Colonial Athletic Association
 | |
| Formerly | ECAC South |
|---|---|
| Association | NCAA |
| Founded | 1979 |
| Commissioner | Joe D'Antonio (since 2016) |
| Sports fielded |
|
| Division | Division I |
| Subdivision | FCS |
| No. of teams | 13 (14 in 2023) |
| Headquarters | Richmond, Virginia |
| Region | East Coast |
| Official website | www |
| Locations | |
 | |
The Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division I whose full members are located in East Coast states from Massachusetts to South Carolina. Most of its members are public universities, and the conference is headquartered in Richmond. The CAA was historically a Southern conference until the addition of four schools in the Northeast (of five that joined from rival conference America East) after the turn of the 21st century, which added geographic balance to the conference.
The CAA was founded in 1979 as the ECAC South basketball league. It was renamed the Colonial Athletic Association in 1985 when it added championships in other sports (although a number of members maintain ECAC affiliation in some sports). As of 2006, it organizes championships in 21 men's and women's sports. The addition of Northeastern University in 2005 gave the conference the NCAA minimum of six football programs needed to sponsor football. For the 2007 football season, all of the Atlantic 10 Conference's football programs joined the CAA football conference, as agreed in May 2005. The football league operates under CAA administration as the technically separate entity of CAA Football.
The conference most recently added Hampton University, Monmouth University, North Carolina A&T State University, and Stony Brook University in 2022. Stony Brook, already a member of CAA Football, joined in other sports at that time; Hampton and Monmouth joined both the all-sports CAA and CAA Football; and NC A&T joined the all-sports CAA in 2022 and will join CAA Football in 2023.[1][2] The CAA has since announced that Campbell University will join both sides of the league in 2023.[3]
History
all-sports member
all-sports member (non-football)
CAA Football member only
future memberThe CAA has expanded in recent years, following the exits of longtime members such as the United States Naval Academy, the University of Richmond, East Carolina University, and American University. In 2001, the six-member conference added four additional universities: Towson University, Drexel University, Hofstra University, and the University of Delaware. Four years later the league expanded again when Georgia State University and Northeastern University joined, further enlarging the conference footprint. Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) left for the Atlantic 10 Conference in July 2012.[4] More changes came in 2013: Old Dominion University left for Conference USA,[5] Georgia State joined the Sun Belt Conference,[6] and the College of Charleston joined the CAA from the Southern Conference.[7]
On the playing field, the CAA has produced 16 national team champions in six different sports (the most recent being the James Madison University Dukes who won the 2018 Division I Women's Lacrosse championship), 33 individual national champions, 11 national coaches of the year, 11 national players of the year and 12 Honda Award winners. In 2006, George Mason became the first CAA team to reach the Final Four. In 2011, the VCU Rams became the second CAA team to reach the Final Four, as well as the first team to win five games en route, due to their participation in the First Four round.
On March 25, 2013, George Mason University left the CAA to join the Atlantic 10 Conference.[8] Shortly after, the CAA ceased sponsorship of wrestling due to the lack of teams.
The 2015–16 basketball season saw the conference RPI reach its highest rating when it finished the season ranked 9th in the nation.
During another phase of realignment that started in 2021, the CAA was affected when longtime member James Madison University announced it would leave the CAA, transition its football program to the Football Bowl Subdivision, and join the Sun Belt Conference (SBC). Initially, JMU was to join the SBC in July 2023.[9] However, the timeline changed when the CAA chose to ban JMU from subsequent championship events, citing a conference bylaw that allows it to impose such a ban on a departing member. Thus, JMU officially joined the Sun Belt in July 2022 instead (at which time it was counted as an FBS member for scheduling purposes after meeting an NCAA minimum requirement of five FBS opponents at home), housing all of its sports in that league, including men's soccer, which would be sponsored by the SBC again, but one season earlier.[10][11]
Shortly before JMU announced its departure, it was reported that the CAA sought to expand by several schools, allowing it to split into a divisional format for most of its sports in order to reduce travel costs for its members. Among the schools named as possible candidates were Fairfield University, Howard University, Monmouth University, and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.[12][13] In January 2022, reports emerged that Hampton University, a historically black institution that had been working toward a CAA move since at least 1995, would likely join the CAA that July. Monmouth was again named as a potential CAA expansion candidate. Also, Stony Brook University, already a member of CAA Football, was named as a candidate for membership in the all-sports CAA.[14] On January 18, local media in Monmouth's home of New Jersey reported that a CAA invitation to that school was imminent.[15]
The CAA later announced on January 25 that Hampton, Monmouth, and Stony Brook would become members of the all-sports CAA that July, with Hampton and Monmouth joining Stony Brook in CAA Football.[16] On February 22, the CAA announced that North Carolina A&T State University would join the all-sports CAA that July and CAA Football in 2023.[2] Still later, Campbell University was announced as a new member of both sides of the league effective in 2023.[3]
Commissioners
| Name | Years | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tom Yeager | 1979–2016 | Retired July 1, 2016 |
| Joe D'Antonio | 2016–present | July 1, 2016 |
Member schools
 | This section needs additional citations for verification. (February 2022) |
Full members
Current full members
- Notes
- ^ North Carolina A&T will not join CAA Football until 2023, a year after it joined the all-sports CAA.
