Atlantic 10 Conference

Last updated
Atlantic 10 Conference
Atlantic 10 Conference logo.svg
FormerlyEastern Collegiate Basketball League (1976–77)
Eastern Athletic Association (1977–82)
Eastern 8 (unofficial, 1976–82)
Association NCAA
Founded1976
CommissionerBernadette McGlade
Sports fielded
  • 22
    • men's: 10
    • women's: 12
Division Division I
Subdivisionnon-football
No. of teams15 (14 in 2025)
Headquarters Washington, D.C., U.S.
Region Eastern United States
Midwestern United States
Official website www.atlantic10.com
Locations
Atlantic 10 Conference map.svg

The Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10) is a collegiate athletic conference whose schools compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Division I. The A-10's member schools are located mostly on the East Coast and Midwest of the United States: Illinois, Massachusetts, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.

Contents

Although some of its members are state-funded, half of its membership is made up of private, Catholic institutions. Despite the name, there are 15 full-time members in the conference; three affiliate members participate in women's field hockey and men's lacrosse.

The conference's commissioner since 2008 is Bernadette McGlade. In fall, 2023, the A-10 moved its headquarters from Newport News, Virginia, to Washington, D.C.

History

Atlantic 10 Conference
Atlantic 10 Conference
Invisible Square.svg
Mapscaleline.svg
300km
200miles
Red pog.svg
St. Bonaventure
Black pog.svg
Hobart
Black pog.svg
High Point
Red pog.svg
Loyola Chicago
Red pog.svg
Saint Louis
Red pog.svg
Dayton
Red pog.svg
Duquesne
Red pog.svg
Davidson
Red pog.svg
George Mason
Red pog.svg
GWU
Red pog.svg
Richmond
Red pog.svg
VCU
Red pog.svg
La Salle
Red pog.svg
Saint Joseph's
Black pog.svg
Lock Haven
Red pog.svg
Fordham
Red pog.svg
URI
Orange pog.svg
UMass
  
Locations of A-10 members Red pog.svg Full member Black pog.svg Associate member Orange pog.svg Departing member

Early History

The Atlantic 10 Conference was founded in 1975 as the Eastern Collegiate Basketball League (ECBL) and began conference play in 1976. At that time, basketball was its only sport. After its first season, it added sports other than basketball and changed its name to the Eastern Athletic Association. However, despite its official names, it was popularly known as the Eastern 8, as it then had eight members (Villanova, Duquesne, Penn State, West Virginia, George Washington, Massachusetts, Pittsburgh, and Rutgers).

After changes in membership that saw charter members Villanova and Pittsburgh leave (in 1980 and 1982, respectively) and new members St. Bonaventure (1979), Rhode Island (1980), Saint Joseph's (1982), and Temple (1982) enter, establishing the league with 10 members, the conference adopted the current Atlantic 10 name in 1982.

Expansion, Contraction, and Football

Further membership changes saw the league expand to its maximum of 16 members. From 1997 through 2006, the league also operated a football conference; during that period, more than 20 schools were participating in A-10 competition in at least one sport. This ended when the A-10 football programs all departed to join a new football conference sponsored by the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA; now known as the Coastal Athletic Association). In 2012, Butler joined the conference after leaving the Horizon League and VCU joined after leaving the CAA.

Conference Realignments and Expanding Media Presence

Conference realignment in 2013 saw the departure of Temple to the American Athletic Conference, Butler and Xavier to the reconfigured Big East, and Charlotte to Conference USA. George Mason joined from the CAA, and Davidson from the Southern Conference announced it would join in 2014.

The league headquarters is located in Washington, DC. In the Fall of 2023 they relocated the HQ from Newport News, Virginia where it had been located since fall 2009. [1] Prior to that, the headquarters was in Philadelphia, within a few miles of member schools Saint Joseph's and La Salle.

The conference currently has media deals with ESPN, CBS Sports Network, NBC Sports, and digital broadcasts with ESPN+.

On November 16, 2021, Loyola University Chicago announced that its athletic program - the Loyola Ramblers - would leave the Missouri Valley Conference and join the A-10 effective July 1, 2022. [2] On May 23, 2022, the addition of men's lacrosse was announced for the 2023 season. The four full members that sponsor the sport (Richmond, St. Bonaventure, Saint Joseph's, UMass) were joined by new affiliate members High Point and Hobart. [3]

On December 14, 2023, the conference announced a five-year media deal with its current affiliates, ESPN, CBS, and NBC. The deal would expand basketball coverage and revenue for the schools. The first year of the new contract is the 2024-2025 season and runs through the 2028-29 season. [4]

In late February 2024, it was announced that the 2024-25 season for UMass sports will be the last season as members of the Atlantic 10. The Minutemen will rejoin the Mid-American Conference (MAC) as a full member beginning in 2025. [5] [6]

