Southern Jaguars
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Southern Jaguars | |
 |
|
| University | Southern University |
|---|---|
| Conference | SWAC |
| NCAA | Division I FCS |
| Athletics director | Greg LaFleur |
| Location | Baton Rouge, LA |
| Varsity teams | |
| Football stadium | Ace W. Mumford Stadium |
| Basketball arena | F. G. Clark Center |
| Baseball stadium | Lee-Hines Field |
| Mascot | LaCumba |
| Nickname | Jaguars |
| Fight song | |
| Colors | Columbia Blue and Gold
|
| Homepage | GoJagsSports |
The Southern Jaguars represent Southern University in NCAA intercollegiate athletics.
Southern University's athletic teams participate in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) which is a part of the NCAA Division I. Football participates in the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA). Southern University's colors are columbia blue and gold and their mascot is the Jaguar.
Contents |
[edit] Sports
[edit] Football
Every Thanksgiving weekend, Southern plays its archrival Grambling Tigers in the annual Bayou Classic at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans; the game is telecast on NBC. Due to Hurricane Katrina, the 2005 game was moved to Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas.
[edit] Baseball
The university's baseball team is a perennial power in the SWAC and has won more regular season championships than any other SWAC member. Southern standout Rickie Weeks was the first college player selected in the 2003 MLB draft when the Milwaukee Brewers made him their No. 1 pick, the highest a second baseman has ever been drafted in MLB Draft history. Weeks went from obscurity coming out of high school in Florida to win the Golden Spikes Award, Dick Howser Trophy, and Baseball America College Player of the Year honors as the nation's top collegiate player during the 2003 season. They play their home games at Lee-Hines Field.
[edit] Men's Basketball
In 1993, the unheralded Southern University men's basketball team added lore to the NCAA Tournament by defeating fourth-seeded Georgia Tech 93-78 in one of the biggest upsets in the tournament's history. In the first round of the 2006 NCAA Tournament in Greensboro, North Carolina, the Jaguars battled Duke University in a closely contested game until Duke finally pulled away in the second half, eventually winning 70-54. In his first season at SU, head coach Rob Spivery was named 2005-06 SWAC Coach of the Year after winning both the SWAC regular season and tournament titles.
Avery Johnson, former NBA star who won an NBA title with the San Antonio Spurs, is a 1988 graduate of Southern. Johnson is currently head coach of the Dallas Mavericks and was named NBA Coach of the Year in 2006.
[edit] Women's Basketball
The 2005-2006 women's basketball team also claimed a share of the SWAC regular season title and won the SWAC women's basketball tournament. This was Coach Sandy Pugh's third appearance in the NCAA tournament with the university.
[edit] Traditions
[edit] Marching Band
Often accompanying the SU athletic teams is the Southern University Human Jukebox, one of the top marching bands in the nation, with a rich tradition of entertaining millions of fans every year with their precision drills and powerful sound. The Human Jukebox has performed at several Super Bowls, Yankee Stadium, foreign countries, Bowl games, Presidential Inaugurations, Radio City Music Hall, and television commercials and music videos, just to name a few.
