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 After
leading the Lions to four straight Gulf
South Conference tournament appearances,
including its first NCAA tournament in 10
years, Bobby Champagne enters his fifth
season as head men’s basketball coach at
the University of North Alabama.
The 39-year-old Champagne, who has been
affiliated with 10 postseason tournament
teams (eight NCAA, two NIT) during his
14-year collegiate coaching career, came
to UNA after one season as an assistant
coach at the University of Texas-El Paso.
He was hired as the program’s sixth head
coach on April 3, 2003.
The Lions are coming off their second
consecutive winning season after posting a
15-14 mark in 2006-07. Champagne picked up
his 59th victory at the school and won his
first postseason game as UNA knocked off
Christian Brothers in the opening round of
the Gulf South Conference tournament in
Southaven, Miss.
In his first season at UNA, Champagne led
the Lions to a 12-16 record that also
included a berth in the 2004 GSC
tournament. The following season, the
Lions improved to 14-14, and again were
participants in the conference tourney.
During the 2004-05 campaign, UNA knocked
off several ranked teams in the regular
season, including No. 1 Southern Indiana
on Nov. 20 at Flowers Hall. The Lions
finished the year with a 14-14 mark.
In 2005-06, UNA was 18-11, played in the
GSC Tournament and received an NCAA South
Regional bid.
The NCAA postseason nod was the first for
the Lions since 1996 and the eighth for
Champagne.
Champagne was a member of the coaching
staff at Georgia State University in
2001-02, working under legendary coach
Lefty Driesell. The Panthers registered a
20-11 record, reached the postseason NIT
and defeated two Top 25 teams (No. 23
Georgia, No. 15 Saint Joseph’s). Georgia
State was 14-6 in the Atlantic Sun
Conference, tying for first place with
Troy State.
He previously was an assistant coach at
Louisiana-Lafayette (1997-2001), Oklahoma
(1994-97) and Washington State (1991-94).
Three of the players he assisted in
recruiting to Louisiana-Lafayette (Brad
Boyd, Blane Harmon, Robert Jupiter) were
three-time All-State selections as preps.
He started his coaching career as a
graduate assistant at South Alabama. In
1990, he coached the Louisiana Stars, an
AAU squad in his hometown of Lafayette,
La. The Stars won the state championship,
finished 10th in the nation and competed
in international tournaments.
Champagne has worked with some of the
nation’s best basketball coaches in Kelvin
Sampson at Washington State University and
the University of Oklahoma and Charles
“Lefty” Driesell at Georgia State
University. He has coached teams that have
six NCAA Division I tournament
appearances, two NIT appearances and four
conference championships.
Champagne played collegiately at Jefferson
Davis Community College (two years) and
South Alabama (one year), where he earned
his degree in 1990.
He earned his Associate arts degree in
Liberal Arts from Jefferson Davis
Community College in 1987, and his
Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology
from South Alabama in 1990. He was a
two-year basketball letterwinner at South
Alabama. He was named to the all-academic
team (1987-88 season), and was also a
President’s List honoree (1990) and a
Dean’s List student (1988-90) while
playing for the Jaguars.
Champagne and his wife, the former Anna
Baxter, have three sons, Charlie (7), Will
(6) and Joe (3), and a daughter, Annie
(1).
THE CHAMPAGNE FILE
Birthdate: May 4, 1967
Hometown: Lafayette, Louisiana
Wife: Anna
Children: Sons Charlie, Will and Joe
Education: B.S. in Sociology (1990) ,
University of
South Alabama
CHAMPAGNE'S COACHING EXPERIENCE
1988-89 Student Assistant University of
South Alabama
NCAA Tournament/Sun Belt Champions
1989-90 Graduate Assistant University of
South Alabama
1990-91 Graduate Assistant University of
South Alabama
NCAA Tournament/Sun Belt Champions
1991-92 Assistant Coach Washington State
University
NIT
1992-93 Assistant Coach Washington State
University
1993-94 Assistant Coach Washington State
University
NCAA Tournament
1994-95 Assistant Coach University of
Oklahoma
NCAA Tournament
1995-96 Assistant Coach University of
Oklahoma
NCAA Tournament
1996-97 Assistant Coach University of
Oklahoma
NCAA Tournament
1997-98 Assistant Coach University of
Louisiana-Lafayette
1998-99 Assistant Coach University of
Louisiana-Lafayette
1999-00 Assistant Coach University of
Louisiana-Lafayette
NCAA Tournament/Sun Belt Champions
2000-01 Assistant Coach University of
Louisiana-Lafayette
2001-02 Assistant Coach Georgia State
University
NIT/Atlantic Sun Champions
2002-03 Assistant Coach University of
Texas-El Paso
2003-04 Head Coach University of North
Alabama
2004-05 Head Coach University of North
Alabama
2005-06 Head Coach University of North
Alabama
2006-07 Head Coach University of North
Alabama
2007-08 Head Coach University of North
Alabama. |
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