Southern Conference football teams will show their support for those being negatively impacted along the Gulf Coast by wearing helmet decals with the initials "GC" during the 2010 football season. More than 170 SoCon football players come from states that share a coastline being affected by the oil spill. The nine institutions that play SoCon football agreed to display the decals to express their support and encouragement for the people living in the region.

"Pete Lembo of Elon approached me with the idea while we were at our annual coaches' meetings in June," noted Southern Conference Commissioner John Iamarino. "I lived in Louisiana for six years and my son was born there, so when Pete mentioned it, the concept really resonated with me.

"Given the number of SoCon football student-athletes who come from Gulf Coast states and our being located in the South, it seemed the right thing to do. It’s just a small way that our teams can express their support and encouragement for the thousands of families that have been negatively impacted by the oil spill."

Use of the decal was approved by the NCAA's rules committee and supervisory officiating organization upon request by the conference.

The 2010 season begins Saturday, September 4 when seven SoCon teams take the field on the opening weekend of play, marking the 89th consecutive season of Southern Conference football.

The Southern Conference, in its 90th season of intercollegiate competition, is a national leader in emphasizing the development of the student-athlete and helping build lifelong leaders and role models. The conference has been on the forefront of innovation and originality in developing creative solutions to address issues facing intercollegiate athletics. From establishing the first conference basketball tournament (1921), tackling the issues of freshman eligibility (1922), developing women’s championships (1984) to becoming the first conference to install the three-point goal in basketball (1980), the Southern Conference has been a pioneer. The Southern Conference is the nation’s fifth-oldest NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association.

The conference currently consists of 12 members in five states throughout the southeast and sponsors 19 varsity sports and championships that produce participants for NCAA Division I Championships.