| Southern Conference (SoCon) |
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| Established: 1921 | |
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| NCAA | Division I (FCS) |
|---|---|
| Members | 12 |
| Sports fielded | 19 (men's: 10; women's: 9) |
| Region | Southeast |
| Headquarters | Spartanburg, South Carolina |
| Commissioner | John Iamarino (since 2006) |
| Website | www.soconsports.com |
| Locations | |
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The Southern Conference (or SoCon) is a Division I college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Southern Conference football teams compete in the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly known as I-AA). Member institutions are located in the states of Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. The Southern Conference ranks as the fourth oldest major college athletic conference in the United States.[1] Only the Big Ten (1896), Missouri Valley (1907) and Southwestern Athletic (1920) conferences are older.
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. It has also garnered considerable national attention from its recent success in these sports: in particular, three-time Division I NCAA Football champion Appalachian State Mountaineers, who stunned the fifth-ranked Michigan Wolverines 34–32 on September 1, 2007;[2] and from the Davidson Wildcats, who reached the Elite Eight in the 2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament by upsetting power programs Gonzaga, Georgetown and Wisconsin.[3]
Contents |
History
| Wallace Wade | 1951–60 |
| Lloyd Jordon | 1960–73 |
| Ken Germann | 1974–86 |
| Dave Hart | 1986–91 |
| Wright Waters | 1991–98 |
| Alfred B. White | 1998–2001 |
| Danny Morrison | 2001–05 |
| John Iamarino | 2006–present |
The conference was formed on February 25, 1921 in Atlanta, Georgia 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. Later additions included Sewanee (1923), Virginia Military Institute (1925), Duke (1929), and Wake Forest (1936).
The SoCon is particularly notable for having spawned two other major conferences. In 1933, thirteen schools located south and west of the Appalachians (Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Sewanee, Tennessee, Tulane, and Vanderbilt) departed the SoCon to form the Southeastern Conference (SEC).[1] In 1953, seven 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]
Other former members (in addition to those listed above) include East Carolina (1964–76), East Tennessee State (1978–2005), George Washington (1936–70), Marshall (1976–97), Richmond (1936–76), William & Mary (1936–77) and West Virginia (1950–68).
Sports offered
The Southern Conference currently offers 19 sports, 10 for men and 9 for women.
Men's sports
Women's sports
Current members
Conference membership increased to 12 full members when Samford joined on July 1, 2008,[4] bringing the number of football playing institutions to nine. Men's basketball and volleyball are split into divisions for conference play. North Division members are: Appalachian State, Chattanooga, Elon, Samford, UNC Greensboro, and Western Carolina. South Division members include: The Citadel, College of Charleston, Davidson, Furman, Georgia Southern, and Wofford.
Associate member
There is one associate member school (wrestling only):
| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia Military Institute[6] | Lexington, Virginia | 1839 | Public | 1,377 | Keydets |
Former members
Conference facilities
| School | Football stadium | Basketball arena | Baseball stadium | Soccer stadium | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Capacity | Name | Capacity | Name | Capacity | Name | Capacity | |
| Appalachian State | Kidd Brewer Stadium | 21,650 | Holmes Center | 8,325 | Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium | 2,000 | ASU Soccer Stadium | 1,000 |
| Chattanooga | Finley Stadium | 20,668 | McKenzie Arena | 11,218 | Non-baseball School | N/A | North River Soccer Complex | 500 |
| The Citadel | Johnson Hagood Stadium | 21,000 | McAlister Field House | 6,000 | Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park | 6,000 | Washington Light Infantry Field | — |
| College of Charleston | Non-football School | N/A | Carolina First Arena | 5,100 | CofC Baseball Stadium | 2,000 | CofC Soccer Stadium | 1,000 |
| Davidson | Richardson Stadium[5] | 6,000 | John M. Belk Arena | 6,000 | Wilson Field | 700 | Alumni Stadium | 2,000 |
| Elon | Rhodes Stadium | 11,250 | Alumni Gym | 1,768 | Latham Park | 500 | Rudd Field | 500 |
| Furman | Paladin Stadium | 16,000 | Timmons Arena | 5,000 | Latham Baseball Stadium | 2,000 | Stone Stadium | 3,000 |
| Georgia Southern | Paulson Stadium | 18,000 | Hanner Fieldhouse | 4,358 | J. I. Clements Stadium | 3,000 | Eagle Field | 500 |
| Samford | Seibert Stadium | 6,700 | Pete Hanna Center | 5,000 | Joe Lee Griffin Stadium | 1,000 | Bulldog Field | 972 |
| UNC Greensboro | Non-football School | N/A | Greensboro Coliseum |
23,500 |
UNCG Baseball Stadium | 3,500 | UNCG Soccer Stadium | 3,540 |
| Western Carolina | E. J. Whitmire Stadium | 13,742 | Ramsey Center | 7,826 | Hennon Stadium | 1,500 | Catamount Athletic Complex | 1,000 |
| Wofford | Gibbs Stadium | 13,000 | Benjamin Johnson Arena | 3,500 | Russell C. King Field | 2,500 | Snyder Field | 2,250 |
Conference champions
Football
This is a partial list of the last 10 champions. For the full history, see List of Southern Conference football champions.
| Year | Champion | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Furman Georgia Southern Appalachian State |
7–1–0 |
| 2000 | Georgia Southern | 7–1–0 |
| 2001 | Georgia Southern Furman |
7–1–0 |
| 2002 | Georgia Southern | 7–1–0 |
| 2003 | Wofford | 8–0–0 |
| 2004 | Furman Georgia Southern |
6–1–0 |
| 2005 | Appalachian State | 6–1–0 |
| 2006 | Appalachian State | 7–0–0 |
| 2007 | Wofford Appalachian State |
5–2–0 |
| 2008 | Appalachian State | 8–0–0 |
Men's basketball
This is a partial list of the last 10 champions. For the full history, see List of Southern Conference men's basketball champions.