Member schools

Current members

Full members

The following is a list of the full members of the conference and the year they joined:

InstitutionLocationFoundedJoinedTypeEnrollmentEndowment
(millions)
NicknameColors
Davidson College Davidson, North Carolina 18372014Private – Presbyterian
(PCUSA)
1,843$1,300 Wildcats    
University of Dayton Dayton, Ohio 18501995Private – Catholic
(Marianists)
11,241$770 Flyers    
Duquesne University Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 18781976;
1993 [lower-alpha 1]
Private – Catholic
(Spiritans)
9,274$472.1 Dukes    
Fordham University Bronx, New York 18411995Private – Catholic
(Jesuit)
16,515$972 Rams    
George Mason University Fairfax, Virginia [lower-alpha 2] 19572013Public35,047$189.2 Patriots    
George Washington University Washington, D.C. 18211976Private – Non-sectarian28,172$2,400 Revolutionaries    
La Salle University Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 18631995Private – Catholic
(De La Salle Brothers)
5,191$80 Explorers    
Loyola University Chicago Chicago, Illinois 18702022Private – Catholic
(Jesuit)
16,437 [7] $1,072 Ramblers    
University of Massachusetts Amherst [lower-alpha 3] Amherst, Massachusetts 18631976Public
(University of Massachusetts)
30,593$494 Minutemen and Minutewomen    
University of Rhode Island [lower-alpha 3] Kingston, Rhode Island 18921980Public16,883$203 Rams      
University of Richmond [lower-alpha 3] Richmond, Virginia 18402001Private – Non-sectarian4,002$3,100 Spiders    
St. Bonaventure University St. Bonaventure, New York 18581979Private – Catholic
(Franciscan)
2,381$92.3 Bonnies    
Saint Joseph's University Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 18511982Private – Catholic
(Jesuit)
7,589$378.8 Hawks    
Saint Louis University St. Louis, Missouri 18182005Private – Catholic
(Jesuit)
12,883$1,400 Billikens    
Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, Virginia 18382012Public31,076$2,720 Rams    
Notes
  1. Duquesne left the A-10 for the Midwestern Collegiate Conference (now known as the Horizon League) only for the 1992–93 school year, but returned to the A-10 effective the 1993–94 school year.
  2. While the main campus has a Fairfax mailing address, it is located in an area of unincorporated Fairfax County designated by the US Census Bureau as George Mason, Virginia.
  3. 1 2 3 Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Richmond also played football within the A-10 from the 1997 to the 2006 fall seasons (1997–98 to 2006–07 school years) after the Yankee Conference was absorbed. However, Richmond's primary conference until the 2000-01 school year was the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA).

Associate members

The "joined" column indicates the calendar year in which each school became an A-10 associate, which for spring sports such as lacrosse is the year before the first season of competition.

InstitutionLocationFoundedJoinedTypeEnrollmentNicknamePrimary
conference
A-10
sport
High Point University High Point, North Carolina 19242022Private
(Methodist)
4,545 Panthers Big South Men's lacrosse
Hobart College Geneva, New York 18222022Private – Nonsectarian2,105 Statesmen Liberty
(NCAA D-III)
Men's lacrosse
Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania Lock Haven, Pennsylvania 18702010Public
(PASSHE)
3,425 Bald Eagles PSAC
(NCAA D-II)
Field hockey

Former members

Former full members

None of these institutions played football in the A-10 during their tenure as full members.

InstitutionLocationFoundedTypeEnrollmentJoinedLeftNicknameSubsequent
conference
Current
conference
Butler University Indianapolis, Indiana 1855Private4,66720122013 Bulldogs Big East (current)
University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, North Carolina 1946Public26,23220052013 49ers CUSA The American
Pennsylvania State University University Park, Pennsylvania 1855Public45,3511976;
1982
1979;
1991
Nittany Lions Big Ten
University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 1787Public28,76619761982 Panthers Big East (original) ACC
Rutgers University New Brunswick, New Jersey 1766Public58,78819761995 Scarlet Knights Big East/The American [lower-alpha 1] Big Ten
Temple University Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1884Public38,64819822013 Owls The American
Villanova University Villanova, Pennsylvania 1842Private10,48219761980 Wildcats Big East (original) Big East (current)
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg, Virginia 1872Public31,08719952000 Hokies Big East (original) ACC
West Virginia University Morgantown, West Virginia 1867Public29,70719761995 Mountaineers Big East (original) Big 12
Xavier University Cincinnati, Ohio 1831Private6,65019952013 Musketeers Big East (current)
Notes
  1. Rutgers spent one season in the renamed American Athletic Conference before joining the Big Ten in the 2014–15 school year.

