South Alabama Jaguars
Encyclopedia
The South Alabama Jaguars (and Lady Jaguars) represent the University of South Alabama
in NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletics.
USA competes in the Sun Belt Conference
; it is the conference's only remaining charter member from its inception. USA's athletics teams are nicknamed the Jaguar
s. Popular sports are baseball
and men's basketball
. USA sponsors 8 men's sports teams and 9 women's sports teams. The board of trustees recently voted to start a football
program that began play in the fall of 2009.
Men's Sports: Basketball, Baseball, Cross Country, Golf, Tennis, Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field, Football (FCS Independent 2011-2012, Full Sun Belt Conference play by 2013)
Women's Sports: Basketball, Softball, Cross Country, Golf, Tennis, Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field, Volleyball, Soccer
Though not officially recognized by the administration the students of The University of South Alabama maintain a multi-sport battle cry "South in your Mouth." It is used widely across the school through primarily heard in reference to football and basketball.
30-13 in their first ever game, and finished their first ever football season on November 12, 2009 with a shutout of an NCAA Division III team with a 35-0 victory over Huntingdon (Ala.) College. USA completed its first season undefeated at 7-0, outscoring its opponents by a combined score of 321-41. The 2010 schedule was made up of schools from National Collegiate Athletics Association Division I-FCS, NCAA Division II, and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. USA finished the season undefeated at 10-0, outscoring its opponents by a combined score of 413-130.
On September 17th 2011, South Alabama suffered its first loss in the new program's history when it traveled to Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh,NC against the North Carolina State Wolfpack.
After the week 3 game of the 2011-2012 football season S. Alabama's season record stood at 2-1, with a all-time record of 19-1.
players, such as Juan Pierre
, Adam Lind
, Luis Gonzalez
,
Jon Lieber
, Marlon Anderson
and David Freese
. The head coach of the baseball team is Steve Kittrell
, who has coached for 25 seasons. Since the creation of the Sun Belt conference in 1978, South Alabama leads with 11 Sun Belt Tournament titles; the next highest is The University of New Orleans
with 3. In addition to the 11 conference titles, Coach Kittrell has led South Alabama to 18 NCAA Tournament appearances during his tenure.
The South Alabama baseball team plays its home games at Eddie Stanky Field
, which is the largest baseball stadium in the Sun Belt Conference. The stadium is named after former coach Eddie Stanky
who compiled a 488-193 (.717) record in 14 seasons as coach. Stanky Field seats 4,500 spectators, and features the Jon Lieber
Clubhouse and Luis Gonzalez
Hitting Facility. The current head coach is Steve Kittrell
. Kittrell has led the Jaguars baseball program to more than 1,000 victories, numerous NCAA Tournament appearances and Sun Belt Conference championships. On July 15, 2010, it was announced that Mark Calvi, pitching coach at College World Series
Champion University of South Carolina
, would be Kittrell's assistant coach for the 2011 season, and take over as the new head coach in 2012.
In 2011, alumnus David Freese
was named the National League Championship Series
MVP.
. After a successful stint in the late 1980s and 1990s, South Alabama basketball declined in the early part of the 2000s. In 2002 John Pelphrey
was named coach and brought the team back to its winning ways. In 2006, South Alabama won the Sun Belt Conference Tournament, beating Western Kentucky
95-70 in the championship game. They earned a bid into the 2006 NCAA Tournament
. This was their first since NCAA bid since 1998 and were seeded 14th in the Minneapolis bracket. They lost to the 3rd-seeded Florida Gators
, 76-50, who went on to win the 2006 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. The 2005-2006 basketball season marked the best turnaround in the nation for a Division I basketball program. South Alabama was 10-18 in 2004-05 and went 24-7 in 2005-2006. This yielded a 12.5 differential to lead the nation, ahead of Brigham Young and Memphis who both had 11.5 differentials. South Alabama followed that with three more 20-win seasons in a row, and in 2008 received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, but lost to Butler University in the first round. Since the Sun Belt expansion to 13 members in the 2006-2007 season, South Alabama is second only to Western Kentucky
in conference winning percentage (65.3% to WKU's 76.4%).
