Southern Utah Thunderbirds

Athletic teams representing Southern Utah University

Southern Utah Thunderbirds

University| Southern Utah University
Conference| Western Athletic Conference (primary)
United Athletic Conference (football)
MPSF (women's gymnastics)
Big Sky Conference (primary, starting 2026)
NCAA| Division I (FCS)
Athletic director| Doug Knuth
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| suutbirds.com

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 as part of the Western Athletic Conference, after departing from the Big Sky Conference on July 1, 2022.[3] The Thunderbirds will rejoin the Big Sky for most sports (including football) at the start of the 2026-27 academic year.[4] Previously, the Thunderbirds competed as members of the Summit League and the American West Conference.

.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.[5]

In 2022, the Thunderbirds left the Big Sky Conference and joined the Western Athletic Conference.[3] 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]

On June 25, 2025, the Thunderbirds announced that they would be joining the Big Sky Conference alongside fellow WAC member and rival Utah Tech starting in 2026.[4]

## Sports sponsored

[edit]

A member of the Western Athletic Conference. SUU sponsors teams in six men's and nine women's NCAA sanctioned sports.[7]

Men's sports  | Women's sports

|

Basketball | Basketball
Cross country | Cross country
Football | Golf
Golf | Gymnastics
Track and field† | Soccer
| Softball
| Track and field†
| Volleyball
† – Track and field includes both indoor and outdoor

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Branding & Creative - Marketing Communication". Retrieved October 13, 2022.
2. ^ "College baseball: Southern Utah mourns, celebrates dropped program | The Salt Lake Tribune". Sltrib.com. Retrieved March 12, 2014.
3. ^ a b "WAC adds Southern Utah University, and will play football in 2022". ABC4 Utah. January 14, 2021. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
4. ^ a b "Southern Utah, Utah Tech moving to Big Sky Conference in 2026". FOX Sports. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
5. ^ "Top 5 Football Mascots in Utah – Cougars, Utes, and More". Daily Herald. October 21, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
6. ^ "Southern Utah Joins MPSF Women's Gymnastics" (Press release). Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. September 21, 2023. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
7. ^ "Southern Utah Thunderbirds". Southern Utah University. Retrieved December 17, 2016.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Southern Utah University athletics.

* Official website

* v
* t
* e

Southern Utah University

Athletics|

* Football
* Men's basketball
* Women's basketball
* Men's cross country

Facilities|

* America First Event Center
* Eccles Coliseum

Media|

* KSUU

Related|

* List of presidents
* Utah Shakespeare Festival

* v
* t
* e

Western Athletic Conference

Full members|

* Abilene Christian Wildcats
* California Baptist Lancers1
* Southern Utah Thunderbirds1
* Tarleton State Texans
* UT Arlington Mavericks
* Utah Tech Trailblazers1
* Utah Valley Wolverines1

Associate members|

* Air Force Falcons3 4
* Grand Canyon Antelopes3
* Idaho Vandals5
* New Mexico State Aggies5
* Northern Arizona Lumberjacks5
* Northern Colorado Bears5
* Sacramento State Hornets2
* San Diego State Aztecs3
* San Jose State Spartans3
* UNLV Rebels3 4
* UTRGV Vaqueros3 5
* Wyoming Cowboys4

Related topics|

* United Athletic Conference6

* 1leaving in 2026
* 2baseball
* 3soccer (men's)
* 4swimming (men's)
* 5swimming (women's)
* 6football-playing members

* v
* t
* e

United Athletic Conference

Teams|

* Abilene Christian Wildcats
* Austin Peay Governors
* Central Arkansas Bears
* Eastern Kentucky Colonels
* North Alabama Lions
* Southern Utah Thunderbirds1
* Tarleton State Texans
* Utah Tech Trailblazers1
* West Georgia Wolves

Future teams|

* UT Arlington Mavericks2

Related topics|

* Atlantic Sun Conference
* Western Athletic Conference

* 1leaving in 2026
* 2non-football; joining in 2026

* v
* t
* e

Mountain Pacific Sports Federation

Beach volleyball members|

* California Golden Bears
* Florida State Seminoles (joining in 2025)
* Grand Canyon Antelopes
* LSU Tigers (joining in 2025)
* Oregon Ducks
* South Carolina Gamecocks (joining in 2025)
* Stanford Cardinal
* Texas Longhorns (joining in 2025)
* UCLA Bruins
* USC Trojans
* Washington Huskies