The Southern Conference split into a divisional format for basketball beginning with the 1994–95 season.
| Year | Regular Season Champion (North) | Record | Regular Season Champion (South) | Record | Tournament Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999–2000 | Appalachian State | 13–3 | College of Charleston | 13–3 | Appalachian State |
| 2000–01 | East Tennessee State | 13–3 | College of Charleston | 12–4 | UNC Greensboro |
| 2001–02 | Davidson UNC Greensboro East Tennessee State |
11–5 | College of Charleston Georgia Southern Chattanooga |
9–7 | Davidson |
| 2002–03 | Davidson East Tennessee State Appalachian State |
11–5 | College of Charleston | 13–3 | East Tennessee State |
| 2003–04 | East Tennessee State | 15–1 | Davidson Georgia Southern College of Charleston |
11–5 | East Tennessee State |
| 2004–05 | Davidson | 16–0 | College of Charleston Georgia Southern |
10–6 | Chattanooga |
| 2005–06 | Elon | 10–4 | Georgia Southern | 11–4 | Davidson |
| 2006–07 | Appalachian State | 15–3 | Davidson | 17–1 | Davidson Tournament |
| 2007–08 | Appalachian State Chattanooga |
13–7 | Davidson | 20–0 | Davidson Tournament |
| 2008–09 | Chattanooga Western Carolina |
11–9 | Davidson | 18–2 | Chattanooga Tournament |
Baseball
This is a partial list of the last 10 champions. For the full history, see Southern Conference Baseball Tournament.
| Year | Champion |
|---|---|
| 2000 | Georgia Southern |
| 2001 | The Citadel |
| 2002 | Georgia Southern |
| 2003 | Western Carolina |
| 2004 | The Citadel |
| 2005 | Furman |
| 2006 | College of Charleston |
| 2007 | Wofford |
| 2008 | Elon |
| 2009 | Georgia Southern |
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.[7] 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 2008–09 athletics season saw Appalachian State winning its 29th Commissioner's Cup and College of Charleston winning its 2nd Germann Cup.[8]
Commissioner's Cup
| Year | Champion |
|---|---|
| 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 |
| 1987–88 | Appalachian State |
| 1988–89 | Appalachian State |
| 1989–90 | Appalachian State |
| 1990–91 | Furman |
| 1991–92 | Appalachian State |
| 1992–93 | Appalachian State |
| 1993–94 | Appalachian State |
| 1994–95 | Appalachian State |
| 1995–96 | Appalachian State |
| 1996–97 | Appalachian State |
| 1997–98 | Appalachian State |
| 1998–99 | Appalachian State |
| 1999–00 | Appalachian State |
| 2000–01 | Appalachian State |
| 2001–02 | Appalachian State |
| 2002–03 | Appalachian State |
| 2003–04 | Appalachian State |
| 2004–05 | Chattanooga |
| 2005–06 | Appalachian State |
| 2006–07 | Appalachian State |
| 2007–08 | Appalachian State |
| 2008–09 | Appalachian State |
Germann Cup
| Year | Champion |
|---|---|
| 1986–87 | Appalachian State |
| 1987–88 | Appalachian State |
| 1988–89 | Appalachian State |
| 1989–90 | Appalachian State |
| 1990–91 | Appalachian State |
| 1991–92 | Appalachian State |
| 1992–93 | Furman |
| 1993–94 | Furman |
| 1994–95 | Furman |
| 1995–96 | Furman |
| 1996–97 | Furman |
| 1997–98 | Furman |
| 1998–99 | Furman |
| 1999–00 | Furman |
| 2000–01 | Furman |
| 2001–02 | Furman |
| 2002–03 | Furman |
| 2003–04 | Furman |
| 2004–05 | College of Charleston |
| 2005–06 | Appalachian State |
| 2006–07 | Appalachian State |
| 2007–08 | Chattanooga |
| 2008–09 | College of Charleston |
References
- ^ a b c d "The History of the Southern Conference". Southern Conference. 2008-06-30. http://www.soconsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4000&KEY=&ATCLID=177772.
- ^ Stewart Mandel (2007-09-01). "The Mother of All Upsets". CNNSI. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/si_blogs/football/ncaa/2007/09/mother-of-all-upsets.html.
- ^ Associated Press (2008-03-28). "Curry's sweet touch continues as Davidson eludes Wisconsin". ESPN. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=284000014.
- ^ "The Southern Conference Welcomes Samford University". Southern Conference. 2008-07-01. http://www.soconsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4000&ATCLID=1480651.
- ^ a b Davidson does not compete in the SoCon for football. Instead, they compete in the Pioneer Football League.
- ^ VMI competes in the Big South Conference for all other sports.
- ^ "Southern Conference Commissioner’s & Germann Cups". Southern Conference. 2007-06-04. http://www.soconsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4000&KEY=&ATCLID=264425.
- ^ "Appalachian State, College of Charleston Win All-Sports Cups". Southern Conference. 2009-05-27. http://www.soconsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4000&ATCLID=3743561.
See also
External links
- Southern Conference - Official website
- Appalachian State - Official athletics website
- Chattanooga - Official athletics website
- The Citadel - Official athletics website
- College of Charleston - Official athletics website
- Davidson - Official athletics website
- Elon - Official athletics website
- Furman - Official athletics website
- Georgia Southern - Official athletics website
- Samford - Official athletics website
- UNC Greensboro - Official athletics website
- Western Carolina - Official athletics website
- Wofford - Official athletics website
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