NEW ORLEANS – For the sixth time in the last nine years, the University of South Alabama athletics department has claimed the 2022-23 Vic Bubas Cup, the Sun Belt Conference announced Tuesday. 

South Alabama, a member of the Sun Belt Conference since its inception in 1976, has earned a league-best 16 Vic Bubas Cups. 

The Bubas Cup is the Sun Belt’s annual all-sports championship trophy, awarded to the top athletics department in the conference based on a points system. 

“We are proud to recognize South Alabama for its broad-based athletics excellence in 2022-23,” Sun Belt Conference Commissioner Keith Gill said. “This award is a testament to the dedication of South Alabama’s student-athletes, coaches, athletics department staff and university leadership.” 

South Alabama earned 142 points to outpace James Madison (132) and Louisiana (127.5). Southern Miss (124.5) and Texas State (124) rounded out the top-five in the Bubas Cup standings. 

South Alabama, which sponsors 17 of the Sun Belt’s 19 sports, tied for the Sun Belt regular-season men’s tennis championship and earned top-four league finishes in football, men’s cross country, women’s soccer, men’s indoor track & field, women’s indoor track & field, men’s golf, softball, men’s outdoor track & field and women’s outdoor track & field. 

The Vic Bubas Cup is named after the Sun Belt Conference’s first Commissioner. Bubas was appointed the conference’s commissioner on Oct. 6, 1976, and served for 14 years until his retirement in 1990. He led the conference during a period in which its membership increased from six to eight members and its sport sponsorship grew from four to 10 sports. Bubas was a three-time ACC Coach of the Year at Duke in the 1960s, taking his team to three Final Fours. In 2007, he was inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. Bubas passed away in April 2018 at the age of 91.
 
Points for the Bubas Cup are awarded based on regular-season finish for sports that have a regular season conference schedule. Points are awarded based on Sun Belt Championship finish if that sport does not have a regular-season conference schedule. Points are awarded based on the number of schools sponsoring the sport. Institutions not sponsoring a sport do not receive points in that sport. Institutions tying for positions split the combined points of their positions.
 
For sports that have both a regular-season schedule and a conference tournament, one additional point will be awarded to the winner of the conference tournament, including an additional point for winning the Sun Belt Conference Football Championship.
 
For sports with divisions, the conference records of all teams are ranked and points are awarded regardless of divisional finish. Standings for the sports of men’s and women’s soccer are determined by points rather than winning percentage.

Vic Bubas Cup All-Time Winners
1977 - Jacksonville
1978 - South Florida
1979 - South Florida
1980 - South Florida
1981 - South Florida
1982 - South Florida
1983 - Old Dominion
1984 - South Florida
1985 - South Florida
1986 - South Florida
1987 - Western Kentucky
1988 - South Alabama
1989 - South Alabama
1990 - South Florida
1991 - South Alabama
1992 - South Alabama
1993 - South Alabama
1994 - South Alabama
1995 - Arkansas State
1996 - South Alabama
1997 - South Alabama
1998 - Arkansas State
1999 - South Alabama
2000 - South Alabama
2001 - Middle Tennessee
2002 - Western Kentucky
2003 - Western Kentucky
2004 - Middle Tennessee
2005 - Middle Tennessee
2006 - Western Kentucky
2007 - Middle Tennessee
2008 - Western Kentucky
2009 - Middle Tennessee
2010 - Middle Tennessee
2011 - Middle Tennessee
2012 - Middle Tennessee
2013 - Middle Tennessee
2014 - Western Kentucky
2015 - South Alabama
2016 - South Alabama
2017 - South Alabama
2018 - South Alabama
2019 - Texas State
2020 - Arkansas State
2021 - South Alabama
2022 – Texas State
2023 - South Alabama