- ^ Towson joined the league as a charter member in the 1979–80 season, left after the 1980–81 season to join the ECAC-Metro Conference (now known as the Northeast Conference), and rejoined the CAA effective the 2001–02 season.
- ^ Stony Brook has been a member of CAA Football since 2013.
Future full member
| Institution | Location | Founded | Joining | Type | Enrollment | Endowment | Nickname | Colors | Football | Current conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Campbell University | Buies Creek, North Carolina | 1887 | 2023 | Private | 5,622 | $165,000,000 | Fighting Camels & Lady Camels | 
|
Big South |
Former full members
- Notes
- ^ University of Baltimore dropped intercollegiate athletics after the 1982–83 academic year.
Associate members
In all tables below, dates of joining and departure reflect the calendar years these moves took effect. For spring sports, the year of arrival is the calendar year before the first season of competition. For fall sports, the year of departure is the calendar year after the final season of competition.
Current associate members
- Notes
- ^ La Jolla is a neighborhood of San Diego that has its own postal identity.
- ^ While the CAA officially announced UC San Diego's entry into CAA rowing in March 2021, the Tritons competed during the spring 2021 season, part of the 2020–21 school year.[17]
- ^ UConn planned to drop women's rowing after the 2020–21 season,[19] but after a federal judge issued a restraining order against the university in a Title IX lawsuit brought by team members, the university announced that it would reinstate the sport for a minimum of two years.[20]
Former associate members
- Notes
- ^ Boston University dropped wrestling after the 2013–14 school year.
- ^ Buffalo dropped women's rowing after the 2016–17 school year.
- ^ Liberty dropped wrestling after the 2010–11 school year.
- ^ Since the 2016 fall season (2016–17 school year), UMass football has competed as an FBS independent
- ^ UNC Greensboro dropped wrestling after the 2010–11 school year.
- ^ Villanova men's lacrosse left the CAA once the Big East began sponsoring the sport in the 2009–10 school year. Villanova football remains in CAA Football to this day, and the school has also been a CAA women's rowing member since 2015–16.
- ^ Wagner dropped wrestling after the 2008–09 school year.
Membership timeline
Full members Full members (non-football) Assoc. members (football only) Assoc. member (list sports)
Sports
The CAA sponsors championship competitions in ten men's and twelve women's NCAA sanctioned sports. Eleven schools are associate members in three sports.[21]
| Sport | Men's | Women's |
|---|---|---|
| Baseball | 11 |
-
|
| Basketball | 13 |
13
|
| Cross Country | 10 |
12
|
| Field Hockey | - |
7
|
| Football | 14 |
-
|
| Golf | 10 |
9
|
| Lacrosse | 8 |
8
|
| Rowing | - |
8
|
| Soccer | 10 |
12
|
| Softball | - |
11
|
| Swimming & Diving | 6 |
8
|
| Tennis | 10 |
12
|
| Track and Field (Indoor) | 6 |
9
|
| Track and Field (Outdoor) | 8 |
12
|
| Volleyball | - |
11
|
Men's sponsored sports by school
| School | Baseball | Basketball | Cross country |
Football | Golf | Lacrosse | Soccer | Swimming & diving |
Tennis | Track & field (indoor) |
Track & field (outdoor) |
Total CAA sports |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charleston | |
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6 |
| Delaware | |
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8 |
| Drexel | |
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6 |
| Elon | |
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7 |
| Hampton | |
|
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|
7 |
| Hofstra | |
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|
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8 |
| Monmouth | |
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|
11 |
| North Carolina A&T | |
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[a] |
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8 |
| Northeastern | |
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6 |
| Stony Brook | |
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8 |
| Towson | |
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6 |
| UNC Wilmington | |
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|
8 |
| William & Mary | |
|
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|
|
|
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|
10 |
| Totals | 11 | 13 | 10 | 8+6 | 10 | 7+1 | 10 | 6 | 10 | 6 | 8 | 98+7 |
| Future member | ||||||||||||
| Campbell | |
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|
9 |
| Associate members | ||||||||||||
| Albany | |
1 | ||||||||||
| Fairfield | |
1 | ||||||||||
| Maine | |
1 | ||||||||||
| New Hampshire | |
1 | ||||||||||
| Rhode Island | |
1 | ||||||||||
| Richmond | |
1 | ||||||||||
| Villanova | |
1 | ||||||||||
- Men's varsity sports not sponsored by the CAA which are played by CAA schools
Future member in gray.
| School | Gymnastics | Ice hockey | Sailing[b] | Squash[c] | Wrestling |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Campbell | — | — | – | — | SoCon |
| Charleston | — | — | Independent | — | — |
| Drexel | — | — | — | Independent | EIWA |
| Hampton | — | — | Independent | – | – |
| Hofstra | – | – | – | – | EIWA |
| Northeastern | — | Hockey East | — | — | — |
| William & Mary | EIGL | — | — | — | — |
- Notes
- ^ North Carolina A&T will not join CAA Football until 2023, a year after it joins the all-sports CAA.