Former associate members

InstitutionLocationFoundedTypeEnrollmentJoinedLeftNicknamePrimary
conference
A-10
sport
Saint Francis University Loretto, Pennsylvania 1847Private - Catholic
(Franciscan)
2,4492013-142019-20 Red Flash NEC Field hockey
West Chester University West Chester, Pennsylvania 1880Public
(PASSHE)
13,271 (full-time)
2,576 (part-time)
1996–972010–11 Golden Rams PSAC
(NCAA D-II)
field hockey

Former football-only members

After expansion in the Colonial Athletic Association brought that conference to 6 football-playing schools, it was agreed that the CAA would take over management of the Atlantic 10's football conference starting in the 2007–08 school year as the legally separate entity of CAA Football. All the schools on this list (except Boston U. and Connecticut) were in the A-10 football conference when it became CAA Football, but Hofstra and Northeastern discontinued their football programs after the 2009–10 school year. Membership dates include time in the Yankee Conference (which was an all-sports conference from the 1947–48 to 1975–76 seasons, and a football-only conference after that) which merged into the A-10 in the 1997–98 school year.

InstitutionLocationFoundedTypeEnrollmentJoinedLeftNicknamePrimary
conference
Boston University Boston, Massachusetts 1839Private29,9781973–741997–98 [lower-alpha 1] Terriers Independent (1975–76 to 1978–79)
America East (1979–80 to 2012–13)
Patriot League (2013–14 to present)
University of Connecticut Storrs, Connecticut 1881Public25,5831947–481999–2000 [lower-alpha 2] Huskies Independent (1975–76 to 1978–79)
Big East (1979–80 to 2012–13)
The American (2013–14 to 2019–20)
Big East (2020–21 to present)
University of Delaware Newark, Delaware 1743Public19,3911986–872006–07 Fightin' Blue Hens East Coast (1986–87 to 1990–91)
America East (1991–92 to 2000–01)
CAA (2001–02 to present)
Hofstra University Hempstead, New York 1935Private12,4002001–022006–07 [lower-alpha 3] Pride CAA (2001–02 to present)
James Madison University Harrisonburg, Virginia 1908Public19,9271993–942006–07 Dukes CAA (1979–80 to 2021–22)
SBC (2022–23 to present)
University of Maine Orono, Maine 1865Public10,9011947–482006–07 Black Bears Independent (1975–76 to 1978–79)
America East (1979–80 to present)
University of New Hampshire Durham, New Hampshire 1866Public11,9421947–482006–07 Wildcats Independent (1975–76 to 1978–79)
America East (1979–80 to present)
Northeastern University Boston, Massachusetts 1898Private12,9131993–942006–07 [lower-alpha 4] Huskies America East (1979–80 to 2004–05)
CAA (2005–06 to present)
Towson University Towson, Maryland 1866Public21,9502004–052006–07 Tigers CAA (1979–80 to 1980–81; 2001–02 to present)
Villanova University [lower-alpha 5] Villanova, Pennsylvania 1842Private10,4821988–892006–07 Wildcats Big East (1980–81 to 2012–13)
Big East (2013–14 to present)
The College of William & Mary Williamsburg, Virginia 1693Public8,2581993–942006–07 Tribe CAA (1979–80 to present)
Notes
  1. Boston University dropped football after the 1997 fall season (1997–98 school year).
  2. UConn moved to FBS after the 1999 fall season (1999–2000 school year), and eventually joined the Big East for that sport in the 2004–05 season.
  3. Hofstra dropped football after the 2009 fall season (2009–10 school year).
  4. Northeastern dropped football after the 2009 fall season (2009–10 school year).
  5. Villanova was originally a charter and full member of the A-10 from 1976–77 to 1979–80 in all sports except football.

Membership timeline

Loyola University ChicagoDavidson CollegeGeorge Mason UniversityVirginia Commonwealth UniversityBig East ConferenceButler UniversitySaint Louis UniversityAmerican Athletic ConferenceConference USAUniversity of North Carolina at CharlotteCoastal Athletic Association Football ConferenceTowson UniversityCoastal Athletic Association Football ConferenceHofstra UniversityUniversity of RichmondCoastal Athletic Association Football ConferenceCollege of William & MaryCoastal Athletic Association Football ConferenceNortheastern UniversityCoastal Athletic Association Football ConferenceUniversity of New HampshireCoastal Athletic Association Football ConferenceUniversity of MaineSun Belt ConferenceCoastal Athletic Association Football ConferenceJames Madison UniversityCoastal Athletic Association Football ConferenceUniversity of DelawareAmerican Athletic ConferenceBig East Conference (1979–2013)University of ConnecticutBoston UniversityLa Salle UniversityFordham UniversityUniversity of DaytonBig East ConferenceXavier UniversityAtlantic Coast ConferenceBig East Conference (1979–2013)Virginia TechSaint Joseph's UniversityAmerican Athletic ConferenceTemple UniversityUniversity of Rhode IslandSt. Bonaventure UniversityGeorge Washington UniversityHorizon LeagueDuquesne UniversityMid-American ConferenceUniversity of Massachusetts AmherstBig 12 ConferenceBig East Conference (1979–2013)West Virginia UniversityBig Ten ConferenceAmerican Athletic ConferenceBig East Conference (1979–2013)Rutgers UniversityBig Ten ConferencePennsylvania State UniversityAtlantic Coast ConferenceBig East Conference (1979–2013)University of PittsburghBig East ConferenceBig East Conference (1979–2013)Villanova UniversityAtlantic 10 Conference

