Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Message From the AD
Greetings Saluki fan,
I am excited and humbled to begin my second year as your Director of Athletics! Having worked in Saluki Athletics during a memorable era from 2001-07 and having two children who graduated from this University, I am so proud to have the opportunity to return and help write the next chapter in our storied history. I want you to know that I am committed to establishing a culture of excellence and transparency in everything we do.
First, please let me brag about the accomplishments of our student-athletes during the 2015-16 academic year. We finished second in the MVC's All-Sports trophy standings and won conference championships in Women’s Swimming & Diving, Men’s Golf and Men’s Tennis. The volleyball team recorded a 23-10 record and made its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Both the Men’s and Women’s Basketball teams had 20-win seasons. In Track & Field, the Salukis earned six All-America honors, including DeAnna Price repeating as the NCAA hammer throw champion. Both the Baseball and Softball teams surpassed 30 wins, with the Baseball team making a 19-game improvement over the previous season. Two Saluki football players signed free agent contracts with NFL teams — Adam Fuehne (Detroit Lions) and Brandon Williams (Atlanta Falcons).
Academically, our student-athletes combined to earn a GPA of 3.193 in 2015-16. Among the academic highlights from the spring semester, 64 student-athletes recorded a perfect 4.00 GPA while 68 percent recorded a GPA of 3.00 or better. The softball program led the department with a 3.649 term GPA, followed by women’s golf with a 3.617.
While all of these accomplishments are impressive, we cannot sit still. Changes in state funding and the rapid evolution of college athletics have created unique challenges for our institution. On the revenue side, we are dealing with substantial cuts in state appropriations, while our expenses for critical initiatives such as "Cost of Attendance" continue to rise.
How can you help? Begin by making an annual donation to our Saluki Athletic Scholarship Fund, or increasing your current gift. The SASF is the lifeblood of our department, helping defray the cost of scholarships and giving our supporters a chance to directly impact a student-athlete. There are other ways you can help. You can buy season tickets. You can encourage other Saluki fans to join the SASF. You can make your voice heard. I invite you to drop me an email (tbell@siu.edu) or follow me on Twitter (belljt1).
No matter what portion of your hard-earned dollars you invest in Saluki Athletics, I want you to know that we deeply appreciate your contributions and promise to be good stewards of your money. Your satisfaction and your feedback is important to us. Saluki Athletics is a special place and Southern Illinois is my home. Working together, we can Restore the Glory of Saluki Athletics. Go Dawgs!
All the best,
Tommy Bell
Director of Athletics
