Bob Jones Joins NCCAA

Bob Jones University has been accepted as the newest member of the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA), the school announced Tuesday. 

BJU will be a Division 1 school in the South Region, and will participate in a limited schedule in men's and women's soccer and basketball during the 2012-2013 academic year, and a full schedule by the 2013-2014 year. 

BJU’s official membership will start on July 1, with the renewal of association memberships for the 2012 - 2013 academic year. The 2012-2013 limited schedule has been set, and is available on the BJU web site.  

The soccer seasons will kick off with back-to-back home games starting at 6 p.m. on Aug. 31, with the women’s team hosting Providence College, and the men’s team competing against Southern Wesleyan University. The basketball season will begin for the men’s and women’s teams at the Tip-Off Tournament at Point University in La Grange, Ga., on Nov. 2-3.

“Sport from a Christian perspective is at the very heart of the NCCAA, and we’re excited to be a member and compete moving forward,” said Dr. Stephen Jones, president of BJU. “While the unifying effect of intercollegiate sports for a campus community is exciting, nothing compares to the unity we have in Christ. The new intercollegiate program and now membership in the NCCAA will provide opportunities for our students, players, coaches and supporters to develop and display Christ-like character, both on and off the field.” 

that it would establish an intercollegiate athletics program after the Board of Trustees unanimously approved intercollegiate athletic participation at its regularly scheduled Board meeting on Dec. 2, 2011. BJU has received a number of internal and external applications for the athletic director and coaching positions and has begun the interview process. BJU is also in the process of selecting a university mascot.

“The NCCAA is honored to assist Bob Jones University in the development of their intercollegiate athletics program,” said Dan Wood, NCCAA executive director. “As a leading Christ-centered institution, BJU is a perfect fit for the NCCAA, and we now share a mission to serve the Great Commission via the tool of sport.”