Sam Houston State Bearkats
| Sam Houston State Bearkats | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| University | Sam Houston State University |
| Conference | Southland Conference |
| NCAA | Division I |
| Athletic director | Bobby Williams |
| Location | Huntsville, Texas |
| Varsity teams | 17 |
| Football stadium | Bowers Stadium |
| Basketball arena | Johnson Coliseum |
| Baseball stadium | Don Sanders Stadium |
| Softball stadium | Bearkat Softball Complex |
| Soccer stadium | Pritchett Field |
| Other arenas | McAdams Tennis Center York Track and Field Complex |
| Mascot | Sammy Bearkat |
| Nickname | Bearkats |
| Fight song | Bearkat Fight Song |
| Colors | White and Orange |
| Website | gobearkats |
The Bearkats represent Sam Houston State University in intercollegiate athletics. Sam Houston State's colors are orange and white and their mascot is the Bearkats. Sam Houston State sports teams participate in NCAA Division I (Football Championship Subdivision (FCS-formerly known as Division I-AA) for football) in the Southland Conference. SHSU's primary rival is Stephen F. Austin State University and tensions between the two schools can run high before major sporting events that pit one against the other.
As a whole, the Sam Houston State athletic department captured the Southland Conference Commissioner's Cup in 2005, 2006, and 2007 for all-around athletic department and topped the Southland Conference for all-academic recognition. The Kats are the only athletic department in the Southland Conference to get the Commissioner's Cup for 3 consecutive years.
Sam Houston boasts both the best average student athlete GPA as well as the highest number of student athletes named to the Southland Conference honor roll. This is particularly evident in the men's basketball program, which fielded 6 of the 13 student athletes who gained Academic All-Conference honors, including junior Ryan Bright, who was also named student athlete of the year for men's basketball.
Sam Houston State sponsors teams in seven men's and ten women's NCAA sanctioned sports:
Men's Intercollegiate Sports
Women's Intercollegiate Sports
K.C. Keeler is currently the head coach of the Bearkats. Coach Keeler had previously coached Delaware to three FCS Championship games, winning one in 2003.
The Bearkats are one of the most successful FCS programs in the nation within the last three years, reaching the NCAA Division I FCS Championship game in back-to-back years in 2011 and 2012. The Kats are also one of three programs in the FCS to make the NCAA Playoffs in three consecutive years, and owned the nation's longest home winning streak at 23 during that span.
Every year, the "Battle of the Piney Woods" rivalry game is held between the SFASU Lumberjacks and the Bearkats. The Bearkats have dominated the rivalry for the past decade and own an all-time advantage in the football series 50-35-2, including 10 of the last 13.
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Wikipedia