Southland Conference
American collegiate athletic conference
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The Southland Conference (SLC) is a collegiate athletic conference which operates in the South Central United States (specifically Texas and Louisiana). 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. Chris Grant became the Southland's seventh commissioner on April 5, 2022.[1] From 1996 to 2002, for football only, the Southland Conference was known as the Southland Football League.[2]
| |
| Formerly | Southland Football League (1996–2002, football-only) |
|---|---|
| Association | NCAA |
| Founded | 1963 |
| Commissioner | Chris Grant (since 2022) |
| Sports fielded |
|
| Division | Division I |
| Subdivision | FCS |
| No. of teams | 12 |
| Headquarters | Frisco, Texas |
| Region | West South Central |
| Broadcaster | ESPN |
| Official website | southland.org |
| Locations | |
 | |
The conference's offices are located in the Dallas suburb of Frisco, Texas. According to a press release from April 11, 2022, the conference was to undergo a rebrand in 2022 that included a new name and logo.[3] The rebranding was unveiled in March 2023, with a new logo but no change to the conference name.[4]
History
Chronological timeline
Founded in 1963, its members were Abilene Christian College (now Abilene Christian University; departed in 1973 for NCAA Division II, but moved to Division I and rejoined the Southland in 2013), Arkansas State College (now Arkansas State University; departed in 1987, now a member of the Sun Belt Conference), Arlington State College (now the University of Texas at Arlington, departed in 2012 and now in the Western Athletic Conference),[5] Lamar State College of Technology (now Lamar University; departed in 1987, rejoined in 1999, left again in 2021, returned in 2022),[6] and Trinity University (departed in 1972, now participating in NCAA Division III).
Since its founding, the Southland Conference has been the home for 18 college and university all-sports programs (see membership timeline below). In addition, the conference has also been home to some schools for one sport only. In the case of football, Troy University fielded a team from 1996 to 2000 and Jacksonville State University did so from 1997 to 2002. This has also been the case for some Olympic sports like men's tennis, in which the University of Texas–Pan American (UTPA; since merged into the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, or UTRGV) and the University of New Orleans (UNO) fielded teams as affiliate members before 2013, when UTPA joined the WAC and UNO became a full Southland member.
The Southland underwent major turmoil in 2021, losing five members. On January 14, the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) announced that four Southland members - Abilene Christian, Lamar, Sam Houston, and Stephen F. Austin - would join that conference in July 2022.[7] Within a week, the Southland expelled those four schools, leading the WAC to move their entry up to July 2021.[8][9] A fifth member, Central Arkansas, announced on January 29 that it would join the Atlantic Sun Conference effective that July.[10] At the time, the ASUN was a non-football conference, but soon entered into a football partnership with the WAC that gave Central Arkansas and two other incoming ASUN members a football home until an ASUN football league was established.[11]
The Southland began the process of rebuilding its core membership in September 2021, announcing that East Texas A&M University, then named Texas A&M University-Commerce, would start a transition from NCAA Division II and join the conference in July 2022.[12] The SLC also announced a football scheduling alliance with the Ohio Valley Conference, another FCS league that had experienced major membership losses during the early-2020s realignment cycle, for the 2022 and 2023 seasons.[13] However, shortly after Texas A&M-Commerce was announced as a future member, the SLC was set to experience further attrition when the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) announced that it would leave for the WAC after the 2021–22 school year.[14] Ultimately, however, this did not come to pass, as UIW announced it would be staying in the SLC only 7 months after announcing its departure.[15] McNeese was also courted by the WAC, and also flirted with a move to Conference USA, but eventually stayed in the SLC. According to the American Press, the daily newspaper of McNeese's home of Lake Charles, Louisiana, McNeese became "the de facto lead school in the league". It was set to host the SLC's football media day through at least the 2026 season, as well as the conference tournaments in men's and women's basketball, baseball, and softball through 2026.[16]
More recently, Lamar announced it would return to the SLC effective in 2023–24.[17] In addition, on April 11, 2022 the conference announced in a press release that it had partnered with Troika Media Group to institute a rebrand to be implemented before the end of the calendar year. The release stated that the rebrand would include, among other things, a new name for the conference.[18] On July 11, 2022, Lamar and the Southland Conference announced Lamar's accelerated return to the SLC effective immediately.[19] The following day saw the SLC lose two of its women's golf associates when the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and Northeast Conference (NEC) announced a partnership for baseball and men's and women's golf that saw all MEAC schools that sponsored those sports become NEC associates. Accordingly, Delaware State and Maryland Eastern Shore, which had joined SLC women's golf just a year earlier, moved that sport to the NEC.[20]
On March 25, 2024, the Southland expanded again with the announcement that UTRGV would join the conference effective July 1, 2024, joining Lamar from the WAC.[21] Two months later, multiple media reports indicated that Stephen F. Austin would return to the SLC in July 2024;[22][23] this move was officially announced on May 29.[24]
Member schools
Current full members
- Notes
- Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
- Formerly known as Texas A&M University–Commerce prior to November 2024.
