Georgia State established its athletic department 50 years ago. The athletic programs began competing in the Sun Belt Conference and did stints in the Trans America Athletic Conference (later renamed the Atlantic Sun Conference) and the Colonial Athletic Conference. In the fall of 2013 they are slated to return to their roots as they will again become members of the Sun Belt. Here is a look back at some of the more memorable moments and names in Georgia State’s rich athletic history.
1963- Men’s basketball, cross-country, golf, and tennis teams are the first intercollegiate sports established at Georgia State University. The basketball team loses its first game in school history to Jacksonville (AL) State by a score of 81-49.
1968- Cross-country runner Bruce LaBudde competes in the Olympic time trials. LaBudde also finishes 12th place in the Boston Marathon.
1969- Larry Perkins becomes the first African-American to play basketball at Georgia State.
1973- The Sports Arena opens its doors to the men’s basketball team. The 3,455-capacity arena currently houses both the men’s and women’s basketball teams as well as the volleyball team.
1974-Women’s soccer, basketball, volleyball and tennis teams are established.
1976- Georgia State athletic programs joins the Sun Belt Conference.
1980- Terese Allen becomes the first women’s basketball All-American in school history, earning Honorable Mention honors.
2000- Chad Smith is invited to participate in the College World Series Home Run Derby and finishes the season with a school record 21 homeruns, which was good enough for tenth in the nation.
2001- Georgia State defeats Wisconsin in the first round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament on Shernard Long’s go ahead basket with just 12 seconds remaining in the game. Long received All-American Honorable Mention and led the conference in scoring. The team registered 29 wins on the season, including a perfect 16-0 record inside the Sports Arena.
2002- Men’s soccer coach Scottie O’Neil, who compiled a 143-57-4 record in 11 years at Georgia State, is inducted into the Georgia Soccer Hall of Fame. His .711 winning percentage at Georgia State still ranks 24th all-time in NCAA soccer history.
2003- The court inside the Sports Arena is named in honor of former men’s basketball coach Lefty Driesell who amassed 103 wins in five and a half seasons at Georgia State, including a 17-0 record against teams from the state of Georgia.
2004- Cross-country runner Andrew Letherby finishes eighth place in the Boston marathon.
2005- Georgia State joins the Colonial Athletic Association.
2006-Women’s golfer Lisbeth Meincke captures her fourth straight individual conference championship. Also, the men’s golf team finishes the regular season ranked No. 12 in the country, the highest end of the season ranking for any sport in Georgia State history.
2008- Georgia State announces the creation of the football program and hires former Alabama and Georgia Tech head coach Bill Curry to be the first head coach in school history.
