Stephen F. Austin State University (commonly SFA) is a public university

Public university

A public university is a university that is predominantly funded by public means through a national or subnational government, as opposed to private universities. A national university may or may not be considered a public university, depending on regions...

 located in Nacogdoches

Nacogdoches, Texas

Nacogdoches is a city in Nacogdoches County, Texas, in the United States. The 2010 census recorded the city's population to be 32,996. It is the county seat of Nacogdoches County and is situated in East Texas. Nacogdoches is a sister city of Natchitoches, Louisiana.Nacogdoches is the home of...

, Texas

Texas

Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. Founded as a teachers' college in 1923, the university was named after one of Texas' founding fathers, Stephen F. Austin

Stephen F. Austin

Stephen Fuller Austin was born in Virginia and raised in southeastern Missouri. He was known as the Father of Texas, led the second, but first legal and ultimately successful colonization of the region by bringing 300 families from the United States. The capital of Texas, Austin in Travis County,...

. Its campus resides on part of the homestead of another Texas founding father, Thomas Jefferson Rusk

Thomas Jefferson Rusk

Thomas Jefferson Rusk was an early political and military leader of the Republic of Texas, serving as its first Secretary of War as well as a general at the Battle of San Jacinto. He was later a U.S. politician and served as a Senator from Texas from 1846 until his suicide...

. Stephen F. Austin is one of four independent public universities in Texas (i.e., those not affiliated with one of Texas' six university systems).

Academics

Stephen F. Austin offers more than 120 areas of study, including more than 80 undergraduate majors, nearly 60 graduate

Graduate school

A graduate school is a school that awards advanced academic degrees with the general requirement that students must have earned a previous undergraduate degree...

 degrees, and three doctoral

Doctorate

A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...

 programs. Stephen F. Austin offers classes through six colleges, and houses one of only two schools of forestry in the State of Texas (and the only forestry college in the timber-producing East Texas

East Texas

East Texas is a distinct geographic and ecological area in the U.S. state of Texas.According to the Handbook of Texas, the East Texas area "may be separated from the rest of Texas roughly by a line extending from the Red River in north central Lamar County southwestward to east central Limestone...

 region).

During the 2007-08 academic year, there were 1,732 degrees awarded. Of those degrees, 1,416 (82%) were undergraduate, 301 were post-graduate (17%), and 15 (1%) were doctoral.

In addition to the main campus which is located on 430 acres, the university maintains a 642 acres (2.6 km²) agricultural research center for beef, poultry, and swine production and an equine center; an observatory for astronomy research, an 1,072-hectare (approximately 2,649-acre) experimental forest in southwestern Nacogdoches County and a 25.3 acres (102,385.6 m²) forestry field station on the Sam Rayburn Reservoir

Sam Rayburn Reservoir

Sam Rayburn Reservoir is a reservoir in the United States located in Southeast Texas, north of Beaumont. The reservoir is fed by the Angelina River, the major tributary of the Neches River. The capacity of the reservoir is , and is the largest lake wholly located within the state of Texas...

.

Since 2007, Stephen F. Austin has served as the headquarters of the Association for Business Communication

Association for Business Communication

The Association for Business Communication is the primary academic organization for the field of business communication scholarship, research, education and practice...

. It is also the home of the National Center for Pharmaceutical Crops, which in 2011 discovered a potential cancer-fighting agent from the extract of giant salvinia

Giant salvinia

Salvinia molesta, commonly known as giant salvinia or kariba weed after it infested a large portion of the reservoir of the same name, is an aquatic fern, native to south-eastern Brazil. It is a free floating plant that does not attach to the soil, but instead remains buoyant on the surface of a...

, one of the world's most notorious invasive species

Invasive species

"Invasive species", or invasive exotics, is a nomenclature term and categorization phrase used for flora and fauna, and for specific restoration-preservation processes in native habitats, with several definitions....

.

Stephen F. Austin ranked #71 in the 2011 U.S. News & World Report

U.S. News & World Report

U.S. News & World Report is an American news magazine published from Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek it was for many years a leading news weekly, focusing more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories...

 edition of Best Colleges (Regional Universities - West).

