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Atlantic 10 Sports News
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The Atlantic 10 Conference
By Matt Shetler
The Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10)
was established in 1976. It fields fifteen members that compete
in twenty-one Division I sports. The A-10 headquarters are
located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and the commissioner of
the conference is Bernadette McGlade.
Most of the A-10 members are located in the Eastern, United
States, but also has two schools in Ohio and one in Missouri.
When founded, the A-10 was originally known as the Eastern 8
Conference. Charter members of the Eastern 8 included: Duquesne
University, George Washington University, the University of
Massachusetts, Penn State University, the University of
Pittsburgh, Rutgers University, Villanova University and West
Virginia University.
The first changes in the A-10 came in 1981 when St Bonaventure,
Rhode Island, St. Josephs and Temple replaced Pittsburgh and
Villanova giving the conference ten members and changing its
name to the Atlantic 10. In 1985, Xavier was added to the
league, while Penn St., Rutgers and West Virginia departed.
Despite its name, the A-10 actually consists of fifteen members
(14 full and 1 associate). The A-10 membership strengthened with
the additions of Charlotte, Dayton, Fordham, La Salle, Richmond
and St. Louis.
Primarily known for men’s basketball, where the A-10 send
numerous teams to the NCAA Tournament, the A-10 began Division I
football in 1997. The A-10 took on remaining members of the
Yankee Conference (James Madison University, Boston University,
the University of Connecticut and Delaware University). Boston
University would drop football and Connecticut would complete a
transition into the Big East Conference in all sports. In the
last ten years, Massachusetts, Delaware and James Madison have
captured national football championships at the I-AA level.
The Atlantic 10 would be forced to disband football after the
2006 season, due to the lack of programs competing in the sport.
As of 2008, the A-10 is still one of the better basketball
conferences in the nation. Programs such as Xavier, Temple and
George Washington have made good runs through the tournament.
The best claim to fame for the A-10 occurred in 1996 when the U
Mass Minutemen reached the Final Four. Led by coach John
Calapari and National Player of the Year Marcus Camby, the
Minutemen defeated the Georgetown Hoyas to reach the Final Four.
The 2006 U Mass team won 26 consecutive games and achieved the
number one ranking in the nation, finishing the season with a
record of 35-2 . Their Final Four contest against the Kentucky
Wildcats saw the largest television audience ever to watch a
basketball game.
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Atlantic 10 Sports Blogs
Blogs about the University of Dayton Flyers, Duquesne Dukes, Fordham
University Rams, George Washington University Colonials, La Salle
University Explorers, UMass Minutemen, UNC Charlotte 49ers, U of
Rhode Island Rams, U of Richmond Spiders, St Bonaventure Bonnies,
Saint Joseph's Hawks, Saint Louis Billikens, Temple University Owls
and the Xavier University Musketeers
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