Atlantic 10 Conference#Football (1997–2006)

{{see also|2010–2013 Atlantic 10 Conference realignment|2021–2024 NCAA conference realignment}}

{{more citations needed section|date=January 2016}}

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The Atlantic 10 Conference was founded in 1975 as the Eastern Collegiate Basketball League (ECBL) and began conference play in 1976. At that time, basketball was its only sport. After its first season, it added sports other than basketball and changed its name to the Eastern Athletic Association. However, despite its official names, it was popularly known as the Eastern 8, as it then had eight members (Villanova, Duquesne, Penn State, West Virginia, George Washington, Massachusetts, Pittsburgh, and Rutgers).

After changes in membership that saw charter members Villanova and Pittsburgh leave (in 1980 and 1982, respectively) and new members St. Bonaventure (1979), Rhode Island (1980), Saint Joseph's (1982), and Temple (1982) enter, establishing the league with 10 members, the conference adopted the current Atlantic 10 name in 1982.

Further membership changes saw the league expand to its maximum of 16 members. From 1997 through 2006, the league also operated a football conference; during that period, more than 20 schools were participating in A-10 competition in at least one sport. This ended when the A-10 football programs all departed to join a new football conference sponsored by the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA; now known as the Coastal Athletic Association). In 2012, Butler joined the conference after leaving the Horizon League and VCU joined after leaving the CAA.

Conference realignment in 2013 saw the departure of Temple to the American Athletic Conference, Butler and Xavier to the reconfigured Big East, and Charlotte to Conference USA. George Mason joined from the CAA, and Davidson from the Southern Conference announced it would join in 2014.

The league headquarters is located in Washington, DC. In the Fall of 2023 they relocated the HQ from Newport News, Virginia where it had been located since fall 2009.{{cite web |title=Atlantic 10 to relocate to Washington, DC |url=https://atlantic10.com/news/2023/9/6/about-the-atlantic-10-atlantic-10-conference-to-relocate-league-headquarters-to-washington-d-c.aspx |website=Atlantic 10 |publisher=Atlantic 10 news story}} Prior to that, the headquarters was in Philadelphia, within a few miles of member schools Saint Joseph's and La Salle.

The conference currently has media deals with ESPN, CBS Sports Network, NBC Sports, and digital broadcasts with ESPN+.

On November 16, 2021, Loyola University Chicago announced that its athletic program - the Loyola Ramblers - would leave the Missouri Valley Conference and join the A-10 effective July 1, 2022.{{Cite web|last=Mikula|first=Jeremy|title=Loyola is moving to the Atlantic 10 Conference in July after nearly a decade in the Missouri Valley|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/college/ct-loyola-atlantic-10-conference-20211116-zomvqkgzbfhvtb46kiaoxoywtq-story.html|access-date=2021-11-16|website=chicagotribune.com}} On May 23, 2022, the addition of men's lacrosse was announced for the 2023 season. The four full members that sponsor the sport (Richmond, St. Bonaventure, Saint Joseph's, UMass) were joined by new affiliate members High Point and Hobart.{{cite press release|url=https://atlantic10.com/news/2022/5/23/atlantic-10-conference-adds-mens-lacrosse-as-22nd-championship-sport.aspx |title=Atlantic 10 Conference Adds Men's Lacrosse as 22nd Championship Sport |publisher=Atlantic 10 Conference |date=May 23, 2022 |access-date=May 23, 2022}}

On December 14, 2023, the conference announced a five-year media deal with its current affiliates, ESPN, CBS, and NBC. The deal would expand basketball coverage and revenue for the schools. The first year of the new contract is the 2024-2025 season and runs through the 2028-29 season.{{cite web|url=https://atlantic10.com/news/2023/12/13/about-the-atlantic-10-atlantic-10-announces-media-rights-agreements-with-cbs-sports-espn-and-nbc-sports.aspx|title=Atlantic 10 Announces Media Rights Agreements with CBS Sports, ESPN, and NBC Sports}}

