Gulf South Conference Explained

Gulf South Conference
Color:	black;
Font Color:	F7A800
Founded:	1970
Association:	NCAA
Division:	Division II
Teams:	12
Sports:	17
Mens:	8
Womens:	9
Region:	Southeastern United States
Headquarters:	Birmingham, Alabama
Commissioner:	Matt Wilson
Since:	2014
Map:	Gulf South Conference Map.svg
Map Size:	250

The Gulf South Conference (GSC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level, which operates in the Southeastern United States.

History

Originally known as the Mid-South Athletic Conference or Mid-South Conference, the Gulf South Conference was formed by six universities in the summer of 1970: Delta State, Florence State (now North Alabama), Jacksonville State, Livingston (now West Alabama), Tennessee–Martin, and Troy State (now Troy). Scheduling problems for the 1970–71 academic year limited the league to football, won by Jacksonville State.

In 1971, the league changed its name to the Gulf South Conference; added Southeastern Louisiana (SLU) and Nicholls State (increasing the membership to eight); opened an office in Hammond, Louisiana; and began championships in all men's sports. The following year, Mississippi College and Northwestern Louisiana (NWLA, now Northwestern State) were admitted. NWLA withdrew to go Division I two years later, followed by SLU and Nicholls State in 1979.

The conference continued with seven teams until 1981, when the presidents admitted Valdosta State. West Georgia joined in 1983. Eight years of stability ended in 1991 when Tennessee–Martin and Troy State went Division I, briefly dropping the GSC back to seven members, before the beginning of an expansion resulting in ten new members: Lincoln Memorial (1992–93); Alabama–Huntsville, Henderson State, Central Arkansas, and Mississippi University for Women (MUW) (1993–94); West Florida (1994–95); and Arkansas-Monticello, Arkansas Tech, Montevallo, and Southern Arkansas (1995–96). Jacksonville State went Division I at the end of 1992–93. Mississippi College dropped to Division III at the end of 1995–96 and was replaced by Christian Brothers to keep the Conference at 16 schools. In July 2000, the GSC welcomed Harding University and Ouachita Baptist University, making it the largest NCAA conference at any level with 18 schools. The Conference membership decreased to 17 when MUW dropped its athletics program at the end of the 2002–03 season.

2006–07 was another season of change for the GSC. Central Arkansas moved to Division I, leaving the West Division with eight schools while Lincoln Memorial left for the South Atlantic Conference due to travel and location issues, leaving the East Division with seven schools.

Montevallo announced on June 27, 2008 that they would be leaving for the Peach Belt Conference following the 2008–09 season due to issues between the University's President and the Commissioner.

The GSC moved away from divisional play after the 2010-11 season after its six Arkansas members broke away, dropping the membership to eight. Thanks to an aggressive expansion plan, the GSC sponsored the Division II applications of Union University (TN) and Shorter University (GA), which became official members in 2014-15. The next step in bolstering its membership came in 2012, backing the Division II application of Lee University (TN) which was on track to join the league officially in 2015-16. The league added its first-ever associate member, Florida Tech, in football only in 2013. The Conference planned to add an old friend back into the fold when Mississippi College submitted its application to rejoin Division II and was on track for 2016-17 membership.

Former Commissioner Jim McCullough brought the GSC office to Birmingham when he was hired in 1979. The conference welcomed its seventh commissioner in May 2014 when Matt Wilson was selected to follow Nate Salant who retired after a 22-year stint.

2010s realignment

Beginning with the 2011–12 academic year; Arkansas Tech University, University of Arkansas at Monticello, Harding University, Henderson State University, Ouachita Baptist University, and Southern Arkansas University left the GSC to form the Great American Conference.^[1]

The University of New Orleans, which was transitioning from Division I to Division II, was accepted into the conference in June 2011,^[2] but the school announced intentions to stay at Division I in March 2012.^[3] In July 2011, Shorter University and Union University (Jackson, Tenn.) were accepted into the NCAA and began the multi-year transition process from the NAIA to NCAA.^[4] Both universities began GSC competition in the 2012–13 academic year but will not be eligible for NCAA national tournaments until the 2014–15 academic year.^[5] In August 2011, the GSC added the Florida Institute of Technology as an associate member for football beginning in the 2013 season.^[6]

