The Summit League
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| The Summit League | |
|---|---|
| Image:Summit League logo.png | |
| Data | |
| Established | 1982 |
| Members | 10 |
| Sports fielded | 19 (9 men's, 10 women's) |
| Region | Midwest United States |
| States | 9 - Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Utah |
| Past names | Association of Mid-Continent Universities (AMCU) 1982-1989 Mid-Continent Conference 1989-2007 |
| Headquarters | Elmhurst, Illinois |
| Commissioner | Tom Douple |
| Locations | |
The Summit League (or The Summit) is an NCAA Division I college athletic conference which operates primarily in the Midwestern United States, with outlying teams in Louisiana and Utah. On June 1, 2007, the conference changed its name from the Mid-Continent Conference.
Contents |
[edit] Membership
[edit] Associate members
- Eastern Illinois University (November 3, 2005 - swimming and diving)
[edit] Former members
| Institution | Years | Moved To |
|---|---|---|
| University of Akron | 1990-1992 | Mid-American Conference |
| University at Buffalo | 1994-1998 | Mid-American Conference |
| Central Connecticut State University | 1994-1998 | Northeast Conference |
| Chicago State University | 1994-2006 | Independent |
| Cleveland State University | 1982-1994 | Horizon League |
| Eastern Illinois University | 1982-1996 | Ohio Valley Conference |
| University of Illinois at Chicago | 1982-1994 | Horizon League |
| Northeastern Illinois University | 1994-1998 | Disbanded sports |
| Northern Illinois University | 1990-1994 | Horizon League |
| University of Northern Iowa | 1982-1991 | Missouri Valley Conference |
| Missouri State University | 1982-1990 | Missouri Valley Conference |
| Troy University | 1994-1997 | Sun Belt |
| University of Wisconsin-Green Bay | 1982-1994 | Horizon League |
| University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee | 1993-1994 | Horizon League |
| Valparaiso University | 1982-2007 | Horizon League |
| Wright State University | 1991-1994 | Horizon League |
| Youngstown State University | 1992-2001 | Horizon League |
[edit] History
[edit] Foundation
The conference was created in 1982 as the Association of Mid-Continent Universities (or AMCU or AMCU-8, pronounced Am-cue), which it was known as until 1989.[1] The conference sponsored football from 1982 until 1984 at the Division II level, and current members North Dakota State, South Dakota State, Southern Utah, and Western Illinois have Division I FCS (formerly known as Division I-AA) football programs.
[edit] Horizon and ECC transitions
In 1994, founding members Cleveland State University, the University of Illinois at Chicago, and the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay as well as new members University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Wright State University left the conference to join the Midwestern Collegiate Conference, now known as the Horizon League. That same year, the Mid-Continent absorbed Central Connecticut State University, Chicago State University, the University at Buffalo, Troy State University and Northeastern Illinois University from the collapsed East Coast Conference. None of these members remain in the conference. Missouri-Kansas City, formerly an independent, also joined the conference in 1994.
[edit] Declining membership
Eastern Illinois departed for the Ohio Valley Conference in 1996. In 1997 Troy State University departed for the Trans America Athletic Conference. In 1998 Central Connecticut State University joined the Northeast Conference and the University at Buffalo joined the Mid-American Conference. Also that same year, Northeastern Illinois ceased athletic operations. Youngstown State University switched to the Horizon League in 2001, as did founding member Valparaiso University in 2007. As of 2007, seven of the ten Horizon League members are former members of the Summit League. In spring 2006, Chicago State University announced they were withdrawing from the conference and began competition as an independent for the 2006-07 school year.
[edit] Renewed expansion
At the Mid-Continent Conference annual Presidents Council meeting in 2006, conference expansion was discussed at length, and IPFW, North Dakota State, and South Dakota State were approved for site visits. On August 30, 2006, Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW) accepted an invitation to join the Mid-Continent Conference as a full member starting July 1, 2007.[2] The following day, North Dakota State University and South Dakota State University also accepted invitations to join the conference.[3] [4]
The conference is in the process of acquiring and administering the Great West Football Conference, of which three current members are affiliated, however, two members will be leaving the Great West Football Conference and joining the Gateway Conference.[5]
[edit] Membership timeline
<timeline> DateFormat = yyyy ImageSize = width:750 height:auto barincrement:20 Period = from:1982 till:2007 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal PlotArea = right:30 left:0 bottom:50 top:5
Colors = id:barcolor value:rgb(0.99,0.7,0.7)
id:line value:black
id:bg value:white
PlotData=
width:15 textcolor:black shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:s
