Southern Conference

Not to be confused with Conference South, Big South Conference, Conference League South, or Southern Conference (NJCAA).

Southern Conference

Association	NCAA
Founded	1921;103 years ago (1921)
Commissioner	Michael Cross (since 2023)
Sports fielded	21 men's: 11 women's: 9 coeducational: 1
Division	Division I
Subdivision	FCS
No. of teams	10
Headquarters	Spartanburg, South Carolina
Region	Southeast
Official website	soconsports.com
Locations

The Southern Conference (SoCon) is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I. Southern Conference football teams compete in the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly known as Division I-AA). Member institutions are located in the states of Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. Established in 1921, the Southern Conference ranks as the fifth-oldest major college athletic conference in the United States, and either the third or fourth oldest in continuous operation, depending on definitions. ^{[1] [i]}

The Southern Conference is considered one of the stronger football conferences in the Football Championship Subdivision and is considered a mid-major conference in basketball. The three-time Division I NCAA Football champion Appalachian State Mountaineers were a member of the conference when they stunned the fifth-ranked Michigan Wolverines 34–32 on September 1, 2007. ^[2] The Davidson Wildcats reached the Elite Eight in the 2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament by upsetting power programs Gonzaga, Georgetown, and Wisconsin. ^[3] More recently, the six-time Division I NCAA football champion Georgia Southern Eagles stunned Southeastern Conference power-house Florida Gators 26–20 in The Swamp on November 23, 2013—the first loss to a lower-division opponent in the Florida program's history. ^[4] In 2015, Furman defeated UCF 16–15 and The Citadel topped South Carolina 23–22 for their second win over the Gamecocks in the past three meetings. On September 4, 2021, East Tennessee State University stunned Vanderbilt 23–3 in their opening game. The SoCon also frequently sees multiple teams selected to participate in the NCAA Division I baseball championship. ^[5]

The SoCon was the first conference to use the three-point field goal in basketball in a November 29, 1980, game at Western Carolina against Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU), where Ronnie Carr shot the historic shot from 22 feet (6.7 m) away and the Catamounts won 77–70. ^{[6] [7]}

History

Southern Conference

150km
100miles

Chattanooga

Presbyterian

North Georgia

Georgia Southern

Gardner-Webb

Davidson

Campbell

Bellarmine

Appalachian
State

Samford

Wofford

Western Carolina

VMI

UNC Greensboro

UAB

Mercer

Furman

East Tennessee State

Citadel

  

Location of SoCon members: full member, associate member

Conference Commissioners

Wallace Wade	1951–1960
Lloyd Jordon	1960–1973
Ken Germann	1974–1986
Dave Hart	1986–1991
Wright Waters	1991–1998
Alfred B. White	1998–2001
Danny Morrison	2001–2005
John Iamarino	2006–2019
Jim Schaus	2019–2023
Michael Cross	2023–present

Further information: 1955 All-Southern Conference football team

Talks of a new conference for Southern athletics had started as early as fall of 1920. ^[8] The conference was formed on February 25, 1921, in Atlanta as fourteen member institutions split from the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association. ^[1] Southern Conference charter members were Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi State, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Tennessee, Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Washington & Lee. In 1922, six more universities—Florida, LSU, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tulane, and Vanderbilt joined the conference. The first year of competition for the conference was in 1922, effective January 1. ^{[9] [10]} The new rules banned freshman play. ^[11] Later additions included Sewanee (1924), Virginia Military Institute (1924), and Duke (1929).

The SoCon is particularly notable for having spawned two other major conferences. In 1932, the 13 schools located south and west of the Appalachians (Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi, Mississippi State, University of the South (Sewanee), Tennessee, Tulane, and Vanderbilt) all departed the SoCon to form the Southeastern Conference (SEC). In 1953, seven additional schools (Clemson, Duke, Maryland, North Carolina, North Carolina State, South Carolina, and Wake Forest) withdrew from the SoCon to form the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). ^[1] The SEC and ACC have gone on to surpass their parent conference in prestige; while the SEC and ACC are considered "power" conferences in Division I FBS (formerly Division I-A), the SoCon dropped to Division I-AA (FCS) in 1982, four years after the top division was split into two levels in 1978.