In late February 2024, it was announced that the 2024-25 season for UMass sports will be the last season as members of the Atlantic 10. The Minutemen will rejoin the Mid-American Conference (MAC) as a full member beginning in 2025.{{cite web |publisher=Associated Press |url=https://apnews.com/article/umass-mac-realignment-519f806947a7f597cc783290546b585e|first=Tom|last=Withers|title=UMass will join Mid-American Conference as a full sports member in 2025, MAC commissioner says|date=February 27, 2024 |access-date=February 27, 2024}}{{cite web |publisher=USA Today |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2024/02/26/umass-to-join-mac-conference/72752755007/|first=Victoria|last=Hernandez|title=UMass to join MAC conference, including previously independent football, per reports|date=February 26, 2024 |access-date=February 27, 2024}}

The following is a list of the full members of the conference and the year they joined:

;Notes:

{{notelist|group=full}}

The "joined" column indicates the calendar year in which each school became an A-10 associate, which for spring sports such as lacrosse is the year before the first season of competition.

;Notes:

{{notelist|group=assoc}}

;Notes:

{{notelist|group=future}}

None of these institutions played football in the A-10 during their tenure as full members.

;Notes:

{{notelist|group=exfull}}

;Notes

{{notelist|group=faff}}

After expansion in the Colonial Athletic Association brought that conference to 6 football-playing schools, it was agreed that the CAA would take over management of the Atlantic 10's football conference starting in the 2007–08 school year as the legally separate entity of CAA Football. All the schools on this list (except Boston U. and Connecticut) were in the A-10 football conference when it became CAA Football, but Hofstra and Northeastern discontinued their football programs after the 2009–10 school year. Membership dates include time in the Yankee Conference (which was an all-sports conference from the 1947–48 to 1975–76 seasons, and a football-only conference after that) which merged into the A-10 in the 1997–98 school year.

;Notes:

{{notelist|group=exfb}}

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bar:1 color:AssocF from:1997 till:2007 text:(1997–2007; A–10 football)

bar:1 color:OtherC1 from:2007 till:2013

bar:1 color:OtherC2 from:2013 till:end text:Big East

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bar:2 color:OtherC2 from:2013 till:end text:ACC

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bar:3 color:OtherC2 from:1993 till:end text:Big Ten

bar:4 color:FullxF from:1976 till:1995 text:Rutgers (1976–1995)

bar:4 color:OtherC1 from:1995 till:2013 text:Big East

bar:4 shift:(-10) color:OtherC2 from:2013 till:2014 text:AAC

bar:4 color:OtherC1 from:2014 till:end text:Big Ten

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bar:6 color:OtherC1 from:2025 till:end text:MAC

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bar:7 color:FullxF from:1993 till:end

bar:8 color:FullxF from:1976 till:end text:George Washington (1976–present)

bar:9 color:FullxF from:1979 till:end text:St. Bonaventure (1979–present)

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bar:10 color:Full from:1997 till:2007

bar:10 color:FullxF from:2007 till:end

bar:11 color:FullxF from:1982 till:2013 text:Temple (1982–2013)

bar:11 color:OtherC1 from:2013 till:end text:AAC

bar:12 color:FullxF from:1982 till:end text:Saint Joseph's (Pa.) (1982–present)

bar:13 color:FullxF from:1995 till:2000 text:Virginia Tech (1995–2000)*

bar:13 shift:(35) color:OtherC1 from:2000 till:2004 text:Big East

bar:13 color:OtherC2 from:2004 till:end text:ACC

bar:14 color:FullxF from:1995 till:2013 text:Xavier (1995–2013)

bar:14 color:OtherC1 from:2013 till:end text:Big East

bar:15 color:FullxF from:1995 till:end text:Dayton (1995–present)

bar:16 color:FullxF from:1995 till:end text:Fordham (1995–present)

bar:17 color:FullxF from:1995 till:end text:La Salle (1995–present)

bar:18 color:AssocF from:1997 till:1998 text:Boston University (1997–1998)

bar:19 color:AssocF from:1997 till:2000 text:UConn (1997–2000)