bar:1 color:orange from:1982 till:1994 text:Cleveland State University (1982-1994) bar:2 color:orange from:1982 till:1996 text:Eastern Illinois University (1982-1996) bar:3 color:orange from:1982 till:1994 text:University of Illinois at Chicago (1982-1994) bar:4 color:orange from:1982 till:1991 text:University of Northern Iowa (1982-1991) bar:5 color:orange from:1982 till:1990 text:Missouri State University (1982-1990) bar:6 color:orange from:1982 till:1994 text:University of Wisconsin-Green Bay (1982-1994) bar:7 color:orange from:1982 till:2007 text:Valparaiso University (1982-2007) bar:8 color:orange from:1982 till:end text:Western Illinois University (1982-present) bar:9 color:orange from:1990 till:1992 text:University of Akron (1990-1992) bar:10 color:orange from:1990 till:1994 text:Northern Illinois University (1990-1994) bar:11 color:orange from:1991 till:1994 text:Wright State University (1991-1994) bar:12 color:orange from:1992 till:2001 text:Youngstown State University (1992-2001) bar:13 color:orange from:1993 till:1994 text:University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (1993-1994) bar:14 color:orange from:1994 till:1998 text:University at Buffalo (1994-1998) bar:15 color:orange from:1994 till:1998 text:Central Connecticut State University (1994-1998) bar:16 color:orange from:1994 till:2006 text:Chicago State University (1994-2006) bar:17 color:orange from:1994 till:1998 text:Northeastern Illinois University (1994-1998) bar:18 color:orange from:1994 till:1997 text:Troy University (1994-1997) bar:19 color:orange from:1994 till:end text:University of Missouri–Kansas City (1994-present) bar:20 color:orange from:1997 till:end text:Oral Roberts University (1997-present) bar:21 color:orange from:1997 till:end shift:(-5,-5) text:Southern Utah University (1997-present) bar:22 color:orange from:1998 till:end shift:(-135,-5) text:Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (1998-present) bar:23 color:orange from:1998 till:end text:Oakland University (1998-present) bar:24 color:orange from:2003 till:end shift:(-140,-5) text:Centenary College of Louisiana (2003-present) bar:2 color:red from:2005 till:end text:Eastern Illinois University (2005-present) ASSOCIATE MEMBER (Swim & Dive) bar:26 color:orange from:2007 till:end shift:(-303,-5) text:Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (2007-present) bar:27 color:orange from:2007 till:end shift:(-209,-5) text:North Dakota State University (2007-present) bar:28 color:orange from:2007 till:end shift:(-209,-5) text:South Dakota State University (2007-present)
ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:2 start:1982
TextData =
fontsize:L textcolor:black pos:(175,30) # tabs:(0-center) text:"Membership History"
</timeline>
[edit] Men's basketball in the NCAA tournament
| Year | Team | Seed | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | none | ||
| 1984 | none | ||
| 1985 | none | ||
| 1986 | Cleveland State | 14† | defeated Indiana defeated Saint Joseph's lost to Navy |
| 1987 | Southwest Missouri State[6] | 13 | defeated Clemson lost to Kansas |
| 1988 | Southwest Missouri State | 13 | lost to UNLV |
| 1989 | Southwest Missouri State | 14 | lost to Seton Hall |
| 1990 | Southwest Missouri State | 9 | lost to North Carolina |
| Northern Iowa | 14 | defeated Missouri lost to Minnesota | |
| 1991 | Wisconsin-Green Bay | 12 | lost to Michigan State |
| Northern Illinois | 13† | lost to St. John's | |
| 1992 | Eastern Illinois | 15 | lost to Indiana |
| 1993 | Wright State | 16 | lost to Indiana |
| 1994 | UW-Green Bay | 12 | defeated California lost to Syracuse |
| 1995 | none | ||
| 1996 | Valparaiso | 14 | lost to Arizona |
| 1997 | Valparaiso | 12 | lost to Boston College |
| 1998 | Valparaiso | 13 | defeated Ole Miss defeated Florida State lost to Rhode Island |
| 1999 | Valparaiso | 15 | lost to Maryland |
| 2000 | Valparaiso | 16 | lost to Michigan State |
| 2001 | Southern Utah | 14 | lost to Boston College |
| 2002 | Valparaiso | 13 | lost to Kentucky |
| 2003 | IUPUI | 16 | lost to Kentucky |
| 2004 | Valparaiso | 15 | lost to Gonzaga |
| 2005 | Oakland | 16 | defeated Alabama A&M‡ Lost to North Carolina |
| 2006 | Oral Roberts | 16 | lost to Memphis |
| 2007 | Oral Roberts | 14 | lost to Washington State |
† at-large bid ‡ opening round game
[edit] Conference facilities
| School | Basketball arena | Capacity | Football stadium | Capacity | Baseball stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Centenary | Gold Dome | 3,000 | Non-Football School | |||
| IPFW | Allen County War Memorial Coliseum (men) Hilliard Gates Sports Center (women) | 13,000 2,800 | Non-Football School | |||
| IUPUI | IUPUI Gymnasium | 2,000 | Non-Football School | |||
| UMKC | Municipal Auditorium | 9,287 | Non-Football School | |||
| North Dakota State | Bison Sports Arena | 8,000 | Fargodome | 19,500 | Newman Outdoor Field | 4,600 |
| Oakland | Athletics Center O'Rena | 4,005 | Non-Football School | OU Baseball Field | 500 | |
| Oral Roberts | Mabee Center | 10,575 | Non-Football School | |||
| South Dakota State | Frost Arena | 8,500 | Coughlin-Alumni Stadium | 16,000 | ||
| Southern Utah | Centrum Arena | 5,300 | Eccles Coliseum | 8,500 | ||
| Western Illinois | Western Hall | 5,139 | Hanson Field | 15,000 | ||
[edit] Notes
- ^ http://www.thespectrum.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060309/SPORTS/603090335/1006
- ^ Press Release. IPFW accepts invitation to join Mid-Continent Conference, Mid-Continent Conference, August 30, 2006.
- ^ Press Release. North Dakota State University accepts invitation to join Mid-Continent Conference, Mid-Continent Conference, August 31, 2006.
- ^ Press Release. South Dakota State University accepts invitation to join Mid-Continent Conference, Mid-Continent Conference, August 31, 2006.
- ^ http://www.i-aa.org/article.asp?articleid=78478
- ^ The school did not adopt its current name of Missouri State University until 2005.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
The Summit League | |
|---|---|
| Members | Centenary (Gentlemen & Ladies) • IPFW (Mastodons) • IUPUI (Jaguars) • North Dakota State (Bison) • Oakland (Golden Grizzlies) • Oral Roberts (Golden Eagles) • South Dakota State (Jackrabbits) • Southern Utah (Thunderbirds) • UMKC (Kangaroos) • Western Illinois (Leathernecks & Westerwinds) |
| Affiliates | Eastern Illinois (swimming and diving) |

