Sun Belt Conference
| Sun Belt Conference | |
|---|---|
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| Established | 1976 |
| Association | NCAA |
| Division | Division I FBS |
| Members | 12 (11 in 2012) |
| Sports fielded | 19 (men's: 9; women's: 10) |
| Region | Southern United States |
| Headquarters | New Orleans, Louisiana |
| Commissioner | Wright Waters (since 1999) |
| Website | sunbeltsports.org |
| Locations | |
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The Sun Belt Conference is a college athletic conference that has been affiliated with the NCAA's Division I since 1976. Its football teams participate in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), the higher of two levels of Division I football competition (formerly known as Division I-A). The Sun Belt has member institutions distributed primarily across the southern United States. It has 12 universities and colleges.
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[edit] History
The Sun Belt Conference was founded on August 4, 1976 with New Orleans, South Alabama, Georgia State, Jacksonville, UNC-Charlotte and South Florida. Over the next ten years the conference would add Western Kentucky, Old Dominion, UAB, and Virginia Commonwealth. Also, New Orleans was forced out of the league in 1980 due to its small on-campus gymnasium that the Conference did not deem suitable for Conference competition. UNO competed as an independent before joining the newly-formed American South Conference in 1987.
After the 1990–91 basketball season, all members of the Sun Belt except Western Kentucky, South Alabama, Jacksonville, and incoming member Arkansas-Little Rock departed for other conferences. The Sun Belt then merged with the American South Conference, made up of Arkansas State, Louisiana Tech, Southwestern Louisiana (now Louisiana-Lafayette), Texas-Pan American, New Orleans, Lamar, and Central Florida. UCF left the league following the 1991-92 academic year. Lamar, Texas-Pan American and Jacksonville departed at the end of the 1997-98 academic year. FIU joined in 1998, and Denver was added in 1999. Louisiana Tech departed after the 2000-01 academic year.
The conference did not sponsor football until 2001, when the league added former Big West Conference members New Mexico State and North Texas and then-independent Middle Tennessee State as full members and added independent Louisiana-Monroe (ULM) and Big West member Idaho as "football only" members. Another Big West school, Utah State, was added as a "football only" member in 2003, then departed in 2005 with Idaho and New Mexico State for the WAC.
In 2004, Troy became a "football only" member until 2005 when they joined the conference in all sports. In 2006, Louisiana-Monroe joined the conference as a member in all sports when it left the Southland Conference, and Florida Atlantic joined the conference in all sports.
On November 11, 2009, New Orleans announced they were investigating a move from Division I to the NCAA's Division III. In order to maintain athletic scholarships, UNO instead opted for entry into Division II. On April 20, 2011, UNO officially received transition approval from NCAA Division II Membership Committee.[1]
Florida Atlantic joined the league as a member in all sports on July 1, 2005. Western Kentucky joined the Sun Belt Conference for football in 2009 after its Board of Regents voted to upgrade the school's football program to Division I FBS.[2]
[edit] Membership history timeline
•Teams in Orange indicate general membership. •Teams in Yellow indicate football playing status.
•The South Alabama Jaguars added football in 2009 with the intention of moving up to full FBS status by 2013. Coached by Joey Jones, who is a Mobile native and played wide receiver for the University of Alabama Crimson Tide and the Atlanta Falcons, the Jaguars finished the 2009 season with a 7-0 record against junior college and prep school opponents. The Jaguars were undefeated again in 2010, finishing with a 10-0 record, which included wins against Division I opponents. They are now playing their first fully competitive season in 2011; they will play a full conference schedule (and a 12-game FBS schedule) as a provisional FBS member in 2012, and become a full FBS member, with postseason eligibility, in 2013.
•The University of Denver announced on November 11, 2010 that they would be leaving the Sun Belt Conference to join the Western Athletic Conference, effective starting the 2012-2013 academic year.
