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122-609: West Alabama's main rivals include North Alabama and Delta State . The rivalry with North Alabama is especially heated as the two compete annually in most sports. Other rivals include Alabama-Huntsville , Montevallo , Valdosta State , West Florida , and West Georgia . West Alabama competes in 16 intercollegiate varsity sports. Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, rodeo, soccer, tennis, and outdoor track; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, rodeo, soccer, softball, tennis, outdoor track, and volleyball. NCAA West Alabama's football team

244-416: A consolation game against Augusta College which LU won 91–90. After the season, LU hired Wichita State assistant head coach, Ed Murphy, as the new head coach and athletic director. With his signing of Tony Andre, Perry Smith and Cheyenne Jones, the team once again formed a big three and hoped to fill a void after McKeever's graduation. In his first season, Murphy kept up the previous season's momentum as

366-780: A 10–4 record at Flowers Hall. In 2006, the Lions returned to the NCAA tournament for the first time in 10 seasons finishing with an 18–11 record. Two years later, UNA was back in the Elite Eight. The Lions went 27-9 during the 2007-08 campaign and won the South Region Tournament before falling to top-ranked Bentley at the Mass Mutual Building in Springfield, Massachusetts. On April 2, 2018, Tony Pujol

488-498: A 13–14 record. However, after a loss to Alabama-Huntsville during the season's final game, UWA was eliminated from earning a second straight berth in the GSC tournament. Swanson earned First Team All-GSC honors, which occurred for the first team since 2005 when Stan Gill received the honor. The 2010-2011 campaign opened with a home match-up against Carver Bible College. Alquan Mendenhall, Jonathan Griffin, Ryan Fitch, and Richard Dixon led

610-524: A 19–5 record in post-season NCAA Division II conference tournaments. Downey has coached in eight conference tournaments, reaching the finals five times and winning three conference titles. The first known season for the University of West Alabama women's basketball team is currently uncertain. However, detailed season results first became available for the 1978–79 season. That year, the Tigers struggled to

732-457: A 5–1 record at Tiger Stadium, the best since 1985, and tallied the most wins over GSC opponents since 1981 with six. They received their first two rankings in school history at the end of the season. The AFCA placed them #21, while the D2Football.com poll placed them higher two spots at #19. UWA entered the 2010 season ranked 12th nationally by USA Today . The team was also ranked 23rd in

854-474: A 5–16 mark. The 1979–1980 season was an improvement; the team put up 24 wins to 12 losses. 1980-1981 saw UWA improve further; they tallied a 25–4 overall record. The Tigers won 12 of their final 13 games, including an 11-game-winning streak. In 1981–1982, the program set a school record collecting 30 wins to only seven defeats; this 30-win season ranks first in the history books. Of the team's seven losses, five came by 10 points or less. The season also saw UWA claim

976-459: A 61-point win over Selma. The 2004–2005 team finished a game over .500 at 14–13, but this was the last winning season for the Tigers. In Reedy's final season, the team finished 10–17. Reedy's 23 seasons at the helm made him UWA's longest-tenured men's basketball coach. Upon retirement, he ranked first in the UWA history books with 276 overall wins and 116 of those coming in conference play. After nearly

1098-723: A 9–2 record, co-GSC Championship, and another NCAA Playoff bid in 2014, a 9–3 record, third straight GSC title and NCAA Playoff appearance in 2015, and an unprecedented fourth straight GSC title, an 11–2 record and a trip to the Division II National Championship Game in 2016. Wallace retired at the conclusion of the season as the winningest coach in UNA history with a 126-51-1 record and as the winningest coach in Gulf South Conference history at 152-81-1. After 15 seasons as an assistant coach on

1220-551: A 9–3 record and 20th playoff trip in 2015. In 2016, North Alabama won an unprecedented fourth straight Gulf South Conference Championship, advanced to the Division II Playoffs for the 21st time and advanced to the Division II National Championship Game for the fifth time in school history. But the Lions can trace their success much further back. The first 30 years after the rebirth of the Lion football program established

1342-462: A charter member of the Gulf South Conference. Three years later Mickey Andrews came to Florence and stayed four years before giving way to Wayne Grubb as the school's fourth head coach. Grubb would lead UNA to 84 wins, three Gulf South Conference titles, and its first three NCAA playoff appearances in an 11-year stint in Florence. Following Grubb's departure, UNA turned to Bobby Wallace to continue

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1464-522: A coach from within the program: Andrews’ top assistant, Jim King. King, a native of Adamsville, Alabama , came to LU in 1970. In 1975, he led the Tigers to the NCAA playoffs with a 10–3 record. In the NCAA Quarter Finals, the team faced a tough task of taking on number one-ranked North Dakota . The game was nearly cancelled due to heavy snow . Nevertheless, LU prevailed in an upset. During

1586-577: A combined 308 wins and back-to-back trips to the NCAA Division II South Regional Tournament in 2011 and 2012. The Lions 2011 appearance was the first by the Lions in 12 years. Keehn then led the Lions to another level in 2019 with the move to NCAA Division I status as a member of the ASUN Conference. The Lions finished their first Division I season at 16–38, facing a rugged schedule, but UNA remained in

1708-572: A new go-to scorer. which he had hoped to find in newcomers Herman Mains, Jamaine Nance, Terrence Benson and Chris Davis. Though the season was rocky, the Tigers finished the regular season 13-13 and clinched their first GSC tournament appearance since the 1997–98 season. The excitement was short lived as Harding eliminated UWA in the opening round. McCarter added nine and returned five for the 2009-2010 campaign. The team also featured three redshirt freshmen. McCarter also once again lost several key players to transfers, including Daniel Scott. That season,

1830-419: A quarter century, Eddie McCarter was hired to take Reedy's place. McCarter's first recruiting class featured Ryan Cross and Daniel Scott. Both were on the list of Alabama's top players. However, academics put a damper in their recruitment. McCarter also brought along Roderick Ollie from UAB. All three were red-shirted their first season. Overall, the roster was made up of mostly new faces and a few holdovers from

