Fritz and his coaching staff will welcome back 41 lettermen including 12 starters from the 11-4 Bearkat squad that earned Sam Houston its second consecutive Southland Conference football championship and berth in the NCAA Division I Championship game in Frisco.

The 2013 Sam Houston spring training schedule is as follows:

March: 20 (Wed.), 22 (Fri.), 23 (Sat.), 25 (Mon.), 27 (Wed.), 29 (Fri.)
April: 1 (Mon.), 3 (Wed.), 5 (Fri.), 6 (Sat.), 8 (Mon.), 9 (Tue), 15 (Mon.), 17 (Wed)

Weekday practice sessions will begin at 3:30 p.m. Saturday practices will be held in the morning.

Special "visit days" for area high school coaches at Tuesday, March 26, and Tuesday, April 1.

Sam Houston State is one of only eight football programs to appear in consecutive NCAA Division I Football Championship Games.

The Bearkats' 14-1 season in 2011 and 11-4 record last year represent the first time in Sam Houston's 97 years of football that the football team has produced double digit victories in consecutive seasons.