Southern Conference From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Southern Conference (SoCon) Established: 1921 NCAA Division I FCS Members 12 Sports fielded 19 (men's: 10; women's: 9) Region Southeast Headquarters Spartanburg, SC Commissioner John Iamarino (since 2006) Website www.soconsports.com Locations The Southern Conference (or SoCon) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division I. Southern Conference football teams compete in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (formerly known as I-AA). Member institutions are located in the states of Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. The Southern Conference ranks as the fourth oldest major college athletic conference in the United States.[1] Only the Big Ten (1896), Missouri Valley (1907) and Southwestern Athletic (1920) conferences are older. The Southern Conference is considered one of the stronger football conferences in the Football Championship Subdivision, and is considered a mid-major conference in basketball. It has also garnered considerable national attention from its recent success in these sports: in particular, from the now three-peat Division I FCS champion Appalachian State Mountaineers, who stunned the fifth-ranked Michigan Wolverines 34–32 on September 1, 2007;[2] and from the Davidson Wildcats, who reached the Elite Eight in the 2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament by upsetting power programs Gonzaga, Georgetown and Wisconsin.[3] Contents [hide] 1 History 2 Sports offered 2.1 Men's sports 2.2 Women's sports 3 Current members 3.1 Associate member 4 Former members 5 Conference facilities 6 Conference champions 6.1 Football 6.2 Men's basketball 6.3 Baseball 7 Commissioner's and Germann Cups 7.1 Commissioner's Cup 7.2 Germann Cup 8 References 9 See also 10 External links [edit] History Conference Commissioners Wallace Wade 1951–60 Lloyd Jordon 1960–73 Ken Germann 1974–86 Dave Hart 1986–91 Wright Waters 1991–98 Alfred B. White 1998–2001 Danny Morrison 2001–05 John Iamarino 2006–present The conference was formed on February 25, 1921 in Atlanta, Georgia as fourteen member institutions split from the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association.[1] Southern Conference charter members were Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi A&M (now Mississippi State), North Carolina, North Carolina State, Tennessee, Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Washington & Lee. In 1922, six more universities - Florida, LSU, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tulane, and Vanderbilt joined the conference. Later additions included Sewanee (1923), Virginia Military Institute (1925), Duke (1929), and Wake Forest (1936). The SoCon is particularly notable for having spawned two other major conferences. In 1933, thirteen schools located south and west of the Appalachians (Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Sewanee, Tennessee, Tulane, and Vanderbilt) departed the SoCon to form the Southeastern Conference (SEC).[1] In 1953, seven schools (Clemson, Duke, Maryland, North Carolina, North Carolina State, South Carolina, and Wake Forest) withdrew from the SoCon to form the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).[1] Other former members (in addition to those listed above) were East Carolina (1964–76), East Tennessee State (1978–2005), George Washington (1936–70), Marshall (1976–97), Richmond (1936–76), William & Mary (1936–77) and West Virginia (1950–68). [edit] Sports offered Location of Southern Conference member institutionsThe Southern Conference currently offers 19 sports, 10 for men and 9 for women. [edit] Men's sports Baseball Basketball Cross Country Football Golf Soccer Tennis Indoor Track Outdoor Track Wrestling [edit] Women's sports Basketball Cross Country Golf Soccer Softball Tennis Indoor Track Outdoor Track Volleyball [edit] Current members Conference membership increased to 12 full members when Samford joined