The SoCon became the first league to hold a post-season basketball tournament to decide a conference champion. Although first played in 1921, it did not become "official" until 1922, and in its first few years included teams which were not conference members. ^[12] Held at the Municipal Auditorium in Atlanta from February 24 to March 2, 1922, the first meeting was won by North Carolina who defeated non-member Mercer in the Finals 40–25. ^[13] The SoCon Basketball Tournament continues as the nation's oldest conference tournament. The next-oldest tournament overall is the SEC men's basketball tournament, founded in 1933, but that event was suspended after its 1952 edition and did not resume until 1979. With the demise of the Division II West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in 2013, whose tournament had been continuously held since 1936, the next-oldest conference tournament in continuous existence is now the ACC men's basketball tournament, first held in 1954.

Member schools

Current full members

The all-sports membership changed to 10 schools in 2014 following the departure of Appalachian State, Davidson, Elon, and Georgia Southern, plus the arrival of East Tennessee State (ETSU), Mercer, and VMI. The current football membership stands at nine. UNC Greensboro does not sponsor football, while ETSU relaunched its previously dormant football program in 2015 and rejoined SoCon football in 2016 after one season as an independent. ^[14]

The 10 members of the Southern Conference are:

Institution	Location	Founded	Joined	Type	Enrollment	Endowment (millions)	Nickname	Colors
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga	Chattanooga, Tennessee	1886	1976	Public	11,728	$147.1	Mocs
The Citadel	Charleston, South Carolina	1842	1936	Senior Military College	3,693	$305.8	Bulldogs
East Tennessee State University	Johnson City, Tennessee	1911	2014 [a]	Public	9,151	$130.1	Buccaneers
Furman University	Greenville, South Carolina	1826	1936	Private	2,629	$812	Paladins
Mercer University	Macon, Georgia	1833	2014		9,026	$414	Bears
Samford University	Homewood, Alabama	1841	2008		5,729	$297	Bulldogs
University of North Carolina at Greensboro	Greensboro, North Carolina	1891	1997	Public	19,764	$368.6	Spartans
Virginia Military Institute (VMI)	Lexington, Virginia	1839	2014 [b]	Senior Military College	1,772	$539.6	Keydets
Western Carolina University	Cullowhee, North Carolina	1889	1976	Public	12,243	$88.9	Catamounts
Wofford College	Spartanburg, South Carolina	1854	1997	Private	1,773	$417.4	Terriers

Notes

1. ETSU was previously a Southern Conference member from 1978 to 2005. ^[14]
2. VMI was previously a Southern Conference member from 1924 to 2003. ^[14]

Associate members

On January 9, 2014, the SoCon and Atlantic Sun Conference, now known as the ASUN Conference, announced a new alliance in lacrosse that took effect with the 2015 spring season (2014–15 school year). Under its terms, sponsorship of men's lacrosse shifted from the ASUN to the SoCon, while women's lacrosse sponsorship remained with the ASUN. Bellarmine, which had announced it would join the ASUN for men's lacrosse for the 2015 spring season, instead joined the SoCon. ^[15] The alliance remains in effect in men's lacrosse, but the leagues amicably ended their full alliance in women's lacrosse once the SoCon began sponsoring that sport in the 2018 spring season (2017–18 school year). ^[16] However, the conferences maintained their working relationship in women's lacrosse, with the SoCon adding Coastal Carolina as an associate member effective with the 2021 spring season (2020–21 school year) in order to keep both conferences at five women's lacrosse members for 2021. ^[17] Coastal was intended to play in SoCon women's lacrosse in the 2022 spring season (2021–22 school year) as well, but the SoCon decided to drop the sport after the 2021 spring season (2020–21 school year). While no formal announcement was made, the SoCon–ASUN women's lacrosse partnership definitively ended at that time, as the three full SoCon members who sponsored women's lacrosse moved that sport to the Big South Conference. Coastal and Delaware State both returned women's lacrosse to the ASUN Conference. ^[18]

The men's lacrosse partnership took a slightly different form from the 2022 spring season (2021–22 school year) forward, as the ASUN reinstated its men's lacrosse league. The two full ASUN members with men's lacrosse programs separated, with Jacksonville remaining in SoCon men's lacrosse while Bellarmine joined the ASUN men's lacrosse league. SoCon associate Air Force also left for ASUN men's lacrosse. ^[19] The SoCon maintained its automatic NCAA tournament berth with the addition of Hampton. ^[20]

Before the addition of Hampton men's lacrosse, the most recent addition to the associate membership was Presbyterian wrestling, which joined during summer 2019. ^[21] Two women's lacrosse members, Central Michigan and Detroit Mercy, left after the 2020 season (2019–20 school year) to join the new women's lacrosse league of Central's full-time home of the Mid-American Conference; ^[22] this move contributed to the eventual demise of the SoCon women's lacrosse league.