On October 11, 2012, Mississippi College announced that it would petition the NCAA to leave Division III and return to the conference.^[7] The transition was a lengthy process; Mississippi College officially became a Division II candidate starting with the 2013–14 academic year, with the school becoming a full Division II member for 2016–17.^[8]

In 2013, Lee University joined the GSC, bringing the membership to 11. Lee University moved to Division II provisional membership for the 2014-15 season. They will complete transition to Division II in the 2015-16 season. Mississippi College entered its second candidacy year with the 2014-15 season in its path to full Division II membership in 2016-17 and added Gulf South Conference teams to its schedule.^[9]

The next change to the conference's membership was officially announced on December 6, 2016 when North Alabama was accepted to the ASUN Conference and would begin a transition to Division I sports in 2018.^[10] In May 2020, affiliate member Florida Tech announced the discontinuation of their football program due to the financial fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic.^[11]

Chronological timeline

• 1970 – The Gulf South Conference (GSC) was founded as a football-only league known as the Mid-South Athletic Conference (MSAC). Charter members included Delta State College (now Delta State University), Jacksonville State University, Florence State University (now the University of North Alabama), the University of Tennessee at Martin, Troy State University (now Troy University) and Livingston University (now the University of West Alabama) 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 (who would later join the Division I ranks of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Trans Atlantic Athletic Conference (TAAC) beginning the 1978–79 academic year) after the 1974–75 academic year.
• 1979 – Nicholls State and Southeastern Louisiana left the GSC to become NCAA D-II Independents (who both would later join the NCAA Division I ranks: Nicholls State to the TAAC beginning the 1982–83 academic year as a provisional member; and Southeastern Louisiana to the Gulf Star Conference beginning the 1984–85 academic year) after the 1978–79 academic year.
• 1981 – Valdosta State College (now Valdosta State University) joined the GSC in the 1981–82 academic year.
• 1983 – West Georgia College (now the University of West Georgia) joined the GSC in the 1983–84 academic year.
• 1991 – Tennessee–Martin (UT Martin) and Troy State left the GSC to become NCAA D-II Independents (who both would later join the NCAA Division I ranks: Tennessee–Martin (UT Martin) to the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) beginning the 1992–93 academic year; and Troy State to the East Coast Conference (ECC) beginning the 1993–94 academic year) 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 (who would later join the NCAA Division I ranks and the TAAC beginning the 1995–96 academic year) 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: Central Arkansas to join the NCAA Division I ranks and the Southland Conference, and Lincoln Memorial to join the South Atlantic Conference, both effective after the 2005–06 academic year.
• 2009 – Montevallo left the GSC to join the Peach Belt Conference (PBC) 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 (2011–12 academic year).
• 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 (which would later join the Southland beginning the 2013–14 academic year) 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 (Florida Tech) joined the GSC as an affiliate member for football in the 2013 fall season (2013–14 academic year).
• 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 (2014–15 academic year).
• 2015 – Young Harris College joined the GSC as an affiliate member for women's lacrosse (with Montevallo re-joining for that sport) in the 2016 spring season (2015–16 academic year).
• 2017 – Auburn University at Montgomery joined the GSC (with Montevallo re-joining for all sports) 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 (2018–19 academic year).
• 2020 – Florida Tech left the GSC as an affiliate member for football due to the school discontinuing the sport after the 2019 fall season (2019–20 academic year).
• 2023 – Chowan University joins the GSC as an affiliate member for football in the 2023 and 2024 fall seasons (2023–24 and 2024–25 academic years).
• 2024 – Two institutions will leave the GSC to join in their respective new home primary conferences: Shorter to join Conference Carolinas, and West Georgia to join NCAA Division I and the ASUN Conference, both effective beginning the 2024–25 academic year.
• 2024 – Trevecca Nazarene University will join the GSC in the 2024–25 academic year.^[12]
• 2024 – Erskine College will join the GSC as an affiliate for football in the 2024 fall season only (2024–25 academic year).
• 2025 – Chowan, Erskine, and North Greenville will all leave the GSC as affiliate members for football and move their programs to Conference Carolinas after the 2024 fall season (2024–25 academic year).