1952-499: A series of do-it-yourself home improvement videos, became the first college student-athlete known to have profited from an endorsement under the current rules. The NAIA sponsors 16 sports in which it conducts 28 annual championships (13 for men, 13 for women, 2 co-ed). The NAIA recognizes three levels of competitions: "emerging" (15 or more institutions sponsoring as varsity and declared), "invitational" (25 or more institutions sponsoring as varsity and declared for postseason, Approval of

2074-405: A strong foundation for the program. Under the direction of Hal Self, the early Lion football teams were a model of consistency, enjoying 12 winning seasons in the first 14 years or the program. The Lions dominated other state institutions, going 12 years from 1952 to 1964 without losing a game to another school from Alabama (31-0-2). The Lions’ first conference title came in 1960 with the formation of

2196-413: A synthetic surface was recently installed. The Tigers played their first contest on the new surface on September 18 against Lambuth but were narrowly defeated. UWA opened Gulf South Conference play with a home win over West Georgia but lost to Delta State on the road. After a 3–2 start, the Tigers reeled off three consecutive wins, including a last-second homecoming victory over Henderson State . It appeared

2318-403: A touchdown or less. The Lions were not eligible to rank in the conference standings due to the transition but would have finished fourth with a 3-4 league mark. During the season, the Lions faced four nationally ranked FCS teams, all on the road. The University of North Alabama fielded football teams from 1912 to 1928 but with little or no success. Following a miserable showing in 1928, football

2440-467: A variety of professional leagues in the United States, Canada, and Europe. The men's basketball program at the University of North Alabama is one of the most successful in collegiate basketball, having claimed two national championships, made five Final Four appearances and played in 14 NCAA championship tournaments. The foundation for UNA's success in basketball, and its entire athletic program,

2562-541: A whole finished second in the GSC with an 11–4 conference record. LU also went to the NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Tournament for the first in school history. The team opened tournament play in a South Regional match-up against Florida A&M University . AMU was heavily favored because of the game being played in Orlando, Florida; the Tigers ultimately lost 72–69. With the loss, the Tigers played in

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2684-705: A women's division in the spring of 1975 and held the first women's national championship volleyball tournament that fall. In 1997, Liz Heaston became the first female college athlete to play and score in a college football game when she kicked two extra points during the 1997 Linfield vs. Willamette football game . Launched in 2000 by the NAIA, the Champions of Character program promotes character and sportsmanship through athletics. The Champions of Character conducts clinics and has developed an online training course to educate athletes, coaches, and athletic administrators with

2806-605: Is awarded to student athletes annually. For the 2023–24 season, it had 241 member institutions , of which two are in British Columbia , one in the U.S. Virgin Islands , and the rest in the continental United States , with over 83,000 student-athletes participating. The NAIA, whose headquarters is in Kansas City, Missouri , sponsors 28 national championships. CBS Sports Network , formerly called CSTV, serves as

2928-458: Is currently ranked second in the school's record book with 86 wins coaching and 41 GSC victories. Two years after Murphy's departure, former assistant coach Rick Reedy took over the program in time for the 1984–85 season. Former Tiger standout Tony Andre also joined him as an assistant coach. Reedy's first three seasons showed poor results, but the Tigers improved under him during the 1987–88 season. The team finished 18-9 and tied for fifth place in

3050-490: Is now known as Mike D. Lane Field. National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics ( NAIA ) established in 1940, is a college athletics association for colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic scholarships to their student athletes. Around $ 1.3 billion in athletic scholarship financial aid

3172-519: The 1947 tournament because the NAIB would not allow Walker to play. The association furthered its commitment to African-American athletes when, in 1953, it became the first collegiate association to invite historically black colleges and universities into its membership. In 1957, Tennessee A&I (now Tennessee State) became the first historically Black institution to win a collegiate basketball national championship. In 1959, Southern University became

3294-751: The Chuck Taylor Most Valuable Player award since 1939, as well as the Charles Stevenson Hustle Award ("Charlie Hustle"), which was the basis for Pete Rose 's nickname, given to him by Whitey Ford . From 1992 to 2020, basketball was the only NAIA sport in which the organization's member institutions were aligned into divisions. Effective with the 2020–21 academic year, the NAIA returned to a single division for both men's and women's basketball. The NAIA has 21 member conferences, including 9 that sponsor football. Member institutions that are not

3416-620: The Lindy's Preseason Top 25 poll and 24th in the Sporting News Preseason Top 25 poll. The UWA football team recorded its highest pre-season ranking since 1976 as the Tigers were selected second by the head coaches of the 2010 Gulf South Conference in the GSC Pre-Season Poll. West Alabama opened the season on August 28 against NAIA member Shorter in nearby Demopolis, Alabama . Tiger Stadium was renovated, and

3538-631: The NCAA Tournament came that year. With a 22–6 overall record and 14–2 mark in the GSC, the Tigers claimed the East Division championship, headed to the tournament, and won there for the first time since 1987. Although they lost their next tournament game to Delta State , they went to the NCAA Regional. A last-second shot rimmed out at the buzzer, ending the team's run. North Alabama Lions The North Alabama Lions are

3660-415: The 1971 season defeating Arkansas Tech . LU's bid for a second consecutive NAIA National Championship came up short to Carson-Newman in the 1972 NAIA semi-final. The teams battled to a 7–7 tie, but a controversial tiebreaker ruling went in favor of Carson-Newman. In 1973, Andrews became the second LU head coach to resign and accept the defensive coordinator position at Florida State. Once again, LU hired