[edit] Organization
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[edit] Commissioners
- Vic Bubas (1976–1990)
- Jim Lessig (1990–1991)
- Craig Thompson (1991–1998)
- Wright Waters (1999–2012)
- Karl Benson (2012–present)
In addition to the four Sun Belt commissioners, three future league leaders served on the Sun Belt staff prior to becoming conference commissioners, including Doug Elgin (Missouri Valley), John Iamarino (Northeast, Southern) and Tom Burnett (Southland).
On October 12, 2011, ESPN reported that Wright Waters would retire, effective July 1, 2012.[3] On February 15, 2012, Karl Benson was hired as the new commissioner of the Sun Belt, after having been the commissioner of the Western Athletic Conference for 17 years.
[edit] Current members
| Institution | Nickname | Location | Founded | Type | Enrollment | Football Member | Endowment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR) | Trojans | Little Rock, Arkansas (193,524) |
1927 | Public | 12,000 | No | $7.6 million |
| Arkansas State University (ASU) | Red Wolves | Jonesboro, Arkansas (67,263) |
1909 | Public | 13,438 | Yes | $33.1 million |
| University of Denver (DU) | Pioneers | Denver, Colorado (600,158) |
1864 | Private | 11,842 | No | $300.4 million |
| Florida Atlantic University (FAU) | Owls | Boca Raton, Florida (86,396) |
1964 | Public | 22,434 | Yes | $112 million |
| Florida International University (FIU) | Golden Panthers | Miami, Florida (433,136) |
1965 | Public | 40,455 | Yes | $138 million |
| University of Louisiana at Lafayette (ULL) | Ragin' Cajuns | Lafayette, Louisiana (120,623) |
1900 | Public | 16,361 | Yes | $93 million |
| University of Louisiana at Monroe (ULM) | Warhawks | Monroe, Louisiana (48,815) |
1931 | Public | 9,004 | Yes | $20.6 million |
| Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) | Blue Raiders | Murfreesboro, Tennessee (108,755) |
1911 | Public | 24,660 | Yes | $34.9 million |
| University of North Texas (UNT) | Mean Green | Denton, Texas (119,454) |
1890 | Public | 36,067 | Yes | $87.8 million |
| University of South Alabama (USA) | Jaguars | Mobile, Alabama (195,111) |
1963 | Public | 15,007 | Yes (2013) | $384.1 million |
| Troy University | Trojans | Troy, Alabama (18,033) |
1887 | Public | 7,194 | Yes | $30 million |
| Western Kentucky University (WKU) | Hilltoppers | Bowling Green, Kentucky (58,067) |
1906 | Public | 18,391 | Yes | $144 million |
Pink indicates departing member. Denver leaves in 2012
[edit] Conference facilities
| School | Football Stadium | Capacity | Basketball Arena | Capacity | Baseball Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas Little-Rock | No football team | Jack Stephens Center | 5,600 | Gary Hogan Field | 2,550 | |
| Arkansas State | ASU Stadium | 33,410 | Convocation Center | 10,563 | Tomlinson Stadium–Kell Field | 1,000 |
| Denver | No football team | Magness Arena | 7,200 | No baseball team | ||
| Florida Atlantic | FAU Stadium | 30,000 | FAU Arena | 5,000 | FAU Baseball Stadium | 3,000 |
| FIU | FIU Stadium | 23,500 | U.S. Century Bank Arena | 6,000 | University Park Stadium | 2,000 |
| Louisiana-Lafayette | Cajun Field | 31,000 | Cajundome (men) Earl K. Long Gymnasium (women) |
12,068 1,500 |
M.L. Tigue Moore Field | 3,755 |
| Louisiana-Monroe | Malone Stadium | 30,427 | Fant–Ewing Coliseum | 7,085 | Warhawk Field | 1,800 |
| Middle Tennessee State | Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium | 31,000 | Murphy Center | 11,802 | Reese Smith Jr. Field | 2,600 |
| North Texas | Apogee Stadium | 30,850 | UNT Coliseum | 10,032 | No baseball team | |
| South Alabama | Ladd Peebles Stadium*** | 40,646 | Mitchell Center | 10,041 | Eddie Stanky Field | 4,500 |
| Troy | Veterans Memorial Stadium | 30,000 | Trojan Arena | 4,000 | Riddle–Pace Field | 2,000 |
| Western Kentucky | Houchens Industries – L. T. Smith Stadium | 22,000 | E. A. Diddle Arena | 7,326 | Nick Denes Field | 1,500 |
Pink indicates departing members.
