Gulf South Conference

History

2010s realignment

Chronological timeline

• 1970 – The Gulf South Conference was founded as a football-only league known as the Mid-South Athletic Conference. Charter members included Delta State College, Jacksonville State University, Florence State University, the University of Tennessee at Martin, Troy State University and Livingston University, beginning the 1970–71 academic year.
• 1971 – The MSAC added more sports to be a full-fledged athletic conference and was rebranded as the Gulf South Conference, beginning the 1971–72 academic year.
• 1971 – Nicholls State University, Northwestern State University and Southeastern Louisiana University joined the GSC in the 1971–72 academic year.
• 1972 – Mississippi College joined the GSC in the 1972–73 academic year.
• 1975 – Northwestern State left the GSC to become an NCAA D-II Independent and the Trans Atlantic Athletic Conference after the 1974–75 academic year.
• 1979 – Nicholls State and Southeastern Louisiana left the GSC to become NCAA D-II Independents after the 1978–79 academic year.
• 1981 – Valdosta State College joined the GSC in the 1981–82 academic year.
• 1983 – West Georgia College joined the GSC in the 1983–84 academic year.
• 1991 – Tennessee–Martin and Troy State left the GSC to become NCAA D-II Independents to the Ohio Valley Conference, beginning the 1992–93 school year; and Troy State to the East Coast Conference after the 1990–91 academic year.
• 1992 – Lincoln Memorial University joined the GSC in the 1992–93 academic year.
• 1993 – Jacksonville State left the GSC to become an NCAA D-II Independent after the 1992–93 academic year.
• 1993 – The University of Alabama in Huntsville, the University of Central Arkansas, Henderson State University and Mississippi University for Women joined the GSC in the 1993–94 academic year.
• 1994 – The University of West Florida joined the GSC in the 1994–95 academic year.
• 1995 – Arkansas Tech University, the University of Arkansas at Monticello, the University of Montevallo and Southern Arkansas University joined the GSC in the 1995–96 academic year.
• 1996 – Mississippi College left the GSC to join the NCAA Division III ranks and the American Southwest Conference after the 1995–96 academic year.
• 1996 – Christian Brothers University joined the GSC in the 1996–97 academic year.
• 2000 – Harding University and Ouachita Baptist University joined the GSC in the 2000–01 academic year.
• 2003 – MUW left the GSC due to the school announcing to discontinue its athletics program after the 2002–03 academic year.
• 2006 – Two institutions left the GSC to join in their respective new home primary conferences, both effective after the 2005–06 academic year:
• * Central Arkansas to join the NCAA Division I ranks and the Southland Conference
• * and Lincoln Memorial to join the South Atlantic Conference
• 2009 – Montevallo left the GSC to join the Peach Belt Conference after the 2008–09 academic year.
• 2011 – Arkansas Tech, Arkansas–Monticello, Harding, Henderson State, Ouachita Baptist and Southern Arkansas left the GSC to join with a few Oklahoma schools to form the newly created Great American Conference after the 2010–11 academic year. However, only Harding and Ouachita Baptist remained in the GSC as affiliate members for men's soccer just for the 2011 fall season.
• 2011 – University of New Orleans joined the GSC as an associate member for some sports in the 2011–12 academic year.
• 2012 – New Orleans left the GSC to fully align with the NCAA Division I ranks after the 2011–12 academic year.
• 2012 – Shorter University and Union University joined the GSC in the 2012–13 academic year.
• 2013 – Lee University joined the GSC in the 2013–14 academic year.
• 2013 – Florida Institute of Technology joined the GSC as an affiliate member for football in the 2013 fall season.
• 2014 – Mississippi College rejoined the GSC in the 2014–15 academic year.
• 2014 – Spring Hill College joined the GSC as an affiliate member for women's golf, and men's & women's soccer, all effective in the 2014 fall season.
• 2015 – Young Harris College joined the GSC as an affiliate member for women's lacrosse in the 2016 spring season.
• 2017 – Auburn University at Montgomery joined the GSC in the 2017–18 academic year.
• 2018 – North Alabama left the GSC to join the NCAA Division I ranks and the ASUN Conference after the 2017–18 academic year.
• 2018 – North Greenville University joined the GSC as an affiliate member for football in the 2018 fall season.
• 2020 – Florida Tech left the GSC as an affiliate member for football due to the school discontinuing the sport after the 2019 fall season.
• 2023 – Chowan University joins the GSC as an affiliate member for football in the 2023 and 2024 fall seasons.
• 2024 – Two institutions left the GSC to join in their respective new home primary conferences, both effective after the 2023–24 academic year:
• * Shorter to join the Conference Carolinas
• * and West Georgia to join NCAA Division I and the Atlantic Sun, both effective after the 2023–24 academic year
• 2024 – Trevecca Nazarene University joined the GSC in the 2024–25 academic year.
• 2024 – Erskine College joined the GSC as an affiliate for football in the 2024 fall season only.
• 2025 – Chowan, Erskine, and North Greenville all left the GSC as affiliate members for football to move their programs to Conference Carolinas after the 2024 fall season.
• 2025 – Virginia State University joined the GSC as an affiliate member for women's lacrosse in the 2026 spring season.

Member schools

Current members

Affiliate members

Former members

Former affiliate members

Membership timeline

Sponsored sports

Women's sponsored sports by school

National championships

• Valdosta State won 1979 baseball national championship prior to joining the GSC.
• Mississippi College's 1989 football tournament participation and national championship were vacated by the NCAA Committee on Infractions for recruiting violations.
• Ice hockey is not a conference-sanctioned sport.