on July 1, 2008,[4] bringing the number of football playing institutions to nine. Men's and women's basketball as well as volleyball are split into divisions for conference play. North Division members are: Appalachian State, Chattanooga, Elon, Samford, UNC Greensboro, and Western Carolina. South Division members include: The Citadel, College of Charleston, Davidson, Furman, Georgia Southern, and Wofford. Institution Location Founded Affiliation Enrollment Joined Nicknames Appalachian State University Boone, North Carolina 1899 Public 15,117 1971 Mountaineers University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Chattanooga, Tennessee 1886 Public 8,923 1976 Mocs and Lady Mocs The Citadel Charleston, South Carolina 1842 Public 3,138 1936 Bulldogs College of Charleston Charleston, South Carolina 1770 Public 11,218 1998 Cougars Davidson College[5] Davidson, North Carolina 1837 Private 1,700 1936–88; 1991 Wildcats Elon University Elon, North Carolina 1889 Private 5,230 2003 Phoenix Furman University Greenville, South Carolina 1826 Private 3,042 1936 Paladins and Lady Paladins Georgia Southern University Statesboro, Georgia 1906 Public 16,841 1991 Eagles and Lady Eagles Samford University Homewood, Alabama 1841 Private 4,440 2008 Bulldogs University of North Carolina at Greensboro Greensboro, North Carolina 1891 Public 16,425 1997 Spartans Western Carolina University Cullowhee, North Carolina 1889 Public 9,055 1976 Catamounts and Lady Catamounts Wofford College Spartanburg, South Carolina 1854 Private 1,300 1997 Terriers [edit] Associate member There is one associate member school (wrestling only): Institution Location Founded Affiliation Enrollment Nickname Virginia Military Institute[6] Lexington, Virginia 1839 Public 1,377 Keydets [edit] Former members List of former Southern Conference members [edit] Conference facilities School Football stadium Basketball arena Baseball stadium Soccer stadium Name Capacity Name Capacity Name Capacity Name Capacity Appalachian State Kidd Brewer Stadium 20,150 Holmes Center 8,325 Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium 2,000 ASU Soccer Stadium 1,000 Chattanooga Finley Stadium 20,668 McKenzie Arena 11,218 Non-baseball School N/A North River Soccer Complex 500 The Citadel Johnson Hagood Stadium 21,000 McAlister Field House 6,000 Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park 6,000 Washington Light Infantry Field ? College of Charleston Non-football School N/A Carolina First Arena 5,100 CofC Baseball Stadium 2,000 CofC Soccer Stadium 1,000 Davidson Richardson Stadium[5] 6,000 John M. Belk Arena 6,000 Wilson Field 700 Alumni Stadium 2,000 Elon Rhodes Stadium 11,250 Alumni Gym 1,768 Latham Park 500 Rudd Field 500 Furman Paladin Stadium 16,000 Timmons Arena 5,000 Latham Baseball Stadium 2,000 Stone Stadium 3,000 Georgia Southern Paulson Stadium 18,000 Hanner Fieldhouse 4,358 J.I. Clements Stadium 3,000 Eagle Field 500 Samford Seibert Stadium 6,700 Pete Hanna Center 5,000 Joe Lee Griffin Stadium 1,000 Bulldog Field 972 UNC Greensboro Non-football School N/A Fleming Gymnasium 2,320 UNCG Baseball Stadium 3,500 UNCG Soccer Stadium 3,540 Western Carolina E.J. Whitmire Stadium 13,742 Ramsey Center 7,826 Hennon Stadium 1,500 Catamount Athletic Complex 1,000 Wofford Gibbs Stadium 13,000 Benjamin Johnson Arena 3,500 Russell C. King Field 2,500 Snyder Field 2,250 [edit] Conference champions [edit] Football This is a partial list of the last 10 champions. For the full history, see List of Southern Conference football champions. Year Champion Record 1999 Furman Georgia Southern Appalachian State 7–1–0 2000 Georgia Southern 7–1–0 2001 Georgia Southern Furman 7–1–0 2002 Georgia Southern 7–1–0 2003 Wofford 8–0–0 2004 Furman Georgia Southern 6–1–0 2005 Appalachian State 6–1–0 2006 Appalachian State 7–0–0 2007 Wofford Appalachian State 5–2–0 2008 Appalachian State 8–0–0 [edit] Men's basketball This is a partial list of the last 10 champions. For the full history, see List of Southern