Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
| Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Established | 1970 |
| Association | NCAA |
| Division | Division I FCS |
| Members | 13 |
| Sports fielded | 16 (men's: 8; women's: 8) |
| Region | South Atlantic, Middle Atlantic |
| Headquarters | Norfolk, Virginia |
| Commissioner | Dennis E. Thomas (since 2002) |
| Website |
www |
| Locations | |
 | |
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) is a collegiate athletic conference whose full members are historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the Southeastern and the Mid-Atlantic United States. It participates in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I, and in football, in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).
Currently, the MEAC has automatic qualifying bids for NCAA postseason play in baseball (since 1994), men’s basketball (since 1981), women’s basketball (since 1982), football (1996-2015), softball (since 1995), men and women’s tennis (since 1998), and volleyball (since 1994). Bowling was officially sanctioned as a MEAC governed sport in 1999. Before that season, the MEAC was the first conference to secure NCAA sanctioning for women’s bowling by adopting the club sport prior to the 1996-97 school year.
History
In 1969, a group, whose members were long associated with interscholastic athletics, met in Durham, North Carolina with the purpose of discussing the organization of a new conference. After the formulation of a committee, and their research reported, seven institutions: 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 College agreed to become the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.[1] The conference's main goals were to establish and supervise an intercollegiate athletic program among a group of educational institutions that shared the same academic standards and philosophy of co-curricular activities and seek status as a Division I conference for all of its sports.
The conference was confirmed in 1970, and had its first season of competition in football in 1971. The MEAC has had to date, three full-time commissioners.[1] In 1978, the MEAC selected its first full-time commissioner, Kenneth A. Free, who served as Commissioner until he resigned in 1995. He was succeeded by Charles S. Harris, who served at the position until 2002. On September 1, 2002, Dennis E. Thomas became the conference’s commissioner.
The MEAC experienced its first expansion in 1979 when Bethune–Cookman College (Now Bethune–Cookman University) and Florida A&M University were admitted as new members. That same year, founding members Morgan State University, North Carolina Central University and University of Maryland Eastern Shore withdrew from the conference. All three schools eventually returned to the conference; Maryland Eastern Shore rejoined in 1981, Morgan State in 1984, and North Carolina Central in 2010.
On June 8, 1980, the MEAC was classified as a Division I conference by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Prior to that year, the league operated as a Division II conference. The following month the MEAC received an automatic qualification to the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship.
In 1984, membership in the MEAC again changed as Florida A&M chose to leave. The university would return to the conference two years later. Coppin State College, now Coppin State University, joined the conference in 1985. The MEAC would find stability in membership with the addition of two HBCUs in Virginia, Hampton University and Norfolk State University in 1995 and 1997 respectively. For the next 10 years, the MEAC would remain an 11-member conference. In 2007, former CIAA member Winston-Salem State University was granted membership, but announced on September 11, 2009 that it would return to Division II at the end of 2009-2010 and apply to return to the CIAA before ever becoming a full member of the MEAC.[2]
North Carolina Central University rejoined the conference effective July 1, 2010.[3][4] NCCU was one of seven founding member institutions of the MEAC, but withdrew from the conference in 1979, opting to remain a Division II member when the conference reclassified to Division I.[3]
Savannah State University was announced as the newest member of the MEAC on March 10, 2010.[4] Savannah State originally applied for membership into the MEAC in 2006 but faced an NCAA probationary period soon after. Membership was then deferred until the completion of the imposed probation period, which ended in May 2009. Savannah State then resubmitted their application for membership again in 2009 and was finally granted probationary membership status.[4] On September 8, 2011, the university was confirmed as a full MEAC member.[5]
While the MEAC has had no new full members since then, the conference added an associate member in 2014 when Augusta University, then known as Georgia Regents University, a Division II institution with Division I programs in men's and women's golf, joined for men's golf.[6] Augusta became the MEAC's first associate member and first non-HBCU with any type of membership.