Member schools

Current members

The GSC currently has 12 full members:

Institution	Location	Founded	Affiliation	Enrollment	Nickname	Joined	Colors
	Huntsville, Alabama	1950	Public	9,237	Chargers	1993
Auburn University at Montgomery	Montgomery, Alabama	1967	Public	5,112	Warhawks	2017
Christian Brothers University	Memphis, Tennessee	1871	Catholic	1,934	Buccaneers	1996
Delta State University	Cleveland, Mississippi	1924	Public	2,556	Statesmen &<br>Lady Statesmen	1970
Lee University	Cleveland, Tennessee	1918	Church of God	3,927	Flames	2013
Mississippi College	Clinton, Mississippi	1826	Baptist	3,946	Choctaws	1972; 2014
	Montevallo, Alabama	1896	Public	2,586	Falcons	1995; 2017
Trevecca Nazarene University	Nashville, Tennessee	1901	Church of the Nazarene	3,327	Trojans	2024
Union University	Jackson, Tennessee	1823	Baptist	2,730	Bulldogs	2012
Valdosta State University	Valdosta, Georgia	1906	Public	10,225	Blazers	1981
	Livingston, Alabama	1835	Public	5,847	Tigers	1970
	Pensacola, Florida	1963	Public	13,542	Argonauts	1994

Notes:

Affiliate members

The GSC currently has six affiliate members:

Institution	Location	Founded	Affiliation	Enrollment	Nickname	Joined	Colors	GSC sport	Primary conference
Chowan University	Murfreesboro, North Carolina	1848	Baptist	1,316	Hawks	2023–24		football	Carolinas
Flagler College		1968	Nonsectarian	2,671	Saints	2021–22		women's lacrosse	Peach Belt (PBC)
Lander University	Greenwood, South Carolina	1872	Public	3,279	Bearcats	2019–20		women's lacrosse	Peach Belt (PBC)
Erskine College	Due West, South Carolina	1839	Presbyterian	800	Flying Fleet	2024–25		football	Carolinas
North Greenville University	Tigerville, South Carolina	1891	Baptist	2,428	Trailblazers	2018–19		football	Carolinas
Spring Hill College	Mobile, Alabama	1830	Catholic	1,317	Badgers	2014–15		women's golf; men's soccer; women's soccer	Southern (SIAC)

• Chowan, Erskine, and North Greenville will depart the GSC for the new Conference Carolinas football conference when it starts in the 2025 season.

Former members

The GSC had 19 former full members, with all but four being public schools.

Institution	Location	Founded	Affiliation	Enrollment	Nickname	Joined	Left	Current conference
Arkansas Tech University	Russellville, Arkansas	1909	Public	12,009	Wonder Boys &<br />Golden Suns	1995	2011	Great American (GAC)
	Monticello, Arkansas	1910	Public	3,659	Boll Weevils &<br />Cotton Blossoms	1995	2011	Great American (GAC)
	Conway, Arkansas	1907	Public	10,869	Bears &<br />Sugar Bears	1993	2006	Atlantic Sun (ASUN)
Harding University	Searcy, Arkansas	1924	Churches of Christ	6,009	Bisons &<br />Lady Bisons	2000	2011	Great American (GAC)
Henderson State University	Arkadelphia, Arkansas	1890	Public	3,530	Reddies	1993	2011	Great American (GAC)
Jacksonville State University	Jacksonville, Alabama	1883	Public	9,238	Gamecocks	1970	1993	Conference USA (CUSA)
Lincoln Memorial University	Harrogate, Tennessee	1897	Nonsectarian	4,867	Railsplitters	1992	2006	South Atlantic (SAC)
Mississippi University for Women	Columbus, Mississippi	1884	Public	2,479	Blues	1993	2003	St. Louis (SLIAC)
	New Orleans, Louisiana	1958	Public	8,511	Privateers	2011	2012	Southland
Nicholls State University	Thibodaux, Louisiana	1948	Public	6,366	Colonels	1971	1979	Southland
	Florence, Alabama	1830	Public	7,650	Lions	1971	2018	Atlantic Sun (ASUN)
Northwestern State University	Natchitoches, Louisiana	1884	Public	10,979	Demons	1971	1975	Southland
Ouachita Baptist University	Arkadelphia, Arkansas	1886	Baptist	1,569	Tigers	2000	2011	Great American (GAC)
Shorter University	Rome, Georgia	1873	Baptist	1,506	Hawks	2012	2024	Carolinas
Southeastern Louisiana University	Hammond, Louisiana	1925	Public	14,327	Lions	1971	1979	Southland
Southern Arkansas University	Magnolia, Arkansas	1909	Public	4,138	Muleriders	1995	2011	Great American (GAC)
	Martin, Tennessee	1927	Public	6,705	Skyhawks	1970	1991	Ohio Valley (OVC)
Troy State University	Troy, Alabama	1887	Public	17,494	Trojans	1970	1991	Sun Belt
	Carrollton, Georgia	1906	Public	11,914	Wolves	1983	2024	Atlantic Sun (ASUN)

