Athletics department works toward Football Bowl Subdivision status

Jun 15 2009 - 12:48pm | Joseph O. Garcia

The Drive to the Football Bowl Subdivision is on the path to becoming a reality after Texas State claimed five Southland Conference titles in the 2008 to 2009 season.

The Drive is a marketing campaign for Texas State’s effort in moving the athletics department to the FBS, the NCAA’s highest level of competition.

The Drive has a plan to meet benchmarks set by President Trauth’s Athletic Task Force, including ticket and attendance increases and improvements to facilities. The process is projected to take four to five years. Texas State hopes to make the transition by 2012.

The university made strides toward the Drive this past season.

The Texas State Athletics program won the 2009 Southland Conference Commissioner’s Cup this year. The award is given each year to the best overall athletic program in the SLC based on conference standings in each sport.

Texas State won three conference titles and one conference tournament title in November 2008.

The women’s soccer team became the 2008 Southland Conference Champions at the beginning of November. The Bobcats made history in the feat, becoming the first Texas State team to claim the title with an undefeated league record.

The team earned the No. 1 seed in the 2008 SLC tournament in Lake Charles, La. Texas State won with a 2-1 victory over McNeese State.

“It was very nice to see them recognized for all the hard work they had put in all season,” said head coach Kat Conner.

The Texas State volleyball team became the 2008 SLC regular season champions Nov. 15 by defeating the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders on senior day at home. They ended the regular season with a 21-13 overall record and a 14-2 SLC record.

The Bobcat football team overcame a 21-0 deficit Nov. 22 to win its first outright Southland Conference championship with a 48-45, overtime victory at Sam Houston State. They finished the regular season with an 8-4 overall record and 5-2 SLC mark.

Texas State athletics won two more SLC regular season titles and one SLC tournament title this spring.

The Texas State softball team clinched the 2009 Southland Conference title April 26 with a 1-0 win over Stephen F. Austin. The team ended the regular season 36-16 overall, and 23-6 in the SLC.

The Bobcat softball team hit two home runs in the seventh inning to come from behind in a 2-1 victory over McNeese State to earn the 2009 Southland Conference Tournament title May 9.

The Texas State baseball team claimed the 2009 Southland Conference regular season Championship with a sweep of Nicholls State one day later. It marked the baseball team’s first outright championship. The Bobcats ended the regular season with a 38-14 overall record and 24-7 in the SLC.

“Each game is a new moment for us,” said head coach Ty Harrington. “We just talk about the next game. The team really bought into that.”

The team earned the No. 1 overall seed in the SLC tournament May 20 to 23 in Corpus Christi.

According to the Drive’s Web site, one of the key benchmarks for the program is competitive success. The Texas State Bobcats have had success off the field as well.

Texas State had a record number of student-athletes who earned their bachelor’s degrees in 2008 to 2009. Nineteen student-athletes graduated in fall 2008 and 44 received their degrees in spring 2009. Ten more students are scheduled to graduate in August.

“What a great year this has been for our athletics program,” said Larry Teis, Texas State athletic director. “This took a total team effort from everyone among our student-athletes, coaches and administrative staff.”

Texas State’s Drive to FBS includes upgrades to various athletics facilities. The Bobcat baseball and softball stadiums each have new grandstands, suites and press boxes. The Bobcat football stadium will have 15 new suites and 450 club seats added on the west side of the stadium above the press box. The tennis and soccer complexes have new locker rooms.

Another step towards FBS includes more money for the athletic department. Texas State Athletics received a $1 million gift in April for the second time in school history from Jerry and Linda Fields. The first $1 million donor was Darren B. Casey, who contributed to the department in 2008.

Overall gifts to the department increased by six percent after a record year in 2007 to 2008 in which gifts exceeded $750,000.

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