Member schools
Current members
Associate members
| Institution | Location | Founded | Enrollment | Nickname | Colors | Joined | Sport | Primary conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Augusta University | Augusta, Georgia | 2013 | 9,183 | Jaguars | 2014 | golf (M) | Peach Belt (NCAA D-II) |
Former members
| Institution | Location | Founded | Joined | Left | Type | Enrollment | Nickname | New Conference | Current Conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winston-Salem State University | Winston-Salem, North Carolina | 1892 | 2007 | 2010 | Public | 6,000 | Rams | CIAA (NCAA Division II) | |
- Winston-Salem State University was a transitional member and never attained full membership in the MEAC or NCAA Division I before returning to Division II and the CIAA after the 2009-2010 school year. They were scheduled to begin full membership and gain access to NCAA tournaments in 2011.[22][23]
Membership timeline
Full members Full members (non-football) Associate members Other Conference Other Conference
- Maryland Eastern Shore was a founding member of the MEAC in 1970 and left after the 1978-1979 school year. In 1980, UMES dropped football, and returned to the MEAC the next year as a full member that no longer had a football program.[24]
- Florida A&M left the MEAC completely for one season in 1985 and competed as an NCAA D-I Independent after a disagreement with the MEAC office over the playing of the rivalry game between Florida A&M and Bethune-Cookman University when FAMU refused to play conference mate BCU at a neutral site in Tampa in 1983 and the game was not played again in 1984. Florida A&M returned all sports to the MEAC in the 1986 season. FAMU football left the conference in the 2004 season during an attempt to move up to Division I-A (now FBS) with all other sports remaining in the MEAC. Financial difficulties halted the move after the 2004 season, at which time FAMU football returned to the MEAC.[25]
- Winston-Salem State was a transitional member from 2007-2010, but never attained full MEAC membership nor full membership in Division I. The school was scheduled to gain full membership after the 2009-2010 school year, but due to financial difficulties, returned to the CIAA in Division II before then.
Facilities
Sports
The MEAC sponsors championship competition in seven men's and eight women's NCAA sanctioned sports:[27]
| Sport | Men's | Women's |
|---|---|---|
| Baseball | 9 | - |
| Basketball | 13 | 13 |
| Bowling | - | 11 |
| Cross Country | 13 | 13 |
| Football | 11 | - |
| Golf | 6 | - |
| Softball | - | 13 |
| Tennis | 10 | 13 |
| Track and Field (Indoor) | 13 | 13 |
| Track and Field (Outdoor) | 13 | 13 |
| Volleyball | - | 13 |
Championships
NCAA champions
| School | NCAA titles |
Years |
|---|---|---|
| Howard | 1 | 1971 [Notes 7] • 1974 |
| FAMU | 1 | 1978 [28] |
| North Carolina A&T | 1 | 2015 [29] |
| Maryland-Eastern Shore | 3 | 2008 • 2011 • 2012 [30] |
Current champions
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|
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Football
The MEAC is one of two Division I conferences comprising HBCUs, the other being the SWAC. Until 2015, the MEAC sent its champion and occasional at-large schools to the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs. Starting in 2015, the MEAC will give up its automatic postseason bid and will play an annual championship game against the SWAC champion in the Celebration Bowl in the Georgia Dome.
| Season | Champion(s) |
|---|---|
| 1971 | Morgan State |
| 1972 | North Carolina Central |
| 1973 | North Carolina Central |
| 1974 | South Carolina State |
| 1975 | South Carolina State |
| 1976 | Morgan State/South Carolina State |
| 1977 | South Carolina State |
| 1978 | South Carolina State |
| 1979 | Morgan State |
| 1980 | South Carolina State |
| 1981 | South Carolina State |
| 1982 | South Carolina State |
| 1983 | South Carolina State |
| 1984 | Bethune-Cookman |
| 1985 | Delaware State |
| 1986 | North Carolina A&T |
| 1987 | Delaware State |
| 1988 | Bethune-Cookman Delaware State Florida A&M |
| 1989 | Delaware State |
| 1990 | Florida A&M |
| 1991 | Delaware State North Carolina A&T |
| 1992 | North Carolina A&T |
| 1993 | Howard |
| 1994 | South Carolina State |
| 1995 | Florida A&M |
| 1996 | Florida A&M |
| 1997 | Hampton |
| 1998 | Florida A&M Hampton |
| 1999 | North Carolina A&T |
| 2000 | Florida A&M |
| 2001 | Florida A&M |
| 2002 | Bethune-Cookman |
| 2003 | North Carolina A&T |
| 2004 | Hampton South Carolina State |
| 2005 | Hampton |
| 2006 | Hampton |
| 2007 | Delaware State |
| 2008 | South Carolina State |
| 2009 | South Carolina State |
| 2010 | Bethune-Cookman[Notes 8] South Carolina State Florida A&M |
| 2011 | Norfolk State Vacated [31] |
| 2012 | Bethune-Cookman |
| 2013 | Bethune-Cookman South Carolina State |
| 2014 | Bethune-Cookman Morgan State[Notes 9] North Carolina A&T North Carolina Central South Carolina State |
| 2015 | North Carolina A&T Bethune-Cookman North Carolina Central |
Men's basketball
On June 8, 1980, the MEAC earned the classification as a Division I conference by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Since 1981, the MEAC has received a qualifying bid to NCAA post season play in the sport of basketball. In three cases, MEAC schools seeded 15th (Coppin State in 1997, Hampton in 2001, Norfolk State in 2012) defeated second-seeded teams in the NCAA tournament. In 2008, Coppin State again made history by being the first 20-loss team to play in the NCAA Tournament.
