com
Southern Illinois Salukis wordmark.svg

The Southern Illinois Salukis are the varsity athletic teams representing Southern Illinois University Carbondale. The nickname comes from the Saluki, the Royal Dog of Egypt and the Persian greyhound, which ties into the fact that southern Illinois has had the nickname "Little Egypt" for just under 200 years.

Contents

The Salukis play their home basketball games at Banterra Center and football games at Saluki Stadium.

Southern Illinois University was a member of the Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference from 1913 to 1962. The school is currently a member of the Missouri Valley Conference in most sports. The football team is a member of the Division I Football Championship Subdivision Missouri Valley Football Conference.

Mascot

SIU's sports mascot is the Saluki. A Saluki is one of the oldest dog breeds, dating back over 6000 years and is an Egyptian hunting dog. They are sight hounds and can run in excess of 42 mph. The greyhound, afghan, borzoi and whippet are derived from Saluki. [2] SIU's teams originally competed under the team name "Maroons" from 1913 to 1951. [2] Then the Saluki was chosen as SIU's mascot on March 19, 1951, in part because the southern Illinois region is colloquially known as Little Egypt. [2]

Sports sponsored

Men's sportsWomen's sports
Baseball Basketball
Basketball Cross country
Cross countryGolf
Football Softball
GolfSwimming and diving
Swimming and divingTrack and field†
Track and field†Volleyball
† – Track and field includes both indoor and outdoor
Missouri Valley Conference's logo in SIU's colors Missouri Valley Conference in Southern Illinois Salukis colors.svg
Missouri Valley Conference's logo in SIU's colors

A member of the Missouri Valley Conference, Southern Illinois University Carbondale currently sponsors 16 sports—eight each for men and women—in NCAA-sanctioned competition. The most recent change to the roster of SIU sports came at the end of the 2016–17 school year, when the school dropped men's and women's tennis. [3]

Men's basketball

The school athletics may be best known for the men's basketball program. Success for the Salukis has been recent and historical. SIU has advanced to six consecutive NCAA Tournaments (2002–2007), advancing to two Sweet 16s and accruing an NCAA Tournament record of 5–6 during that time. SIU is also the 1967 NIT Champions led by NBA Hall of Famer Walt Frazier.

Chris Lowery was the coach of the Salukis and led the team to the NCAA tournament every year from the 2004–05 season through the 2006–07 season, where they made an appearance in the Sweet Sixteen. He was let go from the school following the 2011–2012 season. On March 28, 2012, Barry Hinson was named head coach.

Football

SIU competes in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (formerly known as 1-AA) in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. SIU has been ranked in the Top-20 of the FCS Coaches Poll for 54 straight weeks. The Salukis have won 40 games since 2003, ranking 12th in Division 1 football during that time span. [4] The team is coached by head coach Nick Hill, a former assistant coach and quarterback for the Salukis. [5]

SIU Football has won numerous conference championship and in 1983 The Salukis won the NCAA Division I-AA Champions, with a 43–7 win over Western Carolina. [6]

Men's gymnastics

SIU's also had a men's gymnastics team until the program was canceled in 1989. [7] From 1956 until the program was canceled, Bill Meade was the coach of the team. [7] During that time the program turned out 55 NCAA All-Americans and 15 NCAA Individual National Champions while winning four NCAA Division I championships in 1964, 1966, 1967, and 1972. [7] The Men's Gymnastics program also holds the longest winning streak of any SIU program winning 68 consecutive meets from 1961 to 1968. [7]

Softball

SIU's softball team has appeared in four Women's College World Series, in 1970, 1971, 1977 and 1978. [8]

National team championships

As of July 2, 2014, Southern Illinois has won 5 Division I and 3 Division II NCAA national championships: [9]

Division I

Division II

The following 3 national championships were not bestowed by the NCAA:

Facilities

Saluki Way

On September 9, 2005, the plans for Saluki Way were unveiled by Chancellor Walter Wendler. [10] The plan called for the construction of a new football stadium, renovation of SIU Arena (Now the Banterra Center), a new track and field complex, renovation and new additions of academic buildings, a remodeled Morris Library, and other campus improvements.

