| Southern Utah Thunderbirds | |
|---|---|
 | |
| University | Southern Utah University |
| Conference | Western Athletic Conference (primary) United Athletic Conference (football) MPSF (women's gymnastics) |
| NCAA | Division I (FCS) |
| Athletic director | Debbie Corum |
| Location | Cedar City, Utah |
| Varsity teams | 13 (5 men's and 8 women's) |
| Football stadium | Eccles Coliseum |
| Basketball arena | America First Event Center |
| Soccer stadium | Thunderbird Park Complex |
| Nickname | Thunderbirds |
| Colors | Scarlet and white[1] |
| Website | www |
The Southern Utah Thunderbirds are the varsity athletic teams representing Southern Utah University in Cedar City, Utah in intercollegiate athletics. The university sponsors thirteen teams including five men's sports: basketball, cross country, football, golf, and track and field and eight women's sports: basketball, cross country, golf, gymnastics, soccer, softball, track and field, and volleyball. The baseball program was dropped after the 2011–12 season.[2] The Thunderbirds compete in NCAA Division I and joined the Big Sky Conference on July 1, 2012, after departing from The Summit League.[3]
Since 1961, Southern Utah has used the Thunderbird as its team mascot in the sports events they participate in. Its football team mascot is an even more powerful version of the Thunderbird, as it is inspired by Thor, a well-known god of Norse mythology.[4]
In 2022, the Thunderbirds left the Big Sky Conference and joined the Western Athletic Conference.[5] The football team played the 2022 season in a partnership between the WAC and the Atlantic Sun Conference. After that season, the two conferences merged their football leagues, creating what eventually became the United Athletic Conference.
The women's gymnastics team, also known as the Flippin' Birds, is a member of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, joining that for the 2023–24 season after the demise of its former gymnastics home of the Mountain Rim Gymnastics Conference.[6]
- ^ "Branding & Creative - Marketing Communication". Retrieved October 13, 2022.
- ^ "College baseball: Southern Utah mourns, celebrates dropped program | The Salt Lake Tribune". Sltrib.com. Retrieved March 12, 2014.
- ^ "Big Sky Conference - Member Institutions". Bigskyconf.com. July 1, 2012. Retrieved March 12, 2014.
- ^ "Top 5 Football Mascots in Utah – Cougars, Utes, and More". Daily Herald. October 21, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
- ^ "WAC adds Southern Utah University, and will play football in 2022". ABC4 Utah. January 14, 2021. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
- ^ "Southern Utah Joins MPSF Women's Gymnastics" (Press release). Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. September 21, 2023. Retrieved May 21, 2024.