University of South Alabama
The University of South Alabama is a public, doctoral-level university in Mobile, Alabama, USA. It was created by the Alabama Legislature in 1963, and replaced existing extension programs operated in Mobile by the University of Alabama. No other areas of the state were willing to support such a...
in NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletics.
USA competes in the Sun Belt Conference
Sun Belt Conference
The Sun Belt Conference is a college athletic conference that has been affiliated with the NCAA's Division I since 1976. Its football teams participate in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , the higher of two levels of Division I football competition . The Sun Belt has member institutions...
; it is the conference's only remaining charter member from its inception. USA's athletics teams are nicknamed the Jaguar
Jaguar
The jaguar is a big cat, a feline in the Panthera genus, and is the only Panthera species found in the Americas. The jaguar is the third-largest feline after the tiger and the lion, and the largest in the Western Hemisphere. The jaguar's present range extends from Southern United States and Mexico...
s. Popular sports are baseball
College baseball
College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. Compared to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a less significant contribution to cultivating professional players, as the minor leagues primarily...
and men's basketball
College basketball
College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
. USA sponsors 8 men's sports teams and 9 women's sports teams. The board of trustees recently voted to start a football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
program that began play in the fall of 2009.
Men's Sports: Basketball, Baseball, Cross Country, Golf, Tennis, Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field, Football (FCS Independent 2011-2012, Full Sun Belt Conference play by 2013)
Women's Sports: Basketball, Softball, Cross Country, Golf, Tennis, Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field, Volleyball, Soccer
Though not officially recognized by the administration the students of The University of South Alabama maintain a multi-sport battle cry "South in your Mouth." It is used widely across the school through primarily heard in reference to football and basketball.
Football
On December 6, 2007, the school's Board of Trustees approved the addition of football to the intercollegiate athletics program. The team began play in 2009 with a planned full transition to the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (Division I-A) by 2013. On February 15, 2008, President Gordon Moulton and Athletic Director Joe Gottfried announced that Joey Jones, former University of Alabama and Atlanta Falcons receiver, would be the first head football coach in the university's history. On September 5, 2009, the South Alabama Jaguars defeated Hargrave Military AcademyHargrave Military Academy
Hargrave Military Academy is a private American boarding school located in the town of Chatham, Virginia.Hargrave is a school affiliated with the Baptist General Association of Virginia emphasizing Christian values that focuses on a college and military preparatory program...
30-13 in their first ever game, and finished their first ever football season on November 12, 2009 with a shutout of an NCAA Division III team with a 35-0 victory over Huntingdon (Ala.) College. USA completed its first season undefeated at 7-0, outscoring its opponents by a combined score of 321-41. The 2010 schedule was made up of schools from National Collegiate Athletics Association Division I-FCS, NCAA Division II, and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. USA finished the season undefeated at 10-0, outscoring its opponents by a combined score of 413-130.
On September 17th 2011, South Alabama suffered its first loss in the new program's history when it traveled to Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh,NC against the North Carolina State Wolfpack.
After the week 3 game of the 2011-2012 football season S. Alabama's season record stood at 2-1, with a all-time record of 19-1.
Baseball
The baseball team is typically a powerhouse in the Sun Belt Conference, and has produced a number of successful Major LeagueMajor League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
players, such as Juan Pierre
Juan Pierre
Juan D'Vaughn Pierre is an outfielder in Major League Baseball who is currently a free agent. He bats and throws left-handed....
, Adam Lind
Adam Lind
Adam Alan Lind is an American professional baseball first baseman with the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball. He was drafted in the third round of the Major League Baseball amateur draft and was signed on June 30, 2004. He was first drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the eighth round of...