- ^ Sailing is a coeducational sport sanctioned by the Intercollegiate Sailing Association and not the NCAA.
- ^ Squash is a coeducational sport that is not sanctioned by the NCAA.
Women's sponsored sports by school
| School | Basketball | Cross country |
Field hockey |
Golf | Lacrosse | Rowing | Soccer | Softball | Swimming & diving |
Tennis | Track & field (indoor) |
Track & field (outdoor) |
Volleyball | Total CAA sports |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charleston | |
|
|
|
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9 |
| Delaware | |
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13 |
| Drexel | |
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8 |
| Elon | |
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10 |
| Hampton | |
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8 |
| Hofstra | |
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10 |
| Monmouth | |
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12 |
| North Carolina A&T | |
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8 |
| Northeastern | |
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8 |
| Stony Brook | |
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10 |
| Towson | |
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11 |
| UNC Wilmington | |
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10 |
| William & Mary | |
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11 |
| Totals | 13 | 12 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 4+4 | 12 | 11 | 8 | 12 | 9 | 12 | 11 | 128+4 |
| Future member | ||||||||||||||
| Campbell | |
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|
11 |
| Associate members | ||||||||||||||
| UC San Diego | |
1 | ||||||||||||
| Eastern Michigan | |
1 | ||||||||||||
| UConn | |
1 | ||||||||||||
| Villanova | |
1 | ||||||||||||
- Women's varsity sports not sponsored by the CAA which are played by CAA schools
| School | Beach volleyball |
Bowling | Equestrian[a] | Gymnastics | Ice hockey | Sailing[b] | Squash[c] | Triathlon[d] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charleston | ASUN | – | Independent | — | — | Independent | — | – |
| Delaware | — | — | — | — | [e] | — | — | – |
| Drexel | — | — | — | — | — | — | Independent | — |
| Hampton | — | — | — | — | — | MAISA | — | Independent |
| Monmouth | — | MEAC | — | — | — | — | — | – |
| North Carolina A&T | — | MEAC | — | — | — | — | — | – |
| Northeastern | — | — | — | — | Hockey East | — | Independent | — |
| Towson | — | — | — | EAGL | — | — | — | – |
| UNC Wilmington | ASUN | — | — | — | — | — | — | – |
| William & Mary | — | — | — | ECAC | — | — | — | – |
- Notes
- ^ Equestrianism is part of the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program, but the national championship is sanctioned by the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association and not the NCAA. While several conferences exist under the IHSA umbrella, the NCAA treats all women's equestrian teams that do not compete within a recognized NCAA conference as independents.
- ^ Sailing is a coeducational sport sanctioned by the Intercollegiate Sailing Association and not the NCAA.
- ^ Squash is a coeducational sport that is not sanctioned by the NCAA.
- ^ Triathlon is part of the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program, but the national championship is sanctioned by the sport's national governing body, USA Triathlon, and not the NCAA. No NCAA conference in any division currently sponsors this sport.
- ^ Delaware plays women's ice hockey at club level in the ACHA, but treats this club as a varsity team.
In addition to the above, Charleston counts its female cheerleaders (though not its male cheerleaders) and all-female dance team as varsity teams. Neither cheerleading nor dance team competitions are sponsored by the NCAA.
Current champions
RS = regular-season champion; T = tournament champion
| Season | Sport | Men's champion |
Women's champion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2021 | Cross country | William & Mary | Elon |
| Field hockey | – | James Madison[a] & Delaware (RS) Delaware (T) | |
| Football | James Madison[b] & Villanova | – | |
| Soccer | Hofstra (RS & T) | UNCW (RS) Hofstra (T) | |
| Volleyball | – | Towson (RS & T) | |
| Winter 2021–22 | Basketball | Towson & UNCW (RS) Delaware (T) |
Drexel (RS) Delaware (T) |
| Swimming & diving | UNCW | William & Mary | |
| Spring 2022 | Baseball | Charleston (RS) Hofstra (T) |
– |
| Golf | Charleston | Charleston | |
| Lacrosse | Delaware, Towson, & UMass (RS) Delaware (T) |
Towson[c] (RS) Drexel (T) | |
| Rowing | – | Northeastern | |
| Softball | – | Delaware (RS) UNCW (T) | |
| Tennis | UNCW | William & Mary | |
| Track & field (outdoor) | Northeastern | Elon |
- ^ James Madison announced its departure for the Sun Belt Conference during the 2021 CAA field hockey tournament. The CAA's decision to bar JMU from future CAA championship events did not affect field hockey.
