Gulf Star Conference
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The Gulf Star Conference was an NCAA Division II[1] conference that existed for three academic years from 1984–85 to 1986–87. All of the schools subsequently joined the Southland Conference. Dave Waples was the only commissioner, with the conference office located in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
| Conference | NCAA |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1984 |
| Ceased | 1987 |
| Division | Division II |
| No. of teams | 6 |
| Region | Southern United States |
| Locations | |
| |
Aftermath
Although the Southland eventually took in all of the former Gulf Star schools, only four (Northwestern State, Sam Houston State, Stephen F. Austin, and Southwest Texas State) joined the Southland immediately upon the Gulf Star's demise. The other two Gulf Star members, Nicholls State and Southeastern Louisiana, initially became independents. Nicholls State joined the SLC for the 1991–92 school year. SLU became a member of the Trans America Athletic Conference (now known as the Atlantic Sun Conference) in that same year, and moved to the Southland in 1997–98. To date, only Nicholls State, Northwestern State, and Southeastern Louisiana remain in the Southland Conference, as Southwest Texas State (now known as Texas State) joined the Sun Belt Conference in 2013 while Sam Houston State and Stephen F. Austin moved to the Western Athletic Conference in 2021.
Member schools
Final members
| Institution | Nickname | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Joined[a] | Left[b] | Subsequent conference(s) |
Current conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicholls State University[2] | Colonels | Thibodaux, Louisiana | 1948 | Public | 1984 | 1987 | D-I Independent (1987–91) |
Southland (1991–present) |
| Northwestern State University | Demons | Natchitoches, Louisiana | 1884 | Southland (1987–present) | ||||
| Sam Houston State University | Bearkats | Huntsville, Texas | 1879 | Southland (1987–2021) Western (WAC) (2021–2023) |
C-USA (2023–present) | |||
| Southeastern Louisiana University | Lions | Hammond, Louisiana | 1925 | D-I Independent (1987–91) Trans America (TAAC)[c] (1991–97) |
Southland (1997–present) | |||
| Southwest Texas State University[d] | Bobcats | San Marcos, Texas | 1899 | Southland (1987–2012) Western (WAC) (2012–13) |
Sun Belt (2013–present) (Pac-12 in 2026) | |||
| Stephen F. Austin State University | Lumberjacks & Ladyjacks |
Nacogdoches, Texas | 1921 | Southland (1987–2021) Western (WAC) (2021–2024) |
Southland (2024–present) | |||
- Notes
Membership timeline
Full member (all sports) Full member (non-football) Associate member (football) Associate member (sport)
Championships
Baseball
| Season | Team | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Nicholls State | 12–6 |
| Sam Houston State | ||
| 1986 | Sam Houston State | 16–4 |
| 1987 | Sam Houston State | 17–3 |
Football
| Season | Team | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Nicholls State | 4–1 |
| Northwestern State | ||
| 1985 | Sam Houston State | 4–1 |
| Stephen F. Austin | ||
| 1986 | Sam Houston State | 3–1 |
Men's basketball
| Season | Team | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1984–85 | Southeastern Louisiana | |
| 1985–86 | Sam Houston State | |
| 1986–87 | Stephen F. Austin |