Notes:
- Arkansas-Little Rock normally plays its home games on campus, but occasionally plays at Verizon Arena in North Little Rock.
- Louisiana-Lafayette women's basketball team primarily plays at Earl K. Long Gymnasium. Doubleheaders with the men's basketball team are played at the Cajundome.
- Troy is currently constructing a new 5,600-6,000 seat multi-purpose arena to replace the current Trojan Arena. It was originally scheduled to be open in the fall of 2011, but has since been delayed to fall 2012.
- ***South Alabama began a football team in 2009, with its first year of Sun Belt play in 2012.
- WKU will sometimes play home games at LP Field in Nashville to accommodate larger crowds.
[edit] Sports
[edit] Football
Champions by year:
| Season | Champion | Conference Record |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Middle Tennessee | 5-1 |
| North Texas* | 5-1 | |
| 2002 | North Texas | 6-0 |
| 2003 | North Texas | 7-0 |
| 2004 | North Texas | 7-0 |
| 2005 | Arkansas State** | 5-2 |
| Louisiana-Lafayette | 5-2 | |
| Louisiana-Monroe | 5-2 | |
| 2006 | Middle Tennessee | 6-1 |
| Troy*** | 6-1 | |
| 2007 | Florida Atlantic**** | 6-1 |
| Troy | 6-1 | |
| 2008 | Troy | 6-1 |
| 2009 | Troy | 8-0 |
| 2010 | FIU***** | 6-2 |
| Troy | 6-2 | |
| 2011 | Arkansas State | 8-0 |
* North Texas won the conference's automatic bowl bid because it won the head-to-head game against Middle Tennessee. Also, North Texas had a losing overall record in 2001 and was not technically bowl-eligible, but the NCAA granted the team an exemption because it had won the conference. This is similar to what is granted to a basketball or baseball team which has a losing overall record but wins its conference tournament.
** Arkansas State won the conference's automatic bowl bid through a three-way tiebreaker.
*** Troy won the conference's automatic bowl bid through a tiebreaker by virtue of its head-to-head victory against Middle Tennessee, and Middle Tennessee earned a bid to the Motor City Bowl in Detroit.
**** Florida Atlantic won the conference's automatic bowl bid through a tiebreaker by virtue of its head-to-head victory against Troy.
***** FIU won the conference's automatic bowl bid through a tiebreaker by virtue of its head-to-head victory against Troy.
[edit] Bowl games
| Pick | Name | Location | Opposing Conference | Opposing Pick |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GoDaddy.com Bowl | Mobile, Alabama | MAC | 1 |
| 2 | New Orleans Bowl | New Orleans, Louisiana | C-USA | 2-6 |
The Sun Belt has secondary tie-ins to serve as an alternate in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl or Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl if the primary contracted participants cannot participate.[4]
[edit] Bowl history
[edit] Basketball
[edit] Baseball
The Sun Belt Conference has sponsored an annual baseball tournament to determine the conference winner since 1978. South Alabama has won the most championships, at 11.