- ^ Despite having announced its departure for the Sun Belt Conference, JMU remained eligible for the CAA Football title. The bylaw allowing the CAA to bar a departing member from competing for conference championships only applies to the all-sports CAA.
- ^ James Madison finished atop the league standings, but was ineligible for the CAA title due to its announced departure for the Sun Belt Conference.
Men's basketball
| * | Denotes a tie for regular season conference title |
| † | Denotes game went into overtime |
Regular season champions
Note: The conference was known as the ECAC South from 1979 to 1985.
History of the tournament final
Men's CAA tournament championships and finalists
| School | Championships | Finals Appearances | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Old Dominion‡ | 8 | 10 | 1980, 1982, 1992, 1995, 1997, 2005, 2010, 2011 |
| UNC Wilmington | 6 | 11 | 2000, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2016, 2017 |
| Richmond‡ | 5 | 8 | 1984, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1998 |
| VCU‡ | 5 | 8 | 1996, 2004, 2007, 2009, 2012 |
| James Madison‡ | 4 | 11 | 1981, 1983, 1994, 2013 |
| George Mason‡ | 4 | 10 | 1989, 1999, 2001, 2008 |
| Navy‡ | 3 | 5 | 1985, 1986, 1987 |
| Northeastern | 2 | 5 | 2015, 2019 |
| Hofstra | 1 | 4 | 2020 |
| Drexel | 1 | 2 | 2021 |
| Charleston | 1 | 2 | 2018 |
| Delaware | 2 | 2 | 2014, 2022 |
| East Carolina‡ | 1 | 1 | 1993 |
| William & Mary | 0 | 5 | — |
| Elon | 0 | 1 | — |
| Towson | 0 | 0 | — |
‡Former member of the CAA
Broadcasters
Women's basketball
| * | Denotes a tie for regular season conference title |
| † | Denotes game went into overtime |
Regular season champions
| Season | Regular Season Champion | Conference Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Richmond | 4–1 |
| 1985 | East Carolina | 11–1 |
| 1986 | James Madison | 11–1 |
| 1987 | James Madison | 12–0 |
| 1988 | James Madison | 12–0 |
| 1989 | James Madison | 12–0 |
| 1990 | Richmond | 11–1 |
| 1991 | James Madison | 11–1 |
| 1992 | Old Dominion | 12–2 |
| 1993 | Old Dominion | 14–0 |
| 1994 | Old Dominion | 14–0 |
| 1995 | Old Dominion | 13–1 |
| 1996 | Old Dominion | 16–0 |
| 1997 | Old Dominion | 16–0 |
| 1998 | Old Dominion | 16–0 |
| 1999 | Old Dominion | 16–0 |
| 2000 | Old Dominion | 16–0 |
| 2001 | Old Dominion | 15–1 |
| 2002 | Old Dominion | 18–0 |
| 2003 | Old Dominion | 15–3 |
| 2004 | Old Dominion | 14–4 |
| 2005 | Delaware | 16–2 |
| 2006 | Old Dominion | 17–1 |
| 2007 | Old Dominion | 17–1 |
| 2008 | Old Dominion | 17–1 |
| 2009 | Drexel | 16–2 |
| 2010 | Old Dominion | 14–4 |
| 2011 | James Madison | 16–2 |
| 2012 | Delaware | 18–0 |
| 2013 | Delaware | 18–0 |
| 2014 | James Madison | 15–1 |
| 2015 | James Madison | 17–1 |
| 2016 | James Madison | 17–1 |
| 2017 | Elon | 16–2 |
| 2018* | Drexel James Madison |
16–2 |
| 2019 | James Madison | 17–1 |
| 2020* | Drexel James Madison |
16–2 |
| 2021 | Delaware | 16–2 |
| 2022 | Drexel | 16–2 |
History of the Tournament finals
Women's CAA tournament championships and finalists
| School | Championships | Finals Appearances | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Old Dominion‡ | 17 | 18 | 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 |
| James Madison‡ | 9 | 17 | 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2016 |
| Delaware | 2 | 6 | 2012, 2013 |
| East Carolina‡ | 2 | 6 | 1984, 1985 |
| Richmond‡ | 2 | 4 | 1990, 1991 |
| Elon | 2 | 2 | 2017, 2018 |
| Drexel | 1 | 6 | 2009 |
| Towson | 1 | 1 | 2019 |
| American‡ | 0 | 2 | — |
| George Mason‡ | 0 | 3 | — |
| UNC Wilmington | 0 | 2 | — |
| William & Mary | 0 | 1 | — |
| VCU‡ | 0 | 1 | — |
| Northeastern | 0 | 0 | — |
‡Former member of the CAA
Football
 | |
| Conference | NCAA |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2007 |
| Sports fielded |
|
| Division | Division I |
| Subdivision | FCS |
| No. of teams | 13 (15 in 2023) |
| Headquarters | Richmond, Virginia |
| Region | East Coast |
| Official website | caasports.com |
| Locations | |
 | |
