CHARLOTTE, N.C. (www.BigSouthSports.com) – The Big South Conference has added Kennesaw State University as an associate member in football, it was announced today by Big South Commissioner Kyle B. Kallander. Kennesaw State will begin competing in the Big South in 2015 and will be eligible for the League’s championship and automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs upon entry.
“The Big South Conference is very pleased to welcome Kennesaw State University as a football member,” said Kallander. “We have been impressed by the Owls’ leadership and commitment to building a strong FCS program with integrity and character. The addition of Kennesaw State reflects the Big South’s commitment to FCS football and to providing opportunities for our student-athletes to compete for Conference and NCAA championships. The Big South Conference members are excited about Kennesaw State joining the League and its inclusion for the 2015 season.”
The addition of Kennesaw State, which will play its inaugural season in 2015, will return the Big South to seven Division I Football Championship Subdivision members in 2015, joining Charleston Southern, Coastal Carolina, Gardner-Webb, Liberty, Presbyterian College and associate member Monmouth, which will join the Big South in 2014. The Owls’ associate membership is for four years.
“This is another major step in the development of Kennesaw State University and the Department of Athletics,” stated KSU Director of Athletics Vaughn Williams. “Once the football program was announced, the next task was to find a conference for our football team and we are excited about joining the Big South Conference and becoming a part of a league that has sent multiple teams to the FCS playoffs in recent years. We look forward to our football program building great traditions and rivalries in the Big South.”
Kennesaw State formally added football on Feb. 14, 2013 and hired Brian Bohannon as its first head football coach on March 24. Since that time, Bohannon has hired six assistant coaches and a director of football operations. In addition, KSU has surpassed 1,300 football season ticket deposits and will officially unveil the team’s helmet on Sept. 13. Bohannon and his staff will sign their first recruiting class in February.
“We are extremely excited to join the Big South Conference and compete against the current membership,” said Bohannon. “The geographical makeup of the Big South will allow us to establish regional rivalries and enable our students and fans the opportunity to support us on the road. We look forward to building a competitive team as quickly as possible and begin contending for the Big South Conference championship and an FCS playoff berth.”
“We are extremely pleased to join the Big South Conference as an associate member for football, and look forward to participating in the conference when we play our first football games in 2015,” added Kennesaw State President Dr. Daniel Papp. “We thank everyone in the Big South who has made our associate membership for football in the conference possible, and we thank everyone in the Atlantic Sun for their support as well.”
The Big South Conference is in its 12th season of football in 2013 and coming off arguably its most successful campaign to date. The Conference had two teams qualify for the 2012 FCS Playoffs for the first time since receiving an automatic bid in 2010 and picked up two wins in the postseason. The League had the runner-up for the Walter Payton Award in Stony Brook’s Miguel Maysonet and notched its third-ever victory over an FBS member. Big South members have defeated three FBS schools in two of the last three years and have made five combined FCS Playoff appearances (3-5 record), while the League has had a nationally-ranked program at some point of the season every year since football began in 2002. In addition, the Big South has had six NFL draft picks (all since 2007) and has an exclusive “Game of the Week” on ESPN3 every week of the Conference season.
ABOUT KENNESAW STATE UNIVERSITY (www.kennesaw.edu)
Community. Innovation. Engagement. For the past 50 years, Kennesaw State University has embodied and embraced these values. From a fledgling junior college to Georgia's third-largest university, Kennesaw State has been dedicated to providing students with the tools they need to become capable, visionary and ethical leaders who are engaged global citizens. Today, Kennesaw State offers more than 90 graduate and undergraduate degrees to a growing population of 24,600 students representing more than 130 countries. Nationally recognized as a leader in first-year programs and international education, Kennesaw State is dedicated to being a leader in developing curriculum that prepares students to move forward in a fast-changing world.
Location: Kennesaw, Ga.
Enrollment: 24,600
Founded: 1963
Nickname: Owls
Colors: Black and Gold
President: Dr. Daniel Papp
Director of Athletics: Vaughn Williams
Senior Woman Administrator: Karen Pfeiffer
Faculty Athletic Representative: Randy Stuart
First Year of Football: 2015
Home Field (Capacity): Fifth Third Bank Stadium (8,300)
Surface: Natural Grass (Bermuda)
Director of Athletics Communications: Al Barba
Athletic Communications Office Telephone: 770-794-7837
Email: [email protected]
Athletic Department Phone: 770-423-6284
Athletic Department Fax: 770-423-6665
Athletic Department’s Website Address: www.ksuowls.com
Twitter Feed: @KennesawStFB


More...