| Season | Regular season champion(s) | Tournament champion |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | North Carolina A&T | North Carolina A&T |
| 1973 | Maryland Eastern Shore | North Carolina A&T |
| 1974 | Maryland Eastern Shore | Maryland Eastern Shore |
| 1975 | North Carolina A&T | North Carolina A&T |
| 1976 | North Carolina A&T | North Carolina A&T |
| 1977 | South Carolina State | Morgan State |
| 1978 | North Carolina A&T | North Carolina A&T |
| 1979 | North Carolina A&T | North Carolina A&T |
| 1980 | Howard | Howard |
| 1981 | North Carolina A&T | Howard |
| 1982 | North Carolina A&T | North Carolina A&T |
| 1983 | Howard | North Carolina A&T |
| 1984 | North Carolina A&T | North Carolina A&T |
| 1985 | North Carolina A&T | North Carolina A&T |
| 1986 | North Carolina A&T | North Carolina A&T |
| 1987 | Howard | North Carolina A&T |
| 1988 | North Carolina A&T | North Carolina A&T |
| 1989 | South Carolina State | South Carolina State |
| 1990 | Coppin State | Coppin State |
| 1991 | Coppin State | Florida A&M |
| 1992 | Howard | Howard |
| 1993 | Coppin State | Coppin State |
| 1994 | Coppin State | North Carolina A&T |
| 1995 | Coppin State | North Carolina A&T |
| 1996 | Coppin State South Carolina State |
South Carolina State |
| 1997 | Coppin State | Coppin State |
| 1998 | Coppin State | South Carolina State |
| 1999 | South Carolina State Coppin State |
Florida A&M |
| 2000 | South Carolina State | South Carolina State |
| 2001 | Hampton | Hampton |
| 2002 | Hampton | Hampton |
| 2003 | South Carolina State | South Carolina State |
| 2004 | South Carolina State Coppin State |
Florida A&M |
| 2005 | Delaware State | Delaware State |
| 2006 | Delaware State | Hampton |
| 2007 | Delaware State | Florida A&M |
| 2008 | Morgan State | Coppin State |
| 2009 | Morgan State | Morgan State |
| 2010 | Morgan State | Morgan State |
| 2011 | Bethune-Cookman | Hampton |
| 2012 | Savannah State | Norfolk State |
| 2013 | Norfolk State | North Carolina A&T |
| 2014 | North Carolina Central | North Carolina Central |
| 2015 | North Carolina Central | Hampton |
| 2016 | Hampton | Hampton |
Tournament Performance by school
| School | Championships | Championship Years |
|---|---|---|
| North Carolina A&T | |
1972 • 1973 • 1975 • 1976 • 1978 • 1979 • 1982 • 1983 • 1984 • 1985 • 1986 • 1987 • 1988 • 1994 • 1995 • 2013 |
| Hampton | |
2001 • 2002 • 2006 • 2011 • 2015 · 2016 |
| South Carolina State | |
1989 • 1996 • 1998 • 2000 • 2003 |
| Coppin State | |
1990 • 1993 • 1997 • 2008 |
| Florida A&M | |
1991 • 1994 • 2004 • 2007 |
| Howard | |
1980 • 1981 • 1992 |
| Morgan State | |
1977 • 2009 • 2010 |
| Maryland-Eastern Shore | |
1974 |
| Delaware State | |
2005 |
| Norfolk State | |
2012 |
| North Carolina Central | |
2014 |
Women's basketball
| Season | Regular season champion(s) | Tournament champion |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | – | South Carolina State |
| 1979 | – | South Carolina State |
| 1980 | – | – |
| 1981 | – | – |
| 1982 | – | Howard |
| 1983 | – | South Carolina State |
| 1984 | South Carolina State | Bethune-Cookman |
| 1985 | South Carolina State | Howard |
| 1986 | South Carolina State | South Carolina State |
| 1987 | Howard | Howard |
| 1988 | North Carolina A&T | Howard |
| 1989 | North Carolina A&T | Howard |
| 1990 | North Carolina A&T | Howard |
| 1991 | South Carolina State | Coppin State |
| 1992 | South Carolina State | South Carolina State |
| 1993 | South Carolina State Coppin State Florida A&M |
South Carolina State |
| 1994 | South Carolina State | North Carolina A&T |
| 1995 | Florida A&M | Florida A&M |
