The Southland Conference

In an era of considerable change in intercollegiate athletics, the Southland Conference continues to be a model of innovation, stability and consistent achievement as it celebrates the academic and athletic accomplishments of its member institutions.

What began as a small gathering of college administrators nearly 50 years ago, the Southland Conference has transformed itself into a dynamic and respected consortium of 12 member universities in three states. Beginning with a historic meeting of five institutions in Dallas on March 15, 1963, that included current members Lamar University (then Lamar State College of Technology) and the University of Texas at Arlington (then Arlington State College), the Southland Conference set on an extraordinary course that has proven successful well into its fifth decade of existence.

On July 1, 2006, the Southland Conference commemorated another milestone as the league membership reached 12, marking the largest configuration ever for the organization. The addition of the University of Central Arkansas and Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi expanded the Southland into the Little Rock, Ark., metro area and into the eighth largest city in Texas. Central Arkansas and A&M-Corpus Christi enhanced the Conference in innumerable ways, including athletic and academic successes, strong and principled leadership, and strong fan support and media coverage.

In addition to its two newest members, the Southland Conference membership also consists of Lamar University, McNeese State University, Nicholls State University, Northwestern State University, Sam Houston State University, Southeastern Louisiana University, Stephen F. Austin State University, the University of Texas at Arlington, the University of Texas at San Antonio, and Texas State University-San Marcos.

All told, the revised membership of the Southland encompasses more than 180,000 current students and an alumni base of approximately 920,000. Famous alums from Southland Conference schools include former President Lyndon B. Johnson (Texas State), former CBS news anchor Dan Rather (Sam Houston State), retired U.S. Central Command General Tommy Franks (UT Arlington), NBA executive Joe Dumars (McNeese State), ABC news anchor Robin Roberts (Southeastern Louisiana), country music star George Strait (Texas State), Major League Baseball stars Hunter Pence (UT Arlington), Kevin Millar (Lamar) and Ben Broussard (McNeese State), NBA legend Scottie Pippen (Central Arkansas) and actor Lou Diamond Phillips (UT Arlington).

The cities of the Southland are diverse and progressive, ranging from international business and cultural centers such as the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex, San Antonio and the New Orleans area, to the historical cities of Nacogdoches, Texas, and Natchitoches, La., to the home of the modern oil boom, Beaumont, Texas, to the unique Cajun French cultures found in the Louisiana cities of Thibodaux and Lake Charles. Southland Conference institutions also draw large numbers of students from the metropolitan areas of Houston, Little Rock, Baton Rouge, Austin, and Shreveport.

The Southland sponsors 17 championship sports, all at the NCAA Division I level. The eight men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, tennis, and indoor and outdoor track and field. The women compete for nine championships in basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, indoor and outdoor track and field, and volleyball. The conference earns automatic qualification to NCAA championships in baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, football, men's and women's golf, women's soccer, softball, men's and women's tennis, and volleyball.

Continuing its tradition of innovation, the league launched the Southland Conference Television Network in the fall of 2008 and has already broadcast nearly 100 events. The network is expanding its reach to roughly 10 million households throughout Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas in 2011-12. In its first three years, the regional network has received recognition for its work. It received a national honorable mention award at the College Sports Media Award at the College Sports Video Summit in Atlanta in June 2011 for its production of the 2010 Stephen F. Austin vs. Sam Houston State football game in the category of professional live event, competing with the likes of ESPN, Turner Sports, YES Network and other conference networks, including the Big Ten and Mountain West. In the summer of 2010, the network was recognized for the best live game or event in its category for the production of the 2009 McNeese State vs. Stephen F. Austin football game. The conference network has also collected four prestigious Telly Awards, including this past summer when the conference won a Silver Telly Award for its promotion of the 2011 Southland Conference basketball tournament.

In January 2011, the Southland Conference, in conjunction with the city of Frisco, Texas and Hunt Sports Group, played host to the NCAA Division I Football Championship Game in Frisco, which has been home to the conference office since 2006. The game will be played at Frisco's Pizza Hut Park for at least the next two seasons. Frisco was named the fastest growing city in the nation in 2010.

Southland Conference football ranks among the best Football Championship Subdivision leagues in the nation, and enjoys an annual expectation of competing for the national championship with multiple teams advancing to the NCAA playoffs each year. In 2002 and 2003, McNeese State finished the regular season ranked No. 1 in the nation, and advanced to the 2002 national championship contest, the sixth such title game appearance since the league joined the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly I-AA) in 1982. All told, Southland teams have played in 93 Division I playoff games in 29 years, winning 43 of the contests.

