Sunshine State Conference

Sunshine State Conference

Established	1975
Association	NCAA
Division	Division II
Members	11
Sports fielded	18 (20 in 2017) (men's: 8 (9 in 2017); women's: 10 (11 in 2017))
Region	Florida
Headquarters	Melbourne, Florida
Commissioner	Ed Pasque (since 2014)
Website	sunshinestateconference.com
Locations

The Sunshine State Conference is a collegiate athletic conference that was originally formed in 1975 as a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II men's basketball conference. It has since expanded to sponsor championships in 18 sports, including men's and women's basketball, baseball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's golf, men's and women's lacrosse, women's rowing, men's and women's soccer, softball, men's and women's swimming, men's and women's tennis, women's volleyball. SSC institutions have won a total of 94 NCAA national team championships, including seven in the 2014-15 academic year. The conference has also claimed a total of 78 national runner-up trophies, including four in 2014-15.

History

The conference was preceded by the Florida Intercollegiate Conference,^[1] which was disbanded in the mid-1960s. The Sunshine State Conference was founded in 1975 by Saint Leo University (then a college) Basketball Coach & Athletic Director Norm Kaye. Kaye served as Commissioner the first year until Dick Pace was named Commissioner in 1976. Kaye continued as Executive Director of the Conference for an additional 12 years. Pace was inducted into the Florida Sports Hall of Fame in 1985.

The six charter Conference members were: Biscayne College (now St. Thomas University), Florida Technological University (now University of Central Florida), Eckerd College, Florida Southern College, Rollins College, and Saint Leo College.

The Conference has had dozens of athletes go on to have successful professional careers. Some examples include: Current PGA Tour players Lee Janzen and Rocco Mediate went to Florida Southern. Janzen won golf's U.S. Open in 1993 & 1998; on the baseball side are Tim Wakefield (Florida Tech), Ryan Hanigan (Rollins), Bob Tewksbury (Saint Leo), and J.D. Martinez (Nova Southeastern). Wakefield tied a career high of 17 wins pitching for the 2007 World Series Champion Boston Red Sox and Tewksbury was third in balloting for the National League Cy Young Award while going 16-5 for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1992.

Membership

Current members

Institution	Location (Florida)	Founded	Enrollment	Nickname	Joined
Barry University	Miami Shores	1940	9,300	Buccaneers	1988
Eckerd College	Saint Petersburg !St. Petersburg	1958	3,584	Tritons	1975
Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University	Daytona Beach	1926	6,794	Eagles	2015
Florida Southern College	Lakeland	1883	2,319	Moccasins	1975
Florida Tech !Florida Institute of Technology	Melbourne	1958	8,985	Panthers	1981
Lynn University	Boca Raton	1962	4,660	Fighting Knights	1997
Nova Southeastern University	Davie	1964	33,135	Sharks	2002
Palm Beach Atlantic University	West Palm Beach	1968	3,764	Sailfish	2015
Rollins College	Winter Park	1885	3,153	Tars	1975
Saint Leo University	Saint Leo !St. Leo	1889	16,275	Lions	1975
Tampa !University of Tampa	Tampa	1931	10,515	Spartans	1981

Provisional member in green.
Reclassifying member in yellow.

Former members

Institution	Location	Founded	Nickname	Joined	Left	Current Conference
Central Florida !University of Central Florida	Orlando	1963	Knights	1975	1984	The American (NCAA D-I)
North Florida !University of North Florida	Jacksonville	1969	Ospreys	1992	1997	Atlantic Sun (NCAA D-I)
Saint Thomas !St. Thomas University	Miami Gardens	1961	Bobcats	1975	1987	The Sun (NAIA D-II)

Membership timeline

Full member (all sports) Full member (non-football) Associate member (football-only) Associate member (sport)

Chronological timeline

March 2, 1975 - Basketball conference exploration meeting is held at Florida Southern College in Lakeland. Main purpose of meeting is to discuss formation of an NCAA Division II mid-Florida basketball conference.^[2]
March 16, 1975 - Second exploration meeting is held at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg. The name "Sunshine State Conference" is suggested by Dr. Calvin C. Miller and is adopted for league use. Norm Kaye of Saint Leo is named Interim Commissioner. Dr. Thomas B. Southard, president of Saint Leo College, is named as first conference president.
June 1975 - Conference constitution adopted.
October 8, 1975 - First meeting of the SSC is held in Orlando. Basketball regulations and league bylaws are revised and approved.
December 3, 1975 - Florida Southern defeats Eckerd, 96-84, in first SSC basketball game played in Saint Petersburg.
April 8, 1976 - Dick Pace is named league commissioner. NCAA approves automatic bid for SSC basketball champion. Golf and Tennis are added to league for 1976-77, baseball and soccer are added for 1977-78.
May 18, 1977 - First league postseason basketball championship.
February 1, 1981 - Norm Kaye of Saint Leo is appointed as executive of SSC. Executive Committee is formed, consisting of league athletic directors.
July 1, 1981 - Florida Institute of Technology joins the Sunshine State Conference.
September 2, 1981 - The University of Tampa joins the Sunshine State Conference.
April 15, 1982 - League adopts women's competition in basketball, cross country, slow-pitch softball, tennis, and volleyball.
May 1, 1984 - University of Central Florida (formerly Florida Technological University) withdraws from the conference. Women's fast-pitch softball is adopted for league play in 1985.
February 2, 1986 - Bob Vanatta, athletic director at Louisiana Tech University, is named as league's first full-time commissioner.
June 13, 1988 - Barry University joins the conference.
November 1990 - Conference signs a two-year contract with the Sunshine Network for seven events.
February 11, 1991 - University of North Florida joins the conference, effective July 1, 1992.
July 1, 1994 - Don Landry is named conference commissioner and conference relocates to Orlando.
November 22, 1994 - Conference announces three-year deal to have post-season basketball tournament at The Lakeland Center. The SSC will serve as host in 1996 and 1997.
December 1, 1994 - Sunshine Network announces nine-event television package for school year.
June 9, 1995 - Inaugural SSC Awards Luncheon held in Orlando.
February 29, 1996 - Inaugural SSC Hall of Fame/Honors banquet held in Lakeland.
September 30, 1996 - University of North Florida withdraws from the Sunshine State Conference, effective June 30, 1997.
October 15, 1996 - Women's crew added to Sunshine State Conference sponsored sports.
December 18, 1996 - Lynn University joins the Sunshine State Conference, effective July 1, 1997.
July 15, 1998 - League adds women's soccer and women's golf as sponsored sports.
August 24, 1999 - Saint Leo College becomes Saint Leo University and adopts new nickname ("Lions") and logo.
July 1, 2000 - 25th Anniversary of the Sunshine State Conference.
August 26, 2002 - Nova Southeastern University joins the Sunshine State Conference as a provisional member.
May 26, 2004 - Don Landry announced retirement as SSC Commissioner, effective August 1, 2004. Landry remained acting commissioner through September 6, 2004.
July 26, 2004 - Michael J. Marcil named SSC commissioner, effective September 7, 2004.
September 14, 2009 - Jay Jones officially begins duties as the SSC commissioner, replacing Mike Marcil, who left the post June 30, 2009.
April 7, 2010 - League adds men's and women's swimming as sponsored sport.
July 1, 2013 - League adds men's lacrosse as sponsored sport.
February 3, 2014 - Ed Pasque officially begins duties as the SSC commissioner, replacing Jay Jones, who left the post December 31, 2013.
July 1, 2014 - League adds women's lacrosse as sponsored sport. - Palm Beach Atlantic University and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University join Sunshine State Conference as provisional members; effective July 1, 2015.

Conference facilities

Map indicating locations of member schools

Institution	Arena	Capacity
Barry	Health and Sports Center	1,938
Embry–Riddle	ICI Center	1,968
Eckerd College	McArthur Center	1,000
Florida Southern College	Jenkins Field House	2,500
Florida Tech	Clemente Center	1,500
Lynn	de Hoernle Center	1,000
Nova Southeastern	Don Taft University Center Arena	5,500
Palm Beach Atlantic	Rubin Arena	2,000
Rollins College	Warden Arena	2,500
Saint Leo	Marion Bowman Center	2,000
Tampa	Bob Martinez Sports Center	3,432

National Championships

Sunshine State Conference schools have won 94 NCAA Division II National Championships.