Saluki Stadium

SIU Football plays at the new 15,000-seat Saluki Stadium, which replaces McAndrew Stadium. The new stadium was part of the university's larger athletic facilities plan, "Saluki Way," to renovate and restructure the campus athletic facilities. [11]

Saluki Stadium opened on September 2, 2010, when a sellout crowd of 15,200 watched the Salukis defeat Quincy 70–7. [12] The new football stadium is currently named Saluki Stadium. As of right now, no official naming rights have been sold.

Banterra Center

Banterra Center is an 8,339-seat arena on the SIU campus; it is the home of Saluki men's and women's basketball teams. The arena underwent a renovation as a part of Saluki Way. Known as the SIU Arena from 1964 to 2019, Banterra Bank purchased the naming rights for $4 million over ten years, with an option to extend the contract for an additional ten years for an additional $6 million. [13]

Troutt-Wittman Center

The Troutt-Wittmann Academic and Training Center, [14] a facility to give Saluki athletes the opportunity to gain help with their studies, as well as train and condition, was built with a donation by SIU alumnus and former Saluki football player Thomas Wittmann.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Illinois University Carbondale</span> Public university in Carbondale, Illinois, US

Southern Illinois University is a public research university in Carbondale, Illinois. Chartered in 1869, SIU is the oldest and flagship campus of the Southern Illinois University system. SIU enrolls students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries. Originally founded as a normal college, the university today provides programs in a variety of disciplines, combining a strong liberal arts tradition with a focus on research. SIU was granted limited university status in 1943 and began offering graduate degrees in 1950. A separate campus was established in Edwardsville, Illinois in 1957, eventually becoming Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Illinois Salukis men's basketball</span> Mens basketball team

The Southern Illinois Salukis men's basketball team represents Southern Illinois University Carbondale in Carbondale, Illinois. The Salukis compete in the NCAA Division 1, and they play their home games at Banterra Center. As of March 2019, Saluki Hall of Fame basketball player, Bryan Mullins, has become the newest head coach of the Southern Illinois basketball program.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Illinois Salukis football</span> Football program representing Southern Illinois University Carbondale

The Southern Illinois Salukis football program represents Southern Illinois University Carbondale in college football. The Salukis are a member of the NCAA and compete at the Division I Football Championship Subdivision level. The Salukis are a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference and play in Saluki Stadium on the campus of Southern Illinois University Carbondale in Carbondale, Illinois, which has a seating capacity of 15,000.

The 2010 Southern Illinois Salukis football team represented Southern Illinois University Carbondale as a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) during the 2010 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by third-year head coach Dale Lennon, the Salukis compiled an overall record of 5–6 with a mark of 4–4 in conference play, placing in a six-way tie for third in the MVFC. Southern Illinois played home games at the newly-opened Saluki Stadium in Carbondale, Illinois.

The 2012 Southern Illinois Salukis football team represented Southern Illinois University Carbondale as a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) during the 2012 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by fifth-year head coach Dale Lennon, the Salukis compiled an overall record of 6–5 with a mark of 5–3 in conference play, placing in a three-way tie for third in the MVFC. Southern Illinois played home games at Saluki Stadium in Carbondale, Illinois.

The 2013–14 Southern Illinois Salukis men's basketball team represented Southern Illinois University Carbondale during the 2013–14 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Salukis, led by second year head coach Barry Hinson, played their home games at the SIU Arena and were members of the Missouri Valley Conference. They finished the season 14–19, 9–9 in MVC play to finish in a three way tie for fourth place. They advanced to the semifinals of the Missouri Valley tournament where they lost to Indiana State.

The 2014–15 Southern Illinois Salukis men's basketball team represented Southern Illinois University Carbondale during the 2014–15 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Salukis, led by third year head coach Barry Hinson, played their home games at the SIU Arena and were members of the Missouri Valley Conference. They finished the season 12–21, 4–14 in MVC play to finish in ninth place. They advanced to the quarterfinals of the Missouri Valley tournament where they lost to Wichita State.

