MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Over 30 players from the 1997 Southern Arkansas football team will be back on campus this weekend as they will be honored at halftime of SAU's game against Arkansas-Monticello. A commemorative coin will be given as part of the ceremony.
 
The 1997 SAU football team made improbable school history as they won the school's first conference championship in football since becoming members of the NCAA Division II. That year, SAU earned a trip to the NCAA playoffs after going 9-2 overall and 6-1 in the highly-competitive Gulf South Conference.
 
The improbable nature of the Muleriders' conference championship was in the fact that SAU had made the jump to Division II from the ranks of the NAIA just two seasons prior. In those two seasons since their jump, SAU was only 3-11 against a difficult slate of GSC opponents that featured national powerhouses such as North Alabama and Valdosta State.
 
1997, obviously was a much different season as the Muleriders vaulted themselves to the top of the GSC. That year, SAU kicked off the year with a 37-9 win over East Central (Okla.). The following week really solidified that something was different about the 1997 Mulerider football team as they knocked off North Alabama at home by a score of 16-7. In the two seasons prior, North Alabama was ranked as the No.1 team in DII for 11 straight weeks starting with the 1995 preseason poll.
 
A road game against in-state power Central Arkansas was the Muleriders' lone slip up in the regular season as they fell to the Bears, 20-13. After that tough loss, SAU went on to win seven straight games (five against GSC opponents) to close out the regular season.
 
Through eight weeks of the regular season, SAU was 7-1 overall and 5-1 in the GSC. Despite that remarkable record overall and in conference, the Muleriders still needed some help within the conference to claim the championship.
 
That help came in the ninth week of the season as North Alabama handed West Georgia their first conference loss of the season, opening the door for SAU to either claim the GSC crown outright or at least share it with West Georgia if they were able to beat Henderson State at home in the regular season finale.
 
As history now knows it, SAU was able to defeat Henderson State, giving them a 6-1 conference record and at least a share of their first-ever GSC football championship. The conference championship would have to be shared with West Georgia as the Braves were able to also win their final conference game to also end the season 6-1 in the GSC.
 
The remarkable 9-1 season resulted in the Muleriders being ranked as high as No.10 in DII. They also received their first-ever berth into the NCAA football playoffs.
 
Eight Muleriders would earn All-GSC recognition with linebacker Fred Perry and defensive back Lucas Melott being named as First-Team players. Perry was also named as the league's Defensive Player of the Year. Head coach Steve Roberts claimed one of the other four major conference awards as he was tabbed as the GSC Coach of the Year. Later that year, Perry was named as an AFCA and CoSIDA All-America First-Team linebacker.