Full membersFull members (non-football)Associate members (football only)Assoc. member (list sports)
Notes
* - Virginia Tech did not participate in wrestling.

Atlantic 10 rivalries

There are a number of intense rivalries within the Atlantic 10,[ under discussion ] with rivalries that carry over from the Big 5 which includes Saint Joseph's, La Salle, and Temple (now in the American Athletic Conference). URI and UMass also have a long-standing rivalry. St. Bonaventure and Duquesne also maintain a rivalry that predates their affiliation with the conference. UMass and Temple also had a basketball rivalry while John Chaney was coaching Temple but it has died down a bit since, and even more so now that Temple has left the conference. Due to both teams sharing the Ram mascot, the Fordham - URI rivalry has increased in recent years as the competitions are heralded as "The Battle of the Rams." The long-standing crosstown rivalry between Richmond and VCU, now known as the Capital City Classic, became a conference rivalry with VCU's arrival in the A10. Rivals St. Louis and Dayton play each year in basketball for the Arch-Baron Cup. George Washington and George Mason compete annually in the Revolutionary Rivalry across all sports.

Sports

In the 2021–22 academic year, the Atlantic 10 Conference sponsors championship competition in nine men's and twelve women's NCAA sanctioned sports, with lacrosse becoming the 10th sponsored men's sport in 2022–23. [8] In addition to the 15 full members, two Pennsylvania schools, Lock Haven and Saint Francis, are affiliate members in field hockey. High Point and Hobart became men's lacrosse affiliates in July 2022.

A-10 Conference teams
SportMen'sWomen's
Baseball
12
Basketball
15
15
Cross Country
15
15
Field Hockey
9
Golf
11
Lacrosse
4
10
Rowing
9
Soccer
14
15
Softball
10
Swimming & Diving
8
11
Tennis
10
13
Track and Field (Indoor)
10
14
Track and Field (Outdoor)
13
15
Volleyball
10

    Men's sponsored sports by school

    SchoolBaseballBasketballCross
    Country
    GolfLacrosseSoccerSwimming
    & Diving
    TennisTrack & Field
    (Indoor)
    Track & Field
    (Outdoor)
    Total
    A-10 Sports
    DavidsonYesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesYesYes9
    DaytonYesYesYesYesNoYesNoYesNoNo6
    DuquesneNoYesYesNoNoYesNoYesNoYes5
    FordhamYesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesYesYes9
    George MasonYesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesYesYes9
    George WashingtonYesYesYesYesNoYesYesNoNoYes7
    La SalleNo [lower-alpha 1] YesYesYesNoYesYesNoYesYes7
    Loyola ChicagoNoYesYesYesNoYesNoNoYesYes6
    MassachusettsYesYesYesNoYes [lower-alpha 2] YesYesNoYesYes8
    Rhode IslandYesYesYesYesNoYesNoNoYesYes7
    RichmondYesYesYesYesYesNoNoYesNoNo6
    St. BonaventureYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesNoYes [lower-alpha 3] 9
    Saint Joseph'sYesYesYesYesYesYesNoYesYesYes9
    Saint LouisYesYesYesNoNoYesYesYesYesYes8
    VCUYesYesYesYesNoYesNoYesYesYes8
    Associate Members
    High PointYes1
    HobartYes1
    Totals121515114+2148101012.5 [lower-alpha 3] 113+2
    Notes
    1. La Salle will reinstate baseball beginning in the 2026 season (2025-26 academic year) [9]
    2. UMass has requested to remain as an A-10 associate in men's lacrosse, a sport not sponsored by the Mid-American Conference. The A-10 is not expected to vote on this request before May 2024. [10]
    3. 1 2 St. Bonaventure sponsors an outdoor distance track program but does not participate in short distance or field events. [11]
    Men's varsity sports not sponsored by the Atlantic 10 Conference which are played by A-10 schools
    SchoolFootballIce hockeyRowing [lower-alpha 1] Sailing [lower-alpha 2] Squash [lower-alpha 3] VolleyballWater poloWrestling
    Davidson Pioneer NoNoNoNoNoNo SoCon
    Dayton Pioneer NoNoNoNoNoNoNo
    Duquesne Northeast NoNoNoNoNoNoNo
    Fordham Patriot NoNo IRA MAISA No CWPA N No
    George MasonNoNoNoNoNo EIVA No MAC
    George WashingtonNoNoNoNoNoNo CWPA SE No
    La SalleNoNoIRANoNoNoNoNo
    Loyola ChicagoNoNoNoNoNo MIVA NoNo
    Massachusetts FBS Independent Hockey East NoNoNoNoNoNo
    Rhode Island CAA Football NoNo NEISA NoNoNoNo
    Richmond CAA Football NoNoNoNoNoNoNo
    St. BonaventureNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
    Saint Joseph'sNoNo IRA NoNoNoNoNo
    Notes
    1. Men's rowing is sanctioned by the Intercollegiate Rowing Association, not by the NCAA.
    2. Intercollegiate sailing is sanctioned by the Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association, not by the NCAA.
    3. Squash is sanctioned by the College Squash Association (CSA), not by the NCAA.