- Part of the Texas A&M University System.
- This refers to the endowment under direct institutional control, and does not include any funds the school receives from the state's Permanent University Fund as part of the Texas A&M University System.
- Formerly known as Houston Baptist University until 2022.
- Part of the Texas State University System.
- Lamar left the Southland after the 1986–87 school year, rejoined in 1999–200, then left again after 2020–21, returned since 2022–23.
- Part of the University of Louisiana System.
- Part of the University of Texas System.
- The referenced report was issued before SFA joined the University of Texas System. The legislation that added SFA to the UT System also gave it rights to receive funding from the state's Permanent University Fund.
- Stephen F. Austin left the Southland after the 2020–21 school year, before rejoining in 2024–25.
- UTRGV has multiple campuses within its service area, but its academic and athletic administrations are at the Edinburg campus it inherited from its athletic predecessor of the University of Texas–Pan American (UTPA).
- UTRGV was formally founded in 2013, but did not start instruction until 2015.
- This refers to the endowment under direct UTRGV control, and does not include any funds it receives from the Permanent University Fund as a member of the UT System.
- While UTRGV formally joined the Southland in 2024, the athletic program traces its history through UTPA, which was a Southland affiliate in men's tennis from 2000 until 2013. The UTRGV athletic program inherited UTPA's memberships in Division I and the Western Athletic Conference.
Former full members
School names and nicknames listed here reflect those in use in each institution's final school year of Southland Conference membership.
- Notes
- Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
- Represents the calendar year when spring sports competition ends.
- Abilene Christian and Central Arkansas play football in the United Athletic Conference, a football-only partnership between the ASUN and WAC.
- Arkansas State changed its nickname to Red Wolves after leaving the Southland Conference.
- Louisiana–Monroe changed its nickname to Warhawks after leaving the Southland Conference.
- Southwestern Louisiana (now Louisiana–Lafayette) competed as an associate member of the Southland for its women's sports from 1982–83 to 1986–87.
- Currently known as the University of Louisiana at Lafayette since 1998, and branded athletically as Louisiana since 2017.
- Texas State dropped its city of San Marcos from its institutional name in 2013, a year after leaving the Southland Conference.
- Current NCAA Division III athletic conference.
Former associate members
- Notes
- Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
- Represents the calendar year when spring sports competition ends.
- Currently an NCAA Division II athletic conference.
- Centenary no longer sponsors men's tennis.
- Currently an NCAA Division III athletic conference.
- Delaware State is officially chartered as a "privately-governed, state-assisted" institution. This status is broadly similar to that of New York State's statutory colleges, most of which are housed at Cornell University, or institutions in Pennsylvania's Commonwealth System of Higher Education.
- Currently known as the University of Louisiana at Lafayette since 1998, and branded athletically as Louisiana since 2017.
- Southwestern Louisiana (now Louisiana–Lafayette) competed as a full member of the Southland for its men's sports from 1971–72 to 1981–82.
- Texas–Pan American (UTPA) ceased to exist at the start of the 2015–16 school year, when it merged with the nearby University of Texas at Brownsville (UTB) to create the new University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV), which becomes a full SLC member in July 2024.[41]
- The UTRGV athletic program continues to be based at the former UTPA main campus in Edinburg.
- Nearly a year before the merger, the University of Texas System announced that UTRGV would directly inherit the UTPA athletic program.[42] The new nickname of Vaqueros was announced in November 2014.[43] The UTRGV athletic program thus claims all of UTPA's athletic history and records.
- Currently known as Troy University since 2005.
Membership timeline
Full member (all sports) Full member (non-football) Associate member (football) Associate member (sport) Other Conference Other Conference
1. - Southwestern Louisiana became the University of Louisiana at Lafayette (Louisiana–Lafayette, now athletically branded as simply Louisiana) in 1999.
2. - Northeast Louisiana became the University of Louisiana at Monroe (Louisiana–Monroe) in 1999.
3. - UTPA merged with the University of Texas at Brownsville to become the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) in 2015.