Presidents

• Alton W. Birdwell (1923–1941), for whom Birdwell Plaza is named
• Paul Boynton (1942–1958), for whom the Communications Building is named
• Ralph W. Steen (1958–1976), for whom the on-campus library is named
• William R. Johnson (1976–1990), for whom the SFA Coliseum is named
• Donald Bowen (1990–1991)
• William J. Brophy (1991–1992) (interim)
• Dan Angel (1992–1999)
• Roland Smith (1999–2001) (interim)
• Tito Guerrero (2001–2006)
• Baker Pattillo, Ph.D. (2006–present), for whom the SFA Student Center is named

Athletics

Stephen F. Austin's color is Purple

Purple

Purple is a range of hues of color occurring between red and blue, and is classified as a secondary color as the colors are required to create the shade....

, with red

Red

Red is any of a number of similar colors evoked by light consisting predominantly of the longest wavelengths of light discernible by the human eye, in the wavelength range of roughly 630–740 nm. Longer wavelengths than this are called infrared , and cannot be seen by the naked eye...

 sometimes used as an accent color. In tribute to the forestry industry, which is a major component of the area's economy, the men's athletic teams are called Lumberjacks, and women's teams are known as Ladyjacks. All of SFA's athletic teams participate in the Southland Conference

Southland Conference

The Southland Conference is a college athletic conference which operates in the south central United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I for all sports; for football, it participates in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision...

 which hosts teams from the states of Texas

Texas

Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

, Louisiana

Louisiana

Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...

, and Arkansas

Arkansas

Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...

.

Men's NCAA Sports:

• 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...
  
  
• Cross Country
  Cross country running
  Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
  
  
• Basketball
  Basketball
  Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
  
   — The men's basketball team reached its first NCAA tournament in 2009
  2009 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
  The first and second round games were played at the following sites:First and Second Rounds: Thursday and Saturday, March 19 and 21, 2009-Qualifying teams:-Brackets:Results to date * – Denotes overtime periodAll times in U.S. EDT....
  
   after winning the Southland Conference regular season and tournament. They would go on to lose to the Syracuse University Orange by a score of 59-44.
• Baseball
  Baseball
  Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
  
  
• Golf
  Golf
  Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
  
  
• Track
  Track and field
  Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
  
  

Women's NCAA Sports

• Cross Country
  Cross country running
  Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
  
  
• Basketball
  Basketball
  Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
  
  
• Soccer
• Volleyball
  Volleyball
  Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
  
  
• Bowling
  Bowling
  Bowling Bowling Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule...
  
  
• Softball
  Softball
  Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
  
  
• Tennis
  Tennis
  Tennis 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...
  
  
• Track
  Track and field
  Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
  
  

• 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.

Football

Stephen F. Austin sports teams participate in NCAA Division I (Football Championship Subdivision) for 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...

 in the Southland Conference

Southland Conference

The Southland Conference is a college athletic conference which operates in the south central United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I for all sports; for football, it participates in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision...

. SFA's football team earned a berth into the FCS playoffs in 2009, which was the first for the university since 1995. The team also earned a playoff berth in 2010, marking the first time in the program's history that the team had reached the playoffs in consecutive seasons. The 2010 season also marked the first time that the school had won an outright conference championship since 1989. Stephen F. Austin's only bowl

Bowl game

In North America, a bowl game is commonly considered to refer to one of a number of post-season college football games. Prior to 2002, bowl game statistics were not included in players' career totals and the games were mostly considered to be exhibition games involving a payout to participating...

 appearance was the 1973 Poultry Bowl

Poultry Bowl

The Poultry Bowl was an official college football bowl game played in 1973 and 1974 in Gainesville, Georgia and Greensboro, North Carolina.The maiden game was played at Gainesville's City Park Complex on Saturday, Dec. 8, 1973, between Stephen F. Austin, and Gardner-Webb University...

, in which the team defeated Gardner-Webb 31-10 in Gainesville, FL.

