Truett McConnell Bears

Truett McConnell Bears
Truett McConnell Bears
University	Truett McConnell University
Association	NAIA
Conference	AAC (primary)
Athletic director	Jenni Shepard
Location	Cleveland, Georgia
Varsity teams	23 (9 men's, 10 women's, 4 co-ed)
Basketball arena	Benjamin F. Brady Arena
Baseball stadium	TMU Baseball Complex
Softball stadium	TMU Softball Complex
Soccer stadium	TMU Soccer/Lacrosse Complex
Lacrosse stadium	TMU Soccer/Lacrosse Complex
Tennis venue	TMU Tennis Complex
Nickname	Bears
Colors	Navy, Gold, and Light Blue;
Website	tmbears.com

The Truett McConnell Bears are the athletic teams that represent Truett McConnell University, located in Cleveland, Georgia, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing in the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) since the 2013–14 academic year.^[2]^[3] The Bears previously competed in the Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC; formerly known as Georgia–Alabama–Carolina Conference (GACC) until after the 2003–04 school year) from 2010–11 to 2012–13; as well as an NAIA Independent within the Association of Independent Institutions (AII) during the 2009–10 school year (when the school joined the NAIA).

Conference affiliations

NAIA

Association of Independent Institutions (2009–2010)
Southern States Athletic Conference (2010–2013)
Appalachian Athletic Conference (2013–present)

Varsity teams

TMU competes in 22 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis, track & field, volleyball and wrestling; while women's sports include basketball, beach volleyball, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, tennis, track & field and volleyball; and life sports include competitive gaming, cycling and shooting sports.

Nickname

The initial nickname of TMU's athletic teams, "The Mountaineers," was changed to "Danes" in 1965, and is now the "Bears".

Notable people

Mitchell Wiggins, NBA player and father of NBA player Andrew Wiggins, played basketball at Truett McConnell from 1978 to 1979^[4]

References

^ "Official Colors". Retrieved July 16, 2023.
^ "Schools". NAIA.ORG. NAIA. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
^ "Members". Appalachian Athletic Conference. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
^ Cooper, Barry (8 June 1986). "Wiggins, Petersen Soaring Rockets' Reserves Sparkle Off Bench". Retrieved 17 March 2016.