The Mid-Eastern
Athletic Conference
By Matt Shetler
The Mid-Eastern Athletic
Conference (MEAC) is a conference of historically
African-American universities located in the Southeastern,
United States. The MEAC consists of eleven members that compete
in fifteen men’s and women’s Division I sports. The conference
headquarters are located in Virginia Beach, Virginia and the
commissioner of the MEAC is Dennis E. Thomas, a post he has held
since 2002.
The MEAC was founded in 1970, with seven charter members:
Delaware State University, Howard University, the University of
Maryland-Eastern Shore, Morgan State University, North Carolina
A&T State University, North Carolina Central University and
South Carolina State University.
Membership in the MEAC has changed throughout the years, but six
of the charter members are still in the conference. The North
Carolina Central Eagles left the MEAC in 1979, but hope to soon
rejoin the conference after they return to Division I athletics.
In addition to the six charter members in the conference,
current members of the MEAC include: Bethune-Cookman University,
Coppin State University, Florida A&M University, Hampton
University, Norfolk State University and Winston-Salem State
University.
The MEAC competes in the Division I Football Championship
Subdivision (formally Division I-AA). The MEAC also receives an
automatic bid to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. It is
here where MEAC teams have given us two memories last will last
forever in NCAA history.
In 1997, the #15 seed Coppin St. Eagles shocked the #2 seeded
South Carolina Gamecocks 78-65 in one of the biggest upsets in
tournament history. In 2001, the Hampton Pirates did the same to
the Iowa St. Cyclones in another 15 vs. 2 game. At the time,
many had picked the Cyclones to win the championship, but the
Pirates shocked the basketball world with the upset.
Other MEAC accolades include the Bethune-Cookman women’s
softball team winning the Florida Regional in 2005, finishing
the season ranked #18 nationally. The MEAC also produced former
NBA player Rick Mahorn.