Conference men's basketball champions. The Southern Conference split into a divisional format for basketball beginning with the 1994–95 season. Year Regular Season Champion (North) Record Regular Season Champion (South) Record Tournament Champion 1999–2000 Appalachian State 13–3 College of Charleston 13–3 Appalachian State 2000–01 East Tennessee State 13–3 College of Charleston 12–4 UNC Greensboro 2001–02 Davidson UNC Greensboro East Tennessee State 11–5 College of Charleston Georgia Southern Chattanooga 9–7 Davidson 2002–03 Davidson East Tennessee State Appalachian State 11–5 College of Charleston 13–3 East Tennessee State 2003–04 East Tennessee State 15–1 Davidson Georgia Southern College of Charleston 11–5 East Tennessee State 2004–05 Davidson 16–0 College of Charleston Georgia Southern 10–6 Chattanooga 2005–06 Elon 10–4 Georgia Southern 11–4 Davidson 2006–07 Appalachian State 15–3 Davidson 17–1 Davidson Tournament 2007–08 Appalachian State Chattanooga 13–7 Davidson 20–0 Davidson Tournament 2008–09 Chattanooga Western Carolina 11–9 Davidson 18–2 Chattanooga Tournament [edit] Baseball This is a partial list of the last 10 champions. For the full history, see Southern Conference Baseball Tournament. Year Champion 1999 The Citadel 2000 Georgia Southern 2001 The Citadel 2002 Georgia Southern 2003 Western Carolina 2004 The Citadel 2005 Furman 2006 College of Charleston 2007 Wofford 2008 Elon [edit] Commissioner's and Germann Cups The Commissioner's and Germann Cups are awarded each year to the top men's and women's program in the conference. The Commissioner's Cup was inaugurated in 1970. The Germann Cup, named for former Southern Conference Commissioner Ken Germann, was first awarded in 1987. The completion of the 2007–08 athletics season saw Appalachian State winning its 28th Commissioner's Cup and Chattanooga winning its 1st Germann Cup.[7] [edit] Commissioner's Cup Year Champion 1969–70 East Carolina William & Mary 1970–71 William & Mary 1971–72 William & Mary 1972–73 William & Mary 1973–74 East Carolina 1974–75 East Carolina 1975–76 William & Mary 1976–77 East Carolina 1977–78 Appalachian State 1978–79 Appalachian State 1979–80 Appalachian State 1980–81 Appalachian State 1981–82 Appalachian State 1982–83 East Tennessee State 1983–84 Appalachian State 1984–85 Appalachian State 1985–86 Appalachian State 1986–87 Appalachian State 1987–88 Appalachian State 1988–89 Appalachian State 1989–90 Appalachian State 1990–91 Furman 1991–92 Appalachian State 1992–93 Appalachian State 1993–94 Appalachian State 1994–95 Appalachian State 1995–96 Appalachian State 1996–97 Appalachian State 1997–98 Appalachian State 1998–99 Appalachian State 1999–00 Appalachian State 2000–01 Appalachian State 2001–02 Appalachian State 2002–03 Appalachian State 2003–04 Appalachian State 2004–05 Chattanooga 2005–06 Appalachian State 2006–07 Appalachian State 2007–08 Appalachian State [edit] Germann Cup Year Champion 1986–87 Appalachian State 1987–88 Appalachian State 1988–89 Appalachian State 1989–90 Appalachian State 1990–91 Appalachian State 1991–92 Appalachian State 1992–93 Furman 1993–94 Furman 1994–95 Furman 1995–96 Furman 1996–97 Furman 1997–98 Furman 1998–99 Furman 1999–00 Furman 2000–01 Furman 2001–02 Furman 2002–03 Furman 2003–04 Furman 2004–05 College of Charleston 2005–06 Appalachian State 2006–07 Appalachian State 2007–08 Chattanooga [edit] References ^ a b c d "The History of the Southern Conference". Southern Conference. 2008-06-30. http://www.soconsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4000&KEY=&ATCLID=177772. ^ Stewart Mandel (2007-09-01). "The Mother of All Upsets". CNNSI. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/si_blogs/football/ncaa/2007/09/mother-of-all-upsets.html. ^ Associated Press (2008-03-28). "Curry's sweet touch continues as Davidson eludes Wisconsin". ESPN. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=284000014. ^ "The Southern Conference Welcomes Samford University". Southern Conference. 