The Gulf Star Conference was an NCAA Division II[1] conference that existed for three academic years from 1984–85 to 1986–87. All of the schools subsequently joined the Southland Conference. Dave Waples was the only commissioner, with the conference office located in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
| Conference | NCAA |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1984 |
| Ceased | 1987 |
| Division | Division II |
| No. of teams | 6 |
| Region | Southern United States |
| Locations | |
 | |
Aftermath
editAlthough the Southland eventually took in all of the former Gulf Star schools, only four (Northwestern State, Sam Houston State, Stephen F. Austin, and Southwest Texas State) joined the Southland immediately upon the Gulf Star's demise. The other two Gulf Star members, Nicholls State and Southeastern Louisiana, initially became independents. Nicholls State joined the SLC for the 1991–92 school year. SLU became a member of the Trans America Athletic Conference (now known as the Atlantic Sun Conference) in that same year, and moved to the Southland in 1997–98. To date, only Nicholls State, Northwestern State, and Southeastern Louisiana remain in the Southland Conference, as Southwest Texas State (now known as Texas State) joined the Sun Belt Conference in 2013 while Sam Houston State and Stephen F. Austin moved to the Western Athletic Conference in 2021.
Member schools
editFinal members
edit| Institution | Nickname | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Joined | Left | Subsequent conference(s) |
Current conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicholls State University[2] | Colonels | Thibodaux, Louisiana | 1948 | Public | 1984 | 1987 | D-I Independent (1987–91) |
Southland (1991–present) |
| Northwestern State University | Demons | Natchitoches, Louisiana | 1884 | Southland (1987–present) | ||||
| Sam Houston State University | Bearkats | Huntsville, Texas | 1879 | Southland (1987–2021) Western (WAC) (2021–2023) |
C-USA (2023–present) | |||
| Southeastern Louisiana University | Lions | Hammond, Louisiana | 1925 | D-I Independent (1987–91) Atlantic Sun (ASUN) (1991–97) |
Southland (1997–present) | |||
| Southwest Texas State University[a] | Bobcats | San Marcos, Texas | 1899 | Southland (1987–2012) Western (WAC) (2012–13) |
Sun Belt (2013–present) | |||
| Stephen F. Austin State University | Lumberjacks & Ladyjacks |
Nacogdoches, Texas | 1921 | Southland (1987–2021) Western (WAC) (2021–2024) |
Southland (2024–present) | |||
- Notes
- ^ Known as Texas State University since 2003.
Membership timeline
editChampionships
editBaseball
edit| Season | Team | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Nicholls State | 12–6 |
| Sam Houston State | ||
| 1986 | Sam Houston State | 16–4 |
| 1987 | Sam Houston State | 17–3 |
Football
edit| Season | Team | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Nicholls State | 4–1 |
| Northwestern State | ||
| 1985 | Sam Houston State | 4–1 |
| Stephen F. Austin | ||
| 1986 | Sam Houston State | 3–1 |
Men's basketball
edit| Season | Team | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1984–85 | Southeastern Louisiana | |
| 1985–86 | Sam Houston State | |
| 1986–87 | Stephen F. Austin |
References
edit- ^ Cunningham, Steve (March 6, 1986). "Former Cairo star in national spotlight". The Southern Illinoisan. Carbondale, Illinois. p. 13. Retrieved December 30, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
His cat-like quickness, astounding jumping ability, long arms and super peripheral vision help make him one of the best defensive players in the Division II ranks heading into this season. That wasn't enough for Duncan.
- ^ NCAA Men's basketball records
- ^ "2013 Nicholls State Baseball Media Guide" (PDF). Geauxcolonels.com. Retrieved 2017-05-24.
- ^ "2012 Nicholls State Football Media Guide" (PDF). Geauxcolonels.com. Retrieved 2017-05-24.