Historically, the Southland's successful football heritage has sustained itself through numerous membership and classification changes. Originally an NAIA conference, the Southland joined the NCAA College Division in 1968. The College Division was re-named NCAA Division II in 1973, and the league played two seasons in that class, before joining Division I in 1975. The Southland was an NCAA Division I-A league from 1978-81, before joining the ranks of FCS in 1982, its home ever since.

During its tenure as a Division I-A conference, the Southland Conference was instrumental in the startup of the Independence Bowl in 1976. The Southland representative served as the host team of the bowl until 1980, compiling a 2-3 record in those contests.

The conference can lay claim to five national championships, including College Division championships through former members Arkansas State (1970, UPI) and Louisiana Tech (1972, National Football Foundation). Louisiana Tech also won the first NCAA-sanctioned national title, winning the Division II playoffs in 1973. Tech followed that with the UPI's Division II national championship in 1974. Louisiana-Monroe won the 1987 national championship.

McNeese State, which has made 14 appearances in the national playoffs, played in the 1997 and 2002 NCAA Division I Championship games, while Stephen F. Austin played in the 1989 title game and has six playoff appearances, including each of the last two seasons. Northwestern State has played in the playoffs six times, and advanced to the semifinals in 1998, while Sam Houston State has earned four trips to the postseason, including the semifinals in 2004. Nicholls State has participated three times in the playoffs. On four occasions, the Southland has placed three teams in the national 16-team playoffs. Five of the eight current football-playing members have qualified for the FCS playoffs.

The Southland has produced 156 first-team football All-Americans during its history and in 2010, Stephen F. Austin quarterback Jeremy Moses became the first player in Southland history to receive the Walter Payton Award, which is presented annually to the most outstanding football player at the FCS level.

The Southland is one of three FCS conferences with at least 200 selections (204) in the National Football League draft. The league also ranks third in the FCS with 24 players taken in the draft since 2000 and has 18 former players on NFL rosters heading into the 2011 season.

The Southland Conference has also sent such talent to the professional ranks as Buffalo's Terrence McGee (Northwestern State) and Felton Huggins (Southeastern Louisiana), Minnesota's Rhett Bomar (Sam Houston State) and Fred Evans (Texas State), Jacksonville's Bryan Smith (McNeese State) and Larry Hart (Central Arkansas), Tennessee's Jacob Ford (Central Arkansas), Baltimore's Lardarius Webb (Nicholls State), Seattle's Dominique Edison (Stephen F. Austin) and Green Bay's Antonio Robinson (Nicholls State), who became the Southland's  24th player to win a Super Bowl when the Packers beat Pittsburgh in Super Bowl XLV in Arlington in 2011.

Among the former NFL stars from the Southland include Fred Dean, who was inducted to the Professional Football Hall of Fame in 2008 to become the first former Southland Conference player to earn induction in Canton. Other great NFL players from the Southland include Super Bowl XXIX quarterback Stan Humphries, Bill Bergey, Mike Barber, Fred Barnett, Bubby Brister, Ray Brown, Roger Carr, Larry Centers, Bruce Collie, Jackie Harris, Buford Jordan, Tim McKyer, Kavika Pittman, Billy Ryckman, Rickey Sanders, Eugene Seale, Rafael Septien, Terrance Shaw, Marcus Spears, Pat Tilley and Marvin Upshaw.

The Southland Conference has also seen its share of great coaches during its history in Maxie Lambright, Ernie Duplechin, Sam Goodwin, Jack Doland, Bennie Ellender, Bobby Keasler, Larry Lacewell, Bill Davidson, Dennis Franchione, Pat Collins, and Ron Randleman.

In addition to football, the Southland Conference can point to a number of accomplishments in all sports.

Men's basketball has experienced a tremendous amount of success during the Southland's 45-plus years. The league has sent two teams to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen, as well as a squad to the NIT Final Four. Basketball stars Karl Malone, Joe Dumars, Jeff Foster, Dwight "Bo" Lamar, Andrew Toney, Devin Brown, and Mike Oliver played in the Southland Conference. In 2006, Northwestern State, playing as the No. 14 seed in the NCAA tournament, defeated No. 3 seed Iowa, 64-63, in first-round action. The Southland took another step forward in 2011. The league saw two teams reach the postseason (UTSA in the NCAA tournament and McNeese State in the NIT) for the second time since 2008 and enjoyed its first win in the NCAA tournament since 2006.

