The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) is a collegiate athletic conference whose full members are historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the Southeastern and the Mid-Atlantic United States. It participates in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I, and in football, in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).
The Monmouth Hawks refer to the 23 sports teams representing Monmouth University in West Long Branch, New Jersey. The Hawks compete in the NCAA Division I and are members of the Coastal Athletic Association, joining on July 1, 2022. The football team became an FCS Independent for the 2013 season, and moved to the Big South Conference on July 1, 2014. The women's bowling program was a charter member of the Southland Bowling League, a single-sport conference formed in January 2015, but moved that sport to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference after the 2017–18 season, and will return to the Northeast Conference, in which Monmouth had been a full member from 1985 to 2013, as a single-sport member for 2024–25 and beyond.
The 2010–2014 NCAA conference realignment was a set of extensive changes in conference membership at all three levels of NCAA competition—Division I, Division II, and Division III—beginning in the 2010–11 academic year.
The 2012 Monmouth Hawks Devils football team represented Monmouth University in the 2012 NCAA Division I FCS football season as a member of the Northeast Conference. They were led by 20th- year head coach Kevin Callahan and played their home games at Kessler Field. They finished the season 5–5 overall and 4–3 in NEC play to place third.
The 2013 NCAA Division I FCS football season, part of college football in the United States, was organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level. The season began on August 29, 2013, and concluded with the 2014 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game on January 4, 2014, at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. North Dakota State won its third consecutive title, defeating Towson, 35–7.
The 2014 Monmouth Hawks football team represented Monmouth University in the 2014 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by 22nd-year head coach Kevin Callahan and played their home games at Kessler Field. After playing one season as in independent in 2013, they were first year members of the Big South Conference in 2014. Monmouth finished the season 6–5 overall and 1–4 in Big South play to place fifth.
The 2014 Liberty Flames football team represented Liberty University in the 2014 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by third-year head coach Turner Gill and played their home games at Williams Stadium. They were a member of the Big South Conference. They finished the season 9–4, 4–1 in Big South play to share the conference championship with Coastal Carolina. They received the Big South's automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs where they defeated James Madison in the first round before losing in the second round to Villanova.
The Gridiron Classic was an annual post-season college football game played from 2006 through 2009. It featured the conference champions from the Pioneer Football League (PFL) and Northeast Conference (NEC), conferences within NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), formerly known as Division I-AA. The game did not have a set location; it was hosted at the home stadium of one of the participants, alternating between NEC and PFL each playing.
The 2017 Northern Iowa Panthers football team represented the University of Northern Iowa in the 2017 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The team was coached by Mark Farley in his 17th season and played their home games in the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa as members of the Missouri Valley Football Conference. They finished the season 8–5, 6–2 in MVFC play to finish in a tie for second place. The Panthers received an at-large bid to the FCS Playoffs where they defeated Monmouth in the first round before losing in the second round to South Dakota State.
The 2017 Lehigh Mountain Hawks football team represented Lehigh University in the 2017 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Mountain Hawks were led by 12th-year head coach Andy Coen and played their home games at Goodman Stadium. They were a member of the Patriot League. They finished the season 5–7, 5–1 in Patriot League play to finish in a tie for the Patriot League championship with Colgate. Due to their head-to-head win over Colgate, Lehigh received the Patriot League's automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs where they lost to Stony Brook in the first round.
The 2017 Monmouth Hawks football team represented Monmouth University in the 2017 NCAA Division I FCS football season as a member of the Big South Conference. They were led by 25th-year head coach Kevin Callahan and played their home games at Kessler Field in West Long Branch, New Jersey. Monmouth finished the season 9–3 overall a nd 4–1 in Big South play to place in second. The Hawks received an at-large bid to the FCS Playoffs marking the school's first playoff berth. There they lost to Northern Iowa in the first round.
The 2018 Monmouth Hawks football team represented Monmouth University in the 2018 NCAA Division I FCS football season as a member of the Big South Conference. They were led by 26th-year head coach Kevin Callahan and played their home games at Kessler Field in West Long Branch, New Jersey Monmouth finished the season 8–3 overall and 4–1 in Big South play to place second.
The 2019 Holy Cross Crusaders football team represented the College of the Holy Cross as a member of the Patriot League during the 2019 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by second-year head coach Bob Chesney, Holy Cross compiled an overall record of 7–6 with a mark of 5–1 in conference play, winning the Patriot League title. The Crusaders advanced to the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs, where they lost in the first round to Monmouth. They played their home games at Fitton Field in Worcester, Massachusetts.
The 2019 Monmouth Hawks football team represented Monmouth University in the 2019 NCAA Division I FCS football season as a member of the Big South Conference. They were led by 27th-year head coach Kevin Callahan and played their home games at Kessler Field in West Long Branch, New Jersey. Monmouth finished the season 11–3 overall and 6–0 in Big South play to win the conference title. The Hawks received the Big South's automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs. They defeated Holy Cross in the first round before losing to James Madison in the second round.
The 2020 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game that determined a national champion in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision for the 2019 season. It was played at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, on January 11, 2020, with kickoff at 12:00 p.m. EST, and television coverage on ABC. It was the culminating game of the 2019 FCS Playoffs.
The 2008 Monmouth Hawks football team represented Monmouth University in the 2008 NCAA Division I FCS football season as a member of the Northeast Conference (NEC). The Hawks were led by 16th-year head coach Kevin Callahan and played their home games at Kessler Field. They finished the season 7–4 overall and 6–1 in NEC play to place second.
The 2006 Monmouth Hawks football team represented Monmouth University in the 2006 NCAA Division I FCS football season as a member of the Northeast Conference (NEC). The Hawks were led by 14th-year head coach Kevin Callahan and played their home games at Kessler Field. They finished the season 10–2 overall and 6–1 in NEC play to win the conference championship. As the team with the best record in the NEC, they were invited to participate in the Gridiron Classic, which they lost 27–7 to San Diego.
The 2021 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game played to determine a national champion in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision for the 2020–21 season. It was played at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, on May 16, 2021. It was the culminating game of the 2020–21 FCS Playoffs. The Sam Houston State Bearkats defeated the South Dakota State Jackrabbits, 23–21.
The Big South–OVC Football Association is an association of football members of the Big South Conference and Ohio Valley Conference (OVC). The Big South–OVC covers the American Midwest and South with member institutions located in Illinois, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