| School | Tourney Titles | Title Years |
|---|---|---|
| South Alabama | 11 | 1980, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1987, 1992, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2005 |
| New Orleans | 3 | 1978, 1979, 2007 |
| South Florida | 3 | 1982, 1986, 1990 |
| FIU | 2 | 1999, 2010 |
| Lamar | 2 | 1993, 1995 |
| Middle Tennessee | 2 | 2003, 2009 |
| Western Kentucky | 2 | 2004, 2008 |
| Alabama-Birmingham | 1 | 1991 |
| Arkansas-Little Rock | 1 | 2011 |
| Arkansas State | 1 | 1994 |
| Jacksonville | 1 | 1989 |
| Louisiana-Lafayette | 1 | 1998 |
| New Mexico State | 1 | 2002 |
| Old Dominion | 1 | 1985 |
| Troy | 1 | 2006 |
| Virginia Commonwealth | 1 | 1988 |
- Teams in bold represent current conference members.
[edit] Other sports
Besides football, basketball, and baseball, the Sun Belt Conference sponsors intercollegiate competition in men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s golf, women’s soccer, women’s softball, men's and women’s swimming and diving, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s indoor track and field, men’s and women’s outdoor track and field, and women’s volleyball. While the conference does not sponsor men's soccer, four schools do have teams, with Denver competing in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, Florida Atlantic in the Mid-American Conference, FIU in Conference USA, and Western Kentucky in the Missouri Valley Conference. Denver, the only Sun Belt member school with a varsity ice hockey program, is also a member of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association.
[edit] Rivalries
[edit] Intraconference rivalries
| Rivalry | Sport | Significant Game | Trophy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas State - Louisiana-Monroe | Football | Trail of Tears Classic | |
| Florida Atlantic - FIU | All | Shula Bowl (football) | The Shula Award |
| UALR - Arkansas State | All | ||
| Louisiana-Lafayette - Louisiana-Monroe | All | Battle on the Bayou (football) | |
| Middle Tennessee - Troy | Football | Battle for the Palladium | The Palladium |
| Middle Tennessee - Western Kentucky | All |
[edit] Interconference rivalries
| Rivalry | Sport | Name |
|---|---|---|
| Arkansas State - Memphis | All | Paint Bucket Bowl (football) |
| North Texas - SMU | Football | Safeway Bowl |
| Troy - UAB | All | |
| WKU - EKU | All | Battle for The Bluegrass |
[edit] Former members
- Georgia State - 1976–1981 (now in the CAA)
- Jacksonville - 1976–1998 (now in the Atlantic Sun Conference)
- UNC Charlotte - 1976–1991 (now athletically branded as "Charlotte" and in the A-10)
- South Florida - 1976–1991 (now in the Big East)
- UAB - 1979–1991 (now in Conference USA)
- Virginia Commonwealth - 1979–1991 (now in the CAA)
- Old Dominion - 1982–1991 (now in the CAA)
- UCF - 1991–1992 (now in Conference USA; will move to the Big East in 2013)
- Lamar - 1991–1998 (now in the Southland Conference)
- Texas-Pan American - 1991–1998
- Louisiana Tech - 1991–2001 (now in the WAC)
- New Mexico State - 2001–2005 (now in the WAC)
- Idaho (football only) - 2001–2005 (now in the WAC)
- Utah State (football only) - 2003–2005 (Now in the WAC)
- New Orleans - 1976–1980, 1991–2010 (transitioning to D-II)
- Denver - 1999-2012 (will move to WAC in 2012)
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "University of New Orleans gets approval from NCAA to move to Division II". The Times-Picayune. 2011-04-20. http://www.nola.com/uno/index.ssf/2011/04/university_of_new_orleans_gets_1.html. Retrieved 2011-09-06.
- ^ "WKU Regents Approve Move To Division 1-A Football". Western Kentucky University. 2006-11-02. http://wku.edu/news/releases06/november/football.html. Retrieved 2006-11-03.
- ^ http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story/_/id/7093448/sun-belt-conference-commissioner-wright-waters-retire-july
- ^ footballbowlassociation.com/sunbelt/10sunbelt_bowls.pdf
[edit] External links
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