Notes:

Former affiliate members

The GSC had three former affiliate members, one was a public school and two were private schools:

Institution	Location	Founded	Affiliation	Enrollment	Nickname	Joined	Left	GSC sport(s)	Primary conference	Current conference in GSC sport
Florida Institute of Technology	Melbourne, Florida	1958	Nonsectarian	6,451	Panthers	2013–14	2019–20	football	Sunshine State (SSC)	dropped program
	Montevallo, Alabama	1896	Public	2,559	Falcons	2015–16	2016–17	women's lacrosse	Gulf South (GSC)
Young Harris College	Young Harris, Georgia	1886	United Methodist	1,408	Mountain Lions	2015–16	2022–23	women's lacrosse	Carolinas

Membership timeline

DateFormat = yyyyImageSize = width:900 height:auto barincrement:20Period = from:1970 till:2030TimeAxis = orientation:horizontalPlotArea = right:5 left:5 bottom:20 top:5

Colors = id:line value:black id:Full value:rgb(0.63,0.88,0.755) # all sports id:FullxF value:rgb(0.88,0.755,0.63) # non-football id:AssocF value:rgb(0.88,0.63,0.63) # football only id:AssocOS value:rgb(0.755,0.755,0.63) # associate

PlotData = width:15 textcolor:black shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:s

bar:1 color:AssocF from:1970 till:1971 text:Delta State (1970–present) bar:1 color:Full from:1971 till:end

bar:2 color:AssocF from:1970 till:1971 text:Jacksonville State (1970–1993) bar:2 color:Full from:1971 till:1993

bar:3 color:AssocF from:1970 till:1971 text:North Alabama (1970–2018) bar:3 color:Full from:1971 till:2018

bar:4 color:AssocF from:1970 till:1971 text:Tennessee–Martin (1970–1991) bar:4 color:Full from:1971 till:1991

bar:5 color:AssocF from:1970 till:1971 text:Troy State (1970–1991) bar:5 color:Full from:1971 till:1991

bar:6 color:AssocF from:1970 till:1971 text:West Alabama (1970–present) bar:6 color:Full from:1971 till:end

bar:7 color:AssocOS from:1971 till:1972 text:Northwestern State (1971–1975) bar:7 color:Full from:1972 till:1975

bar:8 color:FullxF from:1971 till:1972 text:Nicholls State (1971–1979) bar:8 color:Full from:1972 till:1979

bar:9 color:Full from:1971 till:1979 text:Southeastern Louisiana (1971–1979)

bar:10 color:AssocOS from:1972 till:1973 text:Mississippi College (1972–1996) bar:10 color:Full from:1973 till:1996 text: bar:10 color:Full from:2014 till:end text:(2014–present)

bar:11 color:AssocOS from:1981 till:1982 text:Valdosta State (1981–present) bar:11 color:Full from:1982 till:end

bar:12 color:AssocOS from:1983 till:1984 text:West Georgia (1983–2024) bar:12 color:Full from:1984 till:2024

bar:13 color:FullxF from:1992 till:2006 text:Lincoln Memorial (1992–2006)

bar:14 color:FullxF from:1993 till:end text:Alabama–Huntsville (1993–present)

bar:15 color:Full from:1993 till:2006 text:Central Arkansas (1993–2006)

bar:16 color:Full from:1993 till:2011 text:Henderson State (1993–2011)

bar:17 color:FullxF from:1993 till:2003 text:MUW (1993–2003)

bar:18 color:FullxF from:1994 till:2016 text:West Florida (1994–present) bar:18 color:Full from:2016 till:end

bar:19 color:Full from:1995 till:2011 text:Arkansas Tech (1995–2011)

bar:20 color:Full from:1995 till:2011 text:Arkansas–Monticello (1995–2011)

bar:21 color:FullxF from:1995 till:2009 text:Montevallo (1995–2009) bar:21 color:AssocOS from:2015 till:2017 text:(2015–present) bar:21 color:FullxF from:2017 till:end

bar:22 color:Full from:1995 till:2011 text:Southern Arkansas (1995–2011)