| 1996 | Florida A&M | Howard |
| 1997 | Howard | Howard |
| 1998 | Howard | Howard |
| 1999 | Hampton | Florida A&M |
| 2000 | Howard | Hampton |
| 2001 | Howard | Howard |
| 2002 | Howard | Norfolk State |
| 2003 | Hampton | Hampton |
| 2004 | Delaware State Hampton |
Hampton |
| 2005 | Coppin State | Coppin State |
| 2006 | Coppin State | Coppin State |
| 2007 | Coppin State | Delaware State |
| 2008 | North Carolina A&T | Coppin State |
| 2009 | North Carolina A&T | North Carolina A&T |
| 2010 | North Carolina A&T | Hampton University |
| 2011 | Hampton | Hampton |
| 2012 | Hampton | Hampton |
| 2013 | Hampton | Hampton |
| 2014 | Hampton | Hampton |
| 2015 | Hampton | Savannah State |
| 2016 | Bethune Cookman North Carolina A&T |
North Carolina A&T |
Softball
Bethune-Cookman won the Florida Regional in 2005, the first NCAA Regional Final ever won by a MEAC school, and ended that season ranked #18 in a national poll.[32]
| Season | Champion(s) |
|---|---|
| 1993 | Florida A&M |
| 1994 | Florida A&M |
| 1995 | Florida A&M |
| 1996 | Hampton |
| 1997 | Florida A&M |
| 1998 | Florida A&M |
| 1999 | Florida A&M |
| 2000 | Bethune-Cookman |
| 2001 | Bethune-Cookman |
| 2002 | Bethune-Cookman |
| 2003 | Bethune-Cookman |
| 2004 | Bethune-Cookman |
| 2005 | Florida A&M |
| 2006 | Florida A&M |
| 2007 | Howard |
| 2008 | Delaware State |
| 2009 | Florida A&M |
| 2010 | Bethune-Cookman |
| 2011 | Bethune-Cookman |
| 2012 | Bethune-Cookman |
| 2013 | Hampton |
| 2014 | Florida A&M |
| 2015 | Florida A&M |
| 2016 | Florida A&M |
Baseball
| Season | Regular season champion(s) | Tournament champion |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Howard | |
| 1973 | South Carolina State | |
| 1974 | North Carolina A&T | |
| 1975 | Howard | |
| 1976 | Howard | |
| 1977 | Howard | |
| 1978 | No Records Available | |
| 1979 | No Records Available | |
| 1980 | No Records Available | |
| 1981 | No Records Available | |
| 1982 | No Records Available | |
| 1983 | No Records Available | |
| 1984 | Howard | |
| 1985 | Bethune-Cookman | |
| 1986 | Howard | |
| 1987 | Florida A&M | |
| 1988 | Florida A&M | |
| 1989 | Delaware State | |
| 1990 | Florida A&M | |
| 1991 | Florida A&M | |
| 1992 | Florida A&M | |
| 1993 | North Carolina A&T | |
| 1994 | Florida A&M | |
| 1995 | Coppin State | |
| 1996 | Bethune-Cookman | |
| 1997 | Bethune-Cookman | |
| 1998 | Howard | |
| 1999 | Bethune-Cookman | Bethune-Cookman |
| 2000 | Bethune-Cookman | Bethune-Cookman |
| 2001 | Bethune-Cookman | Bethune-Cookman |
| 2002 | Bethune-Cookman | Bethune-Cookman |
| 2003 | Bethune-Cookman | Bethune-Cookman |
| 2004 | Bethune-Cookman | Bethune-Cookman |
| 2005 | North Carolina A&T | North Carolina A&T |
| 2006 | Bethune-Cookman | Bethune-Cookman |
| 2007 | Bethune-Cookman | Bethune-Cookman |
| 2008 | Bethune-Cookman | Bethune-Cookman |
| 2009 | Bethune-Cookman | Bethune-Cookman |
| 2010 | Bethune-Cookman | Bethune-Cookman |
| 2011 | Bethune-Cookman | Bethune-Cookman |
| 2012 | Bethune-Cookman | Bethune-Cookman |
| 2013 | Delaware State | Savannah State |
| 2014 | Bethune-Cookman | |
| 2015 | Florida A&M | |
| 2016 | Bethune-Cookman |
| African American topics | |
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Political movements | |
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Ethnic sub-divisions | |
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Diaspora | |
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See also
Notes
- ↑ Maryland-Eastern Shore wasn't part of the MEAC between the 1979-80 and the 1980-81 seasons.
- ↑ Morgan State wasn't part of the MEAC between the 1979-80 and the 1983-84 seasons.
