Stephen F . Austin State University Stephen F . Austin State University ( commonly SFA ) is a public university located in Nacogdoches , Texas , United States . Founded as a teachers ' college in 1923 , the university was named after one of Texas ' founding fathers , Stephen F . Austin . Its campus resides on part of the homestead of another Texas founding father , Thomas Jefferson Rusk . Stephen F . Austin is one of four independent public universities in Texas ( i . e . , those not affiliated with one of Texas ' six university systems ) . Academics . Stephen F . Austin offers more than 120 areas of study , including more than 80 undergraduate majors , nearly 60 graduate degrees , and three doctoral programs . Stephen F . Austin offers classes through six colleges , and houses one of only two schools of forestry in the State of Texas ( and the only forestry college in the timber - producing East Texas region ) . During the 2007 - 08 academic year , there were 1 , 732 degrees awarded . Of those degrees , 1 , 416 ( 82 % ) were undergraduate , 301 were post - graduate ( 17 % ) , and 15 ( 1 % ) were doctoral . In addition to the main campus which is located on 430 acres , the university maintains a agricultural research center for beef , poultry , and swine production and an equine center ; an observatory for astronomy research , an 1 , 072 - hectare ( approximately 2 , 649 - acre ) experimental forest in southwestern Nacogdoches County and a forestry field station on the Sam Rayburn Reservoir . Since 2007 , Stephen F . Austin has served as the headquarters of the Association for Business Communication . It is also the home of the National Center for Pharmaceutical Crops , which in 2011 discovered a potential cancer - fighting agent from the extract of giant salvinia , one of the world ' s most notorious invasive species . Stephen F . Austin ranked # 71 in the 2011 U . S . News & World Report edition of Best Colleges ( Regional Universities - West ) . Athletics . Stephen F . Austin ' s color is Purple , with red sometimes used as an accent color . In tribute to the forestry industry , which is a major component of the area ' s economy , the men ' s athletic teams are called Lumberjacks , and women ' s teams are known as Ladyjacks . All of SFA ' s athletic teams participate in the Southland Conference which hosts teams from the states of Texas , Louisiana , Arkansas , and Oklahoma . Men ' s NCAA Sports : Women ' s NCAA Sports Football . Stephen F . Austin sports teams participate in NCAA Division I ( Football Championship Subdivision ) for football in the Southland Conference . SFA ' s football team earned a berth into the FCS playoffs in 2009 , which was the first for the university since 1995 . The team also earned a playoff berth in 2010 , marking the first time in the program ' s history that the team had reached the playoffs in consecutive seasons . The 2010 season also marked the first time that the school had won an outright conference championship since 1989 . Stephen F . Austin ' s only bowl appearance was the 1973 Poultry Bowl , in which the team defeated Gardner - Webb 31 - 10 in Gainesville , FL . Notable alumni . Notable individuals who either attended or graduated from SFASU :