Men's soccer member Belmont left the SoCon after the 2021–22 school year when it joined the Missouri Valley Conference, which sponsors that sport. ^[23] At the same time, Hampton moved men's lacrosse to its new full-time home of the Colonial Athletic Association, now known as the Coastal Athletic Association. ^[24]

The addition of men's lacrosse by the Atlantic 10 Conference, announced on May 23, 2022, ^[25] led to the demise of the SoCon men's lacrosse league after the 2022 season. In addition to Hampton joining the CAA, SoCon associate members High Point and Richmond (the latter a full A-10 member) moved to the A-10, and Jacksonville returned to ASUN men's lacrosse.

In the table below, the "Joined" column denotes the start of the school year in which the institution became an associate member, which for spring sports differs from the first season of competition.

Institution	Location	Founded	Joined	Type	Enrollment	Nickname	Colors	Sport	Primary conference
University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB)	Birmingham, Alabama	1969	2016	Public	18,568	Blazers		rifle [26]	The American
Appalachian State University	Boone, North Carolina	1899	2014 [a]		20,641	Mountaineers		wrestling	Sun Belt
Bellarmine University	Louisville, Kentucky	1950	2020	Private	3,846	Knights		wrestling	ASUN
Campbell University	Buies Creek, North Carolina	1887	2011		11,241	Fighting Camels		wrestling	CAA
Davidson College	Davidson, North Carolina	1837	2014 [b]		1,850	Wildcats		wrestling	Atlantic 10
Gardner–Webb University	Boiling Springs, North Carolina	1905	2011		5,000	Runnin' Bulldogs		wrestling	Big South
Georgia Southern University	Statesboro, Georgia	1906	2016	Public	20,517	Eagles		rifle [26]	Sun Belt
University of North Georgia	Dahlonega, Georgia	1873 [c]	2016	Public	16,064	Nighthawks		rifle [26]	Peach Belt [d]
Presbyterian College	Clinton, South Carolina	1880	2019	Private	1,403	Blue Hose		wrestling	Big South

Notes

1. The 2014 date reflects the departure of Appalachian State from the SoCon to join the Sun Belt Conference. The Mountaineers have competed in SoCon wrestling continuously since the league first sponsored the sport in 1993–94.
2. The 2014 date reflects the departure of Davidson from the SoCon to join the Atlantic 10 Conference. The Wildcats have competed in SoCon wrestling continuously since the league first sponsored the sport in 1993–94.
3. On January 10, 2012, the University System of Georgia approved the consolidation of North Georgia College and State University and Gainesville State College to form a new institution, the University of North Georgia in January 2013.
4. Currently an NCAA Division II athletic conference.

Former full members

Most former members are currently members of either the Southeastern Conference or the Atlantic Coast Conference. Two of the former full members, Appalachian State and Davidson, maintain SoCon associate membership in wrestling. A third former full member, Georgia Southern, became an associate member in rifle when the SoCon added the sport for the 2016–17 school year.