3782-551: The 1993–95 seasons, while his Lions also qualified for the NCAA Division II Playoffs six times during his tenure. Over his 10 seasons at the helm, he compiled an overall mark of 82–36–1, and he also produced a total of 12 NFL players. The Wallace Era began with UWA's first winning season in 14 years. The Tigers finished 6–5 on the season. UWA also ended several streaks picking up wins at Lambuth , against Southern Arkansas , and at Arkansas-Monticello . However,

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3904-456: The 2007 campaign 18-0 and was the only Division II undefeated team in America . In response AVCA placed them at #25, the first ranking in the program's history. A sweep over Albany State broke the school record for most consecutive wins. They went on to finish the season 27–6 in head coach Ron Arenz's final year. UWA recorded eight conference wins, the most for the team since 2002. Although

4026-587: The Alabama Collegiate Conference, and UNA would win four straight league titles. The first African American football players also joined the program during the Self era. Upon Self's retirement from coaching in 1969, Durell Mock became the first, and so far only, former Lion player to become the Lions’ head football coach. During Mock's third and final season as head coach, the university became

4148-517: The COVID-19 virus. A longtime assistant with the Lions, Keehn became head coach in 2009, beginning a new era at the school after 25 seasons under The 2008 season was a historic one for UNA as Mike Lane stepped down as head coach after 25 straight winning seasons at the school. A major renovation of the school's University Field also resulted in a renaming of the facility in Lane's honor as the facility

4270-845: The Division II Football Hall of Fame and McKinnon received the ultimate honor when he was enshrined into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008. Wallace was also inducted as part of the first class of coaches to enter the Division II Football Hall of Fame in 2010. On a professional level, the Lions have produced an NFL Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player in Harlon Hill, and five other Lions have played on Super Bowl squads. A total of 24 Lions have been drafted by professional teams and 35 more have signed free-agent NFL contracts. Numerous others have played in

4392-484: The East after Arkansas-Monticello , Southern Arkansas , Arkansas Tech , and Montevallo joined the conference in 1995. Also, Jacksonville State and Mississippi College departed, thus leaving the conference with 18 members. Reedy's best conference record came during 1992-1993 when they earned an 8–4 record and finished as the GSC runner-up. In the 1991–92 season, the Tigers earned the school's largest margin of victory with

4514-656: The Final Four in 1977, 1979, 1980 and 1984. In 14 his seasons, Jones led his UNA squads to a combined 165–37 home record at Flowers Hall for an 81.7 winning percentage. UNA's fourth head coach, Gary Elliott, continued the Lion's success story, taking his teams to a 252–140 record overall and a 148–49 record at home. In Elliott's 15 seasons, he led the Lions to their second national championship in 1991, four NCAA appearances in 1991, 1994, 1995, and 1996 and an average of better than 19 wins per season. The Lions have won 20 or more games five times under Elliott. Elliott, who retired at

4636-529: The GSC Championship. The 1985-1986 campaign opened with six straight wins en route to an 18–9 record for UWA, and in 1986-1987 the women totaled 19 victories. The team brushed the .500 mark a few seasons later. Over the course of the next three seasons, the Tigers won 51 times and lost only 29. The 20-win plateau was achieved in 1997-1998 for the first time since the school's 30-win year. Amanda Marks came on board in 2001–2002, and UWA's first berth in

4758-607: The GSC when he was the head coach at the University of North Alabama from 1988 to 1997. During his time at UNA, he led the Lions to three consecutive national championships from 1993 to 1995 as his squads finished with an overall record of 41–1 in those three seasons. The 1995 team was selected as the "Best Team of the Quarter Century" in Division II . Wallace also led UNA to Gulf South Conference Championships during

4880-462: The GSC. The University of West Alabama introduced its first women's soccer program in 2011. Graeme Orr, a native of Eaglesham , Scotland has been announced as the school's first head coach. The first signing class was announced in March 2011 and had seven high school seniors and a pair of junior-college transfers. In the 2011 season, UWA finished 6–12 with a conference win over Delta State. 2012 saw

5002-479: The GSC. Despite the talent, though, Reedy only had eight winning seasons during his 23 seasons as coach, and during his tenure, the team finished in the GSC top 3 only three times. In 1993, the Gulf South Conference underwent a huge expansion with the addition of ten new members. The change divided the GSC into two separate divisions, East and West. For two years, the Tigers were a part of the West division. They moved to

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5124-571: The GSC. It was the third consecutive season in which UWA had won at least 20 matches. The team won the GSC East Division crown with a win at Valdosta State to close out regular season play. At the GSC Tournament, the Tigers fought back from a 2–1 deficit to top Arkansas Tech and advance to the semi-finals. In the semi-finals, the team blanked Harding in a sweep on their home court but then lost to West Florida . UWA finished

5246-475: The Gulf South Conference championship. In three years in Florence Bowden compiled a 29–10 record with three NCAA playoff appearances. Bobby Wallace returned to UNA prior to the 2012 season and led the Lions to a 5–5 record before his 2013 squad went 10–3, won a share of the GSC Championship, and fought its way to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division II Playoffs. Wallace and the Lions followed that with

5368-588: The Harlon Hill Trophy as Division II Player of the Year. In 2010 the Lions made their sixth consecutive NCAA playoff appearance and finished with a 9–4 record and followed that with a seventh straight post-season appearance in 2011. In 2013 the Lions made their ninth post-season appearance in the last 11 years and reached the quarterfinals of the Division II playoffs and followed that with a 9–2 record and 19th NCAA post-season appearance in 2014 and

5490-663: The Harlon Hill Trophy, the Division II equivalent to Division I 's Heisman Trophy . Offensive coordinator Will Hall was named Bobby Wallace's successor a week after the season concluded. Bobby Wallace was inducted into the Division II Hall of Fame in December. The 2011 team went 8–4, beat DI foe Georgia State, and qualified for the NCAA DII tournament. The 2012 team went undefeated in Gulf South play (5–0) to claim