Championships by season

Season	Titles	Team
2009-10	3	Florida Southern golf (M) • Nova Southeastern golf (W) • Barry tennis (M)
2010-11	2	Nova Southeastern golf (W) • Barry tennis (W)
2011-12	2	Nova Southeastern golf (M) • Nova Southeastern golf (W)
2012-13	6	Tampa baseball • Barry golf (M) • Lynn golf (W) • Nova Southeastern rowing • Lynn soccer (M) • Barry tennis (M)
2013-14	3	Barry golf (M) • Lynn golf (W) • Barry tennis (W)
2014-15	7	Tampa baseball • Florida Southern basketball (M) • Nova Southeastern golf (M) • Barry rowing • Lynn soccer (M) • Barry tennis (M) • Tampa volleyball

Championships by school

School	NCAA Titles	Most Recent
Florida Southern	29	2016-Women's Lacrosse
Rollins	14	2008-Women's Golf
Tampa	15	2015-Baseball
Barry	15	2015-Women's Rowing
Lynn	12*	2014-Men's Soccer
Nova Southeastern	7	2015-Men's Golf
Florida Tech	2	1991-Men's Soccer

Controversy

On July 17, 2007, NCAA vacated Lynn's 2005 Women's Division II Softball Championship due to extra benefits given to two players. The NCAA found that former coach Thomas Macera gave two Lynn softball players cash payments totaling more than $3,000. Lynn was also placed on probation for two years.^[3] Lynn University originally won 12 National Championships at the Division II level, but now the NCAA only recognizes 11 of them because of the unsanctioned actions.

Mayors' Cup Champions

The Mayors' Cup was originally presented following the 1986–87 academic year to recognize the annual SSC all-sports champion. The men's division recognizes competition in eight sports: cross country, soccer, basketball, swimming, baseball, golf, lacrosse, and tennis. The women's division recognizes competition in nine sports: cross country, soccer, volleyball, basketball, swimming, golf, rowing, softball, and tennis.

Year	Men's Division	Women's Division
1987	Tampa	Florida Southern
1988	Florida Southern	Florida Southern
1989	Florida Southern	Florida Southern
1990	Tampa	Florida Southern
1991	Tampa	Barry
1992	Florida Tech	Tampa
1993	Tampa	Tampa
1994	North Florida	North Florida
1995	North Florida	Florida Southern
1996	Florida Southern	North Florida

Year	Men's Division	Women's Division
1997	Florida Southern	Barry
1998	Florida Southern	Florida Southern
1999	Florida Southern	Florida Southern
2000	Florida Southern	Barry
2001	Florida Southern	Florida Southern
2002	Florida Southern	Barry
2003	Rollins	Rollins
2004	Rollins	Rollins
2005	Lynn	Florida Southern
2006	Lynn	Barry

Year	Men's Division	Women's Division
2007	Barry	Florida Southern
2008	Florida Southern	Nova Southeastern
2009	Barry	Rollins
2010	Rollins	Rollins
2011	Barry	Florida Southern
2012	Florida Tech	Rollins
2013	Saint Leo & Florida Southern	Tampa
2014	Saint Leo	Tampa
2015	Lynn	Rollins

Sports

**Conference sports**
Sport	Men's	Women's
Baseball	Y
Basketball	Y	Y
Cross Country	Y	Y
Golf	Y	Y
Lacrosse	Y	Y
Rowing		Y
Soccer	Y	Y
Softball		Y
Swimming & diving	Y	Y
Tennis	Y	Y
Volleyball		Y

Men's sponsored sports by school

School	Baseball	Basketball	Cross Country	Golf	Lacrosse	Soccer	Swimming & Diving	Tennis	Total SSC Sports
Barry	Y	Y		Y		Y		Y	5
Eckerd College	Y	Y		Y		Y		Y	5
Embry-Riddle	Y	Y	Y	Y		Y		Y	6
Florida Southern College	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	8
Florida Tech	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	8
Lynn	Y	Y		Y	Y	Y		Y	6
Nova Southeastern	Y	Y	Y	Y		Y	Y		6
Palm Beach Atlantic	Y	Y		Y		Y		Y	5
Rollins College	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	8
Saint Leo	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	8
Tampa	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y		7
Totals	11	11	7	11	6	11	6	9	72

