Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks and Ladyjacks
| Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks Ladyjacks | |
|---|---|
 | |
| University | Stephen F. Austin State University |
| Conference | Southland Conference |
| NCAA | Division I FCS |
| Athletic director | Robert Hill |
| Location | Nacogdoches, Texas |
| Varsity teams | 15 |
| Football stadium | Homer Bryce Stadium |
| Basketball arena | William R. Johnson Coliseum |
| Baseball stadium | Jaycees Field |
| Softball stadium | SFA Softball Field |
| Soccer stadium | SFA Soccer Field |
| Other arenas |
Schilief Tennis Complex Shelton Gym |
| Nickname | Lumberjacks |
| Colors |
Purple and White[1] |
| Website |
www |
The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks and Ladyjacks are composed of 15 teams representing Stephen F. Austin State University in intercollegiate athletics, including men and women's basketball, cross country, golf, and track and field. Men's sports include baseball and football. Women's sports include volleyball, tennis, soccer, softball, and bowling. The Lumberjacks/Ladyjacks are members of the Southland Conference and the football team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).[2]
Teams
Stephen F. Austin sponsors teams in seven men's and ten women's NCAA sanctioned sports:[3]
|
Men's Intercollegiate Sports |
Women's Intercollegiate Sports |
* Bowling competes in the Southland Bowling League.
National Championship
As of April 17, 2016, Stephen F. Austin has won one NCAA national team championship.[4]
- Women (1)
- Bowling: 2016
- Men (0)
Bowling
The Stephen F. Austin Ladyjacks bowling team won the 2016 NCAA national championship, going to a deciding seventh game in defeating defending national champion Nebraska.[4]
Football
The Lumberjacks compete in NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision in the Southland Conference. They are coached by Clint Conque and play at Homer Bryce Stadium. The Lumberjacks first competed in college football in 1923.
Football rivalries
Stephen F. Austin's two main rivals are the Sam Houston State Bearkats and the Northwestern State Demons.
The Stephen F. Austin State/Sam Houston State rivalry is based on the schools both being located in the Piney Woods region of East Texas, in close proximity to each other. The annual football matchup is called the Battle of the Piney Woods. In 2010, the two universities agreed to move the annual football matchups to Houston, Texas in NRG Stadium.
The Stephen F. Austin/Northwestern State rivalry is based on both schools being located in towns named for a branch of the Caddo tribe (SFA in Nacogdoches, Texas; NW State in Natchitoches, Louisiana). The winner of the annual football matchup gains (or maintains) possession of Chief Caddo, a rivalry trophy (introduced in 1960) representing an Indian named "Chief Caddo". At seven feet, six inches, Chief Caddo is the largest trophy in college football.
Baseball
Lumberjacks Basketball
Ladyjacks Basketball
Softball
The Ladyjacks softball team has appeared in one Women's College World Series in 1978.[5]
Notable non varsity sports
Rugby
The SFA Lumberjacks Rugby Club plays college rugby in Division I-AA in the Southwest Conference (SWC) against traditional rivals such as North Texas, TCU, and Texas State.[6] The Lumberjacks joined the SWC in 2013. SFA Rugby is a sport club within the SFA Campus Recreation department. SFA Rugby won Texas Division III in 2010.[7]
Cheerleading
The Stephen F. Austin Large Coed Cheerleading Squad is a nine-time National Cheerleading Association Collegiate National Champion, to go along with 5 straight National Titles. The Large Coed team competes in the NCA Collegiate National Championship in Daytona Beach, Florida every April.
The Stephen F. Austin Small Coed Cheerleading Squad was founded in 2006. In July 2007, SFA Small Coed won a partial paid bid to the NCA Collegiate National Championships. In their first year, SFA Small placed 9th among other D1 Small Coed teams including University of Louisville, Oklahoma State University, Southern Methodist University and Florida International University. The Small Coed team competed in the 2008 NCA Collegiate National Championship in Florida.
Traditions
- Purple Haze: The student fan section. The Purple Haze Section is 1 of 2 university clubs that has a section reserved (The Delta Sig Sawyers are the other). The bleachers have been painted and stenciled for the group by the Athletic Department of SFA.
- Many SFA students decorate axe handles to take to the football games.
- When the football team wins a home game, the purple beacons located on top of the Steen dorms are turned on to light up the night.
- At home football games, large signs and banners representing campus fraternities, sororities, and student organizations adorn the grassy hills that surround Homer Bryce Stadium.
- At home baseball games, the students in the outfield throw back opposing teams' home runs.
- The "Axe 'Em, Jacks" slogan has existed since the creation of the Lumberjacks mascot. But the now-popular hand signal utilized by SFA fans was introduced and made popular by the 1979-1980 Lumberjack cheerleaders. During Spring Break 1978 on South Padre Island, a group of Alpha Chi Omega sorority girls noticed that other Texas colleges has hand signals specific to their schools ("Gig 'Em Aggies" at Texas A&M University, "Hook 'em Horns" at University of Texas for instance). As a response, freshman student 'Marcia' suggested the two-fingered salute to a male cheerleader, 'Monty.'
References
- ↑ SFA Official University Identity Standards (PDF). Retrieved 2016-04-02.
- ↑ "Stephen F. Austin University Athletics". sfajacks.com. Retrieved 2012-05-28.
- ↑ http://www.sfajacks.com/
- 1 2 "Stephen F. Austin wins first NCAA championship". Retrieved 2016-04-18.
- ↑ Plummer, William; Floyd, Larry C. (2013). A Series Of Their Own: History Of The Women's College World Series. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States: Turnkey Communications Inc. ISBN 978-0-9893007-0-4.
- ↑ This Is American Rugby, Stephen F Austin State University RFC joins the Southwest Conference, July 17, 2013, http://www.thisisamericanrugby.com/2013/07/stephen-f-austin-state-university-rfc.html
- ↑ SFA Rugby Club, http://www.sfasu.edu/campusrec/510.asp
External links
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