The CAA Football Conference was formed in 2005, although it did not begin play until 2007, as a separate conference independent of the CAA, but administered by the CAA front office. For this reason, there are no true "football associate members" as every member of CAA Football is a full-member of the football-only conference. In the 2004–05 academic year, the CAA had five member schools that sponsored football, all of them as football-only members of the Atlantic 10 Conference (A10). In 2005, as previously noted, Northeastern accepted the CAA's offer of membership, giving the CAA the six football-playing members it needed under NCAA rules to organize a football conference. At that time, the CAA announced it would launch its new football conference in 2007. Next, the CAA invited the University of Richmond to become a football-only member effective in 2007. Once UR accepted the offer, this left the A10 football conference with only five members, less than the six required under NCAA rules. As a result, the remaining A10 football programs all decided to join the CAA on a football-only basis, spelling the end of A10 football, at least under that conference's banner. Since the CAA football conference had the same members as the A10 the previous year, it can be said that the CAA football conference is the A10 football conference under new management.
The CAA football conference's earliest roots are in the New England Conference, founded in 1938 by four state-supported universities in that region plus Northeastern; three of the public schools are currently in the CAA football conference. After the departure of Northeastern in 1945, the remaining members joined New England's other land-grant colleges, Massachusetts State College (now the University of Massachusetts) and the University of Vermont, to form the Yankee Conference under a new charter in 1946, with competition starting in 1947. That conference eventually dropped all sports other than football in 1975. Starting in the 1980s, it expanded to include many schools outside its original New England base. After the NCAA voted to limit the influence of single-sport conferences, the Yankee merged with the A10 in 1997. As mentioned above, the A10 football conference effectively became the CAA Football Conference in 2007.
The CAA Football Conference does not claim the legacy of the A10 Football Conference or the Yankee Conference. However, every school that was in the Yankee Conference at the time of the A10 merger and still fields an FCS-level football team (nine out of the final 12 members of the Yankee Conference) is in the CAA football conference. As further proof of the continuity between conferences, the CAA inherited the A10's automatic bid to the FCS playoffs, which in turn was inherited from the Yankee.
On May 31, 2006, Old Dominion University announced that it would start a football team to begin play in 2009.[22] ODU joined the CAA football conference in 2011.[23] On April 17, 2008, Georgia State University announced that it would start a football team to begin play in 2010 and join the CAA football conference in 2012.[24] The team is playing in the 70,000 seat Georgia Dome, but is restricting ticket sales to just over 28,000 for virtually all its games. However, GSU played only the 2012 season in the CAA, and was not eligible for the conference title, as it began an FBS transition in advance of its 2013 move to the Sun Belt Conference.[6]
Since the CAA began play as a football conference in 2007, a member team has played in the FCS Championship game seven times, with Delaware making it in 2007 and 2010, Richmond in winning in 2008, Villanova winning in 2009, Towson appearing in 2013, and James Madison winning in 2016 and appearing in 2017. In 2007, the CAA set records with 15 national player of the week honorees and by sending five teams to the national championship playoffs. The very next season, in 2008, they broke that record with 19 national player of the week honorees and tied their own record by again sending five teams to the national championship playoffs for the second straight year. At the end of the 2008 season, the CAA had six Top 25 teams with four placing in the Top Ten. Players from the CAA received 78 All-America honors.
In the opening weekend of the 2009 season, CAA teams defeated three Division I FBS teams. William & Mary and Richmond took down teams from the ACC (one of the six conferences whose champions receive automatic Bowl Championship Series berths), respectively Virginia and Duke, while Villanova defeated Temple from the MAC. The following weekend saw New Hampshire defeat another MAC team, Ball State (which had gone through the previous regular season unbeaten, but ended 2009 2–10). All four of the CAA teams to defeat FBS teams qualified for the 2009 FCS playoffs and won their first-round games; Villanova and William & Mary reached the semifinals, and Villanova won the FCS championship.