bar:23 color:FullxF from:1996 till:end text:Christian Brothers (1996–present)

bar:24 color:Full from:2000 till:2011 text:Harding (2000–2011) bar:24 color:AssocOS from:2011 till:2012 text:(2011–2012)

bar:25 color:Full from:2000 till:2011 text:Ouachita Baptist (2000–2011) bar:25 color:AssocOS from:2011 till:2012 text:(2011–2012)

bar:26 color:AssocOS from:2011 till:2012 text:New Orleans (2011–2012)

bar:27 color:Full from:2012 till:2024 text:Shorter (2012–2024)

bar:28 color:FullxF from:2012 till:end text:Union (2012–present)

bar:29 color:FullxF from:2013 till:end text:Lee (2013–present)

bar:30 color:AssocF from:2013 till:2020 text:Florida Tech (2013–2020)

bar:31 color:AssocOS from:2014 till:end text:Spring Hill (2014–present)

bar:33 color:AssocOS from:2015 till:2023 text:Young Harris (2015–2023)

bar:34 color:FullxF from:2017 till:end text:Auburn–Montgomery (2017–present)

bar:35 color:AssocF from:2018 till:2025 text:North Greenville (2018–2025)

bar:36 color:AssocOS from:2019 till:end text:Lander (2019–present)

bar:37 color:AssocOS from:2021 till:end text:Flagler (2021–present)

bar:38 color:AssocF from:2023 till:2025 text:Chowan (2023–2025)

bar:39 color:FullxF from:2024 till:end shift:(-65) text:Trevecca Nazarene (2024–present)

bar:40 color:AssocF from:2024 till:2025 text:Erskine (2024–2025)

ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:5 start:1970

Conference venues

School	Football		Basketball
	Stadium	Capacity	Arena	Capacity
Alabama–Huntsville	non-football school	Spragins Hall	2,250
Auburn–Montgomery	non-football school	AUM Basketball Complex	2,670
Chowan	Garrison Stadium	5,000	football-only school
Christian Brothers	non-football school	Canale Arena	1,000
Delta State	McCool Stadium	8,000	Walter Sillers Coliseum	4,000
Erskine	J. W. Babb Stadium	4,000
Lee	non-football school	Walker Arena	2,700
Mississippi College	Robinson-Hale Stadium	8,500	A.E. Wood Coliseum	3,500
Montevallo	non-football school	Trustmark Arena	2,000
North Greenville	Younts Stadium	5,000	football-only school
Trevecca Nazarene	non-football school	Trojan Fieldhouse	1,500
Union	non-football school	Fred DeLay Gymnasium	2,200
Valdosta State	Bazemore-Hyder Stadium	11,500	The Complex	5,350
West Alabama	Tiger Stadium	7,000	Pruitt Hall	1,500
West Florida	Pen Air Field	4,000	UWF Fieldhouse	1,180

Sponsored sports

The GSC sponsors competition in 8 men's sports and 9 women's sports. The conference began sponsoring women's lacrosse and men's / women's track & field in the 2015–16 school year.^{[13] [14]}

Men's sponsored sports by school

School	Baseball	Basketball	Cross country	Football	Golf	Soccer	Tennis	Track & Field outdoor	Total GSC sports
Alabama–Huntsville									5
Auburn–Montgomery									5
Christian Brothers									7
Delta State									6
Lee									7
Mississippi College									8
Montevallo									7
Trevecca Nazarene									6
Union									5
Valdosta State									6
West Alabama									7
West Florida									7
Totals	12	12	11	5+3	9	11+1	9	7	77
Affiliate members
Chowan									1
Erskine									1
North Greenville									1
Spring Hill									1

Women's sponsored sports by school

Departing members in pink.

