UT ARLINGTON VOLLEYBALL earns automatic qualification to NCAA championships in football, SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE STAFF “The Southland Conference serves to unite its members in celebrating academic success, men’s and women’s basketball, baseball, softball, volleyball, men’s golf, men’s and women’s tennis, women’s soccer, men’s and Commissioner achieving competitive excellence, promoting women’s outdoor track and field, and men’s and women’s cross Tom Burnett positive values and developing community country. relationships within a framework of efficiency, Southland Conference football ranks among the best Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) leagues in the nation, integrity and personal dignity.” and enjoys an annual expectation of competing for the national championship with multiple teams advancing to the NCAA In an era of considerable change in intercollegiate playoffs each year. In 2002 and 2003, McNeese State finished the Associate Commissioner athletics, the Southland Conference continues to be a model of regular season ranked No. 1 in the nation, and advanced to the innovation, stability and consistent achievement as it celebrates Championships and Sports 2002 national championship contest, the sixth such title game the academic and athletic accomplishments of its member appearance since the league joined FCS in 1982. All told, South- Administration institutions. Tina Cheatham land teams have played in 89 Division I playoff games in 26 years, What began as a small gathering of college administrators winning 42 of the contests. Southland representatives advanced over 45 years ago, the Southland Conference has transformed to the national semifinals two of the last four years and three of itself into a dynamic and respected consortium of 12 member the last six. Associate Commissioner universities in three states. Beginning with a historic meeting Historically, the Southland’s successful football heritage of five institutions in Dallas on March 15, 1963, that included has sustained itself through numerous membership and clas- Chief Financial Officer current members Lamar University (then Lamar State College Jack Key sification changes. Originally an NAIA conference, the Southland of Technology) and the University of Texas at Arlington (then joined the NCAA College Division in 1968. The College Division Arlington State College), the Southland Conference set on an was re-named NCAA Division II in 1973, and the league played extraordinary course that has proven successful well into its fifth two seasons in that class. The Southland was an NCAA Division I decade of existence. league from 1975-81, before joining the ranks of FCS in 1982, its Associate Commissioner On July 1, 2006, the Southland Conference commemo- home ever since. rated another milestone as the league membership reached During its tenure as a Division I conference from 1975-81, for Communications 12, marking the largest configuration ever for the organization. Bruce Ludlow the Southland Conference was instrumental in the startup of The addition of the University of Central Arkansas and Texas the Independence Bowl in 1976. The Southland representative A&M-Corpus Christi expanded the Southland into the Little served as the host team of the bowl until 1980, compiling a 2-3 Rock metro area and into the eighth largest city in Texas. UCA record in the contests. and A&M-Corpus Christi enhanced the Southland Conference in The Conference can lay claim to five national champion- Associate Commissioner innumerable ways, including athletic and academic successes, ships, including College Division championships through former strong and principled leadership, and strong fan support and members Arkansas State (1970, UPI) and Louisiana Tech (1972, for Institutional Services media coverage. Stephanie McDonald National Football Foundation). Louisiana Tech also won the In addition to its two newest members, the Southland first-ever NCAA-sanctioned national title, winning the Division Conference lineup also consists of Lamar University, McNeese II playoffs in 1973. Tech followed that with the UPI’s Division State University, Nicholls State University, Northwestern State II national championship in 1974. Louisiana-Monroe won the University, Sam Houston State University, Southeastern Louisiana 1987 FCS national title. Assistant Commissioner University, Stephen F. Austin State University, the University of McNeese State, which has made 13 appearances in the Texas at Arlington, the University of Texas at San Antonio, and national playoffs, tied for the fourth most all-time, played in the for Compliance Texas State University-San Marcos. Cindy Johnson 1997 and 2002 NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivi- All told, the revised membership of the Southland sion national