Coaches such as Billy Tubbs, Mike Vining, Scotty Robertson, Jack Martin, Andy Russo, Bobby Paschal and Pat Foster have led teams in the Southland.

In women's basketball, the Southland also has its share of tradition with Louisiana-Monroe advancing to the 1985 NCAA Women's Final Four, and Stephen F. Austin sustaining itself as one of the most successful programs in the history of the sport. In 2008, the Ladyjacks became the eighth program in NCAA Division I history to record more than 800 wins.

In 2011, three Southland teams reached the postseason for the second consecutive season. McNeese State won its first conference tournament to earn its first NCAA tournament berth. Lamar was selected to play in its first WNIT and Central Arkansas played in its first Division I postseason tournament in the WBI. A Southland team has played in the WNIT 11 times, including each of the last five years. Women's basketball all-stars have included Eun Jung Lee, Lisa Ingram, Portia Hill, Deneen Parker, Katrina Price, and Joskeen Garner, and coaches such as Gary Blair, Linda Sharp, James Smith and Linda Harper.

Baseball has emerged as a huge Southland Conference strength with the league earning numerous national rankings and NCAA tournament berths. The Southland consistently ranks among the top-10 conferences in the country and that was no different in 2011 when 50 of the league's 150 non-conference victories came against the Big 12, Conference USA, Sun Belt and SEC. Major leaguers such as Ben Sheets, Micah Hoffpauir, Hunter Pence, David Segui, Brian Lawrence, Ben Broussard, Chuck Finley, Jerald Clark, and Terry Matthews once played in the Southland. Former UT Arlington shortstop, Trey Hillman, a three-time all-conference selection from 1983-85, was manager for the Kansas City Royals from the 2007-10 seasons and coached the American League in the 2009 MLB All-Star Game.

The 2011 Major League Baseball draft saw 25 players from the Southland get drafted, matching its best draft in conference history (1995), to push the all-time draft total to 439 selections. In 2010, UT Arlington's Michael Choice became the seventh Southland player taken in the first round, selected by Oakland with the 10th overall selection. He joins Ben Sheets (Louisiana-Monroe) as the league's highest draft pick. The two are the only players in Southland history to be taken in the top 10 of the draft.

In 2011, Jim Gilligan became the first Southland coach to reach 1,200 career victories, ranking him sixth-best in the NCAA among active Division I coaches and 24th all-time. Gilligan joined the Southland Conference Hall of Honor in 2011. After 26 years as a college head coach, including the last five years at Sam Houston State, Mark Johnson, a Southwestern baseball legend, retired following the 2011 season. He was the 44th Division I coach to win more than 1,000 career games (1,043). He is among an impressive list of coaches who have patrolled Southland Conference dugouts, including Mike Bianco, John Cohen, Mitch Gaspard, Smoke Laval, Butch McBroom, Pat Patterson, Tony Robichaux, Dave Van Horn and Jim Wells.

Softball continues to enjoy success on a national level, annually beating at least one nationally ranked opponent since 1995. In 2011, the league had four wins against ranked opponents, including a win by Stephen F. Austin at No. 3 Texas. In the 2003 NCAA tournament, UT Arlington and Texas State enjoyed unprecedented success as each won two games in the national event. In 19 years of NCAA tournament competition the Southland has racked up 14 wins.

The Southland has a proud history in volleyball with UT Arlington representing the conference eight times in the NCAA tournament, advancing all the way to the NCAA Volleyball Final Four in 1989.

Track and field has also served as a proud asset for the Southland Conference as the league has produced numerous national champions and Olympic medalists. The Southland boasts 28 men and three women student-athletes who have won NCAA track and field national championships, including Northwestern State's Trecey Rew, who won the women's discus in 2011, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi's Shadrack Songok (10,000-meter run) in 2007 and 2008 and McNeese State's Brad Gebauer (pole vault) in 2007. The league has also produced U.S. Olympic track and field medalists Earl Bell, Thomas Hill, Al Joyner and Charles Austin, Liudmila Litvinova, along with other Olympians. With the addition of five more All-Americans in 2011, the league continues to find national success in both indoor and outdoor track and field. In the indoor circuit, the Southland boasts 62 unique all-time All-Americans that have won a combined 11 national championships. Likewise, in the outdoor season, the league has seen 152 different All-Americans, including 123 men and 29 women, who have combined to win 21 national championships.

Golf has traditionally been a strong Southland sport as exemplified by Lamar men's golfer Chris Stroud, who finished third individually at the 2003 NCAA National Championship and is a member of the PGA Tour. Both Stroud and former Southeastern Louisiana golfer Hugo Leon competed in the 2010 U.S. Open. The league has sent multiple teams into postseason play on numerous occasions, including in 2011 when three Southland teams - UT Arlington, Lamar, Southeastern Louisiana - competed in the NCAA tournament. Additionally, during the past three seasons the Southland has sent nine golfers to compete as individuals in regional play with five in 2009, three more in 2010 and one in 2011. Lamar won a pair of NCAA Division II national championships in 1967 and 1968, and also produced PGA player Ronnie Black.

In 2005, Lamar's Dawie Van Der Walt finished fourth individually and Lamar tied for 12th place at the NCAA Men's Golf Championship, before the Cardinals tied for ninth in 2006 and tied for third in 2007. Former Lamar golfer Casey Clendenon advanced to the semifinals of the U.S. Amateur in 2007.

Southland tennis has also experienced national prominence. UT Arlington All-American Andy Leber was the 2002 ITA/Ted Farnsworth National Senior Co-Player of the Year after a 43-3 record and earning the nation's No. 2 ranking. In women's tennis, Southeastern Louisiana won 46 consecutive conference matches during a four-year period that began in 2005.

The conference has increased sponsorship and championship opportunities for female student-athletes in recent years, adding women's golf and soccer as league sports.

The Southland Conference has repeatedly demonstrated its commitment to the academic and athletic success of its student-athletes. With the F.L. McDonald Postgraduate Scholarship Award, the league annually honors one male and one female scholar-athlete with a stipend for postgraduate study. The Scholar-Athlete Award is given to each institution's male and female student-athlete with the highest grade-point average. The Steve McCarty Citizenship Award, initiated in 2005-06 and named after the former Stephen F. Austin athletic director, properly recognizes accomplishments off the court for a male and female student-athlete. Also, student-athletes with grade-point averages above 3.0 are honored on the Southland's annual All-Academic teams and Commissioner's Honor Roll. A record 953 student-athletes appeared on the honor roll following the 2011 spring semester.

While successful on the fields and courts, the Southland Conference has repeatedly demonstrated its commitment to the academic and athletic success of its student-athletes.

The conference continues to make great strides in the classroom. During the last five years, no other Division I conference has improved its Academic Progress Rate as well as the Southland Conference has. In the most recent year of data collection, 2009-10, the Southland ranked 10th among the 31 Division I leagues in men's basketball APR. The academic progress the league has shown ultimately leads to higher graduation rates for our student-athletes.

In addition to providing expanding opportunities for student-athletes, the Southland Conference and its member institutions are very involved in various community outreach programs. Many of these programs provide positive life skills training such as academics, citizenship and leadership to school-aged students in Southland communities.

FOOTBALL HISTORY
1963

The Southland Conference is organized by five institutions: Abilene Christian College (Abilene Christian University), Arkansas State College (Arkansas State University, Arlington State College (University of Texas at Arlington, Lamar State College of Technology (Lamar University) and Trinity University.

1964

The Southland Conference begins football play as a member of the NAIA. Lamar wins inaugural championship with a 3-0-1 league mark and falls in the Pecan Bowl to Northern Iowa, 19-17.

1965
Lamar repeats as Southland champion with a 3-1 mark (6-4 overall).

1966
UT Arlington and Lamar finish as co-champions with identical 3-1 marks.

1967
UT Arlington wins the league title with a perfect 4-0 record, and completes a 10-1 season with a 13-0 win over North Dakota State in Pecan Bowl. Trinity defensive end Marvin Upshaw becomes the first Southland Conference player to be selected in the first round of the NFL draft, the 21st overall selection by the Cleveland Browns.

1968
The Southland Conference begins competition in the NCAA's College Division. Arkansas State takes the Southland title with a 3-0-1 mark, but loses in the Pecan Bowl to North Dakota State, 23-14.

1969
Arkansas State repeats as league champion, sweeping through the league at 4-0. ASU caps an 8-1-1 season with a win over Drake, 29-21, in the Pecan Bowl.

1970
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Arkansas State wins the Southland title for the third consecutive year and finishes the season with a perfect 11-0 mark, winning the UPI College Division National Championship. ASU capped the year with a 38-21 win over Central Missouri State in the Pecan Bowl.  Arkansas State head coach Bennie Ellender is named the National Small College Coach of the Year by the American Football Coaches Association.

1971
Louisiana Tech University and the University of Southwestern Louisiana (Louisiana-Lafayette) join the Southland Conference. Louisiana Tech, Trinity and Lamar share the championship with 4-1 records. Louisiana Tech caps a 9-2 season with a 14-3 win over Eastern Michigan in the Pioneer Bowl.

