History of the Cougars

The SIU Edwardsville Cougars have a long and storied history as one of the NCAA's premier athletic programs. From its humble beginnings in 1957, the program has become an integral part of college sports in Illinois and beyond. The Cougars boast an impressive list of accomplishments on and off, from conference championships to national rankings.

SIUE was a Division II Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) member in its early days. During this period, they won three GLVC titles between 1974-1976 under legendary coach Jack Margaritis who is now enshrined in the school’s Hall Of Fame. In 1978, they moved up to Division I when they became members of the NCAA's Missouri Valley Conference. They competed until 1993, when it joined other schools, including Bradley University and Creighton University, forming what is now known as The Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC).

During this period, SIUE had some notable successes, including winning MVFC titles twice during the 1992-1993 season under head coach Bob Denton who also earned Coach Of The Year honors for his efforts that year. They also participated at various levels within the postseason play, such as making appearances at NIT tournaments or even making deep runs into the March Madness competition with wins over teams like Purdue & Northwestern!

While success on the court has been plentiful throughout the years, few moments stand out more than others, most notably back in 2006 when Men’s Basketball Team advanced the way Sweet Sixteen before being eliminated by the eventual National Champion Florida Gators team led by Joakim Noah & Al Horford! This feat remains arguably the most significant accomplishment any Southern Illinois university has ever achieved basketball realm despite several close calls since then, most recently the 2018 edition squad, which came just short of advancing to round two after losing a hard-fought battle against the West Virginia Mountaineers, last minute buzzer beater shot attempt fell short giving them heartbreaking loss end historic run!

Today we look fondly upon past achievements while looking forward to a bright future ahead of us here at Southern Illinois Edwardsville campus, home proudest athletics tradition statewide, regionally nationally alike - Go Cougs!!