In just 30 years, KSU’s athletics department has made a steep climb toward the top of collegiate athletics. The Owls’ longest tenure in an intercollegiate league was in Division II of the NCAA, where they competed—to much success—from 1994 until 2009. In that time frame, the Black and Gold won national titles in baseball (1996), softball (1995, 1996), women’s soccer (2003) and men’s basketball (2004).
For a school that opened its doors as a junior college in 1963, it’s rare that anyone can think of a solidified tradition. But, considering the university is by far the youngest of all NCAA Division I competitors in the state, its tradition might be getting good at things—fast.
If KSU’s ascension up the board of athletic excellence is any indication of exponential growth and success, the next 30 years of athletics at the school are certainly an exciting prospect.
If you’ve read my columns in the past, you’ve probably caught me red-handed (or, should I say, gold-handed). It’s hard not to look around and not get excited about the future of the athletic programs at KSU.
Since my arrival at KSU in 2010, the campus feel around athletics has already ramped up. Football was a pipe-dream, Scrappy looked like a squirrel, and you were hard-pressed to find a student on campus wearing KSU athletic gear. Now, students are obviously big fans of the new, standardized logo set, as the merchandise being worn around campus has shot up. There’s also been some brief moments that have shown great potential—something schools that don’t have 25,000 students can’t fathom.
In 2010, the men’s basketball team hosted Georgia Tech in front of a record crowd and ran away with an exhilerating 80-63 win. That victory might have been the most exciting moment in school history, surpassing the team’s national title from six years prior. That environment was duplicated a year later when the men’s basketball team hosted Mercer in front of an even larger crowd, even though they were in last place in the Atlantic Sun Conference standings.
Men’s basketball might have a way to go before it begins to really compete, but that’s not to say that “way to go” isn’t within the next three or four years. Look at what Florida Gulf Coast did. Another A-Sun member, FGCU is now a household name thanks to its performance in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament this year. That’s an attainable future for KSU, and one that should have students, faculty, staff and fans more attentive.
And, if you look at football, it’s hard not to see a very bright future. Yes, the Big South isn’t the most stellar conference in the world. KSU dwarfs all of the other schools in the conference when it comes to enrollment, as well as facilities. Also, the contract for the Big South is for five seasons. Who knows how quickly the Owls football program could continue to climb?
The football rivalry with Mercer will also be huge, because with Georgia Southern and Georgia State moving into the Sun Belt Conference, KSU and Mercer will be the premier schools left at the FCS level.
In just the four years that I’ve been at this school, the athletic teams and school spirit have made great strides. Give us another 30 years, and KSU could be competing for national titles at the Division I level.
History suggests it’s more than possible.
