Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference | |
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| Data | |
| Classification | NCAA Division I-AA |
| Established | 1970 |
| Members | 11 |
| Sports fielded | 15 (7 men’s, 8 women’s) |
| Region | East Coast |
| States | 7 - Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia |
| Headquarters | Virginia Beach, Virginia |
| Commissioner | Dennis E. Thomas |
| Locations | |
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The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) is a collegiate athletic conference which consists of historically black colleges in the southeastern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I-AA for football and is Division I for all other sports. The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) will expand its membership to 12 members next year, as the league voted to admit Winston-Salem State University into the league beginning in 2007-08. It is expected that founding member North Carolina Central University will rejoin the league in the 2008-09 season.
History
In 1969 a group from a number of historical black colleges long associated with intercollegiate athletics met in Durham, NC at North Carolina College (NCC), now North Carolina Central University (NCCU), for two days. They were invited by Dr. Leroy T. Walker, to discuss the feasibility of organizing a new conference based along the Atlantic coastline. Seven of this institutions agreed to become the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. They were Delaware State University, Howard University, University of Maryland-Eastern Shore, Morgan State University, North Carolina A&T State University, North Carolina Central University and South Carolina State University.
The MEAC headquarters remained in Durham, NC until 1981, moving to Greensboro, NC on March 26, 1982. It remained in Greensboro until the MEAC relocated to its current location in Virginia Beach, VA in August of 2005.
The league was confirmed in 1970, kicking off its first season of competition in football in 1971. In 1978, the MEAC selected its first full-time commissioner, Kenneth A. Free and the following year, expanded to nine schools with the admission of two Florida schools: Bethune-Cookman College and Florida A&M University. The MEAC operated with nine schools until 1985 when Coppin State University was admitted. The next expansion occurred in the 1990s with the inclusion of Hampton University in 1995 and Norfolk State University in 1997.
On June 8, 1980, the MEAC was classified Division I by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the following month, received an automatic berth in the NCAA Division I Basketball Championship.
Conference Tenure
Bethune-Cookman .......1979-present
Coppin State................1985-present
Delaware State.............1970-present
Florida A&M.................1979-1984, 1986-present (departed 2004 season)*2
Hampton.......................1995-present
Howard.........................1970-present
Maryland-Eastern Shore.1970-79, 1981-present
Morgan State.................1970-79, 1984-present
Norfolk State..................1997-present
North Carolina A&T.........1970-present
North Carolina Central.....1970-79 (planning to rejoin 2008)*1
South Carolina State......1970-present
Winston-Salem State......2007
- 1 Trustees at North Carolina Central University voted in November of 2005 to approve moving the school's sports affiliation to the NCAA's Division I in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.
- 2 The NCAA approved Florida A&M's application to move its football program to Division I-A. The historically black university was due to begin play at college football's highest level in 2004. No other historically black college is in Division I-A.
Florida A&M's move made the Rattlers ineligible for the 2003 Division I-AA playoffs and the 2003 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football title.
The Florida A&M board of trustees voted to back President Fred Gainous recommendation to delay the football program's move to Division I-A. The board of trustees asked athletic officials to see whether the Rattlers would instead be permitted to remain in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.
There are 11 member institutions:
| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bethune-Cookman College | Daytona Beach, Florida | 1904 | Private/Methodist | 3,060 |
| Coppin State University | Baltimore, Maryland | 1900 | Public | 4,306 |
| Delaware State University | Dover, Delaware | 1891 | Public | 3,200 |
| Florida A&M University | Tallahassee, Florida | 1887 | Public | 12,792 |
| Hampton University | Hampton, Virginia | 1868 | Private/Non-sectarian | 5,117 |
| Howard University | Washington, D.C. | 1867 | Private/Non-sectarian | 10,642 |
| University of Maryland Eastern Shore | Princess Anne, Maryland | 1886 | Public | 3,297 |
| Morgan State University | Baltimore, Maryland | 1867 | Public | 6,621 |
| Norfolk State University | Norfolk, Virginia | 1935 | Public | 8,500 |
| North Carolina A&T State University | Greensboro, North Carolina | 1891 | Public | 11,103 |
| South Carolina State University | Orangeburg, South Carolina | 1896 | Public | 4,525 |
- Teams
- Bethune-Cookman Wildcats
- Coppin State Eagles
- Delaware State Hornets
- Florida A&M Rattlers
- Hampton Pirates
- Howard Bison
- UMES Hawks
- Morgan State Bears
- Norfolk State Spartans
- North Carolina A&T Aggies
- South Carolina State Bulldogs
[edit] Conference facilities
| School | Football stadium | Capacity | Basketball arena | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bethune-Cookman | Municipal Stadium | 10,000 | Moore Gymnasium | 3,000 |
| Coppin State | Non-Football School | N/A | Coppin Center | 1,720 |
| Delaware State | Alumni Stadium | 6,828 | Memorial Hall | 3,000 |
| Florida A&M | Bragg Memorial Stadium | 25,500 | Jake Gaither Gymnasium | 3,365 |
| Hampton | Armstrong Stadium | 17,000 | Hampton Convocation Center | 7,200 |
| Howard | William H. Greene Stadium | 10,000 | Burr Gymnasium | 2,700 |
| UMES | Non-Football School | N/A | Hytche Athletic Center | 5,500 |
| Morgan State | Hughes Stadium | 10,000 | Hill Field House | 4,250 |
| Norfolk State | Dick Price Stadium | 30,000 | Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall | 7,000 |
| North Carolina A&T | Aggie Stadium | 22,000 | Corbett Sports Center | 5,700 |
| South Carolina State | Oliver C. Dawson Stadium | 22,000 | SHM Memorial Center | 3,200 |
[edit] External links
| Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) |
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| Bethune–Cookman • Coppin State • Delaware State • Florida A&M • Hampton • Howard • Maryland – Eastern Shore • Morgan State • Norfolk State • North Carolina A&T • South Carolina State |
| NCAA Division I-AA Football Conferences |
| Atlantic Ten Conference – Big Sky Conference – Big South Conference – Gateway Football Conference – Great West Football Conference – Ivy League Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference – Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference – Northeast Conference – Ohio Valley Conference – Patriot League Pioneer Football League – Southern Conference – Southland Conference – Southwestern Athletic Conference – Independents |
