List of college athletic conferences in the United States

Last updated

In college athletics in the United States, institutions typically join in conferences for regular play under different governing bodies.

Contents

Varsity sports

There are several national and regional associations governing the varsity teams of colleges and universities. Varsity teams are typically funded by an institution's athletic department, and under some governing bodies players are eligible for athletic scholarships.

National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)

Division I

Multi-sport conferences
Football-only conferences
Ice hockey conferences
Other single-sport conferences

This list also includes conferences in sports that the NCAA does not split into divisions.

Division II

Single sport conferences
  • Appalachian Swimming Conference
  • New South Intercollegiate Swim Conference
  • Pacific Coast Swim Conference

Division III

Single-sport conferences

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA)

Football-only conference

United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA)

National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA)

Association of Christian College Athletics (ACCA)

National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA)

California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA)

Northwest Athletic Conference (NWAC)

Independent conferences

Other collegiate sports associations

Boxing

Cycling

Fencing

Gymnastics

Lacrosse

See: Category:College lacrosse leagues in the United States

Rowing

Sprint football

Volleyball

Water polo

Wrestling

List of Oldest College Sports Conferences

The following table is a sortable listing of the oldest college sports conferences (organizations of athletic teams at the collegiate level) in the United States of America. This includes U.S. collegiate sports organizations of NCAA Divisions I, II, and III; as well as various sports including Rowing, Cricket, Basketball, Hockey, Wrestling, Football, Basketball, Track, and more.

