Delta State University

WELCOME TO THE STATESMEN CLUB!

As we prepare for a new year of Statesmen Athletics, our Athletic Department staff is pleased to present to you our updated Statesmen Club brochure. We have invested much time, thought and discussion to bring to you a fresh opportunity to join together with us in maximizing support of our athletic programs. We have looked at every aspect of this program to provide our fan base the options to join at the level that best suits your means. We have expanded the membership levels and redesigned our benefits package to broaden the options available to you and hopefully meet your ability to give. We hope you will see our restructuring as a positive effort to put you in the starting lineup and allow you to be a part of our support team. 

In addition to encouraging new members to join, I want to challenge renewals to increase your commitment to Delta State Athletics. Thoughtfully consider increasing your membership level to the next tier up or a 10% increase added to your previous year's contribution. Just as our athletic teams cannot continue to be satisfied with last season's results, neither can our support system. Success is dependent upon the financial loyalty we receive beyond our institutional budgets to allow us to "do the extras" that otherwise would not be possible. When you join with us, all our athletic teams will benefit. 

In return for your support and membership in The Statesmen Club, we pledge our best effort to give our fan base a great game day experience. We want your family to enjoy Delta State Athletics and have convenience in areas of parking, seating, Delta State apparel, concessions and youth activities. Our desire is to have athletic teams you can be proud of. Our competitive spirit will be strong as we give our best efforts to pursue excellence and our highest levels of achievement in athletics as well as academics. We need YOU to be a supportive member of our Statesmen team! 

Always a Statesman, 


Mike Kinnison | Director of Athletics 

OUR ATHLETIC MISSION
The mission of the Delta State University Department of Athletics is to advance the role of the University in its pursuit of excellence to provide the total educational experience for its students. The Athletics Department will produce competitive and entertaining athletic teams by recruiting outstanding student-athletes and maintaining quality coaches and staff. The Athletics Department will prepare student-athletes to be productive members of society by molding their development socially, emotionally, intellectually, and physically. This commitment will breed success for the student-athlete, the athletics department, and the institution. Delta State Athletics is committed to this mission.

OUR STATESMEN CLUB GOAL
The Statesmen Club has the obligation and the responsibility, in association with the Delta State Foundation, a legal nonprofit corporation, to use its resources in a responsible and effective manner to foster the mission of Delta State University Athletics. The mission of The Statesmen Club is to aid the Athletics Department in the form of student-athlete scholarships, funding for facility improvements, supplement funding to individual sports, and in many other ways necessary to have an outstanding athletics program.

WHY GIVE TO THE STATESMEN CLUB?
Because State funding for Delta State Athletics is limited, The Statesmen Club is an integral factor in providing for the excellence of the program. Through donations of DSU supporters, The Statesmen Club is able to provide financial support for student-athletes participating in 13 varsity sports, as well as cheerleading. Statesmen and Lady Statesmen supporters throughout the United States and the world show their pride in DSU athletics by being a part of The Statesmen Club. We welcome all DSU alumni and friends. With seven distinct giving levels, The Statesmen Club offers an opportunity to make an immediate and real impact on our nearly 400 student-athletes, coaches and staff. Every dollar raised by The Statesmen Club directly effects our coaches, student-athletes, and staff as we strive to build champions of character on and off the field.

- Expanding scholarship opportunities     - Facility and locker room enhancements     - Team/Staff leadership trainings and events     - Championship awards and recognitions     - Travel and recruiting upgrades     - Expanding Student-Athlete services     - Staff professional development

DSU ATHLETICS: A TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE
Delta State University prides itself on a tradition of excellence, both in the classroom and on the field of competition. Our student-athletes are excellent scholars as well as competitors, and with the support of The Statesmen Club, that tradition will continue. The Delta State University Statesmen and Lady Statesmen boast 10 national championships, 37 regional championships and 66 conference titles in their storied history. In over 90 years of competition, no other Mississippi university has enjoyed the level of success Delta State University has achieved on the field.

Lady Statesmen women's basketball has claimed six national titles in its illustrious history. Margaret Wade guided the Lady Statesmen to the first three-peat in women's intercollegiate basketball in the mid-1970s. Lloyd Clark would pick up where Wade left off, guiding DSU to three NCAA Division II crowns from 1989-1992. In 2004, Mike Kinnison, a former manager turned All-American shortstop turned Statesmen skipper, directed Delta State's baseball program to its first NCAA Division II National Championship after coach Dave "Boo" Ferriss and coach Bill Marchant had paved the way. The Statesmen football program reached the "higher ground" in 2000, as former coach Steve Campbell directed the program to the national title with a thumping of Bloomsberg at Braly Municipal Stadium in Florence, Ala. Justin Whitaker etched his name forever in the collegiate record books in 2002 with Delta State's first ever swimming and diving individual national championship in the backstroke, and Emanuel Fava followed suite at the 2020 NCAA Championships by winning gold in the 200 individual medley to bring home DSU's second swimming national title and 10th overall.

MISSISSIPPI'S NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
10 - Delta State University
4 - University of Mississippi
2 - University of Southern Mississippi
1 - Mississippi University for Women
1 - Belhaven University

SUCCESS OFF THE FIELD 
Championships are not just claimed on the field, but they are earned in the classroom as well. Delta State ranks tenth all-time in the CoSIDA Academic All-American Program in Academic All-American honors. Statesmen baseball alone ranks fifth all-time with 30, regardless of division. A founding member of the Gulf South Conference, the Statesmen and Lady Statesmen have also captured The Commissioner's Trophy, the league's highest honor, 13 times. Delta State University student-athletes have also captured four Elite 90 awards from the NCAA, including Micah Davis (FB, 2010), Melanie Tombers (SWD, 2017), Kyle Weesner (SWD, 2019), and Michael Maly (SWD, 2020). The Elite 90 Award, started in 2008, is presented to the top scholar-athlete at each of the NCAA's 90 national championship events.

