The Central State Marauders and Lady Marauders are the athletic teams that represent

Central State University Central State University (CSU) is a public, historically black land-grant university in Wilberforce, Ohio. It is a member-school of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. Established by the state legislature in 1887 as a two-year program for t ...

, located in

Wilberforce, Ohio Wilberforce is a census-designated place (CDP) in Greene County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,271 at the 2010 census, up from 1,579 at the 2000 census. History After Wilberforce College was established in 1856, the community was ...

, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the Division II level of the

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges ...

(NCAA), primarily competing in the

Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. Formed in 1913, it consists mostly of historically black c ...

(SIAC) since the 2015–16 academic year (with football joining first as an affiliate member from 2013–14 to 2015 before upgrading for all sports). The Marauders and Lady Marauders previously competed in the D-II

Great Midwest Athletic Conference The Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. It was named the 24th (at the time) NCAA Division II conference and oper ...

(G-MAC) from 2012–13 to 2014–15, and as an NCAA D-II Independent from 2002–03 to 2011–12; as well as competing in the

American Mideast Conference The American Mideast Conference (AMC) was an affiliate of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics that included eight member institutions in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Massachusetts. Founded in 1949, it was known as the Mid-O ...

of the

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) established in 1940, is a college athletics association for colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic scholarships to its stu ...

(NAIA) from 2000–01 to 2001–02.

Varsity teams

Central State competes in 11 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include basketball, cross country, football, track & field (indoor and outdoor) and volleyball; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, track & field (indoor and outdoor) and volleyball.

National championships

Team

The Marauders have won two NCAA team national championships.

Individual teams

Football

The Central State University Marauder football team experienced much success in Division II and NAIA during the 1980s through 1995 under then head football coaches, William "Billy" Joe (1981 to 1993) and

Rick Comegy Rick Comegy (born September 24, 1953) is an American former college football and college baseball coach. On January 21, 2014, Comegy was introduced as the head coach at Mississippi Valley State. He previously served as the head football coach at ...

(1993 to 1996). Under Billy Joe, the Marauders were NCAA Division II runners-up in 1983 and won the

NAIA Football National Championship The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Football National Championship is decided by a post-season playoff system featuring the best NAIA college football teams in the United States. Under sponsorship of the National Assoc ...

(Division I) in 1990 and 1992. Under Comegy, a former assistant coach under Joe, the Marauders won the

(Division I) in 1995. The heyday of Central State football ended in the late 1990s when the university administration was forced to drop the football program in 1997 due to financial difficulties and a significant drop of enrollment. In 2005, under new administration leadership of president Dr. John W. Garland, Esq, (Class of 1971), the university reinstated the Central State Marauder football program. Notable Marauder alumni who went on to play in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the majo ...

include:

Vince Heflin Vince Heflin (born July 7, 1959) is a former professional American football wide receiver. He played for five seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Miami Dolphins. Heflin attended Wayne High School in H ...

Vince Buck Vincent Lamont Buck (born January 12, 1968 in Owensboro, Kentucky) is a former American football safety in the National Football League for the New Orleans Saints. He played college football at Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio, where ...

Erik Williams Erik George Williams (born September 7, 1968) is a former American football offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens. He played college football at Central State University in Wilberforc ...

, Hugh Douglas, Charles Hope,

Brandon Hayes Brandon may refer to: Names and people *Brandon (given name), a male given name *Brandon (surname), a surname with several different origins Places Australia *Brandon, a farm and 19th century homestead in Seaham, New South Wales * Brandon, ...

Mel Lunsford Melvin T. Lunsford (born June 13, 1950) is a former American football player from 1973 through 1980 for the New England Patriots. He was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the 1972 NFL Draft The 1972 NFL draft was held February 1–2, 1972, at th ...

Kerwin Waldroup Kerwin Waldroup (born August 1, 1974) is a former professional American football player who played defensive end for three seasons for the Detroit Lions. He initially played college football at University of Michigan before transferring and f ...

, and

Dayvon Ross Dayvon Ross (born March 17, 1991) is an American football player, who played wide receiver for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He was listed at 6 ft 2ins and 215 lbs in college and at 6 ft 1in and 235 ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Central State Marauders