ConferenceAliasFoundedDefunctTypePredecessorSuccessor
Rowing Association of American Colleges [1] RAAC18701894Rowing Intercollegiate Rowing Association
Intercollegiate Rowing Association [2] IRA1895Rowing Rowing Association of American Colleges
Intercollegiate Cricket Association [3] ICA18811924Cricket
Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League [4] Ivy League19011955Basketball Ivy League
Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association [5] EIWA1903Wrestling
Ivy League [6] Ivies1954 NCAA Rowing Association of American Colleges, Intercollegiate Cricket Association, Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League, Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association
Big Ten Conference [7] B1G1896 NCAA Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives, Western Conference, Big Nine, does not retain legacy of Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the Northwest
Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the Northwest [8] IAAN18921893Football, Baseball, Track Big Ten Conference
Southwest Conference [9] SWC19141996 NCAA Southwest Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Big 12 Conference, Western Athletic Conference, Conference USA
Big 12 Conference [10] Big 121994* NCAA Southwest Conference, Big Eight Conference, but does not retain legacy of either*
Pac-12 Conference [11] Pac-121915 NCAA Pacific Coast Conference, [lower-alpha 1] Athletic Association of Western Universities, Pacific-8, Pacific-10
Missouri Valley Conference [12] MVC / Valley1907 NCAA Shares founding members with Big Eight Conference
Big Eight Conference [13] Big 819071996 NCAA Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association, Big Six Conference, Big Seven Conference, Big Eight Conference Big 12 Conference
Border Conference [14] 19311962 NCAA Border Intercollegiate Athletic Association Western Athletic Conference, Pac-12 Conference, Big 12 Conference
Skyline Conference [15] Skyline Eight19381962 NCAA Mountain States Athletic Conference, Big Seven, Skyline Six Western Athletic Conference, Mountain West
Western Athletic Conference [16] WAC1962 NCAA Border Conference, Skyline Conference, Pac-12 Conference Pac-12 Conference, Mountain West, Conference USA
Metro Conference [17] Metro19751995 NCAA Conference USA, Big East, American Athletic Conference
American Athletic Conference [18] The American / AAC1979 NCAA Big East
Big East Conference [19] Big East1979 NCAA Atlantic 10 Conference American Athletic Conference, Atlantic Coast Conference, Big East Conference
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association [20] SIAA18921947 NCAA Southeastern Conference, Atlantic Coast Conference, Big 12 Conference, Conference USA, Ohio Valley Conference, Southern Athletic Association, and others
Southern Conference [21] SoCon1921 NCAA Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association Southeastern Conference, Atlantic Coast Conference, Metro Conference, Atlantic 10 Conference, Coastal Athletic Association, Conference USA
Southeastern Conference [22] SEC1932 NCAA Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association, Southern Conference, Big 12 Conference
Atlantic Coast Conference [23] ACC1953 NCAA Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association, Southern Conference, Metro Conference, Big East
Mid-American Conference [24] MAC1946 NCAA
Southwestern Athletic Conference [25] SWAC1920 NCAA
Big West Conference [26] BWC1968 NCAA Pacific Coast Athletic Association Western Athletic Conference, Mountain West
West Coast Conference [27] WCC1952 NCAA California Basketball Association, West Coast Athletic Conference Big West Conference, Western Athletic Conference, Mountain West
Atlantic 10 Conference [28] A-101976 NCAA Eastern Collegiate Basketball League, Eastern Athletic Association, Eastern 8 Big East, American Athletic Conference
Yankee Conference [29] 1947 [lower-alpha 2] 1997 NCAA New England Conference Atlantic 10 Conference, CAA Football [lower-alpha 3]
Coastal Athletic Association Football Conference [30] CAA Football2007 NCAA New England Conference, [lower-alpha 4] Yankee Conference, [lower-alpha 5] Atlantic 10 Conference
Coastal Athletic Association [30] CAA1979 NCAA ECAC
New England Conference [31] 19231947 NCAA New England College Conference of Intercollegiate Athletics Yankee Conference
Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference [32] IIAC19081970 NCAA Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Western Collegiate Hockey Association [33] WCHA1951HockeyMidwest Collegiate Hockey League, Western Intercollegiate Hockey League
ECAC Hockey [34] ECAC1961HockeyEastern College Athletic Conference, ECAC Hockey League
North Central Conference [35] NCC19222008 Division II Northern Sun, Summit
Northern California Athletic Conference [36] NCAC19251996 Division II Far Western Conference
Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association [37] CIAA1912 Division II Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association
Conference Carolinas [38] CVAC1930 Division II North State Conference, Carolinas Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference
California Collegiate Athletic Association [39] CCAA1938 Division II
Lone Star Conference [40] LSC1931 Division II
Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association [41] MIAA1912 Division II Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association
Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference [42] NSIC1932 Division II Northern Teachers Athletic Conference, State Teacher's College Conference of Minnesota, Northern Intercollegiate Conference, Northern Sun Conference
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference [43] RMAC1909 Division II Colorado Faculty Athletic Conference, Rocky Mountain Faculty Athletic Conference
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference [44] SIAC1913 Division II
West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference [45] WVIAC19242013 Division II Mountain East, Great Midwest
American Rivers Conference [46] ARC1922 Division III Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Middle Atlantic Conferences [47] MAC1912 Division III Middle Atlantic States Collegiate Athletics Association, Middle Atlantic States Collegiate Athletic Conference
Midwest Conference [48] MWC1921 Division III Midwest Collegiate Athletic Conference, Midwest Athletic Conference for Women
Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference [49] MIAC1920 Division III
Northwest Conference [50] NWC1926 Division III
Ohio Athletic Conference [51] OAC1902 Division III
Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference [52] SCIAC1915 Division III
Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference [53] WIAC1913 Division III Inter-Normal Athletic Conference of Wisconsin, Wisconsin State Teachers College Conference, Wisconsin State College Conference, Wisconsin State University Athletic Conference
  1. ↑ The Pacific Coast Conference operated under a separate charter from the conference now known as the Pac-12. While the PCC dissolved in 1959, the Pac-12 claims that conference's history as its own.
  2. ↑ The Yankee Conference was an all-sports conference until 1976, when it became a football-only league.
  3. ↑ CAA Football is technically separate from the all-sports Coastal Athletic Association, though administered by the latter.
  4. ↑ Despite significant continuity between the New England Conference and Yankee Conference, CAA Football does not recognize the former as an ancestor.
  5. ↑ The all-sports CAA and CAA Football consider the latter's history to have started with the formation of the Yankee Conference.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Collegiate Athletic Association</span> American collegiate athletic organization

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and one in Canada. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges and helps over 500,000 college student athletes who compete annually in college sports. The organization is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atlantic 10 Conference</span> Collegiate athletic conference

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.

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">College basketball</span> Amateur basketball played by students of higher education institutions

In United States colleges and universities, basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA), the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), and the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA). Each of these various organizations is subdivided into one to three divisions, based on the number and level of scholarships that may be provided to the athletes. Teams with more talent tend to win over teams with less talent.

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

NCAA Division III (D-III) is a division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States. D-III consists of athletic programs at colleges and universities that choose not to offer athletic scholarships to their student-athletes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">College rowing in the United States</span> Team sport version of rowing practiced by universities in the United States

Rowing is the oldest intercollegiate sport in the United States. The first intercollegiate race was a contest between Yale and Harvard in 1852. In the 2018–19 school year, there were 2,340 male and 7,294 female collegiate rowers in Divisions I, II and III, according to the NCAA. The sport has grown since the first NCAA statistics were compiled for the 1981–82 school year, which reflected 2,053 male and 1,187 female collegiate rowers in the three divisions. Some concern has been raised that some recent female numbers are inflated by non-competing novices.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Penn State Nittany Lions</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of Penn State University

The Penn State Nittany Lions are the athletic teams of Pennsylvania State University, except for the women's basketball team, known as the Lady Lions. The school colors are navy blue and white. The school mascot is the Nittany Lion. The intercollegiate athletics logo was commissioned in 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Navy Midshipmen</span> Sports teams of the United States Naval Academy

The Navy Midshipmen are the athletic teams that represent the United States Naval Academy. The academy sponsors 36 varsity sports teams and 12 club sport teams. Both men's and women's teams are called Navy Midshipmen or "Mids". They participate in the NCAA's Division I, as a non-football member of the Patriot League, a football-only member of the American Athletic Conference in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), and a member of the Collegiate Sprint Football League (men), Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges (men), Eastern Association of Women's Rowing Colleges, Eastern Intercollegiate Gymnastics League (men), Mid-Atlantic Squash Conference (men) and Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association. Navy is also one of approximately 300 members of the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">College lacrosse</span> Lacrosse played by student athletes in North America

College lacrosse is played by student-athletes at colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. In both countries, men's field lacrosse and women's lacrosse are played at both the varsity and club levels. College lacrosse in Canada is sponsored by the Canadian University Field Lacrosse Association (CUFLA) and Maritime University Field Lacrosse League (MUFLL), while in the United States, varsity men's and women's lacrosse is governed by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) and National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). There are also university lacrosse programs in the United Kingdom sponsored by British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) and programs in Japan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Collegiate fencing</span>

Collegiate fencing in the United States can be traced back to as early as 1941. Some of the earliest programs in the US came from the Ivy League schools, with the first Ivy League fencing championships taking place in 1956. As of 2023, there are 112 club teams, 43 women's varsity fencing programs and 33 men's varsity teams in the US. Both clubs and varsity teams participate in the sport, however only the varsity teams may participate in the NCAA championship tournament. Due to the limited number of colleges that have fencing teams, NCAA fencing combines the three divisions into a combined National Collegiate sport, all participating in one NCAA Championship.

<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.

The 2020–21 NCAA Division III football season was the component of the 2020 college football season organized by the NCAA at the Division III level in the United States. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, only a few games were played during the traditional fall season, including the annual Secretaries Cup between Coast Guard and Merchant Marine on November 14, 2020. For other teams that chose to play during the 2020–21 school year, the regular season began on February 6, 2021 and culminated on May 1.

<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. ↑ "IRA – Friends of Rowing History" . Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  2. ↑ "IRA Regatta". May 17, 2008. Archived from the original on May 17, 2008. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  3. ↑ "The Home of CricketArchive". cricketarchive.com. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  4. ↑ "Ivy League Index". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  5. ↑ "Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association".
  6. ↑ "About the Ivy League". ivyleague.com. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  7. ↑ "About the Conference". Big Ten Conference . Archived from the original on August 20, 2018. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Welcome cfbdatawarehouse.com - BlueHost.com". www.cfbdatawarehouse.com. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  9. ↑ "TSHA | Southwest Conference". www.tshaonline.org. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Big 12 Biography". big12sports.com. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  11. ↑ "About the Pac-12 | Pac-12". pac-12.com. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  12. ↑ "This is The Valley". mvc-sports.com. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Big Eight Conference - Athletic History Site". October 12, 2013. Archived from the original on October 12, 2013. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Conference Champions". February 13, 2010. Archived from the original on February 13, 2010. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  15. ↑ "New League Is Established". The Daily Inter Lake. October 12, 1961. p. 6. Retrieved February 4, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  16. ↑ "Western Athletic Conference".
  17. ↑ "History lesson: Super-conference concept rooted in 1990 proposal". www.sportsbusinessjournal.com. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  18. ↑ "American Athletic Conference". theamerican.org. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  19. ↑ "BIG EAST Conference History". www.bigeast.com. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  20. ↑ "Prospects for Sport: The Southern Inter-Collegiate Association Organized" . Richmond Times-Dispatch. 29 Dec 1892. p. 2. Retrieved February 4, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  21. ↑ "The History of the Southern Conference". soconsports.com. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  22. ↑ "SEC History". www.secsports.com. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  23. ↑ "2022 ACC Annual Report (PDF) - Atlantic Coast Conference" (PDF). theacc.com. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  24. ↑ "History of the MAC". getsomemaction.com. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  25. ↑ "SWAC History". swac.org. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  26. ↑ "About The Big West". bigwest.org. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  27. ↑ "West Coast Conference History". wccsports.com. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  28. ↑ "About the Atlantic 10 Conference". atlantic10.com. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  29. ↑ "N.E. Conference Formed Among Six Colleges". The Berkshire Eagle. December 18, 1946. p. 20. Retrieved February 4, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  30. 1 2 "THE CAA & CAA FOOTBALL". caasports.com. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  31. ↑ "New England Schools Begin Organization". Pittsburgh Daily Post. January 30, 1923. p. 12. Retrieved February 4, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  32. ↑ "Home". Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  33. ↑ "Mission, Purpose, and History". wcha.com. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  34. ↑ "History and Records". ecachockey.com. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  35. ↑ "North Central Conference". northcentral.prestosports.com. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  36. ↑ "Conference Champions". February 13, 2010. Archived from the original on February 13, 2010. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  37. ↑ "About The CIAA". theciaa.com. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  38. ↑ "Conference Carolinas History & Roots". conferencecarolinas.com. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  39. ↑ "CCAA Champions". goccaa.org. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  40. ↑ "Lone Star Conference History". lonestarconference.org. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  41. ↑ "About The Association". themiaa.com. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  42. ↑ "History of the NSIC". northernsun.org. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  43. ↑ "RMAC History". rmacsports.org. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  44. ↑ "SIAC HISTORY". thesiac.com. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  45. ↑ MetroNews (June 19, 2012). "A Break Up For WVIAC". WV MetroNews. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  46. ↑ "Conference History". rollrivers.com. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  47. ↑ "Conference Champions". gomacsports.com. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  48. ↑ "MWC History". midwestconference.org. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  49. ↑ "The MIAC Story: Collegiate Athletics at its Best". miacathletics.com. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  50. ↑ "NWC History". nwcsports.com. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  51. ↑ "About the OAC".
  52. ↑ "SCIAC".
  53. ↑ "History". wiacsports.com. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
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