School	Basketball	Cross country	Golf	Lacrosse	Soccer	Softball	Tennis	Track & field outdoor	Volleyball	Total GSC sports
Alabama–Huntsville										7
Auburn–Montgomery										6
Christian Brothers										8
Delta State										5
Lee										9
Mississippi College										7
Montevallo										9
Trevecca Nazarene										7
Union										6
Valdosta State										6
West Alabama										7
West Florida										7
Totals	12	12	6+1	3+2	12+1	12	9	9	11	84
Affiliate members
Flagler										1
Lander										1
Spring Hill										2

Other sponsored sports by school

School		Men				Women
	Lacrosse	Swimming & Diving	Track & Field Indoor	Swimming & Diving	Track & Field Indoor
Alabama–Huntsville	PBC		IND		IND
Delta State		NSISC		NSISC
Lee			IND		IND
Mississippi College			IND		IND
Montevallo	PBC		IND		IND
West Florida				NSISC

National championships

Sport	School	Year(s)
Baseball	Valdosta State	1979
Troy State	1986 • 1987
Jacksonville State	1990 • 1991
Delta State	2004
West Florida	2011
Men's basketball	North Alabama	1979 • 1991
Jacksonville State	1985
Women's basketball	Delta State	1975 • 1976 • 1977 • 1989 • 1990 • 1992
Southeastern Louisiana	1977
Football	West Alabama	1971
Troy State	1984 • 1987
Mississippi College	1989
Jacksonville State	1992
North Alabama	1993 • 1994 • 1995
Delta State	2000
Valdosta State	2004 • 2007 • 2012 • 2018
West Florida	2019
Men's golf	Troy	1976 • 1977 • 1984
West Florida	2001 • 2008
Lee	2022
Women's golf	Troy State	1984 • 1986 • 1989
Women's gymnastics	Jacksonville State	1984 • 1985
Men's ice hockey	Alabama–Huntsville	1996 • 1998
Women's soccer	Christian Brothers	2002
West Florida	2012
Softball	Valdosta State	2012
North Alabama	2016
Men's tennis	West Florida	2004 • 2005 • 2014 • 2017
Valdosta State	2006 • 2011
Men's track & field outdoor	Southeastern Louisiana	1975
Women's volleyball	North Alabama	2003

• 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.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Pickle. David. NCAA.com. National Collegiate Athletic Association. GAC becomes 23rd DII conference. March 9, 2011. April 18, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20111222003323/http://www.ncaa.com/news/ncaa/2011-03-09/gac-becomes-23rd-dii-conference. December 22, 2011. dead.
2. Web site: GSC Admits UNO for Conference Membership. June 22, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110927024710/http://www.gulfsouthconference.org/news/2011/6/21/GEN_0621114112.aspx. September 27, 2011. dead.
3. Web site: Daniels. Ed. UNO Athletics to remain Division I in NCAA. SportsNOLA.com. March 7, 2012. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120516222019/http://www.sportsnola.com/sports/uno/582044-uno-athletics-to-remain-division-i.html. May 16, 2012.
4. News: Staff. The Jackson Sun. NCAA approves Union's application for NCAA Division II membership process. July 11, 2011. July 12, 2011.
5. Web site: Shorter University. NCAA accepts Shorter's application for NCAA II membership process. July 12, 2011. July 12, 2011. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110916164154/http://www.shorter.edu/about/news/2011/07_12_11_ncaa_acceptance.htm. September 16, 2011.
6. Web site: Florida Tech Football Accepts Invitation to Join Gulf South Conference. Florida Tech Athletics. August 23, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20111009012009/http://www.floridatechsports.com/football/news/112/3222/. October 9, 2011. August 19, 2011. dead.
7. News: Staff. Clinton Courier. Exciting Development for MC Sports. October 16, 2012. October 16, 2012. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20140104005232/http://www.theclintoncourier.net/v2/content.aspx?module=ContentItem&ID=247703&MemberID=2155. January 4, 2014.
8. Web site: It's Time to be II. Mississippi College. October 20, 2014. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20141021013749/http://www.mc.edu/d2/. October 21, 2014.
9. Web site: Division II Admits its 300th Member. NCAA . October 20, 2014.
10. UNA Accepts ASUN Division I Invitation. North Alabama Lions. December 6, 2016. December 11, 2016. December 20, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161220095315/http://roarlions.com/news/2016/12/6/general-una-accepts-asun-invitation-to-move-to-division-i.aspx. dead.
11. Web site: Rogers . Eric . Neale . Rick . Florida Tech cuts football program, announces layoffs due to COVID-19 impacts . Florida Today . May 12, 2020 . Melbourne, Florida . May 11, 2020.
12. Web site: Gulf South Conference. Trevecca Nazarene To Join Gulf South Conference. September 14, 2023 . September 14, 2023.
13. Web site: GSC Adds Women's Lacrosse. Gulf South Conference. August 18, 2015.
14. Web site: GSC Adds Men's and Women's Track & Field. Gulf South Conference. August 13, 2015.