championship games, while Stephen F. Austin encompasses over 160,000 current students and an alumni played in the 1989 title game and has four playoff appearances. base of approximately 700,000. Famous alums from Southland Northwestern State has played in six national playoffs, and Conference schools include former President Lyndon B. Johnson advanced to the semifinals in 1998, while Sam Houston State has Associate Commissioner (Texas State), CBS news anchor Dan Rather (Sam Houston State), earned four trips to the postseason, including the semifinals in U.S. Central Command general Tommy Franks (UT Arlington), 2004, and Nicholls State has participated three times in the play- for External Affairs NBA executive Joe Dumars (McNeese State), ABC news and Jenny Orndorff offs. Texas State, in its lone postseason appearance, advanced to sports anchor Robin Roberts (Southeastern Louisiana), country the semifinals in 2005. music star George Strait (Texas State), Major League Baseball On four occasions, the Southland has placed three teams stars Hunter Pence (UT Arlington), Kevin Millar (Lamar) and Ben in the national 16-team playoffs. Six of the eight current Broussard (McNeese State), NBA legend Scottie Pippen (Central football-playing members have qualified for the FCS playoffs. Assistant Director of Arkansas), and actor Lou Diamond Phillips (UT Arlington). In addition, Texas State won NCAA Division II titles in 1981 and The cities of the Southland are diverse and progressive, 1982 before joining the Southland. Media Relations ranging from international business and cultural centers such Jimmy Glenn The Southland has produced 149 football All-Americans as the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex, San Antonio and the New during its history, and has sent such talent to the professional Orleans area, to the historical cities of Nacogdoches, Texas, ranks including Miami’s Keith Davis (Sam Houston State), S and Natchitoches, La., to the home of the modern oil boom, Miami’s Josh McCown (Sam Houston State), Buffalo’s Terrence Beaumont, Texas, to the unique Cajun French cultures found in L McGee (Northwestern State), Kansas City’s B.J. Sams (McNeese C The Southland Conference the Louisiana cities of Thibodaux and Lake Charles. Southland State), Seattle’s Mike Green (Northwestern State), Cleveland’s 2600 Network Blvd. Conference institutions also draw large numbers of students Kenny Wright (Northwestern State), Indianapolis’ Chad Stanley from the metropolitan areas of Houston, Little Rock, Baton (Stephen F. Austin), Green Bay’s Craig Nall (Northwestern State) Suite 150 Rouge, Austin and Shreveport. Frisco, Texas 75034 Philadelphia’s Luke Lawton (McNeese State). The Southland sponsors 17 championship sports, all at In the 2008 NFL Draft, the league saw three players 972-422-9500 the NCAA Division I level. The eight men’s sports include football, taken, the most since five were selected in the 2002 NFL Draft. Fax: 972-422-9225 basketball, baseball, golf, tennis, cross country, and indoor and The league had two players selected in the 2007 and 2006 NFL outdoor track and field. The women compete for nine champion- Drafts, and has seen 21 players taken in the NFL Draft since 2000. ships in basketball, volleyball, softball, soccer, golf, tennis, cross Former NFL stars from the Southland include Fred Dean, country, and indoor and outdoor track and field. The Conference who was inducted to the Professional Football Hall of Fame 2008 Media Guide 77 UT ARLINGTON VOLLEYBALL in 2008, becoming the first former Southland Conference player to earn induction in Canton, Bill Bergey, Stan Humphries, Fred Barnett, Roger Carr, Marvin Upshaw, Larry Centers, Kavika Pittman, Mike Barber, Bruce Collie, Tim McKyer, Pat Tilley, Jackie Harris, Eugene Seale, Bubby Brister, Billy Ryckman, Rafael Septien, Buford Jordan, Marcus Spears, Terrance Shaw and Ray Brown. The Southland Conference has also seen its share of great coaches during its history such as Maxie Lambright, Ernie Duplechin, Sam Goodwin, Jack Doland, Bennie Ellender, Bobby Keasler, Larry Lacewell, Bill Davidson, Dennis Franchione, Pat Collins and Ron Randleman. While successful on the fields and courts, the Southland Conference has repeatedly demon- strated its commitment to the academic and athletic success of its student-athletes. In addition to football, the Southland Conference can point to a number of accomplishments in all sports. Men’s basketball has experienced a tremendous amount of success during the Southland’s 40-plus years. The league has sent two teams to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen, as well as a squad to the NIT Final Four. Basketball stars Karl Malone, Joe Dumars, Jeff Foster, Dwight “Bo” Lamar, Andrew Toney, Devin Brown, and Mike Olliver played in the Southland Conference. In 2006, Northwestern