SSC — Track & Field Outdoor (M) begins in 2017.
Embry-Riddle — Lacrosse (M) begins play in 2017.^[4]
Palm Beach Atlantic — Cross Country (M), Lacrosse (M), Track & Field Outdoor (M) begin play in 2017.^[5]^[6]

Women's sponsored sports by school

School	Basketball	Cross Country	Golf	Lacrosse	Rowing	Soccer	Softball	Swimming & Diving	Tennis	Volleyball	Total SSC Sports
Barry	Y		Y		Y	Y	Y		Y	Y	7
Eckerd College	Y		Y			Y	Y		Y	Y	6
Embry-Riddle	Y	Y	Y			Y	Y		Y	Y	7
Florida Southern College	Y	Y	Y	Y		Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	9
Florida Tech	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	10
Lynn	Y	Y	Y			Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	8
Nova Southeastern	Y	Y	Y		Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	9
Palm Beach Atlantic	Y	Y	Y			Y	Y		Y	Y	7
Rollins College	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	10
Saint Leo	Y	Y	Y	Y		Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	9
Tampa	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	10
Totals	11	9	11	5	5	11	11	7	11	11	92

SSC — Track & Field Outdoor (W) begins in 2017.
Embry-Riddle — Lacrosse (W), Rowing begin play in 2017.
Lynn — Track & Field Outdoor (W) begins play in 2017.^[7]
Palm Beach Atlantic — Lacrosse (W), Track & Field Outdoor (W) begin play in 2017.

Other sponsored sports by school

School	Men			Women
School	Football	Track & Field Indoor	Track & Field Outdoor	Beach Volleyball ^‡	Track & Field Indoor	Track & Field Outdoor
Eckerd College				IND
Embry-Riddle		IND	IND		IND	IND
Florida Southern College			IND			IND
Florida Tech	GSC		PBC			PBC
Nova Southeastern			PBC			PBC
Saint Leo			IND			IND
Tampa			IND			IND

^‡ — D-I sport

References

↑ Florida Southern Mocs
↑ http://www.sunshinestateconference.com/sports/2015/7/29/ABOUT_THE_SSC.aspx?
↑ "NCAA vacates Lynn's 2005 softball title", Palm Beach Post Staff, Palm Beach Post, July 17, 2007
↑ "Embry-Riddle Approved for NCAA II Membership". Embry-Riddle University. Retrieved July 11, 2014.
↑ "Palm Beach Atlantic Agrees to Provisional Membership with Sunshine State Conference". Sunshine State Conference. Retrieved April 6, 2014.
↑ "Message from the Athletic Director". Palm Beach Atlantic University. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
↑ "Lynn University Announces Addition of Women's Track". Lynn University Athletics. Retrieved June 22, 2016.

External links

Official website

Sunshine State Conference

Members	Barry Buccaneers Eckerd Tritons Embry–Riddle Eagles Florida Southern Moccasins Florida Tech Panthers Lynn Fighting Knights Nova Southeastern Sharks Palm Beach Atlantic Sailfish Rollins Tars Saint Leo Lions Tampa Spartans

NCAA Division II

Atlantic	Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Mountain East Conference Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Independent — Bluefield State College

Central	Great American Conference Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference

East	Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference East Coast Conference Northeast-10 Conference

Midwest	Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Great Lakes Valley Conference Great Midwest Athletic Conference Independent — Oakland City University Salem International University

South	Gulf South Conference Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Sunshine State Conference Independent — Auburn University at Montgomery

South Central	Heartland Conference Lone Star Conference Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference

Southeast	Conference Carolinas Peach Belt Conference South Atlantic Conference

West	California Collegiate Athletic Association Great Northwest Athletic Conference Pacific West Conference

Division II	Independents ECAC Division II Lacrosse League

NCAA	Conferences Institutions Baseball (Championship) Basketball (Men, Women) Cross Country (Men, Women) Field Hockey (Championship) Football (Championship) Golf (Men, Women) Lacrosse (Men, Women) Rowing (Championship) Soccer (Men, Women) Softball (Championship) Swimming & Diving (Men, Women) Tennis (Men, Women) Track & Field (Men's indoor and outdoor, Women's indoor and outdoor) Volleyball (Championship) Wrestling (Championship) Discontinued — Ice Hockey (Championship)

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