Institution	Location	Founded	Joined	Left	Nickname	Colors	Current conference
University of Alabama	Tuscaloosa, Alabama	1831	1921	1932	Crimson Tide		SEC
Appalachian State University	Boone, North Carolina	1899	1971	2014	Mountaineers		Sun Belt
Auburn University	Auburn, Alabama	1856	1921	1932	Tigers		SEC
College of Charleston	Charleston, South Carolina	1770	1998	2013	Cougars		CAA
Clemson University	Clemson, South Carolina	1889	1921	1953	Tigers		ACC
Davidson College	Davidson, North Carolina	1837	1936	1988	Wildcats		Atlantic 10
			1992	2014
Duke University	Durham, North Carolina	1838	1928	1953	Blue Devils		ACC
East Carolina University	Greenville, North Carolina	1907	1964	1976	Pirates		The American
Elon University	Elon, North Carolina	1889	2003	2014	Phoenix		CAA
University of Florida	Gainesville, Florida	1853	1922	1932	Gators		SEC
George Washington University	Washington, D.C.	1821	1941	1970	Colonials [a]		Atlantic 10
University of Georgia	Athens, Georgia	1785	1921	1932	Bulldogs		SEC
Georgia Southern University	Statesboro, Georgia	1906	1992	2014	Eagles		Sun Belt
Georgia Institute of Technology	Atlanta, Georgia	1885	1921	1932	Yellow Jackets		ACC
University of Kentucky	Lexington, Kentucky	1865			Wildcats		SEC
Louisiana State University	Baton Rouge, Louisiana	1860	1922		Tigers
Marshall University	Huntington, West Virginia	1837	1976	1997	Thundering Herd		Sun Belt
University of Maryland, College Park	College Park, Maryland	1856	1923	1953	Terrapins		Big Ten
University of Mississippi	Oxford, Mississippi	1848	1922	1932	Rebels		SEC
Mississippi State University	Starkville, Mississippi	1878	1921		Bulldogs
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	Chapel Hill, North Carolina	1789		1953	Tar Heels		ACC
North Carolina State University	Raleigh, North Carolina	1887			Wolfpack
University of Richmond	Richmond, Virginia	1830	1936	1976	Spiders		Atlantic 10
Sewanee: The University of the South	Sewanee, Tennessee	1857	1923	1932	Tigers		SAA [b]
University of South Carolina	Columbia, South Carolina	1801	1922	1953	Gamecocks		SEC
University of Tennessee	Knoxville, Tennessee	1794	1921	1932	Volunteers
Tulane University	New Orleans, Louisiana	1834	1922		Green Wave		The American
Vanderbilt University	Nashville, Tennessee	1873			Commodores		SEC
University of Virginia	Charlottesville, Virginia	1819	1921	1937	Cavaliers		ACC
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University	Blacksburg, Virginia	1872		1965	Hokies
Wake Forest University	Winston-Salem, North Carolina	1834	1936	1953	Demon Deacons
Washington and Lee University	Lexington, Virginia	1749	1921	1958	Generals		ODAC [b]
West Virginia University	Morgantown, West Virginia	1867	1950	1968	Mountaineers		Big 12
College of William & Mary	Williamsburg, Virginia	1693	1936	1977	Tribe		CAA

1. George Washington's nickname throughout its SoCon tenure was Colonials. The current nickname of Revolutionaries was adopted in 2023.
2. Currently an NCAA Division III athletic conference.

Former associate members

In the table below, the "Joined" and "Left" columns denotes the calendar year in which each school joined and left the SoCon. For fall sports, the year of departure differs from the final year of competition. For spring sports, the year of arrival differs from the first season of competition.

Institution	Location	Founded	Joined	Left	Type	Enrollment	Nickname	Colors	SoCon sport	Primary conference during SoCon associate membership	Current conference in former SoCon sport
United States Air Force Academy	Colorado Springs, Colorado	1954	2015	2021	Federal (Military)	4,417	Falcons		lacrosse (m)	Mountain West	ASUN
Bellarmine University	Louisville, Kentucky	1950	2014	2021	Private	3,369	Knights		lacrosse (m)	GLVC [a] , ASUN [b]	ASUN
Belmont University	Nashville, Tennessee	1890	2018	2022	Private	8,080	Bruins		soccer (m)	OVC	MVC
Central Michigan University	Mount Pleasant, Michigan	1892	2017	2020	Public	21,705	Chippewas		lacrosse (w)	MAC
Coastal Carolina University	Conway, South Carolina	1954	2020	2021	Public	10,484	Chanticleers		lacrosse (w)	Sun Belt	ASUN
Delaware State University	Dover, Delaware	1891	2017	2021	Public (HBCU)	5,054	Hornets		lacrosse (w)	MEAC	Northeast
University of Detroit Mercy	Detroit, Michigan	1870	2017	2020	Private	5,700	Titans		lacrosse (w)	Horizon	MAC
Hampton University	Hampton, Virginia	1868	2021	2022	Private	4,321	Pirates		lacrosse (m)	Big South	CAA
High Point University	High Point, North Carolina	1924	2014	2022	Private	4,500	Panthers		lacrosse (m) [15]	Big South	Atlantic 10
Jacksonville University	Jacksonville, Florida	1934	2014	2022	Private	3,741	Dolphins		lacrosse (m) [15]	ASUN
University of Richmond	Richmond, Virginia	1830	2014	2022	Private	4,361	Spiders		lacrosse (m) [15]	Atlantic 10

1. Currently an NCAA Division II athletic conference.
2. Bellarmine had been a member of the Division II Great Lakes Valley Conference from that league's formation in 1978 until moving to Division I in 2020 as a new member of the Atlantic Sun Conference.

SoCon membership timeline

Full membersFull members (except football)Other ConferenceOther Conference

• Due to space limitations, one portion of Washington and Lee's affiliation history is not indicated in the table. In 1958, W&L stopped awarding athletic scholarships; from then until 1962, it was an independent in what was then the NCAA College Division (which was split in 1973 to form today's Divisions II and III).