- ↑ Florida A&M wasn't part of the MEAC between the 1984-85 and the 1985-86 seasons.
- ↑ North Carolina Central wasn't part of the MEAC between the 1979-80 and the 2009-10 seasons.
- ↑ Coppin State has a club football team that competes in the Mid Atlantic Conference of the National Club Football Association. This team does compete at an on campus facility.
- ↑ Maryland Eastern Shore has a club football team that competes in the Mid Atlantic Conference of the National Club Football Association.The team does have an on campus field but does not have seating.
- ↑ Howard was later disqualified from their 1971 NCAA soccer championship, however, no team was ever announced as the new champion.
- ↑ Bethune-Cookman receives NCAA Division I FCS Playoff Automatic Qualifying bid via MEAC Conference tiebreaker system.
- ↑ Morgan State receives NCAA Division I FCS Playoff Automatic Qualifying bid via MEAC Conference tiebreaker system.
References
- 1 2 "MEAC". MEACSports.com.
- ↑ "WSSU Decides To Stay In Division II Athletics". D2Football.com. digtriad.com. 2009-09-11. Retrieved 2009-09-12.
- 1 2 "North Carolina Central University joins Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference". Onnidan.com. 2009-09-10. Retrieved 2009-09-11.
- 1 2 3 "Savannah State University Joins Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference". Onnidan.com. 2010-03-10. Retrieved 2010-03-10.
- ↑ "N.C. Central and Savannah State Become Full Members". MEACSports.com. Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
- ↑ "Men's Golf Joins MEAC As Associate Member" (Press release). GRU Augusta Athletics. September 10, 2013. Retrieved November 21, 2015.
- ↑ "Coppin State University | Best College | US News". Colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com. Retrieved 2015-07-19.
- ↑ "Delaware State University | Best College | US News". Colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com. Retrieved 2015-07-19.
- ↑ "Hampton University | Best College | US News". Colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com. Retrieved 2015-07-19.
- ↑ "Howard University | Best College | US News". Colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com. Retrieved 2015-07-19.
- ↑ "University of Maryland-Eastern Shore | UMES | Best College | US News". Colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com. Retrieved 2015-07-19.
- ↑ "Morgan State University - Fall 2014 Student Demographics" (PDF). Morgan State University. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
- ↑ "Norfolk State University Admissions: SAT Scores, Financial Aid & More". Collegeapps.about.com. Retrieved 2015-07-19.
- ↑ "Bethune-Cookman University | Bethune Cookman University | Best College | US News". Colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com. Retrieved 2015-07-19.
- ↑ "Florida A&M University | FAMU | Best College | US News". Colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com. Retrieved 2015-07-19.
- ↑ "North Carolina A&T State University | North Carolina A&T | Best College | US News". Colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com. Retrieved 2015-07-19.
- ↑ WRAL. "North Carolina Central officially joins MEAC". WRALSportsFan.com.
- ↑ "North Carolina Central University | North Carolina Central | Best College | US News". Colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com. Retrieved 2015-07-19.
- ↑ "Savannah State joins Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference". savannahnow.com.
- ↑ "Savannah State University | Savannah State | Best College | US News". Colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com. Retrieved 2015-07-19.
- ↑ "South Carolina State University | South Carolina State | Best College | US News". Colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com. Retrieved 2015-07-19.
- ↑ "Winston-Salem State jumps to Division I, joins MEAC". Sports.espn.go.com. 2006-07-19. Retrieved 2015-07-19.
- ↑ Archived February 2, 2014, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ http://www.umes.edu/football/feasibility/Microsoft%20Word%20-%20Football%20Feasibility%20Study%20Executive%20Summary-Final.pdf
- ↑ "Onnidan News:". Onnidan.com. 2003-07-21. Retrieved 2015-07-19.
- ↑ Conference Coordinator - Scott Hoffman. "NCFA - Conference Details". Ncfafootball.org. Retrieved 2015-07-19.
- ↑ "The Official Site of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference". MEACsports.com. Retrieved 2015-07-19.
- ↑ "FCS Championship Games Through The Years: 1978-2011". College-sports-journal.com. 1979-03-11. Retrieved 2015-07-19.
- ↑ "National Champs". Ncataggies.com. Retrieved 2015-07-19.
- ↑ Archived September 21, 2012, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ http://pilotonline.com/sports/college/norfolk-state/norfolk-state-stripped-of-wins-meac-football-title-and-placed/article_79e8da10-20c4-58d2-9277-295a2702dfd7.html
- ↑ "MEAC History" (PDF). meacsports.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 2, 2007. Retrieved 2008-03-17.