bar:19 color:OtherC2 from:2000 till:2002

bar:19 shift:(15) color:OtherC1 from:2002 till:2013 text:Big East

bar:19 color:OtherC2 from:2013 till:2020 text:AAC

bar:19 color:OtherC1 from:2020 till:end text:D-I FBS Independent

bar:20 color:AssocF from:1997 till:2007 text:Delaware (1997–2007)

bar:20 color:OtherC1 from:2007 till:2025 text:CAA Football

bar:20 color:OtherC2 from:2025 till:end text:C-USA

bar:21 color:AssocF from:1997 till:2007 text:James Madison (1997–2007)

bar:21 color:OtherC1 from:2007 till:2023 text:CAA Football

bar:21 color:OtherC2 from:2023 till:end text:Sun Belt

bar:22 color:AssocF from:1997 till:2007 text:Maine (1997–2007)

bar:22 color:OtherC1 from:2007 till:end text:CAA Football

bar:23 color:AssocF from:1997 till:2007 text:New Hampshire (1997–2007)

bar:23 color:OtherC1 from:2007 till:end text:CAA Football

bar:24 color:AssocF from:1997 till:2007 text:Northeastern (1997–2007)

bar:24 color:OtherC1 from:2007 till:2010 text:CAA Football

bar:25 color:AssocF from:1997 till:2007 text:William & Mary (1997–2007)

bar:25 color:OtherC1 from:2007 till:end text:CAA Football

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bar:26 shift:(45) color:FullxF from:2007 till:end text: (2007–present; full; non-football)

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bar:27 color:OtherC1 from:2007 till:2010 text:CAA Football

bar:28 color:AssocF from:2004 till:2007 text:Towson (2004–2007)

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bar:29 color:FullXF from:2005 till:2013 text:Charlotte (2005–2013)

bar:29 color:OtherC1 from:2013 till:2023 text:C-USA

bar:29 color:OtherC2 from:2023 till:end text:American

bar:30 color:FullXF from:2005 till:end text:Saint Louis (2005–present)

bar:32 shift:(-75,-5) color:FullxF from:2012 till:2013 text:Butler (2012–2013)

bar:32 color:OtherC1 from:2013 till:end text:Big East

bar:33 color:FullxF from:2012 till:end text:VCU (2012–present)

bar:34 color:FullxF from:2013 till:end text:George Mason (2013–present)

bar:36 color:FullxF from:2014 till:end text:Davidson (2014–present)

bar:37 shift:(-60) color:FullxF from:2022 till:end text:Loyola Chicago (2022–present)

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Notes

There are a number of intense rivalries within the Atlantic 10,{{underdiscussion-inline|talkpage=Talk:Atlantic_10_Conference#Rivalries}} with rivalries that carry over from the Big 5 which includes Saint Joseph's, La Salle, and Temple (now in the American Athletic Conference). URI and UMass also have a long-standing rivalry. St. Bonaventure and Duquesne also maintain a rivalry that predates their affiliation with the conference. UMass and Temple also had a basketball rivalry while John Chaney was coaching Temple but it has died down a bit since, and even more so now that Temple has left the conference. The long-standing crosstown rivalry between Richmond and VCU, now known as the Capital City Classic, became a conference rivalry with VCU's arrival in the A10. Rivals St. Louis and Dayton play each year in basketball for the Arch-Baron Cup. George Washington and George Mason compete annually in the Revolutionary Rivalry across all sports.

In the 2021–22 academic year, the Atlantic 10 Conference sponsors championship competition in ten men's and thirteen women's NCAA sanctioned sports, with lacrosse becoming the 10th sponsored men's sport in 2022–23 and women's golf becoming the 13th sponsored women's sport in 2024–25.[http://www.atlantic10.com/ Atlantic 10 Conference Official Athletic Site]. Atlantic10.com. Retrieved on 2013-08-21. In addition to the 15 full members, Lock Haven and Saint Francis is an affiliate member in field hockey. High Point and Hobart became men's lacrosse affiliates in July 2022. Delaware will join as a men's lacrosse affiliate on July 1, 2025 and UMass will compete as a men's lacrosse affiliate when the majority of its sports join the Mid-American Conference on July 1, 2025.