Sports

The Southern Conference sponsors championship competition in 11 men's, 9 women's, and one co-educational NCAA-sanctioned sports. ^{[27] [ better source needed ]} Five schools are associate members for wrestling. Under a cooperative agreement with the ASUN Conference, the SoCon began sponsoring men's lacrosse in the 2014–15 school year (2015 season) with three full members (Furman, Mercer, VMI) and four associates (Bellarmine, High Point, Jacksonville, Richmond). SoCon men's lacrosse has since added Air Force. Women's lacrosse was sponsored by the ASUN through the 2017 season, ^[15] after which the SoCon launched its own women's lacrosse league. ^[16] Beginning in the 2016–17 academic year, after a 30-year hiatus, the SoCon resumed rifle as its 21st sport. Members for conference competition are full members The Citadel, VMI, and Wofford as well as associate members UAB, Georgia Southern, and North Georgia. The SoCon is one of only two all-sports conferences to sponsor rifle, joining the Ohio Valley Conference. Rifle is technically a men's sport for NCAA purposes, but men's, women's, and co-ed teams all compete against each other. ^[28] Women's lacrosse was added as the 22nd sport for 2017–18, but was dropped after the 2020–21 school year. ^[29]

The SoCon dropped men's lacrosse after the 2022 season. Affiliate member Hampton joined the Colonial Athletic Association, which sponsors that sport, and the Atlantic 10 Conference, full-time home to men's lacrosse affiliate Richmond, launched a men's lacrosse league in the 2023 season, also taking in another SoCon affiliate in High Point. ^[25] With SoCon men's lacrosse being gutted by these changes, VMI moved that sport to its former men's lacrosse home of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, and the two remaining men's lacrosse members, Jacksonville and Mercer, moved that sport to the ASUN. ^{[25] [30] [31]}

Teams in Southern Conference competition

Sport	Men's	Women's	Co-ed
Baseball	8	–	–
Basketball	10	8	–
Cross Country	10	10	–
Football	9	–	–
Golf	8	9	–
Rifle	2	3	3
Soccer	6	10	–
Softball	–	8	–
Tennis	8	8	–
Track and Field (Indoor)	9	9	–
Track and Field (Outdoor)	9	10	–
Volleyball	–	9	–
Wrestling	9	–	–

Men's sponsored sports by school

School	Baseball	Basketball	Cross country	Football	Golf	Rifle [a]	Soccer	Tennis	Track & field (indoor)	Track & field (outdoor)	Wrestling	Total SoCon sports
Chattanooga	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	6
The Citadel	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes [b]	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	9
East Tennessee State	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	8
Furman	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	8
Mercer	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	8
Samford	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	8
UNC Greensboro	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	8
VMI	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes [b]	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	10
Western Carolina	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	7
Wofford	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes [c]	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	10
Totals	8	10	10	9	8	3+2 [d]	6	8	8	9	3+6 [e]	82+8

Notes

1. Rifle is technically a men's sport, but men's, women's, and co-ed teams all compete against each other.
2. Men's rifle team; school also fields a women's team.
3. Co-ed rifle team
4. Associates North Georgia and UAB, both with co-ed teams
5. Associates Appalachian State, Bellarmine, Campbell, Davidson, Gardner–Webb, and Presbyterian

Men's varsity sports not sponsored by the Southern Conference which are played by SoCon schools:

School	Lacrosse	Swimming & diving
Mercer	ASUN	No
VMI	NEC	America East

Women's sponsored sports by school

School	Basketball	Cross country	Golf	Rifle [a]	Soccer	Softball	Tennis	Track & field (indoor)	Track & field (outdoor)	Volleyball	Total SoCon teams
Chattanooga	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	9
The Citadel	No	Yes	Yes	Yes [b]	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	7
East Tennessee State	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	9
Furman	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	10
Mercer	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	9
Samford	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	9
UNC Greensboro	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	9
VMI	No	Yes	No	Yes [b]	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	5
Western Carolina	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	9
Wofford	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes [c]	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	10
Totals	8	10	9	3+3 [d]	10	8	8	9	10	9	87+4

Notes

1. Rifle is technically a men's sport, but men's, women's, and co-ed teams all compete against each other.
2. Women's rifle team; school also fields a men's team.
3. Co-ed rifle team
4. Associate members Georgia Southern (women-only team), North Georgia (co-ed team), and UAB (co-ed team)