1972
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Louisiana Tech wins its second straight championship with a 5-0 mark, and caps off a perfect 12-0 season with a 35-0 trouncing of Tennessee Tech in the Grantland Rice Bowl. The win gives Tech a claim to the College Division National Championship. McNeese State University plays its first season in the Southland Conference. Abilene Christian plays its final season and withdraws from the Southland Conference.

1973
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Louisiana Tech again wins the league title with a 5-0 record on the way to a 12-1 season capped off by the league's first-ever NCAA football championship, winning the Division II title, 34-0, over Western Kentucky.

1974
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Louisiana Tech wins its fourth consecutive league crown with a 5-0 mark on the way to an 11-1 overall record. Tech is declared UPI Division II National Champion.  Louisiana Tech wide receiver Roger Carr becomes the second Southland Conference player to be selected in the first round of the NFL draft, the 24th overall pick by the Baltimore Colts.

1975

The Southland Conference begins play as an NCAA Division I league. Arkansas State wins the league with a perfect 5-0 mark and rolls through the season with an 11-0 mark as one of two unbeaten, untied teams in Division I. Because of no postseason opportunities for Arkansas State, the Southland Conference and city of Shreveport, La., develop the idea for the Independence Bowl, to be hosted by the Southland champion.

1976
McNeese State wins its first-ever Southland title with a 4-1 mark. The Cowboys finish the season 10-2 after a 20-16 win over Tulsa in the inaugural Independence Bowl.

1977
Louisiana Tech claims its fifth Southland title with a 4-0 mark, and caps a 9-1-2 season with a 24-14 win over Louisville in the Independence Bowl.

1978
Louisiana Tech and Arkansas State share the title with 4-1 marks, and Louisiana Tech finishes a 6-5 season with a 35-13 loss to East Carolina in the Independence Bowl.

1979
McNeese State wins its second Southland title with a 5-0 league mark. McNeese finishes with an 11-1 record, losing only to Syracuse, 31-7, in the Independence Bowl.

1980
McNeese State rolls to another undefeated 5-0 conference record for its second straight title. The Cowboys lost to Southern Miss., 16-14, in the final Independence Bowl hosted by the Southland champion.

1981
UT Arlington wins its first league title in 14 years with a 4-1 mark on the way to a 6-5 overall record. Louisiana-Lafayette plays its final season and withdraws from the Southland Conference.

1982
The Southland Conference is re-classified into the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision, and begins participation in the NCAA Division I Playoffs. Northeast Louisiana University (Louisiana-Monroe) plays its first season in the Southland Conference. Louisiana Tech claims its seventh Southland crown with a 5-0 mark, and finishes at 10-3 after advancing to the NCAA Division I semifinals, and falling to Delaware, 17-0.

1983
North Texas plays its first season in the Southland Conference, and responds by sharing the league title with Louisiana-Monroe with a 5-1 record. North Texas loses in the opening round of the Division I Playoffs at Nevada, 20-17, in overtime. McNeese State defensive back Leonard Smith becomes the highest Southland Conference draft choice, taken as the 17th overall selection in the first round by the St. Louis Cardinals.

1984
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Louisiana Tech wins the championship with a 5-1 mark, and finishes a 10-5 season by falling in the Division I National Championship to Montana State, 19-6. Arkansas State also advances to the quarterfinals in the NCAA Division I playoffs, falling at Montana State, 31-14.

1985
Arkansas State claims the title with a 5-1 mark and advances to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division I playoffs, losing at Nevada, 24-23. UT Arlington plays its final season after discontinuing football, and withdraws from the Southland Conference. UTA returns to the league without football during the 1987-88 academic year.

1986
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Arkansas State wins its seventh league title with a perfect 5-0 record and completes a 12-2-1 season by advancing to the Division I National Championship game, falling to Georgia Southern, 48-21. Arkansas State, Louisiana Tech and Lamar play their final season and withdraw from the Southland Conference. Lamar returns to the league without football during the 1998-1999 academic year.

1987
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Louisiana-Monroe runs through the Southland schedule at 6-0 and finishes a 13-2 season by winning the NCAA Division I National Championship with a 43-42 win over Marshall.

North Texas advances to the NCAA Division I playoffs, falling in the first round at Louisiana-Monroe, 30-9.

Northwestern State University, Sam Houston State University, Southwest Texas State University and Stephen F. Austin State University play their first season in the Southland Conference.