    Women's sponsored sports by school

    SchoolBasketballCross
    Country
    Field
    Hockey
    LacrosseRowingSoccerSoftballSwimming
    & Diving
    TennisTrack & Field
    (Indoor)
    Track & Field
    (Outdoor)
    VolleyballTotal
    A-10 Sports
    DavidsonYesYesYesYesNoYesNoYesYesYesYesYes10
    DaytonYesYesNoNoYesYesYesNoYesYesYesYes9
    DuquesneYesYesNoYesYesYesNoYesYesYesYesYes10
    FordhamYesYesNoNoYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes10
    George MasonYesYesNoYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes11
    George WashingtonYesYesNoYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes11
    La SalleYesYesYesYesYesYesNoYesNoYesYesNo9
    Loyola ChicagoYesYesNoNoNoYesYesNoNoYesYesYes7
    MassachusettsYesYesYesYesYes [lower-alpha 1] YesYesYesYesYesYesNo11
    Rhode IslandYesYesNoNo [lower-alpha 2] YesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes10
    RichmondYesYesYesYesNoYesNoYesYesYesYesNo9
    St. BonaventureYesYesNoYesNoYesYesYesYesNoYes [lower-alpha 3] No8
    Saint Joseph'sYesYesYesYesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesNo10
    Saint LouisYesYesYesNoNoYesYesYesYesYesYesYes10
    VCUYesYesYesYesNoYesNoNoYesYesYesYes9
    Associate Members
    Lock HavenYes1
    Totals15157+1109151011131414.5 [lower-alpha 3] 10143+1
    Notes
    1. UMass has requested to remain as an A-10 associate in rowing, a sport not sponsored by the Mid-American Conference. The A-10 is not expected to vote on this request before May 2024. [10]
    2. Rhode Island will add women's lacrosse in 2024 (2025 season). [12]
    3. 1 2 St. Bonaventure sponsors an outdoor distance track program but does not participate in short distance or field events.
    Women's varsity sports not sponsored by the Atlantic 10 Conference which are played by A-10 schools
    SchoolAcrobatics & tumbling [lower-alpha 1] BowlingGolfGymnasticsRugby [lower-alpha 1] Sailing [lower-alpha 2] Squash [lower-alpha 3] Triathlon [lower-alpha 1] Water polo
    DaytonNoNo MAAC NoNoNoNoNoNo
    Duquesne [lower-alpha 4] Northeast [lower-alpha 4] NoNoNoNoIndependentNo
    FordhamNoNoNoNoNo MAISA NoNoNo
    George WashingtonNoNoNo EAGL NoMAISACSANoNo
    La Salle [lower-alpha 5] No MAAC No [lower-alpha 5] NoNo [lower-alpha 5] MAAC
    Loyola ChicagoNoNo MAAC NoNoNoNoNoNo
    RichmondNoNo Patriot League NoNoNoNoNoNo
    Saint Joseph'sNoNo [lower-alpha 6] NoNoNoNoNoNo
    Notes
    1. 1 2 3 Part of the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program.
    2. Intercollegiate sailing is sanctioned by the Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association, not by the NCAA.
    3. Squash is sanctioned by the College Squash Association (CSA), not by the NCAA.
    4. 1 2 Duquesne will add acrobatics & tumbling and golf in 2024–25.
    5. 1 2 3 La Salle will add acrobatics & tumbling, rugby, and triathlon in 2025–26.
    6. Saint Joseph's will add golf in 2024–25. [13]

    Current tournament champions

    The Atlantic 10 Conference sponsors championship competition in 10 men's and 12 women's NCAA sanctioned sport. [14]

    Regular-season champions are indicated with "(RS)" and tournament champions with "(T)".

