The Austin Peay Governors will join the ASUN Conference beginning with the fall 2022 season, the school officially announced on Friday.
Austin Peay has been a member of the Ohio Valley Conference since the 1962 season. The Governors will be the sixth ASUN member for the fall 2022 football season, joining Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky, Jacksonville State, Kennesaw State, and North Alabama.
“I am excited to take this next step for the university and our athletics department,” said Austin Peay President Dr. Michael Licari. “The ASUN Conference will help us showcase all of the great things we’re doing athletically and academically. The ASUN will put us in new markets that will boost our recruiting ability and allow us to better engage our passionate alumni base. This is a move to position our University well both now and in the future.”
With six members in 2022, the ASUN Conference will meet the requirement for their league champion to receive an automatic bid to the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Playoffs.
Per the announcement, Austin Peay will the join the league next season and will be “…immediately eligible for conference awards, postseason play and NCAA Tournament automatic berths.”
“This is an incredible day for our University, our athletes and coaches, and all citizens of Stacheville,” Austin Peay Director of Athletics Gerald Harrison said. “I could not be more excited to help lead Austin Peay into a new era of growth, which will help expand and enhance our brand, our footprint and the quality of our product both athletically and academically. As challenging as this opportunity is—and make no mistake, we are facing a step up in competition level—it’s even more exciting to embark on this journey to elevate the profile of this department.
“From the beginning, I’ve said Austin Peay is a sleeping giant, a juggernaut hiding in plain sight with the right people in place to become great. Today is the next step down the path to greatness, and we are closer than ever to achieving the status we covet—to be the most complete athletics department in our league. And now, that league will be the ASUN.”
Austin Peay will officially join the ASUN on Friday, July 1, 2022.
“Austin Peay brings a tradition of success and a recognized brand that speaks to overall institutional achievement,” ASUN Commissioner Ted Gumbart said. “The entire Clarksville area is growing and APSU is central to that dynamic. The Governors carry an institutional reputation of academic and athletic success that we are extremely proud to add to the ASUN. President Licari and Director of Athletics Harrison provide outstanding leadership to the university and its athletics program, and we value their vision for Austin Peay’s continued growth and success. The ASUN will provide a tremendous home for Austin Peay, and our entire membership will benefit from having APSU as an ASUN member. This is a perfect example of a win-win partnership.”