Northwestern State running back John Stephens is selected 17th overall in the first round of the NFL Draft by New England, matching the highest draft selection in Southland Conference history (Leonard Smith, McNeese State, 17th pick, 1983).

1988
Northwestern State wins its first-ever Southland championship with a perfect 6-0 mark, and completes a 10-3 season by advancing to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division I playoffs, losing at Idaho, 38-30.

For the first time, the Southland sends three teams to postseason play as Stephen F. Austin advances to the second round before falling at Georgia Southern, 27-7. North Texas also earns a playoff bid, but loses in the first round at Marshall, 7-0.

1989
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Stephen F. Austin wins its first Southland championship with a 5-0-1 mark and completes a 12-2-1 season by advancing to the Division I National Championship game, falling at Georgia Southern, 37-34.

1990
Louisiana-Monroe wins the league with a 5-1 mark, and finishes a 7-5 season by losing in the first round of the Division I playoffs, 27-14, at Nevada.

1991
McNeese State, at 4-1-2, and Sam Houston State, at 5-2, share the conference title by virtue of identical .714 winning percentage. McNeese completes a 6-4-2 campaign with first-round loss at Nevada, 22-16, in the NCAA Division I playoffs. Sam Houston State also earns its first-ever bid into the NCAA Division I playoffs, but the Bearkats lose at Middle Tennessee, 20-19, in overtime. Nicholls State University plays its first season in the league.

1992
Louisiana-Monroe completes an undefeated, 7-0, conference slate for its fourth league title. The Indians advance to the quarterfinals of the playoffs, falling to Delaware, 41-18. McNeese State also earns a bid to the NCAA Division I playoffs, advancing to the quarterfinals, losing at Northern Iowa, 29-7.

1993
McNeese State rolls through the league undefeated at 7-0 and advances to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division I playoffs, losing to Troy State, 35-28.

For the second time in league history, three Southland teams earn berths into the NCAA Division I playoffs. Louisiana-Monroe falls in the first round to Idaho, 34-31, and Stephen F. Austin loses a first-round contest at Troy State, 42-20.

Louisiana-Monroe plays its final football season and withdraws its program from the Southland Conference. ULM's remaining sports continue to compete in the Southland.

1994
North Texas earns its second league crown with a 5-0-1 mark, but loses in the first round of the NCAA Division I playoffs, 24-20. McNeese State also receives a playoff bid, and the Cowboys advance to the quarterfinals, falling at Montana, 30-28. North Texas plays its final season and withdraws from the league.

1995
McNeese State completes an undefeated league schedule at 5-0, and advances to the semifinals of the NCAA Division I playoffs, losing to Marshall, 25-15. Stephen F. Austin also receives a playoff berth and also advances to the national semifinals, falling at Montana, 70-14.

1996
The Southland Football League, a seven-team entity formed by the remaining six Southland Conference football-playing institutions and Troy State University, is formed.

In its first year of Southland competition, Troy wins the league with a 5-1 mark, and advances to the semifinals of the NCAA Division I playoffs, falling at Montana, 70-7.

Nicholls, completing a miraculous turnaround from an 0-11 season in 1995, finishes 8-4, and also receives a bid to the NCAA Division I playoffs, losing at Montana in the first round, 48-3. Nicholls head coach Darren Barbier wins the Eddie Robinson Award, presented annually to the FCS National Coach of the Year.

1997
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
McNeese State and Northwestern State share the Southland title with 6-1 records. McNeese concludes a 13-2 season by advancing to the NCAA Division I National Championship game, falling to Youngstown State, 10-9.

Northwestern State also earns a bid to the NCAA Division I playoffs, losing at Eastern Washington in the first round, 40-10. Jacksonville State plays its first football season in the league.

1998
Northwestern State wins its third Southland title with a 6-1 record. The Demons advance to the semifinals of the NCAA Division I playoffs before falling to Massachusetts, 41-31. The Southland again sends three teams to postseason play. McNeese State falls in the first round to Massachusetts, 21-19, and Troy State loses in the first round at Florida A&M, 27-17.

1999
Troy and Stephen F. Austin share the league crown at 6-1, and Troy advances to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division I playoffs, losing to Florida A&M, 17-10. Troy defensive tackle Al Lucas wins the Buck Buchanan Award, signifying the nation's top defensive player in the FCS.

2000
Troy wins its third Southland championship with a 7-0 record, and advances to the NCAA Division I playoffs, falling to Appalachian State, 33-30. Troy plays its final season and withdraws from the Southland Football League.

