Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks and Ladyjacks
| Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 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 White |
| 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 compete in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and are members of the Southland Conference.[1]
Teams
Stephen F. Austin sponsors teams in seven men's and ten women's NCAA sanctioned sports:[2]
|
Men's Intercollegiate Sports |
Women's Intercollegiate Sports |
- * = Bowling competes in the Southland Bowling League.
Football
The Lumberjacks compete in NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision in the Southland Conference. They are coached by J. C. Harper and play at Homer Bryce Stadium. The Lumberjacks first competed in college football in 1923.
Football rivalries
The Stephen F. Austin State and Sam Houston State rivalry 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. Stephen F. Austin defeated Sam Houston in 2010 but fell to the Bearkats in 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014 making them 1-4 in the NRG Stadium Series.
Chief Caddo is a rivalry trophy that is contested each year between Stephen F. Austin and Northwestern State Demons. In 1960, a seven-foot, six-inch statue of an Indian named "Chief Caddo" was carved as a trophy between SFA and Northwestern State University (both schools are located in towns named for a branch of the Caddo tribe). The winner of the football game between these two schools maintains possession of the statue. Chief Caddo is the largest trophy in college football. Chief Caddo has been at SFA since the Lumberjacks won the annual grudge match with Northwestern State in 2009. In the spring of 2010, SFA paid to have Chief Caddo restored and re-painted.
Baseball
Lumberjacks Basketball
Ladyjacks Basketball
Softball
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.[3] 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.[4]
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
- ↑ "Stephen F. Austin University Athletics". sfajacks.com. Retrieved 2012-05-28.
- ↑ http://www.sfajacks.com/
- ↑ 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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