Women's varsity sports not sponsored by the Southern Conference which are played by SoCon schools:

School	Beach volleyball	Lacrosse	Swimming & diving	Water polo
Chattanooga	OVC	No	No	No
Furman	No	Big South	No	No
Mercer	Sun Belt	Big South	No	No
VMI	No	No	America East	MAAC
Wofford	No	Big South	No	No

Facilities

School	Football stadium	Capacity	Basketball arena	Capacity	Baseball stadium	Capacity	Softball stadium	Capacity	Soccer field	Capacity
Chattanooga	Finley Stadium	20,668	McKenzie Arena	10,928	Non-baseball school		Jim Frost Stadium	3,000	Finley Stadium	20,668
Citadel	Johnson Hagood Stadium	11,500	McAlister Field House	6,000	Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park	6,000	Non-softball school		Non-soccer school
East Tennessee State	William B. Greene Jr. Stadium	7,694 [a]	Freedom Hall Civic Center	8,500	Thomas Stadium	1,200	Betty Basler Field	500+	Summers-Taylor Stadium	2,000+
Furman	Paladin Stadium	16,000	Timmons Arena	5,000	Non-baseball school		Pepsi Softball Stadium	300	Eugene E. Stone III Stadium	3,000
Mercer	Five Star Stadium	10,200	Hawkins Arena	3,500	Claude Smith Field	500	Sikes Field	300	Betts Stadium	500
Samford	Pete Hanna Stadium	6,700	Pete Hanna Center	4,974	Joe Lee Griffin Stadium	1,000	J.T. Haywood Field House	200	Samford Track and Soccer Complex	1,200
UNC Greensboro	Non-football school		First Horizon Coliseum (men's) Fleming Gymnasium (women's)	7,617 2,320	UNCG Baseball Stadium	3,500	UNCG Softball Stadium	500+	UNCG Soccer Stadium	3,540
VMI	Alumni Memorial Field	10,000	Cameron Hall	5,020	Gray–Minor Stadium	1,400	Non-softball school		Patchin Field	1,000
Western Carolina	E. J. Whitmire Stadium	13,742	Ramsey Center	7,826	Hennon Stadium	1,500	Catamount Softball Complex	250+	Catamount Athletic Complex	1,000
Wofford	Gibbs Stadium	13,000	Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium	3,400	Russell C. King Field	2,500	Non-softball school		Snyder Field	2,250

Notes

1. Seated capacity; 10,000+ with standing room

Conference champions

Football

See also: College Football All-Southern Team

This is a list of recent champions. For the full history, see List of Southern Conference football champions.

Year	Champion	Record
2014	Chattanooga	7–0
2015	Chattanooga† The Citadel	6–1
2016	The Citadel†	8–0
2017	Wofford†	7–1
2018	East Tennessee State Furman Wofford†	6–2
2019	Wofford†	7–1
2020	VMI†	6–1
2021	East Tennessee State†	7–1
2022	Samford†	8–0
2023	Furman†	7–1
2024	Mercer†	10–2

† Automatic bid to NCAA Division I Football Championship

Men's basketball

This is a partial list of the last 10 regular-season and tournament champions. For the full history, see List of Southern Conference men's basketball champions.

Year	Regular season champion	Record	Tournament champion
2013–14	Davidson	15–1	Wofford
2014–15	Wofford	16–2	Wofford
2015–16	Chattanooga	15–3	Chattanooga
2016–17	East Tennessee State [a] UNC Greensboro Furman	14–4	East Tennessee State
2017–18	UNC Greensboro	15–3	UNC Greensboro
2018–19	Wofford	18–0	Wofford
2019–20	East Tennessee State	16–2	East Tennessee State
2020–21	UNC Greensboro	13–5	UNC Greensboro
2021–22	Chattanooga	14–4	Chattanooga
2022–23	Furman [a] Samford	15–3	Furman

1. Listed in order of seeding in the conference tournament

Women's basketball

This is a partial list of the last 10 tournament champions. For the full history, see Southern Conference women's basketball tournament

Year	Champion
2014	Chattanooga
2015	Chattanooga
2016	Chattanooga
2017	Chattanooga
2018	Mercer
2019	Mercer
2020	Samford
2021	Mercer
2022	Mercer
2023	Chattanooga

Baseball

This is a partial list of the last 10 champions. For the full history, see Southern Conference baseball tournament.

