At SIU, we are deeply proud of our athletics program — and for good reason. The story of Saluki athletics weaves together successes of many kinds.
- Personal Growth —Each year more than 350 athletes compete as members of SIU’s 16 intercollegiate teams, and for every one of them, their experience as an SIU athlete will rank among the most memorable aspects of their university careers. Every day, our athletes push themselves to new levels of achievement, and over their years with us, they learn lessons in character, team work, and hard work that stay with them for life.
- Academic Achievement — At SIU, we take justified pride in our athletes’ success in the classroom. We have grown 93 Academic All-Americans, the most in the Missouri Valley Conference. In 2017, our student-athletes boasted a 3.236 cumulative GPA; 132 earned perfect GPAs.
- A Winning Tradition — Over the years, our athletes and teams have won many MVC championships and participated in NCAA tournaments. More than 160 have been named All-Americans and more than 50 have become Olympians, proving their potential to shine on the national and even international stage.
- Committed Service — These same student-athletes who make us proud in the classroom and on the playing field combine to volunteer more than 3,000 hours per year. They combat hunger with the Souper Bowl for caring and support initiatives that benefit the community’s children, including the local Boys and Girls Club, Toys for Tots, and Coats for Kids.
- Unity and Community — Hear the roar of the crowd in Saluki Stadium on a football Saturday in October, and you realize how powerful a rallying point SIU athletics can be. Sports brings our campus community and neighbors together, energizes people and ignites pride.
Athletics also plays a positive, important part in the life of our university in another way. In a sense, intercollegiate athletics is the front door of Southern Illinois University, one of our best connections to the wider world. So many people who know SIU learned of it first through sports. For this reason, a vibrant, successful athletics program has a valuable impact on student recruitment, retention and campus life and is a major source of pride for alumni and friends of the university.
Intercollegiate athletics requires students who are focused, driven and dedicated. These students are in demand across the country, and they have options when it comes to choosing a college. To be the best, we must focus on attracting the best – and giving them the tools and opportunities to succeed as Salukis when they arrive on campus.
Increased Scholarships
Scholarship support is absolutely essential to the success of our athletics program. It is also key to the university’s mission of educational opportunity. Scholarships bring promising young people to SIU, many of whom could otherwise not afford to come, opening the way to an excellent education and all that makes possible in life.
By enhancing our scholarship opportunities, we will be able to offer students the chance to pursue their professional goals while representing the university as a Saluki. Scholarships provided through the Saluki Athletics Scholarship Fund help SIU attract and support student-athletes who bring credit and visibility to the university.
Expanded Opportunities
In addition to bringing promising scholar-athletes to SIU, we are working to ensure that these competitors have an outstanding experience once here. One key is providing our teams with all of the resources they require to compete to their full potential. Our teams must cover their costs for equipment, travel and other expenses. Student-athletes on our men’s and women’s teams in every sport benefit when those teams have all the resources needed to support their success. Our goal is to fully fund these needs.
We are also seeking to augment endowments such as the Athletic Director Excellence fund to help sustain Saluki athletics into the future. These funds can be used to support infrastructure needs or provide added-value equipment such as fueling stations for athletes during practice.