Fencing members|

* Air Force Falcons
* Incarnate Word Cardinals
* UC San Diego Tritons

Gymnastics members|

| Men|

* Air Force Falcons
* California Golden Bears
* Oklahoma Sooners
* Stanford Cardinal

|

Women|

* Alaska Anchorage Seawolves
* Sacramento State Hornets
* Southern Utah Thunderbirds
* UC Davis Aggies

Men's rowing members|

* California Golden Bears
* Gonzaga Bulldogs
* Oregon State Beavers
* San Diego Toreros
* Santa Clara Broncos
* Stanford Cardinal
* UC San Diego Tritons
* Washington Huskies

Swimming & diving members|

| Men|

* California Baptist Lancers (joining in 2025, leaving in 2026)
* Incarnate Word Cardinals
* Pacific Tigers

|

Women|

* California Baptist Lancers (joining in 2025, leaving in 2026)
* Incarnate Word Cardinals
* New Mexico State Aggies (joining in 2025)
* Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (joining in 2025)
* Northern Colorado Bears (rejoining in 2025)
* Pacific Tigers
* Pepperdine Waves
* San Diego Toreros (leaving in 2025)
* Utah Tech Trailblazers (joining in 2025)
* UTRGV Vaqueros (joining in 2025)

Artistic|

* Incarnate Word Cardinals
* Stanford Cardinal
* Texas Woman's Pioneers
* Wheaton Lyons

Indoor track & field members|

| Men|

* Cal State Fullerton Titans
* Cal State Northridge Matadors
* Long Beach State Beach
* Portland Pilots
* UC Riverside Highlanders
* Washington State Cougars

|

Women|

* Cal State Fullerton Titans
* Cal State Northridge Matadors
* Hawaii Rainbow Wahine
* Long Beach State Beach
* Oregon State Beavers
* Pepperdine Waves
* Portland Pilots
* Saint Mary's Gaels
* San Francisco Dons
* UC Davis Aggies
* UC Irvine Anteaters
* UC Riverside Highlanders
* Washington State Cougars

Men's volleyball members|

* BYU Cougars
* Concordia Golden Eagles
* Menlo Oaks
* Pepperdine Waves
* Stanford Cardinal
* UCLA Bruins
* USC Trojans
* Vanguard Lions

Water polo members|

| Men|

* Augustana Vikings
* Austin Kangaroos
* California Golden Bears
* Penn State Behrend Lions
* Stanford Cardinal
* UCLA Bruins
* USC Trojans

|

Women|

* Arizona State Sun Devils
* California Golden Bears
* Indiana Hoosiers
* San Jose State Spartans
* Stanford Cardinal
* UCLA Bruins
* USC Trojans

Wrestling members|

| Men|

* Cal Poly Humboldt Lumberjacks
* Menlo Oaks
* San Francisco State Gators
* Vanguard Lions

|

Women|

* Menlo Oaks
* Vanguard Lions

* v
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* e

Sports teams based in Utah

Baseball|

PCL
Salt Lake Bees

Ogden Raptors

Basketball|

NBA
Utah Jazz
G League
Salt Lake City Stars

Football|

WFA
Utah Blitz
IWFL
Utah Falconz

Hockey|

NHL
Utah Mammoth
ECHL
Utah Grizzlies

Roller derby|

WFTDA
Happy Valley Derby Darlins
Junction City Roller Dolls
Wasatch Roller Derby

Rugby|

MLR
Utah Warriors

Soccer|

MLS
Real Salt Lake
NWSL
Utah Royals
MLSNP
Real Monarchs
USL2
Park City Red Wolves SC
Salt City SC

Volleyball|

LOVB
LOVB Salt Lake

College
athletics|

| NCAA
Division I|

* BYU Cougars
* Southern Utah Thunderbirds
* Utah Utes
* Utah State Aggies
* Utah Tech Trailblazers
* Utah Valley Wolverines
* Weber State Wildcats

|

NCAA
Division II|

* Westminster Griffins

NJCAA|

* CEU Golden Eagles
* SLCC Bruins
* Snow College Badgers

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