Year	Reg. season champion	Tournament champion
2013	Western Carolina	Elon
2014	Western Carolina	Georgia Southern
2015	Mercer	Mercer
2016	Mercer	Western Carolina
2017	Mercer	UNC Greensboro
2018	UNC Greensboro	Samford
2019	Samford	Mercer
2020	Season canceled due to COVID-19
2021	Wofford	Samford
2022	Wofford	UNC Greensboro
2023	Samford	Samford

Rifle

Year	Air rifle champion	Smallbore champion	Overall champion
2017	Georgia Southern	North Georgia	North Georgia
2018	North Georgia	North Georgia	North Georgia
2019	Georgia Southern	UAB	UAB
2020	North Georgia	UAB	UAB
2021	North Georgia	Georgia Southern	North Georgia

Men's Lacrosse

Year	Champion
2015	High Point
2016	Air Force
2017	Air Force
2018	Richmond
2019	Richmond
2020	Not Held
2021	High Point

Commissioner's and Germann Cups

The Commissioner's and Germann Cups are awarded each year to the top men's and women's program in the conference. ^[32] The Commissioner's Cup was inaugurated in 1970. The Germann Cup, named for former Southern Conference Commissioner Ken Germann, was first awarded in 1987. The completion of the 2013–2014 athletics season saw Appalachian State winning its 33rd Commissioner's Cup and Furman its 13th Germann Cup. ^[33]

Year	Commissioner's Cup	Germann Cup
1969–70	East Carolina William & Mary	—
1970–71	William & Mary	—
1971–72	William & Mary	—
1972–73	William & Mary	—
1973–74	East Carolina	—
1974–75	East Carolina	—
1975–76	William & Mary	—
1976–77	East Carolina	—
1977–78	Appalachian State	—
1978–79	Appalachian State	—
1979–80	Appalachian State	—
1980–81	Appalachian State	—
1981–82	Appalachian State	—
1982–83	East Tennessee State	—
1983–84	Appalachian State	—
1984–85	Appalachian State	—
1985–86	Appalachian State	—
1986–87	Appalachian State	Appalachian State
1987–88	Appalachian State	Appalachian State
1988–89	Appalachian State	Appalachian State
1989–90	Appalachian State	Appalachian State
1990–91	Furman	Appalachian State
1991–92	Appalachian State	Appalachian State
1992–93	Appalachian State	Furman
1993–94	Appalachian State	Furman
1994–95	Appalachian State	Furman
1995–96	Appalachian State	Furman
1996–97	Appalachian State	Furman
1997–98	Appalachian State	Furman
1998–99	Appalachian State	Furman
1999–00	Appalachian State	Furman
2000–01	Appalachian State	Furman
2001–02	Appalachian State	Furman
2002–03	Appalachian State	Furman
2003–04	Appalachian State	Furman
2004–05	Chattanooga	College of Charleston
2005–06	Appalachian State	Appalachian State
2006–07	Appalachian State	Appalachian State
2007–08	Appalachian State	Chattanooga
2008–09	Appalachian State	College of Charleston
2009–10	Appalachian State	Samford
2010–11	Appalachian State	Appalachian State
2011–12	Appalachian State	College of Charleston
2012–13	Appalachian State	Appalachian State
2013–14	Appalachian State	Furman
2014–15	Chattanooga	Samford
2015–16	East Tennessee State	Furman
2016–17	East Tennessee State	Furman
2017–18	East Tennessee State	Furman
2018–19	East Tennessee State	Furman

See also

• Southern Conference Hall of Fame

Relevant literature

• Iamarino, John. 2020. A Proud History of Athletic History. Mercer University Press.

Notes

1. Among conferences currently in operation, the Big Ten (1896) and Missouri Valley (1907) are indisputably older. The Pac-12 Conference did not operate under its current charter until 1959 but claims the history of the Pacific Coast Conference, founded in 1915, as its own. The Southwest Conference (SWC) was founded in 1914 but ceased operation in 1996. The Big Eight Conference claimed the same history as the Missouri Valley from 1907 to 1928 during its existence; though it essentially merged with four SWC members to form the Big 12 Conference in 1996, the Big 12 does not claim the Big Eight's legacy. The Ivy League was formally organized in 1954 with athletic competition starting in 1955, but claims the history of the Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League, which competed from 1901 to 1955, as its own.