5612-710: The Lion basketball fortunes went to a new level. In 14 seasons, Jones led UNA to six NCAA Tournament appearances and four trips to the Final Four, including an NCAA Division II National Championship in 1979. UNA was the first college or university in the state to win a basketball national championship and is one of just four Division II programs to have won more than one Division II basketball championship. Jones led UNA to Gulf South Conference championships in 1977, 1981 and 1984 and GSC Tournament titles in 1981, 1984 and 1988. He led UNA to NCAA Tournaments in 1977, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1984 and 1988, with his teams winning regional crowns in 1977, 1979, 1980, 1981 and 1984. Under Jones, UNA went to

5734-487: The Lion tradition and he was more than up for the challenge. In his 10 years in Florence, Wallace led UNA to 82 wins, three GSC titles, six playoff appearances, and three NCAA Division II National Championships in 1993, 1994, and 1995. North Alabama became the first school in the history of NCAA scholarship football to win three consecutive national championships, and UNA is still the only NCAA Division II institution to have won three straight crowns. Following that 1995 season,

5856-505: The Lion's first year of their transition into Division I. They have a storied tradition in Division II and have earned numerous national titles competing in NCAA Division II 's Gulf South Conference . NCAA The UNA Athletic Department sponsors the following sports. Women's indoor and outdoor track and field was sponsored from the 2015-16 to 2017-18 seasons. Men's athletic teams Women's athletic teams Since

5978-509: The Lions also became the first Division II squad invited to the White House, as the UNA squad met with President Bill Clinton, Vice President Al Gore, and members of Congress. From 1993 to 1995 the Lions went 41-1 and set a Division II record by ranking No. 1 in the nation in 27 straight polls, UNA also tied a Division II record by winning 28 consecutive home games at Braly Stadium. Wallace left UNA following another playoff run in 1997 and

6100-426: The Lions elevated longtime defensive coordinator Bill Hyde to the head coaching position. Hyde retired following the 2001 season and Mark Hudspeth became the seventh head coach in UNA history. Hudspeth spent seven seasons in Florence and put the Lion program back at the top of Division II, winning 64 games and making five playoff appearances. Under Hudspeth's direction, the Lions reached the NCAA semifinals three times,

6222-576: The NAIA, in partnership with the National Football League (NFL), announced the addition of flag football as a varsity sport for female student-athletes. The NAIA became the first collegiate governing body to sanction the sport at the varsity level. Women's flag began during the 2021 season as an emerging sport with about 15 teams. Name, image, and likeness reform — In October 2020, the NAIA passed legislation that allows student-athletes at its member institutions to be compensated for

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6344-565: The NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Tournament since 1978. In similar fashion to their last NCAA tournament trip, the South Regional was again hosted by a Florida school, this time Florida Southern . The Tigers' first game was against Biscayne College, who was also a local team. Despite the crowd being heavily behind BC, this time around, LU was greatly prepared for the challenges and obstacles they faced. Cotchery and

6466-516: The National Administrative Council), and "championship" (40 or more institutions sponsoring as varsity, Minimum of two Invitationals held, Approval of the National Administrative Council). The association conducts, or has conducted in the past, championship tournaments in the following sports (year established). The NAIA men's basketball championship is the longest-running collegiate national championship of any sport in

6588-472: The Paper Bowl against Jacksonville State, but JSU won 12–7. Until 1952, the Tigers played home games at Livingston High School. From then on, all their home games were played at Tiger Stadium , a 7,000-capacity stadium located on filled-in land that was previously known as "Crawdad Creek." The next season saw the team finish 6–3–1. During Mancha's third season, the team started off 2-4 but came back to end

6710-501: The Player of the Year award since its creation in 1986. Then in 2009, another historic chapter was written when nationally renowned coach Terry Bowden came to Florence and led the Lions to an 11–2 record, a Gulf South Conference championship, a spot in the quarterfinals of the Division II playoffs, and a No. 6 national ranking in the final poll. It was UNA's fifth straight season with 10 or more wins and fifth straight playoff appearance. It

6832-606: The Reedy era. The McCarter era began on the road at Stillman where UWA registered an 88–82 win. However, with a lack of team chemistry and other issues, the team finished with a 10–17 mark. The Tigers saw improvement in McCarter's second season, but the team was still relatively new. Cross and fellow redshirt freshman Jacquezz Brown left the team, along with Ollie, Maurice Naylor, Glenn Miles, and Kevin Johnson. The biggest acquisition

6954-414: The Tigers took the lead in almost every game they lost but were often defeated after their opponents staged late rallies. Swanson led the team in almost every category, and newcomers Richard Sirju and Alquan Mendenhall also performed well. The season also saw the emergence of redshirt freshman Ryan Fitch. Fitch broke into the starting lineup a couple games into the season. The Tigers concluded the season with

7076-504: The UNA staff, Chris Willis became the Lions' tenth head coach in 2017, leading the Lions in their final season of Division II competition as well as into the transition as an FCS program. Wilis led the Lions to a solid 7-3 finish in their first season in the FCS in 2018. With the team's successes have come a remarkable amount of individual accolades. Since 1949, 63 different Lion players have earned first or second-team All-American honors. Wallace

7198-534: The United States. The tournament was the brainchild of Dr. James Naismith , creator of the game of basketball; Emil Liston , athletic director at Baker University ; and Frank Cramer, founder of Cramer Athletic Products. The event began in 1937 with the inaugural tournament at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 2017 men's championship marked the 80th edition of what has been tabbed College Basketball's Toughest Tournament. The tournament has awarded

7320-527: The addition of Elton Reece in 1970, the team finished with a school record 21 wins and four losses. The mark still stands as the most single-season wins in West Alabama history, and it earned Powell Coach of the Year in the ACC and earned Coach of the Year honors from Alabama Small Colleges and Universities as well as NAIA District 27. Also that season, the Tigers won their second consecutive ACC crown. Stafford