The 2015–16 Southern Illinois women's basketball team represents Southern Illinois University Carbondale during the 2015–16 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Salukis, led by third year head coach Cindy Stein. They played their home games at SIU Arena and were members of the Missouri Valley Conference. They finished the season 20–13, 12–6 in MVC play to finish in fourth place. They advanced to the semifinals of the Missouri Valley women's tournament where they lost to Southern Illinois. They were invited to the Women's Basketball Invitational where they lost to Western Illinois in the first round.

The 2016–17 Southern Illinois Salukis men's basketball team represented Southern Illinois University Carbondale during the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Salukis, led by fifth-year head coach Barry Hinson, played their home games at the SIU Arena in Carbondale, Illinois as members of the Missouri Valley Conference. They finished the season 17–16, 9–9 in MVC play to finish in a tie for third place. In the MVC tournament, they defeated Loyola–Chicago in the quarterfinals before losing to Illinois State in the semifinals.

The 2017–18 Southern Illinois Salukis men's basketball team represented Southern Illinois University Carbondale during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Salukis, led by sixth-year head coach Barry Hinson, played their home games at the SIU Arena in Carbondale, Illinois as members of the Missouri Valley Conference. They finished the season 20–13, 11–7 in MVC play to finish in second place. In the MVC tournament, they defeated Missouri State in the quarterfinals before losing to Illinois State in the semifinals. Despite winning 20 games, the Salukis did not participate in a postseason tournament.

The 2017–18 Southern Illinois women's basketball team represents Southern Illinois University Carbondale during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Salukis were led by fifth year head coach Cindy Stein. They play their home games at SIU Arena and were members of the Missouri Valley Conference. They finished the season 17–14, 11–7 in MVC play to finish in fourth place. They advanced to the semifinals of the Missouri Valley women's tournament where they lost to Drake.

The 2018–19 Southern Illinois Salukis men's basketball team represented Southern Illinois University Carbondale during the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Salukis, led by seventh-year head coach Barry Hinson, played their home games at the SIU Arena in Carbondale, Illinois as members of the Missouri Valley Conference. They finished the season 17–15 overall, 10–8 in MVC play, finishing in a tie for third place. As the No. 3 seed in the MVC tournament, the Salukis were upset by No. 6 seed Northern Iowa in the quarterfinals.

The 2018–19 Southern Illinois women's basketball team represents Southern Illinois University Carbondale during the 2018–19 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Salukis were led by sixth year head coach Cindy Stein. They play their home games at SIU Arena and were members of the Missouri Valley Conference. They finished the season 15–15, 8–10 in MVC play to finish in sixth place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the Missouri Valley women's tournament to Northern Iowa.

The 1983 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game between the Southern Illinois Salukis and the Western Carolina Catamounts. The game was played on December 17, 1983, at Johnson Hagood Stadium in Charleston, South Carolina. The culminating game of the 1983 NCAA Division I-AA football season, it was won by Southern Illinois, 43–7.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019–20 Southern Illinois Salukis men's basketball team</span> American college basketball season

The 2019–20 Southern Illinois Salukis men's basketball team represented Southern Illinois University Carbondale during the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Salukis were led by first-year head coach Bryan Mullins and played their home games at the Banterra Center in Carbondale, Illinois as members of the Missouri Valley Conference. They finished the season 16–16, 10–8 in MVC play to finish in fifth place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the MVC tournament to Bradley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 Southern Illinois Salukis football team</span> American college football season

The 2020 Southern Illinois Salukis football team represented Southern Illinois University Carbondale as a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by fifth-year head coach Nick Hill, the Salukis compiled an overall record of 6–4 with a mark of 3–3 in conference play, placing fifth in the MVFC. Southern Illinois received an at-large berth in the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs, where they beat Weber State in the first round before losing to the eventual national runner-up, South Dakota State in the quarterfinals. The team played home games at Saluki Stadium in Carbondale, Illinois.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020–21 Southern Illinois Salukis men's basketball team</span> American college basketball season

The 2020–21 Southern Illinois Salukis men's basketball team represented Southern Illinois University Carbondale during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Salukis were led by second-year head coach Bryan Mullins and played their home games at the Banterra Center in Carbondale, Illinois as members of the Missouri Valley Conference. In as season limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Salukis finished the season 12–14, 5–13 in MVC play to finish in ninth place. They defeated Bradley in the first round of the MVC tournament before losing to Loyola in the quarterfinals.