    SeasonSportMen's
    champion
    Women's
    champion
    Fall 2023Cross CountryLoyolaLoyola
    Field Hockey Saint Joseph's (RS & T)
    SoccerVCU (RS)
    Dayton (T)
    Saint Louis (RS & T)
    Volleyball Dayton (RS & T)
    Winter 2023–24Basketball Loyola & Richmond (RS)
    Duquesne (T)
    Richmond (RS & T)
    Swimming & DivingGeorge WashingtonGeorge Washington
    Track & field (Indoor)Rhode IslandVCU
    Spring 2023GolfDavidson 
    TennisVCUFordham
    LacrosseSaint Joseph's (RS)
    Richmond (T)
    UMass (RS)
    Richmond (T)
    Baseball Saint Joseph's (RS)
    George Mason (T)
     
    Softball Saint Louis (RS)
    George Mason (T)
    Rowing George Washington
    Track & field (Outdoor)Rhode IslandGeorge Mason

      Football (1997–2006)

      Origin

      The A-10 began sponsoring football in 1997 when it absorbed the Yankee Conference, a Division I-AA (now known as Division I FCS) football-only conference. The move was triggered by a change in NCAA rules that reduced the influence of single-sport conferences over NCAA legislation. The following teams were in the Yankee Conference at the time of its demise:

      Boston University dropped football after the first season of A-10 football. After the 1999 season, UConn started a transition from Division I-AA to Division I-A football (now Division I FBS) that was completed in 2002. In 2004, UConn, already a member of the Big East for other sports, became a football member of that conference. The other schools all remained in the A-10 football conference until the management change after the 2006 season.

      Football champions

      SeasonRegular Season Champion
      1997Villanova
      1998Richmond
      1999James Madison, Massachusetts
      2000Delaware, Richmond
      2001Hofstra, Maine, Villanova, William & Mary
      2002Maine, Northeastern
      2003Delaware, Massachusetts
      2004Delaware, James Madison, William & Mary
      2005New Hampshire, Richmond
      2006Massachusetts

      Demise/"Rename"

      The 2005 move of Northeastern University, a football-only member of the A-10, to the Colonial Athletic Association for basketball and Olympic sports began a chain of events that would lead to the demise of the A-10 football conference, at least under the A-10 banner.

      At that time, the CAA did not sponsor football, but five of its members in the 2004–05 academic year (Delaware, Hofstra, James Madison, Towson, and William & Mary) were football members of the A-10. The addition of Northeastern gave the CAA six schools with football programs, which under NCAA rules allows a conference to sponsor football. Northeastern agreed to join any future CAA football conference, which meant that the A-10 football conference would drop to six members once CAA football began operation.

      With six football members in place, the CAA decided to start a football conference in 2007. The league then invited Richmond, a member of the CAA from 1983 to 2001, to rejoin for football only, because of UR's long-standing in-state rivalries with William & Mary and James Madison. UR accepted the invitation, taking the A-10 football conference below the NCAA minimum of six. Shortly after this, the A-10 football conference opted to disband, with all of its members becoming charter members of the CAA football conference. This league continues to operate under the administration of the multi-sports CAA, now known as the Coastal Athletic Association, as the legally separate entity of CAA Football (in full, the Coastal Athletic Association Football Conference).

      A-10 schools in DI-A/FBS

      A-10 charter members Penn State, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, West Virginia, and Villanova played I-A football as independents while members of the A-10 in other sports. Villanova became a member of the Big East in 1980 with Pittsburgh following in 1982. Temple joined the A-10 that year. Penn State joined the Big Ten in 1991 (effectively in 1993), and three A-10 members joined the Big East as football-only members: Rutgers, West Virginia, and Temple (only Rutgers and West Virginia would later join the Big East as full members in 1995).

      Virginia Tech joined the A-10 in 1995 as a result of the merger that created Conference USA. They would then join the Big East as full members in 2000, following the football program which was already a member of the league. Temple remained a football-only member of the Big East until 2004; they would join the MAC for football in 2007 until 2012, and re-joined the Big East in football for the 2012 season. Temple planned to move the rest of its sports into the Big East in 2013, but the conference realigned into the football-sponsoring American Athletic Conference and a new non-football Big East. Temple joined The American. Massachusetts joined them in FBS football with membership in the MAC beginning in the 2012 season and as an FBS independent beginning in 2016. Charlotte, which started a football program in 2013, left for Conference USA and eventually joined The American in 2023.

