Hall of Fame
A 1968 graduate of Southern State College, Ken Sibley’s role in the media promotion of Mulerider Athletics was unmatched for over 30 years.
As one of the first broadcasters of Mulerider Athletics through KVMA 99.1, Sibley’s career on-air covering the sports teams at Southern State College began with Mulerider Basketball and Football in the late 1960s. During his time calling the action on the hardwood, Sibley served as the voice of five twenty-win teams, including the 1970-71 AIC Championship team, all of which came under legendary head coach W.T. Watson, an inaugural member of the SAU Sports Hall of Fame in 2003.
Although his time as the play-by-play voice of SAU Men’s Basketball ended following the 1981-82 season, Sibley continued in his role as the original gridiron sound of Mulerider Football until the conclusion of the 1996 season.
In almost 30 years as the voice of SAU Football, Sibley broadcasted over 135 wins, including those by the famed Raymond “Rip” Powell teams of the 1970s.
After leaving the play-by-play booth, Sibley continued to play a key role in the advancement of Mulerider Athletics’ broadcasts over the airwaves. As KVMA Station Manager, he was responsible for the station becoming the first in the state of Arkansas to carry its local university on air. In 1987, the station began carrying Mulerider postseason baseball and the following season, KVMA became the first station to carry regular season baseball broadcasts.
An unwavering supporter of Mulerider Athletics and Southern Arkansas University, Sibley’s station always carried the Muleriders, even above the state’s flagship Division I university. Additionally, Sibley spent over 30 years as a member of the Mulerider Club in which a majority of his time was served in a leadership capacity.
In 2010, then-Arkansas governor Mike Beebe appointed Sibley to a five-year term on the Southern Arkansas University Board of Trustees. He served in that capacity until his retirement in 2013.