Northeastern—the school whose 2005 move to the CAA enabled the creation of the CAA football conference—dropped football after the 2009 season. President Joseph E. Aoun and the board of trustees endorsed the move after an extensive, two-year review of the athletic program by its director, Peter Roby. The decision to eliminate football followed six straight losing seasons and sparse game attendance at a school whose ice rink often sells out for hockey.[25]
On December 3, 2009, Hofstra announced that the university would no longer be sponsoring football. The decision follows a two-year review of sports spending at Hofstra. School officials stated there are no plans to cut any other sports at the Long Island school. Hofstra cited costs and low student interest—only 500 students would attend home games despite free tickets—as reasons to drop the program.[26] Due to the reduction of the conference, the CAA did not use the division format for the 2010 season. Even though Old Dominion began conference play in 2011 and Georgia State did the same in 2012, the divisional format is not likely to return in the immediate future, as the CAA lost football members in both 2012 and 2013. UMass departed for FBS and the Mid-American Conference in 2012 followed by Georgia State's departure for the Sun Belt and Old Dominion for Conference USA.
The 2010 season started with the biggest non-conference win of the CAA's short history, when James Madison defeated nationally ranked Virginia Tech (FBS #13 at the time) of the ACC. JMU won 21–16 on September 11, at Virginia Tech's Lane Stadium.
Current members
As of the upcoming 2022 season, CAA Football has the following members:
- Albany
- Delaware
- Elon
- Hampton
- Maine
- Monmouth
- New Hampshire
- Richmond
- Rhode Island
- Stony Brook
- Towson
- Villanova
- William & Mary
Campbell and North Carolina A&T will join CAA Football in 2023.
Former members
Former members of CAA Football are:
- Northeastern: 2007–2009, dropped football.[25]
- Georgia State: 2012, moved to the FBS-level Sun Belt Conference (SBC).[27]
- Hofstra: 2007–2009, dropped football.[28]
- UMass: 2007–2011, moved to the FBS-level Mid-American Conference for football only, now an FBS Independent.[29]
- Old Dominion: 2011–2012, competed as an FCS independent in 2013 before joining Conference USA, an FBS conference, for the sport in 2014. ODU has since moved to the SBC.
- James Madison: 2007–2021, moved to FBS and the SBC in 2022.
Hofstra, James Madison, Northeastern, and UMass each also played in the CAA's predecessor football conferences. UMass joined the Yankee Conference in 1947, James Madison and Northeastern joined the Yankee Conference in 1993, and Hofstra joined the Atlantic 10 Conference in 2001.
Additionally, former members of its ancestor conferences (New England Conference, Yankee Conference, Atlantic 10 Conference) include:
- Boston U.: 1971–1997, dropped football.
- Northeastern: 1938–1945 (New England Conference)
- Holy Cross: 1971, became independent, now in the Patriot League.
- UConn: 1938–1999, moved up to Division I-A (now FBS) and joined the Big East Conference for football in 2004. When the original Big East split in 2013, UConn remained with most of the FBS Big East schools in the reorganized American Athletic Conference. In July 2020, UConn joined the current non-football Big East Conference, with football becoming an FBS independent.
- Vermont: 1938–1973, dropped football.
Membership timeline
Full members
Conference champions
| * | Denotes a tie for regular season conference title |
| † | Denotes team failed to qualify for FCS Playoffs |
| Bold type | Denotes national champion in the same season |
| Year | Team(s) | Conference Record | Overall Record(s) | Head coach(es) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007* | Massachusetts Richmond |
7–1 | 10–3 11–3 |
Don Brown Dave Clawson |
| 2008 | James Madison | 8–0 | 12–2 | Mickey Matthews |
| 2009* | Richmond Villanova |
7–1 | 11–2 14–1 |
Mike London Andy Talley |
| 2010* | Delaware William & Mary |
6–2 | 12–3 8–4 |
K. C. Keeler Jimmye Laycock |
| 2011 | Towson | 7–1 | 9–3 | Rob Ambrose |
| 2012* | New Hampshire Richmond† Villanova Towson†[30] |
6–2 | 8–3 8–3 8–3 7–4 |
Sean McDonnell Danny Rocco Andy Talley Rob Ambrose |
| 2013 | Maine | 7–1 | 10–3 | Jack Cosgrove |
| 2014 | New Hampshire | 8–0 | 10–1 | Sean McDonnell |
| 2015* | James Madison Richmond William & Mary |
6–2 | 9–2 8–3 8–3 |
Everett Withers Danny Rocco Jimmye Laycock |
| 2016 | James Madison | 8–0 | 14–1 | Mike Houston |
| 2017 | James Madison | 8–0 | 14–1 | Mike Houston |
| 2018 | Maine | 7–1 | 10–4 | Joe Harasymiak |
| 2019 | James Madison | 8–0 | 14–2 | Curt Cignetti |
| 2020 | Delaware | 4–0 | 5−0 | Danny Rocco |
| 2021* | James Madison Villanova |
7–1 | 10–1 9–2 |
Curt Cignetti Mark Ferrante |
All-time conference championships
| School | Championships | Outright Championships | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| James Madison | 5 | 4 | 2008, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019 |
| Richmond | 4 | 0 | 2007, 2009, 2012, 2015 |
| Delaware | 2 | 1 | 2010, 2020a[31] |
| Maine | 2 | 2 | 2013, 2018 |
| New Hampshire | 2 | 1 | 2012, 2014 |
| Towson | 2 | 1 | 2011, 2012 |
| Villanova | 2 | 0 | 2009, 2012 |
| William & Mary | 2 | 0 | 2010, 2015 |
| Massachusetts ‡ | 1 | 0 | 2007 |
Co-championships are designated by italics.
