Atlantic 10 Conference
The Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10) is a NCAA conference that plays in NCAA Division I. The conference is headquartered in Newport News, Virginia and features universities and colleges from the Eastern and Midwestern United States.
History
The A-10 was founded by eight Eastern schools in 1975 as the Eastern Collegiate Basketball League, and began play in 1976. It first played only men's basketball, but added other sports in 1977 and became the Eastern Athletic Association. Despite its official names, the conference was more often called the Eastern 8. By 1982, the conference had 10 schools, and it became the Atlantic 10.
Although the conference has had "10" in its name since 1982, it has not had 10 members since Penn State left for the second and final time in 1991. Since then, the A-10 has had anywhere from 8 to 16 full members (schools that play most of their sports in the conference). From 1997 to 2006, the A-10 ran a football league; after the 2006 season, the A-10 football conference was taken over by the Colonial Athletic Association, now known as the Coastal Athletic Association. The former A-10 football conference is now known as CAA Football (in full, the Coastal Athletic Association Football Conference); it is run by the multi-sports CAA but is legally separate.
Members
Fifteen schools are full members. Most of the members are private schools; eight are run by the Catholic Church.
| School | Location | Founded | Type (affiliation) |
Nickname | Joined A-10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Davidson College | Davidson, North Carolina | 1837 | Private (Presbyterian) |
Wildcats | 2014 |
| University of Dayton | Dayton, Ohio | 1850 | Private (Catholic) |
Flyers | 1995 |
| Duquesne University | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | 1878 | Private (Catholic) |
Dukes | 1976, 1993[a 1] |
| Fordham University | Bronx, New York | 1841 | Private (Catholic) |
Rams | 1995 |
| George Mason University | Fairfax, Virginia | 1957 | Public | Patriots | 2013 |
| George Washington University | Washington, D.C. | 1821 | Private (nonsectarian) |
Revolutionaries | 1976 |
| La Salle University | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 1863 | Private (Catholic) |
Rams | 1995 |
| Loyola University Chicago | Chicago, Illinois | 1870 | Private (Catholic) |
Ramblers | 2022 |
| University of Massachusetts Amherst | Amherst, Massachusetts | 1863 | Public | Minutemen & Minutewomen |
1976 |
| University of Rhode Island | Kingston, Rhode Island | 1892 | Public | Rams | 1980 |
| University of Richmond | Richmond, Virginia | 1830 | Private (nonsectarian) |
Spiders | 2001 |
| St. Bonaventure University | St. Bonaventure, New York | 1858 | Private (Catholic) |
Bonnies | 1979 |
| Saint Joseph's University | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 1851 | Private (Catholic) |
Hawks | 1982 |
| Saint Louis University | St. Louis, Missouri | 1818 | Private (Catholic) |
Billikens | 2005 |
| Virginia Commonwealth University | Richmond, Virginia | 1838 | Public | Rams | 2012 |
- ↑ Duquesne left the A-10 in 1992 to join the Midwestern Collegiate Conference (now known as the Horizon League), but came back in 1993.
Associate members
Three schools are "associate members" that play only one sport in the A-10.
| School | Location | Founded | Type (affiliation) |
Nickname | Joined | A-10 Sport | Main Conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Point University | High Point, North Carolina | 1822 | Private (Methodist) |
Panthers | 2022 | Men's lacrosse | Big South |
| Hobart College | Geneva, New York | 1822 | Private (nonsectarian) |
Statesmen | 2022 | Men's lacrosse | Liberty League (Div. III) |
| Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania | Lock Haven, Pennsylvania | 1870 | Public | Bald Eagles | 2010 | Field hockey | PSAC (Div. II) |
Former members
Ten schools were once full members of the A-10, but are no longer in the conference.
| School | Location | Founded | Type (affiliation) |
Nickname | Joined | Left | Current Conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butler University | Indianapolis, Indiana | 1855 | Private (nonsectarian) |
Bulldogs | 2012 | 2013 | Big East |
| University of North Carolina at Charlotte (Charlotte) | Charlotte, North Carolina | 1946 | Public | 49ers | 2005 | 2013 | The American |
| Pennsylvania State University | University Park, Pennsylvania | 1855 | Public/private hybrid | Nittany Lions | 1976 1982 |
1979 1991 |
Big Ten |
| University of Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | 1787 | Public/private hybrid | Panthers | 1976 | 1982 | ACC |
| Rutgers University | New Brunswick, New Jersey | 1766 | Public | Scarlet Knights | 1976 | 1995 | Big Ten |
| Temple University | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 1884 | Public/private hybrid | Owls | 1982 | 2013 | The American |
| Villanova University | Villanova, Pennsylvania | 1842 | Private (Catholic) |
Wildcats | 1976 | 1980 | Big East |
| Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) | Blacksburg, Virginia | 1872 | Public | Hokies | 1995 | 2000 | ACC |
| West Virginia University | Morgantown, West Virginia | 1867 | Public | Mountaineers | 1976 | 1995 | Big 12 |
| Xavier University | Cincinnati, Ohio | 1831 | Private (Catholic) |
Musketeers | 1995 | 2013 | Big East |
References
- "Atlantic 10 Conference". atlantic10.com. Retrieved 2014-07-06.