In less than a week, Little Rock Athletics begins an exciting new chapter. On July 1, the Trojans officially become members of the United Athletic Conference (UAC), joining eight institutions across the South in one of the nation's newest Division I conferences.
Some of the names will be familiar to Trojan fans, while others may be new. Here's a quick introduction to Little Rock's new conference rivals. Be sure to keep checking lrtrojans.com throughout the summer as we continue highlighting the UAC.
University of Central Arkansas
•Location: Conway, Arkansas
•Mascot: Bears
•Distance from Little Rock: 34 miles
Notable Alumni
•Scottie Pippen – NBA Hall of Famer
•Monte Coleman – Former Washington Commanders linebacker
•Kris Allen – Winner of
American Idol
•Gil Gerard – Actor best known for portraying Buck Rogers in
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
Fun Fact
UCA's Jewel Moore Nature Reserve spans more than 235 acres and includes hundreds of identified species of plants and wildlife, serving as both an outdoor classroom and a wildlife sanctuary.
University of Texas at Arlington
•Location: Arlington, Texas
•Mascot: Mavericks
•Distance from Little Rock: 336 miles
Notable Alumni
•Lou Diamond Phillips – Golden Globe-nominated actor (
La Bamba,
Young Guns)
•Kalpana Chawla – First Indian-born woman in space
•Robert L. Stewart – Retired U.S. Army brigadier general and NASA astronaut
•John Lackey – Three-time World Series champion pitcher
•Hunter Pence – Two-time World Series champion outfielder
Fun Fact
UTA is internationally recognized for its wheelchair basketball program, one of the most successful adaptive athletics programs in the country.
Tarleton State University
•Location: Stephenville, Texas
•Mascot: Texans
•Distance from Little Rock: 424 miles
Notable Alumni
•Koe Wetzel – Country music singer-songwriter
•Mike Moncrief – Former Fort Worth mayor and Texas state senator
•Chris Kyle – U.S. Navy SEAL and author of
American Sniper
•Ben Barnes – Former lieutenant governor of Texas
•Millie Hughes-Fulford – NASA astronaut and biomedical researcher
•Chad Fox – Former Major League Baseball pitcher
Fun Fact
Tarleton State is named after rancher John Tarleton, whose estate helped establish the school in 1899. Originally known as John Tarleton Agricultural College, it became Tarleton State University in 1973.
Abilene Christian University
•Location: Abilene, Texas
•Mascot: Wildcats
•Distance from Little Rock: 494 miles
Notable Alumni
•Ronnie Dunn – One-half of Brooks & Dunn
•John Bradshaw Layfield (JBL) – WWE Hall of Famer
•Wilbert Montgomery – Former Philadelphia Eagles running back
•Jack Pope – Former chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court
Fun Fact
ACU became the first university to publish its student newspaper,
The Optimist, on Apple's iPad platform.
Austin Peay State University
•Location: Clarksville, Tennessee
•Mascot: Governors
•Distance from Little Rock: 348 miles
Notable Alumni
•John "Hot Rod" Williams – Former NBA standout
•Trenton Hassell – Eight-year NBA veteran
•George Sherrill – MLB All-Star pitcher
•Chonda Pierce – Emmy-nominated comedian
•Bob Harper – Fitness expert and television personality on
The Biggest Loser
Fun Fact
Austin Peay's famous "Let's Go Peay!" cheer originated in the 1970s thanks to legendary basketball player James "Fly" Williams.
University of North Alabama
•Location: Florence, Alabama
•Mascot: Lions
•Distance from Little Rock: 287 miles
Notable Alumni
•Josh Willingham – Former MLB outfielder
•Bobby Humphrey – NFL Pro Bowl running back
•Ronald McKinnon – Former NFL linebacker and Harlon Hill Trophy winner
•George Lindsey – Actor best known as Goober Pyle on
The Andy Griffith ShowFun Fact
Former Little Rock men's basketball coach Wimp Sanderson (1994-99) is a North Alabama alumnus and led the Trojans to the 1996 Sun Belt Conference championship.
Eastern Kentucky University
•Location: Richmond, Kentucky
•Mascot: Colonels
•Distance from Little Rock: 574 miles
Notable Alumni
•Earle Combs – Baseball Hall of Famer and member of the Yankees' famed "Murderers' Row"
•Lee Majors – Star of
The Six Million Dollar Man and
The Fall Guy
•Sam Champion – Television meteorologist
•J.C.W. Beckham – Former Kentucky governor and U.S. senator
•Wallace Wilkinson – Former Kentucky governor
•Chad Bratzke – Former Indianapolis Colts defensive end
Fun Fact
New Little Rock men's basketball head coach Travis Ford served as Eastern Kentucky's head coach from 2000-05, leading EKU to a NCAA Tournament berth.
University of West Georgia
•Location: Carrollton, Georgia
•Mascot: Wolves
•Distance from Little Rock: 485 miles
Notable Alumni
•Zac Brown – Lead singer of the Zac Brown Band
•Newt Gingrich – Former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives
•Elle Duncan – Former ESPN anchor and host
Fun Fact
One of the most recognizable gathering places on campus is Love Valley, a former lake where generations of students met. After the lake was drained in 1981, it became a popular green space that remains a centerpiece of campus life.