7442-719: The athletic teams of the University of North Alabama , located in Florence, Alabama . The Lions are a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I and compete within the ASUN Conference for all sports except football, which plays in the United Athletic Conference . The university has a total of 14 varsity sports teams, six men's teams and eight women's teams. The fall of 2018 marked

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7564-514: The conference and failed to reach the NCAA tournament for a third straight season. In the 1981–82 season, the team finished 20-10 and won the GSC championship for the first time in school history. Cotchery was named the tournament MVP. He also earned First Team All-GSC Conference honors along with teammates Randy Terry and Marvin Wesley. Murphy was once again named GSC Coach of the Year, and the conference championship earned LU their first trip back to

7686-409: The conference title. UWA defeated Miles College 41–7 in round one of the playoffs. The team lost at eventual national champion Valdosta State 49–21 in the second round. UWA finished 9–4. The first known volleyball team for the University of West Alabama came in 1979. UWA struggled throughout the 1980s and early part of the 1990s. At this time, only season schedules beginning in 1994 are available. Under

7808-407: The departures of Andre and Terry, Cotchery carried the team on his back during his senior season. The team finished with an 18–9 record and runner-up finish in the GSC. Cotchery earned another First Team conference honor. That season would also be the last at LU for Murphy, who resigned at the end of the 1982-1983 campaign to take over at GSC rival Delta State . He coached LU for five seasons. Murphy

7930-483: The direction of head coach Pam Gailbreath, the team won nine games that year. The following year, UWA improved on its previous season finishing at 17–18. In 1996, the Tigers reached an all-time high, going 32–14 to set a school record for wins. The next four seasons proved difficult for the Tigers as they did not get over the .500 point. Then, in 2001, UWA won 23 games to finish with a .575 winning percentage. They improved even more in 2002 when they went 25–13. UWA started

8052-532: The end of the 2002–03 season, helped place UNA among the division's elite. Bobby Champagne took over the Lions Basketball program for the 2003-04 campaign, leading the Lions to a 12-16 overall record his first season and a 14–14 mark the following year. UNA advanced to the first round of the GSC Tournament in each of Champagne's seasons at the helm of the program. On Nov. 20, 2004, the Lions knocked off top-ranked Southern Indiana 78–75 at home on its way to

8174-431: The end of the season. After falling behind and trailing at the half, the Tigers upset the number 7-ranked Blazers to give Wallace a victory in his final game. The team notched its second win against Valdosta State and picked up their first win in the series since 1985. UWA finished the season 7–4 to earn consecutive winning seasons for the first time since 1991 and 1992. Deon Williams was recognized as one of 24 candidates for

8296-489: The first NCAA tournament . The goal of the tournament was to establish a forum for small colleges and universities to determine a national basketball champion. The original eight-team tournament expanded to 32 teams in 1938. On March 10, 1940, the National Association for Intercollegiate Basketball (NAIB) was formed in Kansas City, Missouri. In 1952 , the NAIB was transformed into the NAIA, and with that came

8418-716: The first HBCU to win the NAIA Baseball championship. In 2024, NAIA instituted a ban on those transgender men who have begun transgender hormone therapy and all transgender women from competing in women’s sports, with the exception of cheerleading and dance. The NAIA began sponsoring intercollegiate championships for women in 1980 , the second coed national athletics association to do so, offering collegiate athletics championships to women in basketball, cross country, gymnastics, indoor and outdoor track and field, softball, swimming and diving, tennis and volleyball. The National Junior College Athletic Association had established

8540-638: The first Lion squad onto the field on Sept. 29, 1949, through UNA's playoff loss that ended the 2009 season, the North Alabama program has made a name for itself like few others in the nation. The 2008 season, UNA's 60th since football returned to campus, was emblematic of the Lions’ current position in college football. The Lions posted a 12–2 record and came within one game of playing for the Division II National Championship on its home field. That's because UNA had served as

8662-479: The first association to admit colleges and universities from outside the United States. The NAIA began admitting Canadian members in 1967. Football – The NAIA was the first association to send a football team to Europe to play. In the summer of 1976, the NAIA sent Henderson State and Texas A&I to play 5 exhibition games in West Berlin, Vienna, Nuremberg, Mannheim and Paris. Flag football – In May 2020,

8784-441: The first of many future match-ups against Mississippi College , which resulted in a 24–14 loss. Also, that season, LSTC renewed its rivalry with eventual Gulf South Conference foes, Troy State and Delta State . The team concluded the season with a 6–3 record, and McCollum resigned to pursue a bigger opportunity elsewhere. Following two dismal seasons from 1947 and 1948, LSTC hired former University of Alabama star Vaughn Mancha as

8906-561: The fourth head coach in team history. Mancha at the time was only 28 years old with no prior coaching experience. The former two-time All-American had also recently completed his first and only season in the NFL as a member of the Boston Yanks. In Mancha's first season, he led LSTC to a 13–6 win over Florida State . The team also concluded the regular season 7–1–1, which at the time marked the best record in school history. LSTC would go on to

9028-419: The game had ended, but officials put a second back on the clock. Quarterback Deon Williams connected to wide receiver Gerald Worsham in the back of the endzone for the game-winner. The team lost back to back in the following two weeks before returning home to face Valdosta State in the season finale. The day before the contest, Bobby Wallace announced to his players that he would be stepping down as head coach upon

9150-400: The gang fought from beginning to end as they walked away with a 75–72 victory. The victory earned the Tigers a regional match-up against host and defending Division II national champions. Both teams were locked in a defensive battle for most of the game. It eventually went into three overtimes , and FSU ultimately won 86–79. The game was the last NCAA tournament appearance to date for LU. With

9272-642: The host for the Division II Football Championship since 1986, and is the only school to have had the chance to claim a Division II title on its home field. Following a record-setting season of his own, North Alabama quarterback A.J. Milwee was the runner-up for the Division II National Player of the Year Award. That award is the Harlon Hill Trophy, named for the former Lion standout end whose name has been on

9394-414: The hunt for a possible ASUN Tournament berth until the final series of the series. It was just UNA's second losing season in the last 36 years. The Lions had a streak of 30 consecutive winning seasons from 1984 to 2013. Included in 2019 was a 10-6 road win at then-18th-ranked Ole Miss. It was UNA's first win over a Southeastern Conference opponent in 22 years. UNA was 3–13 in 2020 in a season cut short by

9516-516: The national media outlet for the NAIA. In 2014, ESPNU began carrying the NAIA Football National Championship . In 1937, James Naismith and local leaders, including George Goldman and Emil Liston, staged the first National College Basketball Tournament at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri , of which Goldman was director, one year before the first National Invitation Tournament and two years before

9638-401: The official first men's basketball season. Jones, who was a three-sport for UWA (then Livingston University) from 1947 to 1951, returned to the university to coach the basketball team in 1956. Although there were coaches before him, Jones is the first known head coach of Tiger men's basketball. The team faced constant struggles under Jones. In his eight years at the helm, the 1956–57 season was

9760-472: The only one in which the team accomplished more than 10 wins. That season, they finished with an 11–10 record. At the conclusion of the 1962–63 season, Jones took a two-year hiatus from coaching before returning for one last season in 1965. During that hiatus, Travis Clark tried his hand at turning the team around. With the help of M.K Turk, Clark led the team to their second 11-win season in his first season. Turk led LU in scoring his junior and senior seasons. He

9882-487: The quarterfinals twice, and had five seasons with 10 or more wins. With six decades of success already on the books, even more excitement was brought to the Lion football program on December 31, 2008, with the hiring of Terry Bowden as UNA's eighth head football coach. Bringing a big-name, high-profile former Division I National Coach of the Year to Florence sparked anticipation for year number 61 of Lion football and Bowden's first team didn't disappoint. UNA went 11-2 and won

10004-518: The rebirth of football at the University of North Alabama in 1949, UNA has been one of the most consistently successful programs in the state of Alabama and on a regional and national level. As an NCAA Division II member, UNA was nationally ranked in the Top 25 of the final Division II poll 21 times from 1980 to 2017, with 15 Top Ten Rankings. UNA's 21 all-time playoff appearances are the second most in Division II history. In addition, UNA's 35 playoff wins are

10126-526: The scoring as each topped double figures in the opening triumph. The Tigers dropped their first road game at Jacksonville State but posted consecutive home wins over Huntingdon and Concordia . UWA moved to 3-1 but endured a rough stretch to close out 2010. The team faced each team from the Gulf South Conference West Division and came away with a pair of wins. The men came up short to Georgia Southwestern to kick off 2011 in

10248-554: The season 30-8 and 8–2 in GSC play. After the season, Tabitha Turner was selected by the AVCA Thirty Under 30 list for 2010. Turner was also named Co-Coach of the Year in the East Division. The 2010 season was a rebuilding year for the Tigers as the squad finished with a 10–21 overall record. Jorday Lay was hired in February 2013 to replace interim head coach Mike Shearer. Lay came to UWA from Belhaven University, where he

10370-486: The season 5-5. This season was the last in Mancha's tenure at LSTC, after which he took over as defensive coordinator at Florida State. Mancha departed with an 18-10-2 overall record. The Tigers went 15 years without a winning season after Mancha's departure; the most successful season was 1965 when they finished 5–4. Their luck finally started to change after hiring Morris Higginbotham in 1967. Before coming to Livingston, he

10492-434: The season ended in the opening round of the GSC Tournament, the Tigers broke several school records throughout the season. In 2008, UWA achieved a 22–11 record, and tssistant coach Tabitha Turner was promoted to head coach for 2009. UWA was picked to finish third in the annual preseason poll. After starting the season slow through 14 games, the Tigers reeled off a 16-match winning streak pushing their record to 25-5 and 5–0 in

10614-462: The season hosting Valdosta State . The Tigers fell by two points to finish their season 11–15 overall and 5–7 in the Gulf South Conference. In April 2011, the Department of Athletics hired Mike Newell to take over the program. In July 2013, UWA hired Mark Downey from the University of Charleston. Downey won two Gulf South Conference championships while at Arkansas Tech and was a six-time coach of

10736-473: The second highest total for free throws made in a season at UWA. He also posted two 40-point games as a senior. Stafford was selected the first-ever GSC Player of the Year in basketball and garnered All-American honors. He finished his career with 1,143 points scored. Harvey is currently fifth all time in the UWA record books with 452 field goals made. Cantrell is the UWA all-time leader in rebound average with 16.35 and second all-time in rebounds with 785. Powell

10858-578: The second most in DII history and the Lions' 12 Gulf South Conference football crowns are by far the most in league history. In 2018, the Lions began a new chapter with a transition to Division I and Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) status. The Lions played as an independent in the FCS in 2018 and finished with a 7–3 record. In 2019, UNA played its first season as a member of the Big South Conference and went 4-7 overall, losing three games by

10980-459: The second to last non-conference game of the season. The Tigers went 4–6 to open conference play including a road thriller at West Florida . The win was the team's first season sweep of the Argonauts since 1996–1997. They stepped out of the GSC to face Oakwood and were victorious in that one, posting 90 points to rout their opponent. A few days later, the team beat West Georgia and concluded

11102-508: The semi-finals, they faced a tough Northern Michigan team on national television. Although LU jumped out to a 10–0 lead, they fell short 28–26. King departed the team after compiling a 29-14-1 record in three seasons. The hiring of Bobby Wallace in 2006 marked a new era within the football program. Before arriving in Livingston, he had served as the head coach at Temple University since 1997. Wallace's first head coaching stint came in

11224-478: The skills necessary to promote character development in the context of sport. In 2010, the association opened the NAIA Eligibility Center, where prospective student-athletes are evaluated for academic and athletic eligibility. It delivers on the NAIA's promise of integrity by leveling the playing field, guiding student-athlete success, and ensuring fair competition. Membership – The NAIA was