Traditions

• At home football games, large signs and banners representing campus fraternities, sororities, and student organizations adorn the grassy hills that surround Homer Bryce Stadium.
• The annual Parents Day is now in its 32nd year. This is one of the largest student run programs on the campus of SFA. Parents, friends and family members of students visit the campus every fall for a day of activities and school spirit. Parents Day is sponsored by the Residence Hall Association in conjunction with the Housing and Residence Life Departments.
• The University's main rivals are Sam Houston State University
  Sam Houston State University
  Sam Houston State University was founded in 1879 and is the third oldest public institution of higher learning in the State of Texas. It is located in Huntsville, Texas. It is one of the oldest purpose-built institutions for the instruction of teachers west of the Mississippi River and the first...
  
  , Texas State University and Northwestern State University
  Northwestern State University
  Northwestern State University, known as NSU, is a four-year public university primarily situated in Natchitoches, Louisiana, with a nursing campus in Shreveport and general campuses in Leesville/Fort Polk and Alexandria. It is a part of the University of Louisiana System.NSU was founded in 1884 as...
  
  .
• The Stephen F. Austin State and Sam Houston State rivalry matchup is called the Battle of the Piney Woods
  Battle of the Piney Woods
  The Battle of the Piney Woods is a notable sports rivalry, which is the annual battle between Sam Houston State University and Stephen F. Austin State University. With Sam HoustonState located in Huntsville, Texas, and Stephen F...
  
  . In 2010, the two universities agreed to move the annual football matchups to Houston, Texas
  Houston, Texas
  Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
  
   in Reliant Stadium
  Reliant Stadium
  Reliant Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium, in Houston, Texas, USA. Reliant Stadium has a seating capacity of 71,500, a total square footage of with of natural grass playing surface....
  
  . Stephen F. Austin defeated Sam Houston in 2010 but fell to the Bearkats in 2011, making them 1-1 in the Reliant Stadium Series.
• In 1960, a seven-foot, six-inch statue of an Indian named "Chief Caddo
  Caddo
  The Caddo Nation is a confederacy of several Southeastern Native American tribes, who traditionally inhabited much of what is now East Texas, northern Louisiana and portions of southern Arkansas and Oklahoma. Today the Caddo Nation of Oklahoma is a cohesive tribe with its capital at Binger, Oklahoma...
  
  " 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
  Chief Caddo
  Chief Caddo is the name of the statue given to the winner of the annual football game between Southland Conference members Northwestern State University of Natchitoches, Louisiana and Stephen F...
  
   is the largest trophy
  Trophy
  A trophy is a reward for a specific achievement, and serves as recognition or evidence of merit. Trophies are most often awarded for sporting events, from youth sports to professional level athletics...
  
   in college football. SFA currently has possession of Chief Caddo, after defeating Northwestern State in November 2010. 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 totally restored and re-painted.
• Every year at Homecoming a bonfire is lit by members of the organization that has the most points earned in a series of competitions leading up to the Homecoming celebration. Preceding the lighting of the bonfire, a "Torchlight Parade" is held, where students walk through campus with lights to the Homecoming Pep Rally.
• The Student Activities Association distributes Homecoming Shirts by allowing students to trade in other university-affiliated garments. Participants get new SFA shirts, and the used trade-ins are burned in the Homecoming bonfire.
• The Sawyers were created in 1927 as the first men's social organization. In November 1960, the Sawyers adapted Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity. They were the first group to have a reserved section in the stands at football games, which was requested by Homer Bryce, for whom the stadium is named. The Sawyers began the tradition of bringing axe handles to the football games and using them as noise makers/spirit sticks. The Purple Haze Inc. revived the idea and tradition of the axe handle in 2002.
• 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
• 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
  Alpha Chi Omega
  Alpha Chi Omega is a women's fraternity founded on October 15, 1885. Currently, there are 135 chapters of Alpha Chi Omega at colleges and universities across the United States and more than 200,000 lifetime members...
  
   sorority girls noticed that other Texas colleges has hand signals specific to their schools ("Hook 'Em Horns" for the University of Texas, for instance.) As a response, freshman student 'Marcia' suggested the two-fingered salute to a male cheerleader, 'Monty.'
• The Student Government Association host its annual Watermelon Bash each summer. Watermelons are iced in the fountain around the statue of Stephen F. Austin in the center of campus, and the university president, deans and other administrators help distribute watermelons slices to students and other members of the campus community.
• It is considered "bad luck" for an undergraduate student to walk through the Old Stone Fort. Rumor has it that if a student does, he/she will not graduate. This rumor, however, has been proven false.
• At home baseball games, the students in the outfield throw back opposing teams' home runs.