The 2001–02 Southern Illinois Salukis men's basketball team represented Southern Illinois University Carbondale during the 2001–02 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Salukis were led by fourth-year head coach Bruce Weber and played their home games at the SIU Arena in Carbondale, Illinois as members of the Missouri Valley Conference. They finished the season 28–8, 14–4 in MVC play to finish tied for first place. They lost in the championship game of the MVC tournament to Creighton, but still received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as No. 11 seed in the East region. The Salukis upset Texas Tech and Georgia to reach the Sweet Sixteen, but fell to Connecticut in the regional semifinal round.

The 2004–05 Southern Illinois Salukis men's basketball team represented Southern Illinois University Carbondale during the 2004–05 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Salukis were led by first-year head coach Chris Lowery and played their home games at the SIU Arena in Carbondale, Illinois as members of the Missouri Valley Conference. They finished the season 27–8, 15–3 in MVC play to finish atop the regular season standings. The Salukis were eliminated in the semifinal round of the MVC tournament, but received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as No. 7 seed in the Chicago region. The Salukis defeated No. 10 seed Saint Mary's before falling to No. 2 seed Oklahoma State in the round of 32.

The 2002–03 Southern Illinois Salukis men's basketball team represented Southern Illinois University Carbondale during the 2002–03 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Salukis were led by fifth-year head coach Bruce Weber and played their home games at the SIU Arena in Carbondale, Illinois as members of the Missouri Valley Conference. They finished the season 24–7, 16–2 in MVC play to finish as regular season champion. They lost in the championship game of the MVC tournament to Creighton, but still received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as No. 11 seed in the Midwest region. The Salukis fell to No. 6 seed Missouri in the opening round.

References

  1. ↑ Missouri Valley Conference Style Guide (PDF). August 29, 2022. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 "Saluki Mascot: What is a Saluki?". Archived from the original on July 8, 2011. Retrieved March 7, 2007.
  3. ↑ Hefferman, Todd (January 26, 2017). "SIU to cut men's and women's tennis, reduce scholarships in men's swimming and diving". The Southern Illinoisan . Carbondale, Illinois . Retrieved April 20, 2017.
  4. ↑ Daily Chronicle
  5. ↑ "Director of Athletics Tommy Bell press conference transcript - Southern Illinois University Official Athletic Site". Siusalukis.com. December 1, 2015. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
  6. ↑ "Southern Illinois Composite Championship Listing". College Football Data Warehouse . 2010. Archived from the original on February 11, 2010. Retrieved January 12, 2011.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Bill Meade Memorial to be Held at Shryock Auditorium Saturday.: Former Saluki gymnastics coach passed away last Friday". November 30, 2004. Retrieved March 7, 2007.
  8. ↑ Plummer, William; Floyd, Larry C. (2013). A Series Of Their Own: History Of The Women's College World Series. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States: Turnkey Communications Inc. ISBN   978-0-9893007-0-4.
  9. ↑ "Championships summary through Jan. 1, 2022" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Archived (PDF) from the original on March 20, 2014. Retrieved February 25, 2015.
  10. ↑ SIU.edu Archived July 13, 2012, at archive.today Saluki Way press release
  11. ↑ Saluki Way Archived February 28, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  12. ↑ "Saluki Stadium opens in grand fashion - Southern Illinois University Official Athletic Site". Siusalukis.cstv.com. September 2, 2010. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
  13. ↑ "Banterra Center".
  14. ↑ SIUSalukis.com article regarding Troutt-Wittmann Center
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