to greater athletic notoriety at other institutions, such as Coastal Carolina University men's basketball coach Cliff Ellis and Winthrop University women's basketball coach Bud Childers. Still others, such as Allison B. Humphreys Jr. and Cale Young Rice, are remembered today for their non-athletic contributions.
=== Attempt to move to NCAA Division II ===
On August 7, 2013, Cumberland University was granted provisional membership into the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) after a vote of league presidents, paving the way for the university to apply to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for admittance into Division II in February 2014. Cumberland's application to join Division II was denied in 2014. As of 2024, Cumberland has not yet re-applied to transition into NCAA Division II.
=== Nickname ===
On January 4, 2016, Cumberland University changed the sports nickname of its athletic program from "Bulldogs" to "Phoenix", stating that, "For more than 150 years, the Phoenix has personified …
