Liberty Flames Lady Flames |
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University | Liberty University |
Conference | Big South Conference |
NCAA | Division I |
Athletic director | Ian McCaw |
Location | Lynchburg, Virginia |
Varsity teams | 20 |
Football stadium | Williams Stadium |
Basketball arena | Vines Center |
Baseball stadium | Liberty Baseball Stadium |
Softball stadium | Kamphuis Field at Liberty Softball Stadium |
Soccer stadium | Osborne Stadium |
Other arenas | LaHaye Ice Center |
Mascot | Sparky |
Nickname | Flames (men) Lady Flames (women) |
Fight song | Fan the Flames! |
Colors | Red, White, and Blue |
Website | www |
The Liberty Flames and Lady Flames are the athletics teams of Liberty University, in Lynchburg, Virginia, United States. They are a member of the NCAA Division I level in 20 sports. LU is a member of the Big South Conference for most sports. Two sports that are not sponsored by the Big South are housed elsewhere. Women's swimming competes in the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association. The field hockey team was a member of the Northern Pacific Field Hockey Conference before that league's demise after the 2014 season. After playing the 2015 season as an independent, the team joined the Big East Conference in 2016. In football, Liberty participates in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) of Division I, formerly known as Division I-AA. The mascot, Sparky, is frequently seen at events. Liberty University is the second youngest school in NCAA Division I, founded in 1971 (the youngest, Florida Gulf Coast University, was founded in 1991). The University regularly competes for the Sasser Cup, which is the Big South's trophy for the university which has the best sports program among the member institutions. Liberty has won the Sasser Cup 10 times, the most in Big South Conference history.
On February 16, 2017, the NCAA approved Liberty's football program move to the FBS for the 2018 season. Liberty will initially participate as an FBS independent.
The baseball program began in 1974 and has seen four alumni enter Major League Baseball, including Doug Brady, Sid Bream, Lee Guetterman, and Randy Tomlin. Liberty Baseball has appeared in three NAIA Baseball World Series, finishing fifth in 1980, 1981, and 1982. The Flames made their first appearance in the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship Tournament in 1993, after the university moved athletics to NCAA Division I in 1989. The program has since appeared in the tournament in 1998 and 2000. The program made it to the regional tournament finals in 2013 for the first time before falling to tournament host South Carolina.