References

1. "The History of the Southern Conference". Southern Conference. 2008-06-30. Retrieved 2023-09-12.
2. Stewart Mandel (2007-09-01). "The Mother of All Upsets". CNNSI. Archived from the original on December 9, 2007.
3. "Curry's sweet touch continues as Davidson eludes Wisconsin". ESPN. Associated Press. 2008-03-28. Archived from the original on January 28, 2017.
4. David Jones. "Florida falls to FCS opponent, won't be bowl eligible". USA Today . Retrieved 2014-03-20.
5. "Preseason Projected Field Of 64". BaseballAmerica.com. Retrieved 2012-03-20.
6. "A First in NCAA Basketball - CATAMOUNTSPORTS.COM - Western Carolina Official Athletic Site". Archived from the original on 2014-02-25. Retrieved 2014-02-16.
7. "Rivals.com". Collegebasketball.rivals.com. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
8. "Southern Conference Talked By College Men". The Charlotte Observer. February 28, 1921. p. 8. Retrieved August 16, 2015– via Newspapers.com.
9. "Southern Conference, With 15 Colleges as Members, Is Formed At Atlanta Meeting". The Charlotte Observer. February 27, 1921. p. 24. Retrieved August 16, 2015– via Newspapers.com.
10. Fuzzy Woodruff (October 16, 1921). "Too Many Practice Games And Too Few Real Battles". News and Observer. p. 15. Retrieved August 16, 2015– via Newspapers.com.
11. "Drastic Rules Are Adopted By New Southern Conference To Keep College Sports Clean". The Atlanta Constitution. February 27, 1921. p. 2. Retrieved August 16, 2015– via Newspapers.com.
12. "2014-15 Southern Conference men's basketball media guide". Issuu. Southern Conference. Dec 17, 2014. Retrieved August 16, 2015.
13. "Southern Conference Tournament Results" (PDF). Southern Conference.
14. "SoCon Welcomes ETSU, Mercer and VMI" (Press release). Southern Conference. July 1, 2014. Retrieved July 2, 2014.
15. "SoCon, A-Sun Partner to Enhance Lacrosse" (Press release). Southern Conference. January 9, 2014. Archived from the original on April 7, 2014. Retrieved March 31, 2014.
16. "SoCon to Add Women's Lacrosse as 22nd Sport" (Press release). Southern Conference. January 31, 2017. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
17. "Women's Lacrosse to Move to SoCon Beginning in 2021" (Press release). Coastal Carolina Chanticleers. February 7, 2020. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
18. "Coastal Carolina and Delaware State Set to Rejoin ASUN Conference Women's Lacrosse" (Press release). ASUN Conference. July 7, 2021. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
19. "ASUN Conference Announces Formation of Men's Lacrosse League" (Press release). ASUN Conference. February 5, 2021. Archived from the original on February 5, 2021. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
20. "Hampton joining SoCon as associate member for men's lacrosse" (Press release). Southern Conference. February 5, 2021. Archived from the original on February 5, 2021. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
21. "PC Adds Men's and Women's Wrestling; Men to Join Southern Conference" (Press release). Presbyterian Blue Hose. December 7, 2017. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
22. "Women's Lacrosse Coming in 2020-21; Detroit Mercy & Youngstown State As Affiliates" (Press release). Mid-American Conference. November 6, 2019. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
23. "Belmont to Join MVC in 2022–23" (Press release). Missouri Valley Conference. September 28, 2021. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
24. "CAA Welcomes Hampton University, Monmouth University and Stony Brook University as New Members" (Press release). Colonial Athletic Association. January 25, 2022. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
25. "Atlantic 10 Conference Adds Men's Lacrosse as 22nd Championship Sport" (Press release). Atlantic 10 Conference !date=May 23, 2022. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
26. "SOUTHERN CONFERENCE TO ADD RIFLE AS 21ST SPORT". Southern Conference. December 9, 2012. Retrieved December 12, 2015.
27. "Southern Conference". Southern Conference.
28. "Southern Conference to add rifle as 21st sport". University of North Georgia. December 9, 2015. Archived from the original on December 10, 2015. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
29. "Big South Adds Three Associate Members in Women's Lacrosse" (Press release). Big South Conference. June 7, 2021. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
30. "Virginia Military Institute Rejoins MAAC Men's Lacrosse League" (Press release). Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. April 4, 2022. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
31. "Jacksonville, Lindenwood & Mercer Joining #ASUNMLAX for 2023 Season" (Press release). ASUN Conference. March 30, 2022. Retrieved May 11, 2022.
32. "Southern Conference Commissioner's & Germann Cups". Southern Conference. 2007-06-04.
33. "Southern Conference".

External links

• Official website