| Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) |
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| Established: 1983 | |
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| NCAA | Division I FCS |
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| Members | 12 |
| Sports fielded | 21 (men's: 10; women's: 11) |
| Region | East Coast |
| Former names | ECAC South |
| Headquarters | Richmond, Virginia |
| Commissioner | Tom Yeager (since 1983) |
| Website | http://www.caasports.com |
| Locations | |
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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 in Richmond, Virginia. The CAA was historically a Southern conference until the addition of five Northeastern schools (all five from rival conference America East) after the turn of the 21st century, which added balance to the conference.
The CAA was founded in 1983 as the ECAC South basketball league. It was renamed the Colonial Athletic Association 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 upon 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 six-member conference added four additional universities: Towson University, Drexel University, Hofstra University, and the University of Delaware. Four years later the league expanded again when Georgia State University and Northeastern University joined, further enlarging the conference footprint.
On the playing field, the CAA has produced 16 national team champions in five different sports (the most recent being the Richmond Spiders who won the 2008 Division I FCS football championship), 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 |
Members
Full-time members
Associate members
- Binghamton University (wrestling)
- Boston University (wrestling)
- Campbell University (wrestling)
- University at Buffalo, The State University of New York (women's rowing)
- University of Dayton (women's golf)
- University of Maine (football)
- University of Massachusetts (men's lacrosse starting in 2010, 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 through 2009)
- Sacred Heart University (men's lacrosse through 2009, wrestling)
- Saint Joseph's University (men's lacrosse through 2010)
- Villanova University (men's lacrosse through 2009, football)
- Xavier University (women's golf)
Future members
- Penn State University (men's lacrosse starting in 2010)
Former members
- American University (1984–2001)
- East Carolina University (1982–2001)
- United States Naval Academy (Navy) (1982–1991)
- University of Richmond (1982–2001)
Membership history timeline
Men's basketball
| * | Denotes a tie for regular season conference title |
| † | Denotes game went into overtime |
Regular Season Champions
Note: The conference was known as the ECAC South from 1983–1985.
| Season | Regular Season Champion | Conference Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | William & Mary | 9–0 |
| 1984 | Richmond | 7–3 |
| 1985 | Navy | 11–3 |
| 1986 | Navy | 13–1 |
| 1987 | Navy | 13–1 |
| 1988 | Richmond | 11–3 |
| 1989 | Richmond | 13–1 |
| 1990 | James Madison | 11–3 |
| 1991 | James Madison | 12–2 |
| 1992 | Richmond | 12–2 |
| 1993 | James Madison | 11–3 |
| 1994 | Old Dominion | 10–4 |
| 1995 | Old Dominion | 12–2 |
| 1996 | VCU | 14–2 |
| 1997 | Old Dominion | 10–6 |
| 1998* | William & Mary UNC Wilmington |
13–3 |
| 1999 | George Mason | 13–3 |
| 2000* | George Mason James Madison |
12–4 |
| 2001 | Richmond | 12–4 |
| 2002 | UNC Wilmington | 14–4 |
| 2003 | UNC Wilmington | 15–3 |
| 2004 | VCU | 14–4 |
| 2005 | Old Dominion | 15–3 |
| 2006* | George Mason UNC Wilmington |
15–3 |
| 2007 | VCU | 16–2 |
| 2008 | VCU | 15–3 |
| 2009 | VCU | 14–4 |
History of the Tournament Final
Men's Tournament Championships by School
| School | Championships | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Richmond‡ | 5 | 1984, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1998 |
| George Mason | 4 | 1989, 1999, 2001, 2008 |
| Old Dominion | 4 | 1992, 1995, 1997, 2005 |
| UNC Wilmington | 4 | 2000, 2002, 2003, 2006 |
| VCU | 4 | 1996, 2004, 2007, 2009 |
| Navy‡ | 3 | 1985, 1986, 1987 |
| James Madison | 2 | 1983, 1994 |
| East Carolina‡ | 1 | 1993 |
‡Former member of the CAA
Broadcasters
Women's basketball
| * | Denotes a tie for regular season conference title |
| † | Denotes game went into overtime |
Regular Season Champions
| Season | Regular Season Champion | Conference Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Richmond | 4–1 |
| 1985 | East Carolina | 11–1 |
| 1986 | James Madison | 11–1 |
| 1987 | James Madison | 12–0 |
| 1988 | James Madison | 12–0 |