Notable alumni

Notable individuals who either attended or graduated from SFASU:

• Cliff Ammons
  Cliff Ammons
  Clifton R. Ammons , known as Cliff Ammons, was an educator and businessman from Many, Louisiana, who served from 1960-1964 as a Democrat from Sabine Parish in the Louisiana House of Representatives...
  
   (M.S., education), Louisiana state representative
  Louisiana State Legislature
  The Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
  
   known as "the father of Toledo Bend Reservoir
  Toledo Bend Reservoir
  Toledo Bend Reservoir is a reservoir on the Sabine River between Texas and Louisiana. The lake has an area of 185,000 acres , the largest man-made body of water in Texas, the largest in the South, and the fifth largest in the United States. The dam is capable of generating 92 megawatts of...
  
  "
• Derrick Blaylock
  Derrick Blaylock
  Derrick Blaylock is an American football running back in the National Football League who is currently a free agent.-High school career:...
  
  , National Football League
  National Football League
  The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
  
   running back
  Running back
  A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
  
   (New York Jets
  New York Jets
  The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
  
  )
• Kim Brimer, former Texas state senator
  Texas Senate
  The Texas Senate is the upper house of the Texas Legislature. There are 31 members of the Senate, representing 31 single-member districts across the state with populations of approximately 672,000 per constituency. There are no term limits, and each term is four years long. The Senate meets at the...
  
  , District 10
  Texas Senate, District 10
  District 10 of the Texas Senate is a senatorial district that currently serves a portion of Tarrant county in the U.S. state of Texas. The current Senator from District 10 is Wendy Davis.-2008:-2004:-2002:-2000:...
  
  
• Shane Carruth
  Shane Carruth
  Shane Carruth is an American film writer, director, editor, producer, actor and musician.- Life and career :Carruth was born in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. He attended Stephen F...
  
  , filmmaker, writer/director/producer/star of Primer (film)
  Primer (film)
  Primer is a 2004 American science fiction drama film about the accidental discovery of a means of time travel. The film was written, directed, and produced by Shane Carruth and was completed on a budget of $7,000...
  
  
• Larry Centers
  Larry Centers
  Larry Eugene Centers is a former American football fullback in the National Football League for 14 seasons, mostly for his first team, the Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals...
  
  , National Football League retired fullback
  Fullback (American football)
  A fullback is a position in the offensive backfield in American and Canadian football, and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback...
  
  
• Wayne Christian
  Wayne Christian
  Wayne Christian is a businessman from Center, Texas, who is a Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 9, which includes Jasper, Nacogdoches, Sabine, San Augustine, and Shelby counties in East Texas....
  
  , Member, Texas House of Representatives 1997–Present, President, Texas Conservative Coalition
• Gerald Clarke
  Gerald Clarke (artist)
  Gerald Clarke is a sculptor, installation, and conceptual artist from the Cahuillia Band of Mission Indians. His work often reflects on and questions current issues in Native America and the United States, as well as his personal life....
  
  , artist and educator
• Nelson Clyde, III
  Nelson Clyde, III
  Calvin Nelson Clyde, III , was the fourth-generation publisher of the Tyler Morning Telegraph newspaper in Tyler, the largest city in East Texas. The business, which was established by Clyde's great-grandfather, has been family operated since 1910.-Early life:Clyde was born in Tyler to Calvin N....
  
  , late publisher of the Tyler Morning Telegraph
  Tyler Morning Telegraph
  The Tyler Morning Telegraph is a daily newspaper based in Tyler, Texas, U.S. It is privately owned by the T.B. Butler Publishing Company, Inc....
  