BOLD denotes the team won the National Championship
‡Former member of CAA Football
- ^a The CAA's 2020–21 NCAA Division I FCS football season was played in Spring 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Several teams opted out, and some games were canceled. The Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens completed the season with a 5-0 overall record, 4–0 in conference, and won the North Division title; the James Madison Dukes completed the season with a 5-0 overall record, 3–0 in conference, and won the South Division title. A vote of the CAA athletic directors, not including Delaware or James Madison, was held to determine a champion. The Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens were declared the 2020 CAA football champions as a result of this vote and were awarded the automatic qualifier for the FCS playoffs.[31]
NCAA FCS National Championships by School
| School | Championships | Finals Appearances | Won | Lost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Madison | 2 | 4 | 2004*, 2016 | 2017, 2019 |
| Delaware | 1 | 4 | 2003* | 1982†, 2007, 2010 |
| Villanova | 1 | 1 | 2009 | |
| Massachusetts | 1 | 3 | 1998* | 1978, 2006^ |
| Richmond | 1 | 1 | 2008 | |
| Towson | 0 | 1 | 2013 |
†Delaware was an NCAA FCS Independent in the 1982 season.
*Won as a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference.
^UMass became a football-only member in the MAC in 2013, and an independent football member of FBS beginning with the 2016 season.
All-time NFL Draft selections
Men's soccer
Regular season champions
Note: The conference was known as the ECAC South from 1983 to 1985.
List of CAA regular season champions.[32]
| Season | Regular Season Champion | Conference Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | George Mason | 4–1–0 |
| 1984 | American | 5–0–2 |
| 1985 | American | 6–1–0 |
| 1986 | George Mason | 5–0–2 |
| 1987 | William & Mary | 6–1–0 |
| 1988 | Navy | 5–1–1 |
| 1989 | George Mason | 6–0–1 |
| 1990 | George Mason | 6–1–0 |
| 1991 | James Madison | 6–1–0 |
| 1992 | William & Mary | 5–0–2 |
| 1993 | James Madison | 7–0–0 |
| 1994 | James Madison | 6–0–1 |
| 1995 | William & Mary | 6–2–0 |
| 1996 | William & Mary | 8–0–0 |
| 1997 | American | 6–0–2 |
| 1998 | VCU | 7–0–1 |
| 1999 | Old Dominion | 7–1–0 |
| 2000 | James Madison | 7–1–0 |
| 2001 | Old Dominion | 3–0–2 |
| 2002 | VCU | 7–1–1 |
| 2003 | VCU | 8–1–0 |
| 2004 | VCU | 7–1–1 |
| 2005 | Old Dominion | 9–1–1 |
| 2006 | Towson | 10–0–1 |
| 2007 | Drexel | 8–2–1 |
| 2008 | UNC Wilmington | 7–4–0 |
| 2009 | UNC Wilmington | 8–0–3 |
| 2010 | William & Mary | 8–1–2 |
| 2011 | James Madison | 8–3–0 |
| 2012 | Drexel | 8–1–1 |
| 2013 | Drexel | 4–1–2 |
| 2014 | Delaware, Hofstra & UNCW | 5–2–1 |
| 2015 | Elon & Hofstra | 6–2–0 |
| 2016 | Hofstra | 7–1–0 |
| 2017 | James Madison | 5–1–2 |
| 2018 | James Madison | 6–2 |
| 2019 | UNC Wilmington | 7–0–1 |
All-time conference championships
| School | Championships | Outright Championships | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| James Madison | 7 | 7 | 1991, 1993, 1994, 2000, 2011, 2017, 2018 |
| UNC Wilmington | 4 | 3 | 2008, 2009, 2014, 2019 |
| Hofstra | 3 | 1 | 2014, 2015, 2016 |
| Elon | 1 | 0 | 2015 |
| Towson | 2 | 1 | 2011, 2012 |
| Villanova | 2 | 0 | 2009, 2012 |
| William & Mary | 2 | 0 | 2010, 2015 |
| Delaware | 1 | 0 | 2010 |
| Massachusetts ‡ | 1 | 0 | 2007 |
Facilities
Future teams in gray.