      A-10 schools in DI-A/FBS
      Schools Currently in the A-10Schools formerly in the A-10
      MassachusettsPenn State
      Pittsburgh
      Rutgers
      Temple
      Virginia Tech
      West Virginia
      Charlotte

      Facilities

      SchoolBasketball arenaCapacityBaseball stadiumCapacitySoccer stadiumCapacity
      Davidson John M. Belk Arena 5,223 T. Henry Wilson, Jr. Field 700 1992 Team Field at Alumni Stadium 2,000
      Dayton University of Dayton Arena 13,435 Woerner Field 500 Baujan Field 2,000
      Duquesne UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse 3,500Non-baseball school Rooney Field 2,200
      Fordham Rose Hill Gymnasium 3,200 Houlihan Park 500 Coffey Field 7,000
      George Mason EagleBank Arena 10,000 Spuhler Field 900 George Mason Stadium 5,000
      George Washington Smith Center 4,338 Barcroft Park 1,000 Mount Vernon Athletic Fields
      La Salle Tom Gola Arena 3,400Non-baseball school McCarthy Stadium 7,500
      Loyola Chicago Joseph J. Gentile Arena 4,963Non-baseball school Loyola Soccer Park 1,000
      UMass Mullins Center 9,493 Earl Lorden Field Rudd Field 2,000
      Rhode Island Ryan Center 8,000 Bill Beck Field 1,000 URI Soccer Complex 1,547
      Richmond Robins Center 7,201 Malcolm U. Pitt Field 600Presidents Field500
      St. Bonaventure Reilly Center 5,480 Fred Handler Park McGraw-Jennings Field
      Saint Joseph's Hagan Arena 4,200 Smithson Field 400 Sweeney Field 3,000
      Saint Louis Chaifetz Arena 10,600 Billiken Sports Center 500 Hermann Stadium 6,050
      VCU Stuart C. Siegel Center 7,617 The Diamond 9,560 Sports Backers Stadium 3,250

        Related Research Articles

        <span class="mw-page-title-main">Big East Conference (1979–2013)</span> U.S. college athletic conference, 1979–2013

        The Big East Conference was a collegiate athletics conference that consisted of as many as 16 universities in the eastern half of the United States from 1979 to 2013. The conference's members participated in 24 NCAA sports. The conference had a history of success at the national level in basketball throughout its history, while its shorter football program, created by inviting one college and four other "associate members" into the conference, resulted in two national championships.

        <span class="mw-page-title-main">Mid-American Conference</span> U.S. college sports conference

        The Mid-American Conference (MAC) is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I collegiate athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Nine of the twelve full member schools are in Ohio and Michigan, with single members located in Illinois, Indiana, and New York. For football, the MAC participates in the NCAA's Football Bowl Subdivision.

        <span class="mw-page-title-main">NCAA Division I FBS independent schools</span> Four-year institutions whose football programs are not part of an NCAA-affiliated conference

        National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Football Bowl Subdivision independent schools are four-year institutions whose football programs are not part of an NCAA-affiliated conference. This means that FBS independents are not required to schedule each other for competition like conference schools do.

        <span class="mw-page-title-main">Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference</span> U.S. college athletic conference

        The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with NCAA Division I. Its current 11 full members are located in four Northeastern states: Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, and Maryland. It was announced on October 23, 2023 that Sacred Heart University and Merrimack College will join the conference beginning in the 2024-25 season.

        <span class="mw-page-title-main">Northeast Conference</span> D-1 college athletic conference

        The Northeast Conference (NEC) is a collegiate athletic conference whose schools are members of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Teams in the NEC compete in Division I for all sports; football competes in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). Participating schools are located principally in the Northeastern United States, from which the conference derives its name.

        <span class="mw-page-title-main">America East Conference</span> US collegiate athletic conference

        The America East Conference (AmEast) is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with NCAA Division I whose members are located in the Northeastern United States. The conference is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts.

        <span class="mw-page-title-main">Coastal Athletic Association</span> US collegiate athletic conference

        The Coastal Athletic Association (CAA), formerly the Colonial Athletic Association, is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division I whose full members are located in East Coast states, from Massachusetts to South Carolina. Most of its members are public universities, and the conference is headquartered in Richmond. The CAA was historically a Southern conference until the addition of four schools in the Northeastern United States after the turn of the 21st century, which added geographic balance to the conference.

        <span class="mw-page-title-main">NCAA Division I</span> Highest division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association

        NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athletic powers, with large budgets, more elaborate and nicer facilities and a few more athletic scholarships than Divisions II and III as well as many smaller schools committed to the highest level of intercollegiate competition.

        The Yankee Conference was a collegiate sports conference in the eastern United States. From 1947 to 1976, it sponsored competition in many sports, but was a football-only league from mid-1976 until its dissolution in 1996. It is essentially the ancestor of today's CAA Football, the legally separate football league operated by the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA), and the continuation of the New England Conference, though all three leagues were founded under different charters and are considered separate conferences by the NCAA. Also, CAA Football does not recognize the New England Conference as one of its predecessors, though it does recognize the Yankee Conference as such.

