Academic excellence, 45 National Championships and a leadership role in the NCAA’s Division II make the Gulf South Conference (GSC) something special. The GSC is a charter Division II member and enters its 42nd year as one of the premier conferences at any NCAA level.
In the summer of 1970, six college presidents met to talk about athletics; when the meeting ended, a new league emerged—the Mid-South Conference—started by, and to this day run by, the CEOs, the first in NCAA history. It is that CEO-control and involvement that makes the league work and its 14 championships (football; men’s & women’s cross country, men’s & women’s soccer; volleyball, men’s & women’s basketball, men’s & women’s tennis, men’s & women’s golf; softball and baseball) so bitterly contested in a collegial manner.
From that point forward, the GSC has been giant steps ahead of the Division II pack. Dating back to 1997, the league has found neutral sites paying sizeable guarantees for most of its team championships. NCAA Conventions regularly feature GSC-proposed or -inspired legislation. No one wins more regionals or earns more NCAA post-season bids. In 2004, the league purchased its own new construction office space. But the crowning moment came in 2005-06, when the GSC debuted its highly successful “GSC-TV Live” package which included nine football games and its men’s & women’s basketball tournament finals. Add to that its web-TV show, “GSC Sports Weekly,” and the broadbanding of most of its championships and you can see why the GSC is a Conference paving the way into the 21st century.
We take pride in our 45 National Team Championships in 12 sports and more than 100 regional titles, especially because there is no sacrifice on the academic side, where GSC student-athletes regularly earn Academic All-America. The Conference added two more Titles in 2010-11 with Valdosta State claiming its second Men’s Tennis Crown in five years and West Florida winning its first-ever Baseball National Title.
Delta State, Florence State (now North Alabama), Jacksonville State, Livingston (now West Alabama), Tennessee-Martin and Troy State were the charter members. Scheduling problems for the 1970-71 academic year limited the GSC to football, won by Jacksonville State. In 1971, the addition of Southeast Louisiana (SELA) and Nicholls State increased the membership to eight. The league opened an office in Hammond, LA, changed its name to the Gulf South Conference and began championships in nine men’s sports. Mississippi College and Northwestern Louisiana (now Northwestern State) joined in 1972 and two years later, NWLA left for Division I with SELA and Nicholls State following in 1979.
The conference continued with seven teams until 1981, when the CEOs admitted Valdosta State, followed by West Georgia (1983). In 1991, Tennessee-Martin and Troy State went Division I, briefly dropping the GSC back to seven members. An aggressive expansion under the guidance of new Commissioner Nate Salant resulted in 10 new members: Lincoln Memorial (1992-93); Alabama-Huntsville, Henderson State, Central Arkansas and Mississippi University for Women (MUW in 1993-94); West Florida (1994-95); and Arkansas-Monticello, Arkansas Tech, Montevallo and Southern Arkansas (1995-96). Jacksonville State went Division I at the end of 1992-93 and Mississippi College dropped to Division III at the end of 1995-96, only to be replaced by Christian Brothers to keep the Conference at 16 schools.
In July 2000, the GSC welcomed Harding University and Ouachita Baptist University, making it the largest NCAA conference at any level with 18 schools. MUW dropped its athletics program at the end of the 2002-03 season, decreasing the membership to 17. The Conference decreased to 15 teams in 2006-07 when Central Arkansas moved to Division I and Lincoln Memorial made a geographically-based switch to the South Atlantic Conference, then 14 after Montevallo departed for the Peach Belt Conference.
The GSC went away from divisional play after the 2010-11 season when its six Arkansas members broke away, dropping the membership to eight. The Conference did not wait long to implement an aggressive expansion plan which quickly bore fruit when the University of New Orleans was unanimously approved as its ninth member in June, 2011. UNO becomes a full member in the GSC in 2012-13 after limited participation in volleyball, cross country, golf and baseball in 2011-12. The GSC took another step in bolstering its membership after sponsoring the Division II applications of Union University (TN) and Shorter University (GA) which were accepted into the NCAA reclassifying process in July of 2011, and will enter the GSC process this fall.
Former Commissioner Jim McCullough brought the GSC office to Birmingham. Current Commissioner, Nate Salant began his tenure in October, 1992. He is assisted by Assistant Commissioner for Media and Public Affairs Michael Anderson, Assistant Sports Information Director Albert “A.A.” Moore and Senior Woman Administrator Andrea Anderson. The Chairman of the GSC Board of Directors is Dr. William Cale (North Alabama). Joining him on the executive committee are Vice-Chair Dr. Judith Bense (West Florida) and Past-Chair Dr. Beheruz Sethna (West Georgia). The Supervisors of Officials are Jeff Roberson (Football), John Caldwell (Basketball) and Mike Murphy (Basketball).