Sports
The Southland Conference sponsors championship competition in eight men's and 10 women's NCAA sanctioned sports.[44] The most recently added sport is beach volleyball, with SLC competition starting in 2019–20.[45]
| Sport | Men's | Women's |
|---|---|---|
| Baseball | 11 | – |
| Basketball | 12 | 10 |
| Beach Volleyball | – | 7 |
| Cross Country | 12 | 12 |
| Football | 10 | – |
| Golf | 10 | 8 |
| Soccer | – | 11 |
| Softball | – | 10 |
| Tennis | 8 | 12 |
| Track and Field (Indoor) | 11 | 12 |
| Track and Field (Outdoor) | 11 | 12 |
| Volleyball (Indoor) | – | 12 |
Men's sponsored sports by school
| School | Baseball | Basketball | Cross Country | Football | Golf | Tennis | Track & Field (Indoor) | Track & Field (Outdoor) | Total Southland Sports |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Texas A&M | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | 6 |
| Houston Christian | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | 7 |
| Incarnate Word | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8 |
| Lamar | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8 |
| McNeese | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | 7 |
| New Orleans | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 7 |
| Nicholls | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | 6 |
| Northwestern State | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | 6 |
| Southeastern Louisiana | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | 7 |
| Stephen F. Austin | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | 7 |
| Texas A&M-Corpus Christi | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | 6 |
| UTRGV | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8 |
| Totals | 11 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 6 | 11 | 11 | 83 |
Men's varsity sports not sponsored by the Southland Conference which are played by SLC schools:
Notes
- Joining the Ohio Valley Conference in 2026.
Women's sponsored sports by school
| School | Basketball | Beach Volleyball | Cross Country | Golf | Soccer | Softball | Tennis | Track & Field (Indoor) | Track & Field (Outdoor) | Volleyball | Total Southland Sports |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Texas A&M | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8 |
| Houston Christian | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | 9 |
| Incarnate Word | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 9 |
| Lamar | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 9 |
| McNeese | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 10 |
| New Orleans | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 7 |
| Nicholls | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 9 |
| Northwestern State | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8 |
| Southeastern Louisiana | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 9 |
| Stephen F. Austin | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 10 |
| Texas A&M–Corpus Christi | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 10 |
| UTRGV | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8 |
| Totals | 12 | 7 | 12 | 8 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 104 |
Women's varsity sports not sponsored by the Southland Conference which are played by SLC schools:
Notes
Football
Former and current players from the Southland that would go on to star in the National Football League include Gary Barbaro, Mike Barber, Fred Barnett, Bill Bergey, Derrick Blaylock, Bubby Brister, Ray Brown, Roger Carr, Mark Carrier, Larry Centers, Bruce Collie, Keith Davis, Fred Dean, Jackie Harris, Stan Humphries, Buford Jordan, Wade Key, Josh McCown, Tim McKyer, Jeff Novak, Kavika Pittman, Mike Quinn, Billy Ryckman, Ricky Sanders, Eugene Seale, Rafael Septién, Terrance Shaw, Marcus Spears, Chad Stanley, Pat Tilley, Jeremiah Trotter, Marvin Upshaw, Lardarius Webb and Spergon Wynn. The Southland was instrumental in founding the Independence Bowl, and the Southland champion served as the automatic home team for that bowl from 1976–1980.[46] On May 21, 2014, the Southland Conference approved the use of instant replay at all its home games becoming the first FCS league to fully commit to having all games utilize instant replay.[47][48]
Men's basketball
Among notable NBA stars attending Southland Conference schools include Karl Malone (Louisiana Tech), Joe Dumars (McNeese), Jeff Foster (Southwest Texas State, now known as Texas State), and Andrew Toney (Southwestern Louisiana, now known as Louisiana).
Women's basketball
Former member Louisiana–Monroe (then Northeast Louisiana) advanced to the 1985 NCAA Women's Final Four.
Championships
Spending and revenue
Total revenue includes ticket sales, contributions and donations, rights/licensing, student fees, school funds and all other sources including TV income, camp income, food and novelties. Total expenses includes coaching/staff, scholarships, buildings/ground, maintenance, utilities and rental fees and all other costs including recruiting, team travel, equipment and uniforms, conference dues and insurance costs.
| Conference Rank (2023–24) | Institution | 2023-24 Total Revenue from Athletics[49] | 2023-24 Total Expenses on Athletics[49] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Incarnate Word | $24,959,864 | $24,959,864 |
| 2 | Stephen F. Austin | $23,836,563 | $23,836,563 |
| 3 | Lamar | $23,698,410 | $23,698,410 |
| 4 | Houston Christian | $20,045,332 | $20,045,332 |
| 5 | UTRGV | $20,007,469 | $20,007,469 |
| 6 | East Texas A&M | $18,000,481 | $17,433,995 |
| 7 | Southeastern Louisiana | $17,404,468 | $17,404,468 |
| 8 | McNeese | $16,868,726 | $16,868,726 |
| 9 | Texas A&M Corpus Christi | $15,904,566 | $15,904,566 |
| 10 | Northwestern State | $15,228,540 | $12,032,739 |
| 11 | Nicholls | $13,331,867 | $12,953,173 |
| 12 | New Orleans | $7,856,085 | $7,856,085 |
| Notes |
|---|
| Note 1 - Data from U.S. Department of Education Equity in Athletics Data Analysis Cutting Tool Database. OPE Equity in Athletics Data Analysis Cutting Tool used in order to provide ranking for private institutions in the conference. |
| Note 2 - Current non-football programs. Note: UTRGV joined the SLC as a non-football member for the 2024–25 school year. |
| Note 3 - Joined SLC effective July 1, 2024. |
| Note 3 - Reporting period is from midyear 2023 to midyear 2024. |
Facilities
- Notes
- Texas A&M-Corpus Christi also schedules some home basketball games at the Dugan Wellness Center (capacity 1,200).
- Texas A&M-Corpus Christi uses off-campus Whataburger Field as their home field for some high-profile games and some tournaments.[57]
- UTRGV also plans to play one home game a year at Sams Memorial Stadium in Brownsville (Capacity 10,300).[58]
- Capacity for UTRGV's first season of varsity football in 2025.
- UTRGV also schedules home basketball games at Bert Ogden Arena (capacity 7,700).[60]
Media
Southland Conference Television Network
The Conference began its own syndicated broadcast entity in 2008, the Southland Conference Television Network. It aired in over 25 markets in the league's four-state region, plus on national networks such as Fox College Sports, ESPN GamePlan, and ESPN3. In 2008-09, the network featured 35 broadcasts, and over 30 in each of the next four seasons.
For 2013 and 2014, the syndicated network was restricted to only regular season football games. The remainder of the schedule was available on ESPN3 or regional sports networks, including regular season and tournament basketball as well as championships in soccer, volleyball, softball and baseball. ESPN3 also carried an exclusive package of football games beyond the syndicated network's schedule.
SLCTV dissolved on July 1, 2015. Beginning with the 2015–16 school year, the Southland Conference entered into an agreement with the American Sports Network to syndicate and televise selected games,[63] while also continuing its association with ESPN3.[64] A separate deal allowed Louisiana-based Cox Sports Television to air select games.[65]
After ASN folded following the 2016–17 academic year, the Southland announced a television agreement with Eleven Sports.[66] During 2017-18, conference-controlled games aired on ESPN3, Eleven Sports, Fox Sports Southwest and Cox Sports Television. For 2018-19, ESPN productions began to be split between ESPN3 and ESPN+ platforms. On October 8, 2020, the Southland Conference announced a multi-year extension through the 2024–25 academic year as well as an expansion of its media rights agreement with ESPN.[67]
Academics
| Institution | University System | Endowment[68][69][a] | U.S. News rank[68] |
Carnegie Foundation Classification[70] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Texas A&M University | Texas A&M University System | $34,200,000[71] | 377 (National) |
Doctoral (R2:High research) |
| Houston Christian University | Not Applicable | $131,000,000[72] | 70 (Regional: West) |
Masters (Larger Programs) |
| University of the Incarnate Word | Not Applicable | $143,800,000[73] | 288 (National) |
Doctoral (Professional Universities) |
| Lamar University | Texas State University System | $131,000,000[74][75] | 392-434 (National) |
Doctoral (R2:High research) |
| McNeese State University | University of Louisiana System | $118,000,000[76] | 78 (Regional: South) |
Masters (Larger Programs) |
| University of New Orleans | University of Louisiana System | $22,100,000[77] | 392-434 (National) |
Doctoral (R2:High Research) |
| Nicholls State University | University of Louisiana System | $8,190,000[78] | 72 (Regional: South) |
Masters (Medium Programs) |
| Northwestern State University | University of Louisiana System | $16,400,000[79] | 57 Regional: South) |
Masters (Larger Programs) |
| Southeastern Louisiana University | University of Louisiana System | $20,000,000[80] | 82 (Regional: South) |
Masters (Larger Programs) |
| Stephen F. Austin State University | University of Texas System | $111,000,000[81] | 35 (Regional: West) |
Masters (Larger Programs) |
| Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi | Texas A&M University System | $21,300,000[82] | 392-434 (National) |
Doctoral (R2:High research) |
| University of Texas Rio Grande Valley | University of Texas System | $129,000,000[83] | 220 (National) |
Doctoral (R2:High research) |
- For institutions that are part of a larger university system, this refers to the endowment under direct institutional control. It does not include funds received from system-wide endowments, such as the Permanent University Fund for institutions in the University of Texas and Texas A&M University Systems.