11346-460: The sponsorship of additional sports such as men's golf, tennis and outdoor track and field. Football in the NAIA was split into two divisions in 1970, based on enrollment (Divisions I and II); it was consolidated back into a single division in 1997. The 1948 NAIB national tournament was the first intercollegiate postseason to feature a Black student-athlete, Clarence Walker of Indiana State under coach John Wooden . Wooden had withdrawn from

11468-427: The start of World War II which led to a decline in college enrollment across the United States. Therefore, LSTC fielded no athletic teams from 1942 to 1945. In 1944, Dr. William Wilson Hill became president of the university and instantly started recruiting students to enroll. After a three-year hiatus, the football team returned to action under the guidance of new head coach E.G McCollum. They opened their season with

11590-555: The team finished 15-11 and third in the GSC. However, they did not return to the NCAA tournament. Jones was named the First Team All-Gulf Conference. Andre was named to the Second Team. The following season, Murphy picked up his second major freshman acquisition with the signing of Will Cotchery. Cotchery allowed LU to immediately fill the presence left by Cheyenne Jones. However, the 1979-1980 campaign

11712-414: The team finished the 2007 season with a 1–9 record and posted a 4–7 record in 2008. The 2009 season began with three consecutive victories including a televised home win over Arkansas Tech. Unfortunately, three consecutive losses followed. A couple of wins over #22 Delta State and Arkansas-Monticello put UWA back into the playoff race, but they lost to West Georgia the following week. The season finale

11834-468: The team had just defeated Nicholls State in a conference match-up when they learned head coach Ken Brackett died after a long battle with cancer . A few weeks prior, Brackett was forced to take a medical leave as his condition began to weaken. Artie McIntosh, who had been serving as the interim head coach in Brackett's absence, took over coaching duties for the remainder of that season. McIntosh, along with

11956-466: The team improve, going 7-8-3 with a 5-3-1 mark in the GSC with wins against Delta State, Christian Brothers, Shorter, Alabama-Huntsville, and West Georgia. The Tiger men's basketball team was originally formed in 1939, but their first unofficial season took place after World War II in 1945. From 1945 to 1955, the team was led by future UWA Athletic Hall of Famers Pop Wagoner, Jack Jones, and Milton Johnson. The UWA record book, however, counts 1956–1957 as

12078-695: The team made positive improvements, particularly after Bob Drake, Dave Harvey, Larry Cantrell and Butch Stafford jointed the team. Drake served two years as the Tiger team captain and was later an All-Alabama Collegiate Conference (ACC) selection. He made the All-ACC Tournament Team twice and was chosen for the All-Alabama Small College Team. During the 1969–70 season, LU recorded their first 16-win season. Later that season, they were crowned ACC tournament champions. With

12200-435: The trio of Rodney McKeever, Perry Smith and Cheyenne Jones, helped complete Brackett's dramatic turnaround of the team finishing 18–8. Prior to his arrival in 1976, the team had only won 22 total games in three seasons. In Brackett's first season, the Tigers finished 10–16, their best record since the 1973–74 season. McKeever garnered First Team All-Gulf South Conference honors while Jones earned second team honors. The team as

12322-527: The university has reaped 67 years' worth of benefits from a football program that has helped put UNA on the map as one of the nation's premier collegiate powers. As an example, North Alabama boasts the highest winningest percentage since 1990 of any collegiate football program from the football tradition-rich state of Alabama at 72.29. UNA's football success has come through the combined efforts of eight different head coaches, more than 80 assistant coaches and more than 1,200 student-athletes. Since Hal Self guided

12444-487: The use of their name, image, and likeness (NIL). According to an NAIA press release, student-athletes can now "receive compensation for promoting any commercial product, enterprise, or for any public or media appearance", and can also "reference their intercollegiate athletic participation in such promotions or appearances." The NAIA had allowed student-athletes to receive NIL compensation since 2014, but had not previously allowed them to reference their status as such. The NAIA

12566-478: The year winner in nine seasons as a head coach. In only three seasons at Charleston, he compiled a 60–28 record and led the Golden Eagles to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2001. In nine seasons at Charleston (2010–2013), Arkansas Tech (2006–2010) and Independence Community College (1999–2001), Downey had a 184–92 record, averaged just over 20 wins per season, and had just one losing season. He has

12688-420: Was Troy native Jason Swanson. Swanson had previously played at nearby Shelton State Community College where he was a two-year starter. The 6'7" forward averaged 16.8 points a game and was also known for his rebounding, an area McCarter heavily emphasized. Brian Murphy, the Tigers leading scorer in 2007–2008, suffered a torn ACL before the season and was given a medical redshirt. His injury left McCarter in need of

12810-484: Was UNA's 15th overall playoff appearance and the Lions' 27 NCAA playoff wins are also the second most by any current Division II institution. North Alabama's Michael Johnson was named National Defensive Player of the Year by Daktronics and D2Football.com, lineman Montrell Craft was a national finalist for the Gene Upshaw Award as Division II's top lineman and quarterback Harrison Beck was a national finalist for

12932-517: Was a native of nearby Tuscaloosa and known for his shooting ability. Williams, Cotchery, Andre, and Terry formed a solid core that carried the team to a 19–9 season, and Cotchery and Andre received First Team All-GSC Conference honors. Williams was named the GSC Freshman of the Year, and Murphy was named the GSC Coach of the Year. Although the team was successful, they still finished third in

13054-404: Was against longtime rival and Wallace's former team, North Alabama. At the time, UNA was ranked number one in all the Division II polls. UWA sent the game to overtime after losing the lead they held throughout the game. After four overtimes, it appeared UNA was set to claim the victory until a forced fumble gave UWA the ball. From that, they took advantage and kicked the game-winning field goal. It

13176-427: Was also named All-Conference twice. The 1964–65 season saw LU return to mediocrity as they finished 8–16. They recorded the same record during the following season, which was Jones’ last at the helm. He finished his coaching career at LU with a 56–113 record. LU men's basketball underwent a drastic change with the hiring of future UWA Athletics Hall of Famer, Jack Powell, in 1966. In Powell's first two seasons as coach,

13298-551: Was announced as the new head coach to lead the program through the transition to Division I. The Lions earned a birth in the ASUN Tournament Championship game in 2021 before falling to Liberty 79-75. In his first 10 seasons as head baseball coach at the University of North Alabama, Mike Keehn helped lead the Lions back into the regional and national spotlight on the NCAA Division II level with

13420-409: Was dropped at the university. For the next 21 years, there were several efforts made to return football to the Florence campus by writing letters to the administration and gathering names on petitions. Those efforts finally proved successful on March 30, 1949, when President Dr. E.B. Norton held a student assembly to announce that football would return to campus that September. Since that September day,

13542-408: Was first fielded in 1931 when the school was known as Livingston State Teachers College. However, intercollegiate competition for all the university's athletics was not scheduled until seven years later. In 1938, they competed in four games against Marion Institute , Jacksonville State , Demopolis A.S, and Troy State , all of whom were local teams. LSTC finished the season 2-2. That year also marked

13664-478: Was less successful. Senior Perry Smith would later earn First Team All-GSC Conference honors for the first time in his career, but LU as a team finished fifth in the conference and 14–12 overall. Murphy's third season at the helm started off with his third straight major freshman acquisition as he recruited Dennis Williams to play Tiger men's basketball. He also picked up Randy Terry, a prospect from Jones County Junior College, to replace Smith at shooting guard. Terry

13786-490: Was named Flowers Hall. Ed Billingham was hired as the school's second men's basketball coach in 1948 and he directed the Lions for the next 24 years, winning 249 games. He also led the Lions to the NAIA National Tournament in 1960 and 1962. Bill E. Jones was hired as UNA's third basketball head coach in 1972 and had a 28–17 record in two seasons. Lion basketball alumnus Bill L. Jones was hired in 1974 and

13908-825: Was named the 2012 Southern State Athletic Conference coach of the year after guiding the Blazers to a 27–9 regular season record, 9–5 in conference play. Combined with a pair of wins in the SSAC Tournament, Lay's team set the Belhaven record for victories in a season with 29. The University of West Alabama started a men's soccer program in the fall of 2012. The first head coach was Matthew Thorne. UWA men's soccer won their first game against Oakwood 7–1 in Livingston on 8/31/12. The team picked up conference wins over Delta State, Christian Brothers, and Alabama-Huntsville, Shorter, and Union twice. They finished 12–6 with an 8–4 mark in

14030-561: Was named the ACC Tournament MVP. However, they were defeated in the NAIA District 27 finals. For the 1971–72 season, which turned out to be Powell's last as head coach, LU finished 15-8 and won their third straight ACC championship. The team also returned to the NAIA District 27 finals where they lost again. Drake averaged 21.1 points per game in his senior campaign and made 166-of-205 free throws , which still stands as

14152-574: Was one of the most successful high school coaches in Alabama, compiling a 111-27-8 record. The native of Birmingham , earned Alabama Collegiate Conference Coach of the Year honors for the efforts of his 1968 team that featured a 9–2 mark and an appearance in the Peanut Bowl in Dothan, Alabama . Higginbotham remained at the school for three seasons, leading the Tigers to a 19-9-2 record. Higginbotham

14274-438: Was put in place by Eddie Flowers. After coming to UNA (then Florence State Teachers College) in 1929, Flowers began the school's athletic program in 1932 and coached the first basketball team that season. He remained as basketball coach until 1948 and as athletic director until 1969. When the Lions' new basketball facility was opened in 1972, it was only fitting that it be named for the founder of Lion athletics - Eddie Flowers - and

14396-577: Was selected as the Division II Coach of the Quarter Century and the 1995 UNA squad was chosen as Division II's Best Team of the Quarter Century (1972–97). Two Lion players, linebacker Ronald McKinnon (1995) and quarterback Will Hall (2003) won the Harlon Hill Trophy. Center Lance Ancar won the Division II Rimington Trophy as the division's top center in 2005. McKinnon and quarterback Cody Gross have been inducted into

14518-468: Was selected as the first-ever Gulf South Conference Coach of the Year in basketball. After six seasons with LU, he retired from coaching with an 83–57 record. Powell's 83 wins is currently ranked third all time in the UWA record books. He is also ranked fourth all time in GSC coaching wins. After Powell's retirement, LU men's basketball went through a heavy downslide. The team faced several coaching changes and dismal seasons. In addition, on January 14, 1978,

14640-448: Was several years ahead of the NCAA in NIL reform; the NCAA did not adopt NIL reform until 2021, after its hand was forced by multiple states passing legislation to allow student-athletes to receive such compensation, most notably California . In December 2020, Chloe Mitchell, a volleyball player at NAIA member Aquinas College who at the time had more than 2 million followers on TikTok with

14762-430: Was succeeded by assistant head coach Mickey Andrews. Similar to former LU head coach, Vaughn Mancha, Andrews starred in football and baseball at the University of Alabama from 1961 to 1964 before being hired at the university in 1967. Andrews spent three seasons guiding the UWA football team, leading the Tigers to a 24-7-2 record during his tenure. The team also won their first and only championship in school history during

14884-465: Was the first win for the Tigers at Braly Municipal Stadium in Florence since the 1987 season. The NCAA rewarded UWA's efforts with a berth in the NCAA Division II playoffs . In the first round, the Tigers upset #20 Albany State 24–22 on the road. After falling behind early against #10 Carson-Newman, the Tigers mounted a rally but ultimately lost 59–41. The Tigers gathered an 8–5 record, the most wins since 1975, and had eight All-GSC honors. UWA posted

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