for the first time since 1968.
=== Athletics ===
Bluefield State athletic teams are the Big Blue. There are 21 intercollegiate varsity sports and many intramural sports.
Bluefield State belongs to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the NCAA Division II level, primarily competing in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) since the 2023–24 academic year; its men's wrestling team is an affiliate of Conference Carolinas. Prior to this, Bluefield State competed as a D-II independent as well as an Independent in the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) from 2013–14 to 2022–23, and as a member of the now defunct West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) from 1955–56 to 2012–13.
In 2020, President Capehart announced the return of football to the athletics program for the first time since 1980. Eleven new sports were added as well.
==== History ====
Sports have a prominent place in Bluefield State's past and recent history. Teams competed in the …