WAYS TO GIVE TO DELTA STATE ATHLETICS
Giving to Delta State Athletics and the Statesmen Club can take many different forms, including what we have listed here:

• Cash/Check/Credit Card Contributions: Gifts in the form of cash, check (made payable to Delta State Athletics or Delta State Foundation), or credit card may be made online by going to GoStatesmen.com or using the enclosed envelope.

• Pledges & Payment Plans: Joining The Statesmen Club has never been easier, as the Delta State University Foundation allows donors to pay out their pledge in monthly installments. Annual installments are available for pledges at certain amounts. Members making a monthly pledge by credit card or payroll deduction are eligible for benefits.

• Matching Gifts: More than 1,000 companies participate in a matching gift program, which allows you the opportunity to double or possibly triple your contribution to The Statesmen Club. If your company is a participant, please enclose your company's matching gift form along with your gift. You will receive credit for the total contribution toward your membership level in The Statesmen Club.

• Payroll Deductions: If you are a Delta State University employee or you work for an employer that allows deductions, you can utilize payroll deduction for your membership in The Statesmen Club. Please contact your Human Resources office for more information or to receive the appropriate form to begin monthly deductions.

• Endowed Gifts: An endowment gift will help perpetuate the success of Delta State University Athletics for years to come! Each endowed gift provides annual income to help support the various needs, operating expenses and enhancements our sports programs require to stay competitive at the national level.

• Planned Gifts: Examples of the various planned-giving options a donor may choose in supporting The Statesmen Club include stocks, wills, bequests, life insurance policies, and charitable trusts.

• Gifts-in-kind: Gifts-in-kind are any tangible goods the Department of Athletics can use during the course of the year that would normally be purchased.

• Legends Society: Membership in the Legends Society is reserved for donors who have accumulated $25,000 or more in giving to The Statesmen Club or to one of the Department's programs/major projects. Once inducted into the Legends Society, members will be recognized in perpetuity in the Dearing Hall of Fame Room. With a sustained annual membership of $500 or more, members will be invited to participate in public acknowledgment ceremonies at various home events.​​​​​​

• Varsity Club: Former Statesmen and Lady Statesmen are encouraged to join the Varsity Club for an additional contribution of $10. The amount corresponds to the 10 national championships earned here at Delta State.

• Giving Year: Membership in The Statesmen Club is on an annual basis, running July 1 through June 30 of each year to coincide with Delta State University's fiscal year.

• Pledges: Members making a monthly pledge by credit card or payroll deduction are eligible for benefits.​​​​​​

• Parking Passes & Ticket Information: Members with advanced reserved parking priority will be eligible to purchase reserved spots before the general public. Each spot will be individually numbered and yours for the duration of football and basketball season. Individual general admission passes are non-transferable and admit one person per pass. Each General Admission All-Sports Season Pass may be exchanged for one Reserved Single-Sport Season Pass or Two General Admission All-Sports Season Passes may be exchanged for one All-Sport Streaming Pass. Lost or stolen passes may be replaced, but are subject to a printing charge. For more information, please contact the Delta State Athletics Ticket Office with any questions regarding parking or ticket upgrades.

• Declining Benefits: Members may decline benefits in-order to receive a 100% tax deductible credit for their donation.

We feel there is a membership level that caters to all of our Statesmen and Lady Statesmen faithful. We hope you will support Delta State Athletics and join the Statesmen Club!

WHY DO PEOPLE GIVE?
Why I Give: Arant Family Meeting Room
"Rebekah and I are extremely proud of our football program and what it stands for," Arant said. "We hope that our gift will not only help our student-athletes, but will help carry Delta State football forward as coach Todd Cooley continues to build the premier program in NCAA Division II football." - Hugh M. Arant, Football (Class of 2003)

Why I Give: Ned & Bettye Mitchell Scholarship
"Delta State University made such an impact on my life that I want to help ensure future generations of Statesmen and Lady Statesmen have the same opportunities I had as a student-athlete. Being a member of the DSU family means more than just graduating or representing it on a team. It means supporting the program with your time, talents, and treasure." - Ned Mitchell, Football (Class of 1962)

Why I Give: Tim & Nancy Harvey Stadium
"On top of the great lessons and experiences gained from playing baseball for Coach Ferriss, my Delta State University education allowed me to successfully compete against global business executives from Harvard, Stanford, and many other leading universities over my 38 year business career. I owe a great deal to DSU and it's people that prepared me for my professional life. Therefore, it is important for me to give back to the university that did so much for me." - Tim Harvey, Baseball (Class of 1980)

Interested in joining the #DSUFamily as a Statesmen Club member? Contact a member of our staff today! To download our Statesmen Club brochure, click HERE.
 

Mike Kinnison     Director of Athletics     Email: mkinnisn@deltastate.edu     Phone: 662-846-4300

Barkley Falkner     Assistant A.D., Operations and Marketing     Email: bfalkner@deltastate.edu     Phone: 662-846-4300

Fred Sington     Coordinator of Sports Information Services     Email: fsington@deltastate.edu     Phone: 662-846-4284