Western Kentucky Hilltoppers

Infobox college athletics
name = Western Kentucky Hilltoppers

university = Western Kentucky University
conference = Sun Belt Conference | division = FBS (Formerly Division I-A)
director = Dr. Camden Wood Selig
city = Bowling Green
state = Kentucky
stateabb = KY
teams = 18
stadium = Houchens Industries - L. T. Smith Stadium
arena = E. A. Diddle Arena
mascot = Big Red
nickname = Hilltoppers and Lady Toppers
fightsong = Stand Up and Cheer
color1 = Red
color2 = White
hex1 = FF2222
hex2 =
pageurl = http://www.wkusports.com/
pagename = WKUsports.comThe Western Kentucky Hilltoppers is the name for all of the men's intercollegiate athletic teams that play for Western Kentucky University. Women's teams are known as Lady Toppers. This consists of eighteen teams (nine mens, nine womens teams) that compete in the Sun Belt Conference of the NCAA's Division I.

Women compete in basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track and field, and volleyball.

Men compete in basketball, baseball, cross country, American football, golf, soccer, swimming, tennis, and track and field.

Basketball

The Hilltoppers basketball program is nationally recognized, and reached the Final Four in 1971. Current coach Ken McDonald arrived in 2008, after the Hilltoppers to the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship sweet 16

During the 1990s, Lady Toppers basketball had a higher national profile than the men's program. In recent years, the Lady Toppers and Hilltoppers have had roughly equal success; under head coach Mary Taylor Cowles, the Lady Toppers won the Sun Belt Conference's regular season title four times in the last six years, advancing to the NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship tournament in 2003 and 2008.

Football

WKU football was a member of the Gateway Conference through the 2006 football season, then began its 2-year transition into becoming a full FBS (formerly I-A) member. They will play a full FBS schedule in 2009. As a member of Division I-AA, now Division I FCS, the Hilltoppers won a Division 1-AA Football Championship in 2002. In 2008 the Hilltoppers will be a member of Division 1-A Independents with the Army Black Knights, Navy Midshipmen and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. But in 2009 the Hilltoppers will join the Sun Belt Conference.

The Red Towel

The red towel is famous at WKU. The orgins of the towel come from Coach Diddle getting upset that the Athletic Towels were being stolen. So he decided that he wanted all of his towels Red. Well After they had the Red towels made, Diddle would throw it to the rafters, beat it on the floor, chew it, wave it, twist it, and even cry into it!

George Barker from the Nashville Tennessean described these various actions and interpreted their meanings as such: