Colonial Athletic Association
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| Colonial Athletic Association | |
|---|---|
| Image:ColonialAthleticAssociation.png | |
| Data | |
| Classification | NCAA Division I FCS |
| Established | 1983 |
| Members | 12 |
| Sports fielded | 21 (10 men's, 11 women's) |
| Region | East Coast |
| States | 8 - Virginia, Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania |
| Past names | ECAC South |
| Headquarters | Richmond, Virginia |
| Commissioner | Tom Yeager |
| Locations | |
| Image:ColonialAthleticAssociationMap.png | |
The Colonial Athletic Association, also known as the CAA, is a NCAA Division I college athletic conference whose members are located in East Coast states from Massachusetts to Georgia. Most of its members are public universities, with five in Virginia alone, and the conference is headquartered near Richmond, Virginia. The CAA is generally considered one of the stronger mid-major conferences in the country.[citation needed]
The CAA was founded in 1983 as the ECAC South basketball league. It was renamed the CAA in 1985 when it added championships in other sports (although a number of members maintain ECAC affiliation in some sports). As of 2006, it organizes championships in 21 men's and women's sports. The addition of Northeastern University in 2005 gave the conference the NCAA minimum of six football programs needed to sponsor football. For the 2007 football season, all of the Atlantic Ten Conference's football programs joined the CAA football conference, as agreed to in May 2005.
The CAA has expanded in recent years, following the exits of longtime members such as the United States Naval Academy, University of Richmond, East Carolina University and American University. In 2001 the 6 member conference added 4 northeastern schools: Towson University, Drexel University, Hofstra University, and the University of Delaware. Four years later the league expanded again when Georgia State and Northeastern joined, further enlarging the conference footprint.
On the playing field, the CAA has produced 16 national team champions in five different sports, 33 individual national champions, 11 national coaches of the year, 11 national players of the year and 12 Honda Award winners. In 2006, George Mason became the first CAA team to reach the Final Four, and was the first team designated as a true mid-major to make it that far since the tournament expanded to 64 teams.
Contents |
[edit] Members
The league currently has 12 full members:
[edit] Associate members
- Binghamton University (wrestling)
- Boston University (wrestling)
- Campbell University (wrestling)
- College of Charleston (swimming & diving)
- Davidson College (swimming & diving)
- University of Dayton (women's golf)
- University of Maine (football)
- University of Massachusetts (football)
- University of New Hampshire (football)
- University of Rhode Island (football)
- University of Richmond (women's golf, football)
- Rider University (wrestling)
- Robert Morris University (men's lacrosse)
- Sacred Heart University (men's lacrosse, wrestling)
- Villanova University (men's lacrosse, football)
- Xavier University (women's golf)
[edit] Former members
- American University - (1984-2001)
- East Carolina University - (1982-2001)
- United States Naval Academy (Navy) - (1982-1991)
- University of Richmond - (1982-2001)
[edit] Men's Basketball Champions
| Season | Regular Season Champion | Tournament Champion | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | William & Mary (9-0) | James Madison | |
| 1984 | Richmond (7-3) | Richmond | |
| 1985 | Navy (11-3) | Navy | |
| 1986 | Navy (13-1) | Navy | |
| 1987 | Navy (13-1) | Navy | |
| 1988 | Richmond (11-3) | Richmond | |
| 1989 | Richmond (13-1) | George Mason | |
| 1990 | James Madison (11-3) | Richmond | |
| 1991 | James Madison (12-2) | Richmond | |
| 1992 | Richmond (12-2) | Old Dominion | |
| 1993 | James Madison (11-3) | East Carolina | |
| 1994 | Old Dominion (10-4) | James Madison | |
| 1995 | Old Dominion (12-2) | Old Dominion | |
| 1996 | Virginia Commonwealth (14-2) | Virginia Commonwealth | |
| 1997 | Old Dominion (10-6) | Old Dominion | |
| 1998 | William & Mary/UNC Wilmington (13-3) | Richmond | |
| 1999 | George Mason (13-3) | George Mason | |
| 2000 | George Mason / James Madison (12-4) | UNC Wilmington | |
| 2001 | Richmond (12-4) | George Mason | |
| 2002 | UNC Wilmington (14-4) | UNC Wilmington | |
| 2003 | UNC Wilmington (15-3) | UNC Wilmington | |
| 2004 | Virginia Commonwealth (14-4) | Virginia Commonwealth | |
| 2005 | Old Dominion (15-3) | Old Dominion | |
| 2006 | UNC Wilmington/George Mason (15-3) | UNC Wilmington | |
| 2007 | Virginia Commonwealth (16-2) | Virginia Commonwealth |
The CAA tournament has been contested at the Richmond Coliseum in Richmond, Virginia, since 1990 and is scheduled to be at least through 2012. Prior hosts include:
- Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, Virginia: 1987-1989
- Patriot Center, Fairfax, Virginia: 1986
- William and Mary Hall, Williamsburg, Virginia: 1985
- Convocation Center, Harrisonburg, Virginia: 1984
- Robins Center, Richmond: 1983
Note: The conference was known as the ECAC South from 1983-1985.
[edit] Football conference
The CAA football conference was formed in 2005, although it did not begin play until 2007. In the 2004-05 academic year, the CAA had five member schools that sponsored football, all of them as football-only members of the Atlantic 10 Conference (A10). In 2005, as previously noted, Northeastern accepted the CAA's offer of membership, giving the CAA the six football-playing members it needed under NCAA rules to organize a football conference. At that time, the CAA announced it would launch its new football conference in 2007. Next, the CAA invited the University of Richmond to become a football-only member effective in 2007. Once UR accepted the offer, this left the A10 football conference with only five members, less than the six required under NCAA rules. As a result, the remaining A10 football programs all decided to join the CAA on a football-only basis, spelling the end of A10 football, at least under that conference's banner. Since the CAA football conference had the same members as the A10 the previous year, it can be said that the CAA football conference is the A10 football conference under new management. With that in mind, the CAA football conference's oldest ancestor is the Yankee Conference, which began play in 1938, eliminated sports other than football in 1975, and merged with the A10 in 1997. Every school that was in the Yankee Conference at the time of the A10 merger and still fields an FCS-level football team (10 out of the final 12 members of the Yankee Conference) is in the CAA football conference.
The CAA football conference has the following members:
[edit] Northern Division
[edit] Southern Division
- Delaware
- James Madison
- Old Dominion (Program begins 2009)
- Richmond
- Towson
- Villanova
- William & Mary
[edit] Former members
Former members of the CAA football conference's ancestors include:
- Boston U.: 1971-1997, dropped football
- Connecticut: 1938-1999, moved up to Division I-A (now FBS), joined Big East Conference in 2004
- Holy Cross: 1971, became independent, now in Patriot League
- Vermont: 1938-1973, dropped football
[edit] Conference facilities
| School | Football stadium | Capacity | Basketball arena | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delaware | Tubby Raymond Field at Delaware Stadium | 22,000 | Bob Carpenter Center (The "Bob") | 5,000 |
| Drexel | Non-Football School | N/A | Daskalakis Athletic Center (The "DAC") | 2,300 |
| George Mason | Non-Football School | N/A | Patriot Center | 10,000 |
| Georgia State | Non-Football School | N/A | GSU Sports Arena | 4,500 |
| Hofstra | James M. Shuart Stadium | 15,000 | Hofstra Arena (The "Mack") | 5,124 |
| James Madison | Bridgeforth Stadium | 14,000 | JMU Convocation Center (The "Convo") | 7,156 |
| Northeastern | Parsons Field | 7,000 | Matthews Arena (The "Freezer") (men's) Cabot Center (women's) | 6,000 2,500 |
| Old Dominion | Foreman Field | 20,000 | Ted Constant Convocation Center (The "Ted") | 8,650 |
| Towson | Minnegan Field at Johnny Unitas Stadium | 11,198 | Towson Center | 5,000 |
| UNC-Wilmington | Non-Football School | N/A | Trask Coliseum | 6,100 |
| Virginia Commonwealth | Non-Football School | N/A | ALLTEL Pavilion at the Stuart C. Siegel Center | 7,500 |
| William & Mary | Walter J. Zable Stadium at Cary Field | 12,259 | Kaplan Arena | 8,600 |
[edit] Football-only Members
| School | Football stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Maine | Morse Field at Alfond Stadium | 10,000 |
| Massachusetts | Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium | 17,000 |
| New Hampshire | Mooradian Field at Cowell Stadium | 8,000 |
| Rhode Island | Meade Stadium | 6,580 |
| Richmond | University of Richmond Stadium | 22,000 |
| Villanova | Villanova Stadium | 12,500 |
Note: Old Dominion will not reinstate its football program until 2009, but already has a suitable on-campus stadium.
[edit] External links
Colonial Athletic Association |
|---|
| Delaware • Drexel • George Mason • Georgia State • Hofstra • James Madison • Northeastern • Old Dominion • Towson • UNC–Wilmington • Virginia Commonwealth • William & Mary |
CAA Football Conference |
|---|
| Northern Division: Hofstra • Maine • UMass • New Hampshire • Northeastern • Rhode Island Southern Division: Delaware • James Madison • Old Dominion (effective 2009) • Richmond • Towson • Villanova • William & Mary |