, Luis Gonzalez
Luis Gonzalez (baseball outfielder)
Luis Emilio Gonzalez , nicknamed "Gonzo", is a retired Major League Baseball outfielder. A Cuban-American, Gonzalez spent his best years with the Arizona Diamondbacks and was one of the most popular players in that organization's history...
,
Jon Lieber
Jon Lieber
Jonathan Ray Lieber is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He played for the Pittsburgh Pirates , Chicago Cubs , New York Yankees , Philadelphia Phillies . He batted left-handed and threw right-handed...
, Marlon Anderson
Marlon Anderson
Marlon Ordell Anderson is a former Major League Baseball utility player. He was widely known for his clutch hits, and writers for publications including The New York Times and Newsday had referred to him as one of the best pinch-hitters in the game...
and David Freese
David Freese
David Richard Freese is a third baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball. A star high school player, Freese chose not to play college baseball in his freshman year of college, but returned to the game a year later...
. The head coach of the baseball team is Steve Kittrell
Steve Kittrell
Steve Kittrell is the head baseball coach at South Alabama. He owns a career record of 1022-616-1 record in 25 seasons at South Alabama. He started his career as the head baseball coach at Niceville High School in Florida where he posted a 35-15 record in 2 seasons...
, who has coached for 25 seasons. Since the creation of the Sun Belt conference in 1978, South Alabama leads with 11 Sun Belt Tournament titles; the next highest is The University of New Orleans
University of New Orleans
The University of New Orleans, often referred to locally as UNO, is a medium-sized public urban university located on the New Orleans Lakefront within New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. It is a member of the LSU System and the Urban 13 association. Currently UNO is without a proper chancellor...
with 3. In addition to the 11 conference titles, Coach Kittrell has led South Alabama to 18 NCAA Tournament appearances during his tenure.
The South Alabama baseball team plays its home games at Eddie Stanky Field
Eddie Stanky Field
Eddie Stanky Field is a baseball park in Mobile, Alabama. During the 90's, it was the home of the Mobile BaySharks. It is currently home to the University of South Alabama Jaguars baseball team and was home to the 2007 Sun Belt Conference baseball tournament. The ballpark has a capacity of 4,500...
, which is the largest baseball stadium in the Sun Belt Conference. The stadium is named after former coach Eddie Stanky
Eddie Stanky
Edward Raymond Stanky , nicknamed "The Brat", was an American second baseman and manager in Major League Baseball. He played for the Chicago Cubs , Brooklyn Dodgers , Boston Braves , New York Giants , and St. Louis Cardinals...
who compiled a 488-193 (.717) record in 14 seasons as coach. Stanky Field seats 4,500 spectators, and features the Jon Lieber
Jon Lieber
Jonathan Ray Lieber is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He played for the Pittsburgh Pirates , Chicago Cubs , New York Yankees , Philadelphia Phillies . He batted left-handed and threw right-handed...
Clubhouse and Luis Gonzalez
Luis Gonzalez (baseball outfielder)
Luis Emilio Gonzalez , nicknamed "Gonzo", is a retired Major League Baseball outfielder. A Cuban-American, Gonzalez spent his best years with the Arizona Diamondbacks and was one of the most popular players in that organization's history...
Hitting Facility. The current head coach is Steve Kittrell
Steve Kittrell
Steve Kittrell is the head baseball coach at South Alabama. He owns a career record of 1022-616-1 record in 25 seasons at South Alabama. He started his career as the head baseball coach at Niceville High School in Florida where he posted a 35-15 record in 2 seasons...
. Kittrell has led the Jaguars baseball program to more than 1,000 victories, numerous NCAA Tournament appearances and Sun Belt Conference championships. On July 15, 2010, it was announced that Mark Calvi, pitching coach at College World Series
College World Series
The College World Series or CWS is an annual baseball tournament held in Omaha, Nebraska that is the culmination of the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship, which determines the NCAA Division I college baseball champion. The eight teams are split into two, four-team, double-elimination brackets,...