2001
Sam Houston State and McNeese State share the conference crown at 5-1. Sam Houston advances to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division I playoffs, losing at Montana, 49-24.

For the fourth time, the Southland sends three teams into postseason play. McNeese State falls to Maine, 14-10, in the first round, and Northwestern State loses in the first round at Montana, 28-19.

The year marks the final season of the Southland Football League. The SFL identity will be returned into the Southland Conference beginning with the 2002 season.

Sam Houston State head coach Ron Randleman records his 200th career coaching victory.

2002
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
McNeese State wins its record ninth Southland championship with a 6-0 mark. McNeese advances to the NCAA Division I National Championship game, falling to Western Kentucky, 34-14.

McNeese State head coach Tommy Tate is honored with the Eddie Robinson Award.

Jacksonville State plays its final season and withdraws from the Southland Football League.

Southeastern Louisiana, a member of the Southland Conference in sports other than football, announces it will revive football after discontinuing the program in 1986. Southeastern will play two seasons as and FCS independent before playing in the Southland in 2005.

2003
The Southland Conference had an all-time high seven games broadcast on Fox Sports Net affiliates during the 2003 season.

In addition, 10 other contests featuring at least one Southland team were aired on the College Sports Television (CSTV), The Football Network (TFN) and COX Sports Television outlets.       

McNeese State completes an undefeated 5-0 conference mark for its third consecutive league title and 10th overall. The Cowboys end the season with a streak of 16 consecutive wins in league play.

For the second year in a row, McNeese State was the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Division I playoffs. The Cowboys were ranked No. 1 nationally all but one week during the regular season, but lost their first-round playoff contest.

McNeese State's Tommy Tate was named AFCA Region V Coach of the Year.

2004
Sam Houston State capped a successful season in what would turn out to be the last for 36-year head coach Ron Randleman. The Bearkats had the best turn-around season in all of Division I football, going from 2-9 in 2003 to an 11-3 mark in 2004. Sam Houston recorded the most wins in school history and notched its third Southland Conference championship in school history. The Bearkats shared the 2004 title with Northwestern State as each compiled 4-1 league records.

Northwestern State received the league's automatic berth to the NCAA playoffs after winning the fourth regular-season title in school history. The Demons fell in the first-round of the NCAA Division I playoffs to Montana.

Sam Houston used an at-large berth to the playoffs and advanced to the semifinal round of the tournament for the first time in school history. The Bearkats opened with an impressive 54-24 win over No. 3 Western Kentucky in round one. They then had to overcome a 20-point deficit in the fourth quarter to win, 35-34, at Eastern Washington in quarterfinal action.

Up next was a trip to Missoula where Sam Houston outgained the host Grizz, but lost the turnover battle. The Bearkats had four miscues while Montana did not turn the ball over. The first three turnovers by Sam Houston led to touchdowns for Montana. Included were two interceptions in the first half, which led to a 14-6 halftime cushion for the host.

The 2004 season marked the 12th time in the last 14 years the Southland Conference was represented by multiple teams in the 16-team NCAA Division I playoff field. Sam Houston State and Northwestern State were duplicates from the 2001 playoffs in a year when the Southland sent three teams with McNeese State also advancing.

2005
Southeastern Louisiana, a member of the league in all other sports since 1997, began Southland Conference football competition.

Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita wrecked havoc on the 2005 schedule before Texas State and Nicholls State shared the regular-season crown for the first Southland titles for either. The two advanced to the NCAA Division I playoffs with Texas State going all the way to the semifinals before losing in overtime to Northern Iowa, 40-37.

2006
With McNeese State off to a 1-3 start, the 2006 season looked to be in trouble for success. But a turnaround happened as Matt Viator was named head coach on Sept. 13, 2006. Viator went on to lead the Cowboys to the NCAA Division I playoffs by posting a 6-2 record in his partial season. He was named both the Southland Coach of the Year and the Louisiana Sports Writers Association Coach of the Year and was a finalist in the balloting for Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award.

McNeese State captured its 11th Southland regular-season title and fourth in the last six years by posting a 5-1 league record in 2006 to finish one game ahead of Sam Houston State and Stephen F. Austin.

Southland newcomer Central Arkansas posted the best overall record at 8-3, but did not play a Southland schedule.

2007
McNeese State finished the regular-season 11-0, becoming the first Southland school to complete the regular-season undefeated since the Cowboys accomplished the feat in 1995. As a result, the school won its 12th Southland regular-season title. The Cowboys also hosted a first-round game in the NCAA Division I playoffs, becoming the first Southland school to host since Texas State hosted three in 2005.

