Houston Baptist Huskies, also known as Houston Baptist, HBU or Huskies, refers to the sports teams of Houston Baptist University

Houston Baptist University

Houston Baptist University is a private Baptist institution founded in 1960. It is located in Greater Sharpstown in Houston, Texas near the Southwest Freeway.- History :...

. With the inception of the athletics program at the university in 1960 until 1990 the Huskies were a part of the NCAA. After playing for seventeen years as a member of the NAIA

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics

The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs. Membership in the NAIA consists of smaller colleges and universities across the United States. The NAIA allows colleges and universities outside the USA...

, the Huskies began play as an NCAA Division I team again in 2007 and will become a full member of the NCAA for the 2011-12 academic year.

After one year of independent status in the NCAA, HBU joined the Great West Conference, and will begin play as a member in 2008 for all sports but basketball, baseball, softball, volleyball, and women's soccer. These teams will remain independent until the 2009-2010 season when they will join the other HBU teams. Men's soccer will play as a member of the Atlantic Soccer Conference

Atlantic Soccer Conference

Atlantic Soccer Conference is a college athletic conference which only sponsors men's soccer. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I and its champion does not receive an automatic bid to the annual NCAA Men's Soccer Championship Tournament. It was founded in 2000 with nine colleges...

, and is not expected to join the rest of the university's varsity sports in the Great West at this time. HBU's official school colors are royal blue and orange.

On November 9, officials from the Southland Conference

Southland Conference

The Southland Conference is a college athletic conference which operates in the south central United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I for all sports; for football, it participates in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision...

 will visit HBU in their expansion drive. Should HBU join the Southland Conference, there is a chance that the Huskies might begin a football program. on November 21, Houston Baptist accepted an invitation to join the Southland Conference, beginning July 1, 2013. The school plans to start a football program in 2013 and begin Southland Play in 2014, There are also plans for a new basketball arena. Men's Soccer will join the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation

Mountain Pacific Sports Federation

The Mountain Pacific Sports Federation is a college athletic conference whose member teams are located in the western United States. The conference participates at the NCAA Division I level.-History:...

, beginning in 2012.

Athletics

Houston Baptist competes in the following varsity sports:

Men's sports: Baseball Baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond... Basketball Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules... Cross Country Cross country running Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road... Golf Golf Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes.... Soccer Indoor Track & Field Outdoor Track & Field Football

Women's sports: Basketball Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules... Cross Country Cross country running Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road... Golf Golf Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes.... Soccer Softball Softball Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand... Indoor Track & Field Outdoor Track & Field Volleyball Volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...

School Songs

Get up and Go, You Mighty Huskies

Get up and go, you mighty Huskies

Give it a fight for HBU.

Whenever the goin' is rough and things are tough,

Don't give up the fight.

Shoulder the load, hold to the road,

Pull with all your might.

Get up and go, you mighty Huskies

Give it a hail for orange and blue.

Get ready to meet the test, show your best

Drive until you've made History, with victory

You'll win for HBU.

As performed by HBU Pep Band

Hail the Orange and Blue (Alma Mater)

In the great state of Texas,

Houston, U.S.A.,

Stands our noble Alma Mater,

Christ saying I am the Way.

In our search for knowledge,

Tempered with thy love,

Seeking our place of service,

With wisdom from above.

Give us courage, strength and faith,

To face a world filled with fear.

Ever onward to the challenge,

Knowing thou art near.

Chorus:

God bless our school.

Keep her safe and true.

God bless our Alma Mater.

Hail the orange and Blue.

As performed by HBU Pep Band

External links

• HBUHuskies.com
• TalkHuskies.com