Champion University of South Carolina
University of South Carolina
The University of South Carolina is a public, co-educational research university located in Columbia, South Carolina, United States, with 7 surrounding satellite campuses. Its historic campus covers over in downtown Columbia not far from the South Carolina State House...
, would be Kittrell's assistant coach for the 2011 season, and take over as the new head coach in 2012.
In 2011, alumnus David Freese
David Freese
David Richard Freese is a third baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball. A star high school player, Freese chose not to play college baseball in his freshman year of college, but returned to the game a year later...
was named the National League Championship Series
2011 National League Championship Series
The 2011 National League Championship Series was a best-of-seven playoff pitting the winners of the 2011 National League Division Series, the St. Louis Cardinals and Milwaukee Brewers, against each other for the National League championship and the right to be the league's representative in the...
MVP.
Basketball
The men's basketball team has a strong history as a founding member of the Sun Belt ConferenceSun Belt Conference
The Sun Belt Conference is a college athletic conference that has been affiliated with the NCAA's Division I since 1976. Its football teams participate in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , the higher of two levels of Division I football competition . The Sun Belt has member institutions...
. After a successful stint in the late 1980s and 1990s, South Alabama basketball declined in the early part of the 2000s. In 2002 John Pelphrey
John Pelphrey
John Leslie Pelphrey is an American college basketball coach and was the 14th head men's basketball coach at the University of Arkansas . After being named Kentucky's "Mr. Basketball" in 1987, he became a star college player at the University of Kentucky. Prior to coaching the Razorbacks, he...
was named coach and brought the team back to its winning ways. In 2006, South Alabama won the Sun Belt Conference Tournament, beating Western Kentucky
Western Kentucky University
Western Kentucky University is a public university in Bowling Green, Kentucky, USA. It was formally founded by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1906, though its roots reach back a quarter-century earlier....
95-70 in the championship game. They earned a bid into the 2006 NCAA Tournament
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
. This was their first since NCAA bid since 1998 and were seeded 14th in the Minneapolis bracket. They lost to the 3rd-seeded Florida Gators
Florida Gators
The Florida Gators are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Florida located in Gainesville, Florida. The "Lady Gators" is an alternative nickname sometimes used by the Gators women's teams...
, 76-50, who went on to win the 2006 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. The 2005-2006 basketball season marked the best turnaround in the nation for a Division I basketball program. South Alabama was 10-18 in 2004-05 and went 24-7 in 2005-2006. This yielded a 12.5 differential to lead the nation, ahead of Brigham Young and Memphis who both had 11.5 differentials. South Alabama followed that with three more 20-win seasons in a row, and in 2008 received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, but lost to Butler University in the first round. Since the Sun Belt expansion to 13 members in the 2006-2007 season, South Alabama is second only to Western Kentucky
Western Kentucky University
Western Kentucky University is a public university in Bowling Green, Kentucky, USA. It was formally founded by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1906, though its roots reach back a quarter-century earlier....
in conference winning percentage (65.3% to WKU's 76.4%).
Other sports
- Men's and Women's tennisTennisTennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
teams are consistently ranked among the nation's best. - The men's track team has been consistent in recent years. David Kimani won a cross-country championship in 1999 and two individual titles in 2000. Vincent Rono won the NCAA Outdoor Championship in 2006. The indoor track team captured a conference championship in 2007.
- Women's softballCollege softballCollege softball is softball as played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education, predominantly in the United States. College softball is normally played by women at the intercollegiate level, whereas college baseball is normally played by men.As with other intercollegiate...
was added to the South Alabama's sports in 2007. The softball team plays its home games at Jaguar FieldJaguar FieldJaguar Field is a softball field located on the campus of the University of South Alabama campus in Mobile, Alabama. The facility is the home field of the University of South Alabama Jaguars softball team and host of the 2010 Sun Belt Conference Softball Tournament...
.