| 1989 | James Madison | 12–0 |
| 1990 | Richmond | 11–1 |
| 1991 | James Madison | 11–1 |
| 1992 | Old Dominion | 12–2 |
| 1993 | Old Dominion | 14–0 |
| 1994 | Old Dominion | 14–0 |
| 1995 | Old Dominion | 13–1 |
| 1996 | Old Dominion | 16–0 |
| 1997 | Old Dominion | 16–0 |
| 1998 | Old Dominion | 16–0 |
| 1999 | Old Dominion | 16–0 |
| 2000 | Old Dominion | 16–0 |
| 2001 | Old Dominion | 15–1 |
| 2002 | Old Dominion | 18–0 |
| 2003 | Old Dominion | 15–3 |
| 2004 | Old Dominion | 14–4 |
| 2005 | Old Dominion | 15–3 |
| 2006 | Old Dominion | 17–1 |
| 2007 | Old Dominion | 17–1 |
| 2008 | Old Dominion | 17–1 |
| 2009 | Drexel | 16–2 |
History of the Tournament Finals
Women's Tournament Championships by School
| School | Championships | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Old Dominion | 17 | 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 |
| James Madison | 4 | 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989 |
| East Carolina‡ | 2 | 1984, 1985 |
| Richmond‡ | 2 | 1990, 1991 |
| Drexel | 1 | 2009 |
‡Former member of the CAA
Football
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. On May 31, 2006, Old Dominion University announced that it would start a football team to begin play in 2009.[4] Old Dominion will join the CAA football conference in 2011.[5] On April 17, 2008, Georgia State University announced that it will start a football team to begin play in 2010 and join the CAA football conference in 2012.[6] The team will play in the 70,000 seat Georgia Dome.
Since the CAA began play as a football conference in 2007, a member team has always played in the FCS Championship game, with the University of Delaware making it in 2007 and the University of Richmond winning it in 2008. In 2007, the CAA set records with 15 national player of the week honorees and by sending five teams to the national championship playoffs. The very next season, in 2008, they broke that record with 19 national player of the week honorees and tied their own record by again sending five teams to the national championship playoffs for the second straight year. At the end of the 2008 season, the CAA had six Top 25 teams with four placing in the Top Ten. Players from the CAA received 78 All-America honors.
In the opening weekend of the 2009 season, CAA teams defeated three Division I FBS teams. William & Mary and Richmond took down teams from the ACC (one of the six conferences whose champions receive automatic Bowl Championship Series berths), respectively Virginia and Duke, while Villanova defeated Temple from the MAC. The following weekend saw New Hampshire defeat another MAC team, Ball State (which had gone through the previous regular season unbeaten).
The CAA football conference has the following members:
North Division
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South Division
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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
- Northeastern 1935–2009, dropped football[8]
Conference champions
| * | Denotes a tie for regular season conference title |
| Year | Team(s) | Conference Record | Overall Record | Head Coach(es) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007* | Massachusetts Richmond |
7–1 | 10–3 11–3 |
Don Brown Dave Clawson |
| 2008 | James Madison | 8–0 | 12–2 | Mickey Matthews |
| 2009* | Richmond Villanova |
7–1 | 10–1 10–1 |
Mike London Andy Talley |
Conference facilities
Note: Old Dominion reinstated its football program in 2009 after 69 years, but will not begin play in the CAA until 2011[9]. Old Dominion is utilizing a pre-existing facility. Georgia State will start football in 2010, and will use the Georgia Dome. The stadium seats 70,000 but the school will likely reduce seating for their games except for the occasional FBS team playing in the stadium because of its size.
References
- ^ http://www.udel.edu/aboutus/history.html
- ^ http://www.towson.edu/main/abouttu/glance/
- ^ http://www.vcu.edu/about/
- ^ Football to be added to ODU sports programs in 2009
- ^ Ducibella, Jim (2007-01-24). "ODU football closing in on necessary endowment". The Virginian-Pilot. http://hamptonroads.com/node/211841. Retrieved 2008-04-21.
- ^ Frequently Asked Questions About Georgia State Football
- ^ http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20091101-SPORTS-911010361
- ^ http://www.boston.com/sports/colleges/football/articles/2009/11/23/northeastern_calls_an_end_to_football/
- ^ http://www.odusports.com/sports/m-footbl/recaps/090509aaa.html
External links
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