The Southland won two games against FBS opponents in 2007, as Nicholls State knocked off Rice 16-14 and McNeese State defeated Louisiana-Lafayette 38-17. They were the 14th and 15th wins against the FBS for the Southland since 2000.

In the NFL Draft, the Southland had three players, McNeese State's Bryan Smith, Nicholls State's Kareem Moore and Northwestern State's Demetrius Bell all taken. Smith was taken No. 80 overall in the third round by the Philadelphia Eagles, becoming the highest Southland player to be selected since former Cowboy Keith Smith was taken No. 73 in the 2004 NFL Draft.

Lamar, a member of the Southland Conference in sports other than football, announces it will revive football after discontinuing the program in 1989. Lamar will begin play as an FCS independent in 2010 and will play a Southland Conference schedule in 2011.

2008
Texas State won its second Southland title with a 5-2 record after beating rival Sam Houston State in the regular-season finale. Central Arkansas, ineligible for the league championship during its transition to Division I from Division II, finished with a league-best 6-1 conference record. By virtue of winning the outright Southland title, Texas State earned the league's automatic bid into the NCAA Division I playoffs, where it collided with perennial power and fourth-seeded Montana. The Grizzlies went on to reach the NCAA Division I National Championship game after getting by the Bobcats 31-13 in the opening round.

Three players - Central Arkansas quarterback Nathan Brown and defensive end Larry Hart and Nicholls State defensive back Lardarius Webb - as well as Central Arkansas head coach Clint Conque finished among the top 10 in balloting for the Payton Award, the Buck Buchanan Award and the Eddie Robinson Award.

The Southland led all FCS conferences with four NFL Draft picks in April. It was the most drafted out of the league since five were taken in 2002 and brought the total number of draft selections to 25 since the 2000 season. Webb was selected in the third round by Baltimore, while the New York Giants selected Sam Houston State quarterback Rhett Bomar in the fifth round. McNeese State receiver Quinten Lawrence and Stephen F. Austin receiver Dominique Edison, were taken in the sixth round by the Kansas City Chiefs and Tennessee Titans, respectively. Another four players signed free agent contracts.

2009
Stephen F. Austin and McNeese State each finished 6-1 in Southland Conference play to share the conference championship. SFA won its third conference title and first since 1999, while McNeese won its 13th conference championship and its sixth since 2000. The shared titles marked the first time since 2005 the league split its championship. SFA beat McNeese, 16-13, to clinch the league's automatic berth in the NCAA playoffs. The Lumberjacks, who were 0-11 in 2007, picked up the first postseason win by the league since 2005 when Texas State reached the semifinals. In its first appearance in the playoffs since its semifinal run in 1995, SFA beat Eastern Washington at home but lost at Montana in the quarterfinals. The Grizzlies went on to play in its second consecutive national championship game. McNeese, which was able to earn an at-large bid into the playoffs, also got a home game, but fell to New Hampshire.

Stephen F. Austin coach J.C. Harper was the runnerup for the Eddie Robinson Award, which is presented to the national coach of the year. The conference coach of the year, was just two points shy from winning the national award.

2010
Stephen F. Austin quarterback Jeremy Moeses threw for 489 yards to lead the Lumberjacks to a 36-13 victory over Northwestern State in the regular-season finale. That win, coupled with McNeese State's loss at Central Arkansas, gave SFA its first outright Southland Conference title since the 1989 season. It also marked the first time in program history that SFA won back-to-back conference titles. The Lumberjacks earned the league's automatic berth into the NCAA Division I playoffs and were awarded with a home game against Villanova, the 2009 national champion, but lost 54-24.

Moses went on to become the first Southland player to win the Walter Payton Award. The Lumberjacks' quarterback set the FCS record for completions (1,184) and finished among the subdivision's all-time top 10 in total offense (13,201), passing yards (13,401) and touchdown passes.

The Southland Conference, based in Frisco, Texas since 2006, was named the host of the 2011 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game. The Division I playoff bracket expanded from 16 teams to 20 teams and the new format pushed the championship game into January. Eastern Washington defeated Delaware, 20-19, in the first of at least three national championship games to be played at Pizza Hut Park. The venue is scheduled to also host the games following the 2011 and 2012 seasons.

Central Arkansas became a full Division I member in 2010 and was eligible for a conference championship and playoffs. Lamar, already a conference member in other sports, returned to the gridiron after a 21-year absence, but played the 2010 season as an independent. The Cardinals will rejoin the Southland in 2011 for the first time since the 1986 season.

Texas State played its final football season as a league member in 2010.