  
• Rodney Crowell
  Rodney Crowell
  Rodney Crowell is a Grammy Award-winning musician, known primarily for his work as a singer and songwriter in country music....
  
  , Songwriter, Nashville Producer, Singer, Literary writer
• Mike Driver, Disc Jockey for 94.5 KFMX, Lubbock, Texas
• Spike Dykes
  Spike Dykes
  -External links:***...
  
  , former head football coach for the Texas Tech Red Raiders
  Texas Tech Red Raiders
  The Texas Tech Red Raiders are the athletic teams that represent Texas Tech University . The women's basketball team uses the name Lady Raiders; however, the school's other women's teams use the "Red Raiders" name. The university's athletic program fields teams in 15 varsity sports and 30 club sports...
  
  
• Todd Hammel
  Todd Hammel
  Todd Layne Hammel is an Arena Football League quarterback for the Utah Blaze. He has played for 10 teams since his AFL career began in 1992.-High school career:...
  
  , Arena Football
  Arena football
  Arena football is a variety of gridiron football played by the Arena Football League . It is a proprietary game, the rights to which are owned by Gridiron Enterprises, and is played indoors on a smaller field than American or Canadian outdoor football, resulting in a faster and higher-scoring game....
  
   League quarterback for 14 years
• Kevin Hannan
  Kevin Hannan
  Kevin J. Hannan was American ethnolinguist and slavicist.- Personal life :He was born in the family of Silesian-Irish background...
  
  , ethnolinguist
• Don Henley
  Don Henley
  Donald Hugh "Don" Henley is an American singer, songwriter and drummer, best known as a founding member of the Eagles before launching a successful solo career. Henley was the drummer and lead vocalist for the Eagles from 1971–1980, when the band broke up...
  
  , Musician, Singer, Songwriter, and Drummer for the Eagles (1971–1980, 1994–present)
• Lance Hunter, watercolor and mural artist, current professor of Fine Arts at Northeastern State University, (Present)
• Will Jennings
  Will Jennings
  Wilbur H. "Will" Jennings is an American songwriter who is popularly known for writing the lyrics for "My Heart Will Go On", the theme for the film Titanic .-Life and education:...
  
  , Grammy
  Grammy Award
  A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
  
   (1982, 1986, 1993, and 1997), Golden Globe
  Golden Globe Award
  The Golden Globe Award is an accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign...
  
   (1983, 1991, and 1997), and Academy Award-winning (1983 and 1997) songwriter
  Songwriter
  A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
  
  ; member, Songwriters Hall of Fame
  Songwriters Hall of Fame
  The Songwriters Hall of Fame is an arm of the National Academy of Popular Music. It was founded in 1969 by songwriter Johnny Mercer and music publishers Abe Olman and Howie Richmond. The goal is to create a museum but as of April, 2008, the means do not yet exist and so instead it is an online...
  
  
• Kent Johnston
  Kent Johnston
  -Career:Johnson served as an assistant coach at Northwestern State University from 1979 to 1980, the University of Louisiana at Monroe from 1980 to 1981, and the University of Alabama from 1983 to 1986...
  
  , National Football League assistant coach
• Joseph W. Kennedy
  Joseph W. Kennedy
  Joseph William Kennedy was an American scientist credited with being a co-discoverer of plutonium along with Glenn T. Seaborg, Edwin McMillan, and Arthur Wahl....
  
  , Co-Discoverer of Plutonium
  Plutonium
  Plutonium is a transuranic radioactive chemical element with the chemical symbol Pu and atomic number 94. It is an actinide metal of silvery-gray appearance that tarnishes when exposed to air, forming a dull coating when oxidized. The element normally exhibits six allotropes and four oxidation...
  
  , 1917–1957
• Ronnie Laws
  Ronnie Laws
  Ronald Wayne "Ronnie" Laws is an American jazz, blues and funk saxophonist. He is the younger brother of jazz flautist Hubert Laws.-Biography:...
  
