It’s been 54 years since Loyola of New Orleans last participated in NCAA athletics. That streak will come to a glorious end very soon.
Last week, the school announced that it is headed back and will compete in Division II and in the Gulf South Conference beginning in 2027-28 after spending 3½ decades in NAIA.
“It’s an historic day for the university,” said Brett Simpson, who is Loyola’s Assistant Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics. “And we don’t take that word ‘historic’ lightly.”
Over the course of their time in NAIA, the Wolf Pack grew from “a handful of teams” to 22 men’s and women’s programs with nearly 350 athletes.
Varsity Sports Now has proudly been home to Loyola men’s and women’s basketball, volleyball and baseball since December 2022, and is thrilled to have the chance to continue the partnership into a new age of athletics for the Wolf Pack.
“Becoming digital partners with Loyola four years ago was a big deal for VSN,” said the company’s founder and CEO Eric Richey. “Providing a high-quality broadcast for Wolf Pack Athletics has been a priority and we take great pride delivering what we promised.
“We are thrilled to hear the news about Loyola headed to the NCAA and will be here for them to take the next step.”
The Gulf Coast Conference includes schools that also have left NAIA and worked their way back into the NCAA, including Auburn-Montgomery, Lee University and Union.
Loyola will be the only Louisiana-based member of the conference, as the other 16 schools are from Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and Florida. It also is the first in the state since Nicholls State and Southeastern Louisiana left in 1979. (Although UNO briefly was an interim member in 2011-12.)
The headquarters of the GSC once was centered in Hammond.
“The announcement and celebration of this did not happen overnight,” said GSC assistant commissioner Jason Oliveira said. “It’s the culmination of years of vision, leadership and commitment from those who believed in Loyola’s potential and worked to make this moment possible. …
“This is a new beginning and a homecoming of sorts. It’s a chance to honor our history and embrace an even brighter future.”
Loyola President Xavier Cole said the Wolf Pack was “going to bring it,” as the school looked forward to taking a step up to NCAA Division II.
“It’s a really proud moment for Loyola, and I didn’t realize how taken I would be in to see so many generations of people who love this institution like I do.”