American South Conference
AssociationNCAA
Founded1987
Ceased1991
CommissionerCraig Thompson
DivisionDivision I
No. of teams7
HeadquartersMetairie, Louisiana
Locations
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The American South Conference was an NCAA Division I athletic conference that existed from 1987–88 to 1990–91. The charter members were Arkansas State University, Lamar University, Louisiana Tech University, the University of New Orleans, the University of Southwestern Louisiana (now known as the University of Louisiana at Lafayette) and the University of Texas–Pan American (now merged into the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley). The University of Central Florida (UCF) became the only expansion school during the conference's final academic season before merging with the Sun Belt Conference. The Sun Belt, which was losing all but three members, merged with the American South conference.[1] The combined conference retained the name of the older Sun Belt Conference. Craig Thompson, the American South's first and only commissioner, became commissioner of the merged Sun Belt. After serving as Sun Belt commissioner for eight years, he became commissioner of the newly formed Mountain West Conference in 1998.[2]

In its brief existence, the American South was home to the 1988 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Champion in Louisiana Tech, and also had two men's basketball teams earn NCAA at-large berths, Louisiana Tech in 1989 (defeated LaSalle in NCAA 1st Round) and New Orleans in 1991. Lamar's women's basketball team advanced to the NCAA round of eight in 1991 defeating Texas, LSU, and Arkansas before losing to tournament finalist Virginia.

Member schools

Final members

Institution Nickname Location Founded Affiliation Joined Left Subsequent
conference(s)		 Current
conference
Arkansas State University Red Wolves Jonesboro, Arkansas 1909 Public 1987 1991 Sun Belt
(1991–present)
University of Central Florida Knights Orlando, Florida 1963 1990 1991 various[lower-alpha 1] Big 12
(2023–present)
Lamar University Cardinals Beaumont, Texas 1923 1987 1991 Sun Belt
(1991–98)
Western Athletic
(2021–22)		 Southland
(1998–2021;
2022–present)
Louisiana Tech University Bulldogs &
Lady Techsters		 Ruston, Louisiana 1894 1987 1991 Sun Belt
(1991–2001)
Western Athletic
(2001–13)		 C-USA
(2013–present)
University of New Orleans Privateers New Orleans, Louisiana 1958 1987 1991 Sun Belt
(1991–2010)
D-I Independent[lower-alpha 2]
(2010–13)		 Southland
(2013–present)
University of Southwestern Louisiana[lower-alpha 3] Ragin' Cajuns Lafayette, Louisiana 1898 1987 1991 Sun Belt
(1991–present)
University of Texas–Pan American[lower-alpha 4] Broncs[lower-alpha 5] Edinburg, Texas[lower-alpha 6] 1927 1987 1991 various[lower-alpha 7] Western Athletic
(2013–present)[lower-alpha 8]
Notes
  1. ↑ Central Florida (now UCF) had joined the following subsequent conferences: the Sun Belt Conference during the 1991–92 school year; the Atlantic Sun Conference (A-Sun) from 1992–93 to 2004–05; Conference USA (C-USA) from 2005–06 to 2012–13; and the American Athletic Conference from 2013–2023
  2. ↑ New Orleans was transitioning from NCAA Division I to NCAA Division II and joined the Gulf South Conference (GSC) for some sports (excluding basketball) during the 2011–12, only for the school to announce its intentions to stay at NCAA Division I.[3][4]
  3. ↑ Currently known as the University of Louisiana at Lafayette since 1999.
  4. ↑ UTPA merged with the University of Texas at Brownsville (UTB) in 2013 to form the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV), with the new university beginning full operation in the 2015–16 school year.
  5. ↑ The UTPA athletic program was transferred directly to UTRGV, with the nickname changing to Vaqueros once UTRGV began operation.
  6. ↑ The UTRGV athletic program is based at the former UTPA main campus in Edinburg.
  7. ↑ Texas–Pan American (then UTPA) had joined the following subsequent conferences: the Sun Belt Conference from 1991–92 to 1997–98; as an NCAA D-I Independent from 1998–99 to 2007–08; and the Great West Conference from 2008–09 to 2012–13.
  8. ↑ UTRGV maintains UTPA's WAC membership.

Membership timeline

Sun Belt ConferenceUniversity of Central FloridaSun Belt ConferenceUniversity of Texas–Pan AmericanSun Belt ConferenceUniversity of Louisiana at LafayetteSun Belt ConferenceUniversity of New OrleansSun Belt ConferenceLouisiana Tech UniversitySun Belt ConferenceLamar UniversitySun Belt ConferenceArkansas State University

Champions

Men's basketball

Regular season

  • 1988 Louisiana Tech, New Orleans
  • 1989 New Orleans
  • 1990 Louisiana Tech, New Orleans
  • 1991 Arkansas State, New Orleans

Conference tournament

Women's basketball

Regular season

  • 1988 Louisiana Tech
  • 1989 Louisiana Tech
  • 1990 Louisiana Tech
  • 1991 Lamar

Conference tournament

  • 1988 Louisiana Tech
  • 1989 Louisiana Tech
  • 1990 Louisiana Tech
  • 1991 Louisiana Tech

Baseball

Regular season

  • 1988 New Orleans
  • 1989 Southwestern Louisiana
  • 1990 Southwestern Louisiana
  • 1991 Southwestern Louisiana

Conference tournament

  • 1988 Southwestern Louisiana
  • 1989 New Orleans
  • 1990 Southwestern Louisiana
  • 1991 Southwestern Louisiana

See also

References

Notes

  1. ↑ "Miscellany". Los Angeles Times. April 9, 1999. Retrieved February 15, 2015. Presidents of Sun Belt Conference schools Jacksonville, South Alabama, Western Kentucky and Arkansas Little Rock voted to accept a merger with the American South Conference.
  2. ↑ "Craig Thompson, Commissioner". Mountain West Conference. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  3. ↑ "GSC Admits UNO for Conference Membership". Archived from the original on September 27, 2011. Retrieved June 22, 2011.
  4. ↑ Daniels, Ed. "UNO Athletics to remain Division I in NCAA". SportsNOLA.com. Archived from the original on May 16, 2012. Retrieved March 7, 2012.
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