  , Musician
  Musician
  A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
  
  , Member of Earth, Wind, and Fire
• Brad Maule
  Brad Maule
  Brad Maule is an American actor best known for his longtime role as Dr. Tony Jones on the American television serial General Hospital, which he played until February 2006.-Biography:...
  
  , Daytime Emmy Award
  Daytime Emmy Award
  The Daytime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Los Angeles-based Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American daytime television programming...
  
   winning actor
  Actor
  An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
  
  
• Frank Melton
  Frank Melton
  Frank Ervin Melton was the mayor of Jackson, Mississippi, United States, from 4 July 2005 until his death on 7 May 2009. Melton, an African American, defeated the city's first black mayor Harvey Johnson, Jr. Melton won 63 percent of the vote in the Democratic primary against Johnson, who had...
  
  , former mayor, Jackson, MS, (March 19, 1949 – May 7, 2009)
• Allen R. Morris
  Allen R. Morris
  Allen Robert Morris , a Texan and an American, is an Emmy Award-winning television producer/director/writer. His professional career began when he and his twin sister, as teenagers, provided the voices and operated puppets on a local children’s television show, “Through Magic Doorways.” This...
  
  , Emmy Award Winning Producer/Director/Writer
• Mark Moseley
  Mark Moseley
  Mark DeWayne Moseley is a former professional American football placekicker in the National Football League who played for the Philadelphia Eagles , the Houston Oilers , the Washington Redskins , and the Cleveland Browns . He won the Most Valuable Player Award during the strike-shortened 1982 season...
  
  , 1982 NFL
  National Football League
  The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
  
   MVP; played for Eagles
  Philadelphia Eagles
  The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
  
   (1970), Oilers (1971–1972), Redskins
  Washington Redskins
  The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
  
   (1974–1986), and Browns
  Cleveland Browns
  The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
  
   (1986)
• Drew Nixon
  Drew Nixon
  Drew Eldred Nixon is a former Texas state senator from Carthage, the seat of Panola County in east Texas, who served from 1995 to 2001. He is largely known for a tabloid sex scandal....
  
  , former Republican state senator
  Republican Party (United States)
  The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
  
   from Carthage
  Carthage, Texas
  Carthage is a city in Panola County, Texas, United States. The population was 6,664 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Panola County, and is situated in East Texas near the Louisiana state line.-Geography:...
  
  
• Bill Owens, former Republican governor of Colorado
  Colorado
  Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
  
  
• Stephen Payne
  Stephen Payne (lobbyist)
  Stephen Prentiss Payne is an American lobbyist from Houston, Texas. He has also served as a governmental, energy, international affairs, and international business development consultant, corporate and political adviser, foreign diplomat, businessman, fundraiser, and former adviser to two of the...
  
  , International Relations and Energy Expert
• Bum Phillips
  Bum Phillips
  Oail Andrew "Bum" Phillips is a retired American football coach and the father of Wade Phillips, the Defensive Coordinator for the Houston Texans...
  
  , former National Football League head coach
  Head coach
  A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
  
  
• Mike Quinn
  Mike Quinn
  Michael Patrick Quinn is a former professional gridiron football quarterback. He was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 1997 and was also a member of the Rhein Fire, Indianapolis Colts, Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins, Houston Texans, Denver Broncos, Montreal Alouettes...
  
  , National Football League
  National Football League
  The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
  
   Quarterback
  Quarterback
  Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
  
  
• Rhonda Rajsich
  Rhonda Rajsich
  Rhonda Rajsich is an American racquetball player. She is the reigning two time racquetball World Champion and has won four US Open championships - more than any other woman...
  
  , current #1 women's racquetball player
  Women's Professional Racquetball Organization
  The Women's Professional Racquetball Organization is the latest name for the women's professional racquetball tour. It features the world's best players and several events each season - running from September to May - that are mostly played in the USA....
  
   and two time World Champion
  Racquetball World Championships
  The World Racquetball Championships, organized by the International Racquetball Federation , were first held in 1981. The second World Championships were in 1984, and have been held every two years since.The World Championships have two parts...
  
