ST. GEORGE — When the Utah Tech and Southern Utah university football teams hit the gridiron in August, they will do so under the pennant of a conference that bears a new name: the United Athletic Conference.
The rebranding was announced jointly Monday by the football-sponsoring members of the Western Athletic and Atlantic Sun conferences.
Entering its third year as a formal football partnership but first as a single entity, the United Athletic Conference now fully operates like a single-sport conference with an independent budget, policies and governing documents, according to a Southern Utah University news release.
The group will recognize its own league champion and at-large FCS playoffs automatic qualifier under a singular conference banner beginning with the 2023 football season.
The newly christened United Athletic Conference currently has nine participating institutions: Abilene Christian University, Austin Peay State University, University of Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky University, University of North Alabama, Southern Utah University, Stephen F. Austin State University, Tarleton State University and Utah Tech University. The conference will officially add the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in the fall of 2025 when it begins sponsorship of football, the SUU news release said.
Utah Tech and Southern Utah will face each other Nov. 18 in St. George. The two teams played each other twice in 2022, with the home team winning each contest.
As previously announced Jan. 5, the governance structure of the United Athletic Conference features co-chairs of the Council of Presidents, James Hurley from Tarleton State and David McFaddin from Eastern Kentucky.
Also included in the leadership is Executive Director Oliver Luck, WAC Commissioner Brian Thornton and outgoing ASUN Commissioner Ted Gumbart, with incoming ASUN Commissioner Jeff Bacon officially joining upon Gumbart’s retirement at the conclusion of the 2022-23 academic year.
“Oliver Luck is one of the most respected leaders in NCAA athletics,” Hurley said in a previously published news release on the WAC website. “He brings an incredible amount of knowledge, passion, and expertise to our common and unified goal. He will work collaboratively with our commissioners, presidents and athletic directors to ensure that our football conference is among the best in the nation.”
Luck was a three-year starter at quarterback for West Virginia, finishing his career by leading the Mountaineers to a 26-6 win over Florida in the Peach Bowl. While becoming WVU’s all-time leader in touchdown passes and completions, he graduated magna cum laude as a 4.0 honor student in history and was a Rhodes Scholar finalist, the WAC reports.
Luck was selected by the Houston Oilers in the second round of the NFL draft and played with them from 1982 through 1986. He then earned his law degree from the University of Texas.
“We have 10 presidents with the same goal — to elevate our institutions through outstanding academic programs, world-class faculty and staff and ALL of our Division I sports, including our historic football programs competing and winning at the highest possible level of competition and recognition,” McFaddin said. “With Oliver Luck’s leadership, we have added an important piece of that equation. This is an exciting time for our schools, our conferences and for the overall growth and strength of both the ASUN and the WAC.”
Luck, meanwhile, has said he is “excited to work with 10 outstanding presidents who have a united vision to build their football program.”
In his professional career, Luck has worked with the NFL, served as general manager of the Rhein Galaxy of the World League of American Football and was president and CEO of NFL Europe. In 2010, Luck became director of athletics at his alma mater, leading the West Virginia program until 2015 when he became NCAA executive vice president of Regulatory Affairs. He later served as commissioner of the XFL and is now chairman of Altius Sports Partners.
A full conference rollout, including official marks, an official website and more information, will be released in the coming months, the SUU news release said.