        <span class="mw-page-title-main">UMass Minutemen and Minutewomen</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of University of Massachusetts Amherst

        The UMass Minutemen are the athletic teams that represent the University of Massachusetts Amherst; strictly speaking, the Minutemen nickname applies to men's teams and athletes only — women's teams and athletes are known as Minutewomen. The Minutemen and Minutewomen compete in NCAA Division I sports competition primarily as members of the Atlantic 10 Conference. UMass is one of only 16 universities in the nation that plays Division I FBS football and Division I men's ice hockey. The nickname is also applied to club teams that do not participate within the NCAA structure.

        <span class="mw-page-title-main">Temple Owls men's basketball</span> Mens basketball team of Temple University

        The Temple Owls men's basketball team represents Temple University in the sport of basketball. The Owls compete in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I as a member of the American Athletic Conference. They play their home games in the Liacouras Center on the university's main campus in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and are currently led by head coach Adam Fisher. Temple is the sixth-most winningest NCAA Division I men's college basketball program of all time, with 1,978 wins at the end of the 2022–23 season. Although they have reached the NCAA Tournament over thirty times, they are one of nine programs with that many appearances to have not won the Tournament and one of four to have never reached the National Championship Game.

        <span class="mw-page-title-main">2010–2014 NCAA conference realignment</span> Administrative process in the NCAA

        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.

        <span class="mw-page-title-main">Big East Conference</span> U.S. college athletic conference that began in 2013

        The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletic conference that competes in NCAA Division I in 10 men's sports and 12 women's sports. Headquartered in New York City, the 11 full-member schools are primarily located in Northeast and Midwest metropolitan areas. The conference was officially recognized as a Division I multi-sport conference on August 1, 2013, and since then conference members have won NCAA national championships in men's basketball, women's cross country, field hockey, men's lacrosse, and men's soccer. Val Ackerman is the commissioner.

        <span class="mw-page-title-main">American Athletic Conference</span> US college sports conference

        The American Athletic Conference (AAC), also known as the American, is a collegiate athletic conference in the United States featuring 14 full member universities and eight affiliate member universities that compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Division I, with its football teams competing in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). Member universities represent a range of private and public research universities of various enrollment sizes located primarily in urban metropolitan areas in the Northeastern, Midwestern, and Southern regions of the United States.

        <span class="mw-page-title-main">2010–2013 Colonial Athletic Association realignment</span> Multiyear realignment of a college athletic conference

        The 2010–2013 Colonial Athletic Association realignment refers to the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA), renamed in 2023 to the Coastal Athletic Association, and Colonial Athletic Association Football Conference dealing with several proposed and actual conference expansion and reduction plans among various NCAA conferences and institutions from 2010 to 2013. Some moves affected only the all-sports CAA; others affected only CAA Football; and still others affected both sides of the CAA. Moves that involved the overall CAA were part of a much larger NCAA conference realignment.

        <span class="mw-page-title-main">2021–2024 NCAA conference realignment</span> Changes in US college athletic conferences

        Beginning in the 2021–22 academic year, extensive changes occurred in NCAA conference membership, primarily at the Division I level.

        References

        1. "Atlantic 10 to relocate to Washington, DC". Atlantic 10. Atlantic 10 news story.
        2. Mikula, Jeremy. "Loyola is moving to the Atlantic 10 Conference in July after nearly a decade in the Missouri Valley". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2021-11-16.
        3. "Atlantic 10 Conference Adds Men's Lacrosse as 22nd Championship Sport" (Press release). Atlantic 10 Conference. May 23, 2022. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
        4. "Atlantic 10 Announces Media Rights Agreements with CBS Sports, ESPN, and NBC Sports".
        5. Withers, Tom (February 27, 2024). "UMass will join Mid-American Conference as a full sports member in 2025, MAC commissioner says". Associated Press . Retrieved February 27, 2024.
        6. Hernandez, Victoria (February 26, 2024). "UMass to join MAC conference, including previously independent football, per reports". USA Today . Retrieved February 27, 2024.
        7. "Loyola University Chicago | Loyola at a Glance Loyola at a Glance". Luc.edu. Archived from the original on October 14, 2016. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
        8. Atlantic 10 Conference Official Athletic Site. Atlantic10.com. Retrieved on 2013-08-21.
        9. "La Salle University Announces Addition of Four Varsity Sport Programs" (Press release). La Salle Explorers Athletics. April 17, 2024. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
        10. 1 2 Brown, Matt (March 7, 2024). "What I've been hearing about UMass, the MAC, CUSA, and realignment". Extra Points. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
        11. "Bona adds track program - Sports - the Buffalo News". Archived from the original on 2016-03-08. Retrieved 2015-09-25.
        12. "Rhode Island Athletics to Add Women's Lacrosse" (Press release). Rhode Island Rams. December 2, 2021. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
        13. "Saint Joseph's Athletics Announces Addition of Women's Golf Program" (Press release). Saint Joseph's Hawks. October 16, 2023. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
        14. "Atlantic 10 Conference Official Athletic Site". www.atlantic10.com.