TSUSports.com: Texas Southern University Athletics: A New Era

TigerFans

Administrator
Staff member
HOUSTON- The 2016-17 athletics year has truly been a remarkable one for the Texas Southern University Athletics Department. After setting the new standard of Championship Excellence in 2014-15 by virtue of winning a total of six (6) Southwestern Athletic Conference Championship Titles, TSU raised the bar even higher during the 2016-17 campaign by winning a total of seven (7) league titles.

Texas Southern claimed regular season and tournament titles in men's and women's basketball, claimed its first ever title in women's golf, while also bringing home championship trophies in softball and baseball.

"Texas Southern Athletics has indeed come a very long way over the course of the past nine years," said TSU Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics Dr. Charles McClelland. "My goal upon initially taking over the helm of the program was for TSU to reach a point to where we were competing for championships in all of our sports each and every year. We can honestly say we've made those once lofty aspirations a reality with over half of our programs winning titles or finishing as runner-ups this past year. Our athletics staff, coaches and student-athletes have worked tirelessly over the course of this resurgence of TSU Athletics and they truly deserved all the credit for their sacrifices and hard work. "
Under McClelland's watch Texas Southern has claimed a total of twenty two (22) championships over the course of the past nine years. Since the inception of intercollegiate athletics at Texas Southern the institution has won over 60 titles with almost one third of those championships coming during McClelland's tenure.

"When I first got to Texas Southern Dr. McClelland told me two things," said TSU head men's basketball coach Mike Davis. "He told me that he wanted us to graduate our student-athletes and also to compete for championships consistently each and every year. Those are our goals with the start of each new season and we're excited to have been able to live up to our end of the bargain up to this point."

Davis and the men's basketball team have taken McClelland's charge to heart as they have become the programs most dominate force over recent years. Men's basketball has hoisted championship trophies in some form or fashion each year since 2012.

As with any successful program, internal competition has helped drive TSU to new heights. Baseball has claimed SWAC titles in two of the past three seasons while the softball team has been crowned champions in three of the past four seasons.

"We want to be the best team each year when we step out on to the field," said head softball coach Worley Barker. "Our goal every season is to compete for a SWAC Championship and qualify for the NCAA Tournament. Winning is a contagious attitude and the culture we've established here resonates throughout all of our sports programs. It's a vision that started with Dr. McClelland's leadership and a charge that we don't take lightly in fulfilling."

Among the many significant highlights of this past athletic year are several first for program at Texas Southern. For the first time in the history of the program women's basketball won the SWAC Tournament and qualified for the NCAA's Big Dance. Another historic milestone was reached when the Women's Golf team won the 2017 SWAC Championship while also qualifying for the NCAA Regionals.

"Our administration has provided the women's basketball program with all the resources needed to compete for championships in the SWAC and nationally on a yearly basis," said TSU head coach Johnetta Hayes-Perry. Through their guidance our athletics program is moving in the only direction it currently knows and that is up. We would not have been able to accomplish these historic goals without their continued support and leadership."

"Texas Southern University Athletics has come a very long way," said TSU head women's golf coach Hank Stewart. As the longest tenured head coach of the program I can personally attest to the growth I've seen since Dr. McClelland took over the program. That success and growth isn't just limited to championship trophies. The academic component of our program is probably the biggest turnaround that I've witnessed on a personal level. All of our programs here boast solid APR scores with several of them posting perfect scores and each year we've seen our departments student-athlete graduation rate improve. For me, that has been the most significant achievement that I would single out. We can honestly say that we're champions on the field and most importantly in the classroom."

During the 2017 spring semester, the NCAA national office released the 2015-16 NCAA Division I Academic Progress Rate data, postseason ineligibility and penalty reports for all NCAA Division I institutions as part of the annual NCAA Division I Academic Performance Program.

For the sixth consecutive year all of the sports programs at Texas Southern either met or exceeded current NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) standards. This marked the sixth consecutive year in which none of TSU's programs will be subject to APR penalties.

During the 2015-16 academic year a total of three Texas Southern Athletics programs posted perfect scores (1000) with women's basketball, bowling, and women's golf setting the academic gold standards for the program. This marked the most programs (3) to have attained a perfect score in the same academic year since the inception of NCAA's APR.

In addition, the bowling team attained a perfect score (1000) for the fourth consecutive year giving the program an overall APR score of 1000 which is also a first in the history of TSU Athletics. In all Texas Southern Athletics has graduated over 60 student-athletes during each of the past four academic terms marking another historic accomplishment for the program.

When TSU Senior Associate A.D. Mike Moleta was asked point blank if Texas Southern Athletics had reached its peak in the world of intercollegiate athletics he provided a quick and simple one word response.

"No," said Moleta. "All of the accomplishments and historic first we're seeing right now is truly just the tip of the iceberg for what Texas Southern University has achieved and has the potential to achieve during the upcoming years. Several years from now we anticipate things getting even better. Our philosophy is that we don't recruit student-athletes with the mind set of just getting them into the University. We recruit student-athletes with the mindset of bringing them in, helping get them out of the University through steady, consistent matriculation with the ultimate end result being a degree in hand."

"As a coach and administrator you get the opportunity to watch student-athletes growth from young, bright eyed freshman to wiser, experienced seniors," said TSU head baseball coach Michael Robertson. "That's what college athletics is all about. We're molding the future leaders of generations to come. After winning the SWAC Title this year the only thing that I could think afterwards was how much I love our student-athletes for their hard work and sacrifices on the field and in the classroom and how much fun it is to be a part of this process of winning championships and graduating student-athletes. And without a doubt those two things go hand in hand."

When talking with coaches and administrators at Texas Southern one thing became clearly evident. While they are extremely pleased with the athletic and academic accomplishments that they have been able to achieve collectively thus far, they truly feel that the best has yet to come.

Courtesy: TSU Athletics
 
Back
Top