See also
References
- ^ "CAA adding three new schools to conference". ESPN.com. January 25, 2022. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
- ^ a b "CAA Welcomes North Carolina A&T as Newest Member of the Conference" (Press release). Colonial Athletic Association. February 22, 2022. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
- ^ a b "Campbell University Accepts Invitation To Join The CAA In 2023" (Press release). Colonial Athletic Association. August 3, 2022. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
- ^ "Atlantic 10 Conference Adds VCU as Full Member" (Press release). Atlantic 10 Conference. May 15, 2012. Archived from the original on May 19, 2012. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
- ^ McMurphy, Brett (May 17, 2012). "ODU will join C-USA in 2013". College Football Insider (CBSSports.com). Retrieved July 1, 2012.
- ^ a b McMurphy, Brett (April 7, 2012). "Sun Belt adding Georgia State". College Football Insider (CBSSports.com). Retrieved April 9, 2012.
- ^ "College of Charleston Accepts Invitation to Join the CAA in 2013" (Press release). Colonial Athletic Association. November 30, 2012. Retrieved December 4, 2012.
- ^ Goff, Steven (March 25, 2013). "George Mason to join Atlantic 10 in July, leaving CAA". The Washington Post.
- ^ "James Madison Joins Sun Belt Conference" (Press release). Sun Belt Conference. November 6, 2021. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
- ^ "James Madison to Compete in Sun Belt Conference in 2022-2023" (Press release). James Madison University Athletics. February 2, 2022. Retrieved February 6, 2022.
- ^ "Sun Belt Conference Announces Return of Men's Soccer This Fall" (Press release). Sun Belt Conference. April 6, 2022. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
- ^ O'Connor, John (October 26, 2021). "CAA exploring expansion, two-division setup that would reduce travel costs". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
- ^ Gaither, Steven J. (October 26, 2021). "Could HBCUs be in play for new-look CAA?". HBCU Gameday. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
- ^ "Hampton University, CAA look to finally make it happen". HBCU Gameday. January 14, 2022. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
- ^ Zagoria, Adam (January 18, 2022). "Monmouth is leaving MAAC, Big South for Colonial Athletic Association". nj.com. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
- ^ "CAA Welcomes Hampton University, Monmouth University and Stony Brook University as New Members" (Press release). Colonial Athletic Association. January 25, 2022. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
- ^ "UC San Diego Joins the CAA as an Associate Member in Women's Rowing" (Press release). Colonial Athletic Association. March 26, 2021. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
- ^ "UConn to Join the CAA as an Associate Member in Women's Rowing" (Press release). Colonial Athletic Association. December 4, 2019. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
- ^ "UConn Announces Changes to Division of Athletics" (Press release). UConn Huskies. June 24, 2020. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
- ^ "UConn Huskies reinstate women's rowing team after Title IX challenge to cut". ESPN. Associated Press. July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
- ^ "CAASports.com—Official Web Site of the Colonial Athletic Association". Colonial Athletic Association. Retrieved September 1, 2013.
- ^ "Football to be added to ODU sports programs in 2009". Old DOminion Athletics. May 31, 2006. Archived from the original on February 12, 2009. Retrieved August 20, 2011.
- ^ Ducibella, Jim (January 24, 2007). "ODU football closing in on necessary endowment". The Virginian-Pilot. Retrieved April 21, 2008.
- ^ "Frequently Asked Questions About Georgia State Football". GeorgiaStateSports.com. April 16, 2008. Archived from the original on September 30, 2011. Retrieved August 20, 2011.
- ^ a b Ryan, Andrew (November 23, 2009). "Northeastern calls an end to football". The Boston Globe. Retrieved July 29, 2010.
- ^ "Hofstra makes 'painful but clear' choice to drop football". CBSSports.com. December 3, 2009. Retrieved July 4, 2013.
- ^ Zhe, Mike (November 1, 2009). "UNH football notebook: CAA expansion won't effect 'Cats short-term". SeacoastOnline.com. Retrieved July 29, 2010.
- ^ "Hofstra to End Intercollegiate Football Program to Invest in Academic Initiatives". Hofstra.edu. December 3, 2009. Archived from the original on May 27, 2010. Retrieved July 29, 2010.
- ^ "Report: UMass to announce MAC move". ESPN. Associated Press. April 19, 2011. Retrieved April 19, 2011.
- ^ Old Dominion had the league's best regular-season record at 7–1 in the CAA and 10–1 overall, but was ineligible for the conference title. Under CAA bylaws, a school that announces its future departure immediately becomes ineligible for CAA tournaments or championships in team sports.
- ^ a b Washburn, Rob (April 17, 2021). "Delaware Selected As CAA Football Champion And Automatic Bid Recipient To NCAA FCS Playoffs". Colonial Athletic Association.
- ^ "Men's Soccer Archive" (PDF). CAA. NMN Athletics. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 7, 2012. Retrieved May 25, 2011.
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