2008-07-01. http://www.soconsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4000&ATCLID=1480651. ^ a b Davidson does not compete in the SoCon for football. Instead, they compete in the Pioneer Football League. ^ VMI competes in the Big South Conference for all other sports. ^ "ASU Men, Chattanooga Women Win SoCon All-Sports Cups". Southern Conference. 2008-05-29. http://www.soconsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4000&ATCLID=1475589. [edit] See also Southern Conference Hall of Fame List of college athletic conferences [edit] External links Southern Conference - Official website Appalachian State - Official athletics website Chattanooga - Official athletics website The Citadel - Official athletics website College of Charleston - Official athletics website Davidson - Official athletics website Elon - Official athletics website Furman - Official athletics website Georgia Southern - Official athletics website Samford - Official athletics website UNC Greensboro - Official athletics website Western Carolina - Official athletics website Wofford - Official athletics website [show]v • d • eSouthern Conference Appalachian State Mountaineers • Chattanooga Mocs • The Citadel Bulldogs • College of Charleston Cougars • Davidson Wildcats • Elon Phoenix • Furman Paladins • Georgia Southern Eagles • Samford Bulldogs • UNC Greensboro Spartans • Western Carolina Catamounts • Wofford Terriers Champions – Baseball • Basketball • Football [show]v • d • eFootball stadiums of the Southern Conference E.J. Whitmire Stadium (Western Carolina) • Finley Stadium (Chattanooga) • Gibbs Stadium (Wofford) • Johnson Hagood Stadium (The Citadel) • Kidd Brewer Stadium (Appalachian State) • Paladin Stadium (Furman) • Paulson Stadium (Georgia Southern) • Rhodes Stadium (Elon) • Seibert Stadium (Samford) [show]v • d • eBasketball arenas of the Southern Conference Alumni Gym (Elon) • Belk Arena (Davidson) • Benjamin Johnson Arena (Wofford) • Carolina First Arena (College of Charleston) • Fleming Gymnasium (UNC Greensboro) • Hanner Fieldhouse (Georgia Southern) • Holmes Center (Appalachian State) • McAlister Field House (The Citadel) • McKenzie Arena (Chattanooga) • Pete Hanna Center (Samford) • Ramsey Center (Western Carolina) • Timmons Arena (Furman) [show]v • d • eCurrent head football coaches of the Southern Conference Mike Ayers (Wofford) • Chris Hatcher (Georgia Southern) • Kevin Higgins (The Citadel) • Russ Huesman (Chattanooga) • Bobby Lamb (Furman) • Pete Lembo (Elon) • Jerry Moore (Appalachian State) • Pat Sullivan (Samford) • Dennis Wagner (Western Carolina) [show]v • d • eCurrent head men's basketball coaches of the Southern Conference Ed Conroy (The Citadel) • Bobby Cremins (College of Charleston) • Mike Dement (UNC Greensboro) • Houston Fancher (Appalachian State) • Larry Hunter (Western Carolina) • Jeff Jackson (Furman) • Bob McKillop (Davidson) • Ernie Nestor (Elon) • Jeff Price (Georgia Southern) • John Shulman (Chattanooga) • Jimmy Tillette (Samford) • Mike Young (Wofford) [show]v • d • eNCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision Conferences Big Sky Conference • Big South Conference • Colonial Athletic Association • Great West Conference • Ivy League • Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference • Missouri Valley Football Conference • Northeast Conference • Ohio Valley Conference • Patriot League • Pioneer Football League • Southern Conference • Southland Conference • Southwestern Athletic Conference • Independents NCAA Division I Football Championship Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Conference" Categories: Southern Conference | College athletics conferences | NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision conferences | College football venues | Basketball venues in the United States | 1921 establishments | Spartanburg, South Carolina | Sports in North Carolina | Sports in South Carolina | Sports in Tennessee | Sports in Alabama | Sports in Georgia (U.S. state)