  
• Mikhael Ricks
  Mikhael Ricks
  Mikhael Roy Ricks is a former National Football League tight end/wide receiver . He was 6'5" and weighed 260 pounds....
  
  , former National Football League tight end
  Tight end
  The tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be...
  
  /wide receiver
  Wide receiver
  A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
  
  
• Josh "Bum" Samuels, former National Football League head coach
  Head coach
  A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
  
  
• Michael H. Schneider, Judge, U. S. District Court, Eastern District of Texas
• Zachari Schueneman, General Manager of a Dallas-based Recycling Company, 2009-Current
• Terrance Shaw
  Terrance Shaw
  Terrance Shaw is an American football cornerback. He was born in Marshall, Texas. Terrance was selected in the second round of the 1995 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers...
  
  , Retired National Football League defensive back
  Defensive back
  In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...
  
   (1995–2004) for several teams (2004)
• James Silas, American Basketball Association and National Basketball Association
  National Basketball Association
  The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
  
  
• Chad Stanley
  Chad Stanley
  Benjamin Chadwick Stanley is an American football punter who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent in 1999. He played college football at Stephen F...
  
  , Former NFL Punter, Tied NFL record for most punts in a season (114)
• Terrance Shaw
  Terrance Shaw
  Terrance Shaw is an American football cornerback. He was born in Marshall, Texas. Terrance was selected in the second round of the 1995 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers...
  
   and Jeremiah Trotter
  Jeremiah Trotter
  Jeremiah Trotter is an American football linebacker who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the third round of the 1998 NFL Draft. He played college football at Stephen F...
  
   are the only two known SFASU alumni who have played in the National Football League's Super Bowl
  Super Bowl
  The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
  
  . Shaw won Super Bowl XXXVI with the New England Patriots
  New England Patriots
  The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
  
   and Trotter lost Super Bowl XXXIX with the Philadelphia Eagles
  Philadelphia Eagles
  The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
  
  
• Belinda Temple
  Shattered (book)
  SHATTERED: The True Story of a Mother's Love, a Husband's Betrayal, and a Cold-Blooded Texas Murder, by author and novelist Kathryn Casey, is a true crime account of the killing of a pregnant woman whose body was discovered in 1999 in an upstairs closet in her home in Katy, Texas, near Houston...
  
  , murdered, in a high-profile 2005 case, by her husband when she was 8 months pregnant
• Jeremiah Trotter
  Jeremiah Trotter
  Jeremiah Trotter is an American football linebacker who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the third round of the 1998 NFL Draft. He played college football at Stephen F...
  
  , National Football League middle linebacker (Philadelphia Eagles
  Philadelphia Eagles
  The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
  
  )

Points of interest and notable campus buildings

• Mast Arboretum
  Mast Arboretum
  Mast Arboretum is an arboretum and botanical garden on the campus of Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas. It is open daily without charge....
  
  
• The Old Stone Fort built in 1779 by Gil Y'Barbo, the earliest Spanish
  Spanish people
  The Spanish are citizens of the Kingdom of Spain. Within Spain, there are also a number of vigorous nationalisms and regionalisms, reflecting the country's complex history....
  
   settler of Nacogdoches, and was rebuilt on campus. It is now a museum for the public to visit:http://www.sfasu.edu/stonefort/
• The Planetarium
• The Observatory
• SFA Art Galleries
  • Griffith Gallery
  • The Art Center
• The ETRC, East Texas Research Center, is located for public use on the second floor of the Ralph W. Steen Library:http://libweb.sfasu.edu/proser/etrc/
• The East Texas Historical Association
  East Texas Historical Association
  The East Texas Historical Association is an organization of professional historians and interested laypersons dedicated to the preservation of the overall history of East Texas, generally defined as that portion of the state east of Interstate 35. The association was founded in 1962 after a long...
  
  is based on the Stephen F. Austin campus.

External links

• Stephen F. Austin State University
• SFA Athletics
• SFA Alumni Association
• The Pine Log – campus student newspaper
• TIDES (Teaching, Images & Digital Experiences) Digital collections hosted and maintained by SFA's library
• http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/stephen-f.-austin-3624 US News & World Reports