|
| |

CAA Sports News
|
|
Loading...
|
The Colonial
Athletic Association
By Matt Shetler
The Colonial Athletic Association
(CAA) is a Division I athletic conference whose members are all
located on the each coast. The CAA sports twelve members, with
five in Virginia alone. The CAA fields twenty-one men’s and
women’s Division I programs and the CAA headquarters are located
in Richmond, Virginia.
When the CAA was founded in 1983, it was known as the ECAC South
basketball league. When it added championships in other sports
in 1985, it was renamed the CAA. Charter members of the CAA
included: James Madison University, The College of William &
Mary, George Mason University, the University of North Carolina
at Wilmington, American University, East Carolina University,
the United States Naval Academy and the University of Richmond.
Old Dominion University would be the first addition to the CAA
in 1991. In 2001, Navy, Richmond, East Carolina and American
would leave the CAA, but would quickly be replaced by Towson
University, Hofstra University, Drexel University and the
University of Delaware. Georgia State University and
Northeastern University would join in 2005, giving the CAA the
twelve members it has today.
The addition of Northeastern gave the CAA the NCAA minimum of
six football programs needed to sponsor football. Although the
CAA announced they would sponsor football in 2005, they did not
begin competing in the sport until 2007. All of the remaining
football programs of the Atlantic-10 conference joined the CAA
as football only members, giving it twelve competing members.
For football, the CAA separates itself into two divisions, the
North includes: Hofstra, Maine, U Mass, New Hampshire,
Northeastern and Rhode Island. The CAA South Division includes:
Delaware, James Madison, Richmond, Towson, Villanova and William
& Mary. Old Dominion will begin play on the gridiron in 2011 and
Georgia State will start fielding a team in 2012.
The CAA is considered one of the top mid-major conferences in
the country. The conference has produced sixteen national team
champions in five different sports. The sport the conference is
most known for is men’s basketball. The CAA tournament champion
receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and it is there
where many CAA teams have strutted their stuff on the sports
biggest stage.
In recent years, CAA programs such as Hofstra, Drexel, George
Mason and Virginia Commonwealth had excellent showings during
March Madness. In 2007, VCU upset the heavy favored Duke Blue
Devils in the first round of the tournament, putting the Rams on
the NCAA map. However it was only one year earlier, when George
Mason embarked on one of the greatest runs in NCAA Tournament
history. The Patriots became the first CAA team to reach the
Final Four and was the first program from a mid-major conference
to make it that far since the tournament expanded to 64 teams.
|
CAA Sports Blogs
Blogs about the U of
Delaware Fightin Blue Hens, Drexel University Dragons, George Mason
University Patriots, Georgia State Panthers, Hofstra University
Pride, James Madison University Dukes, UNC Wilmington Seahawks,
Northeastern University Huskies, Old Dominion University Monarchs,
Towson University Tigers, Virginia Commonwealth Rams and the William
and Mary Tribe
|
|
Loading...
|
CAA Sports Videos
|
|
Loading...
|
| |

|