{{notelist|group=t}}

;Notes

{{notelist|group=ms}}

;Men's varsity sports not sponsored by the Atlantic 10 Conference which are played by A-10 schools

;Notes

{{notelist|group=mn}}

;Notes

{{notelist|group=ws}}

;Women's varsity sports not sponsored by the Atlantic 10 Conference which are played by A-10 schools

;Notes

{{notelist|group=wn}}

{{Main|Atlantic 10 men's basketball tournament|Atlantic 10 women's basketball tournament}}

The Atlantic 10 Conference sponsors championship competition in 10 men's and 12 women's NCAA sanctioned sport.{{cite web|url=http://www.atlantic10.com/|title=Atlantic 10 Conference Official Athletic Site|website=www.atlantic10.com}}

Regular-season champions are indicated with "(RS)" and tournament champions with "(T)".

{{notelist|group=cc}}

The A-10 began sponsoring football in 1997 when it absorbed the Yankee Conference, a Division I-AA (now known as Division I FCS) football-only conference. The move was triggered by a change in NCAA rules that reduced the influence of single-sport conferences over NCAA legislation. The following teams were in the Yankee Conference at the time of its demise:

{{Div col}}

• Boston University Terriers football
• Connecticut Huskies football
• Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football
• James Madison Dukes football
• Maine Black Bears football
• UMass Minutemen football
• New Hampshire Wildcats football
• Northeastern Huskies football
• Rhode Island Rams football
• Richmond Spiders football
• Villanova Wildcats football
• William & Mary Tribe football

{{Div col end}}

Boston University dropped football after the first season of A-10 football. After the 1999 season, UConn started a transition from Division I-AA to Division I-A football (now Division I FBS) that was completed in 2002. In 2004, UConn, already a member of the Big East for other sports, became a football member of that conference. The other schools all remained in the A-10 football conference until the management change after the 2006 season.

The 2005 move of Northeastern University, a football-only member of the A-10, to the Colonial Athletic Association for basketball and Olympic sports began a chain of events that would lead to the demise of the A-10 football conference, at least under the A-10 banner.

At that time, the CAA did not sponsor football, but five of its members in the 2004–05 academic year (Delaware, Hofstra, James Madison, Towson, and William & Mary) were football members of the A-10. The addition of Northeastern gave the CAA six schools with football programs, which under NCAA rules allows a conference to sponsor football. Northeastern agreed to join any future CAA football conference, which meant that the A-10 football conference would drop to six members once CAA football began operation.

With six football members in place, the CAA decided to start a football conference in 2007. The league then invited Richmond, a member of the CAA from 1983 to 2001, to rejoin for football only, because of UR's long-standing in-state rivalries with William & Mary and James Madison. UR accepted the invitation, taking the A-10 football conference below the NCAA minimum of six. Shortly after this, the A-10 football conference opted to disband, with all of its members becoming charter members of the CAA football conference. This league continues to operate under the administration of the multi-sports CAA, now known as the Coastal Athletic Association, as the legally separate entity of CAA Football (in full, the Coastal Athletic Association Football Conference).

A-10 charter members Penn State, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, West Virginia, and Villanova played I-A football as independents while members of the A-10 in other sports. Villanova became a member of the Big East in 1980 with Pittsburgh following in 1982. Temple joined the A-10 that year. Penn State joined the Big Ten in 1991 (effectively in 1993), and three A-10 members joined the Big East as football-only members: Rutgers, West Virginia, and Temple (only Rutgers and West Virginia would later join the Big East as full members in 1995).

Virginia Tech joined the A-10 in 1995 as a result of the merger that created Conference USA. They would then join the Big East as full members in 2000, following the football program which was already a member of the league. Temple remained a football-only member of the Big East until 2004; they would join the MAC for football in 2007 until 2012, and re-joined the Big East in football for the 2012 season. Temple planned to move the rest of its sports into the Big East in 2013, but the conference realigned into the football-sponsoring American Athletic Conference and a new non-football Big East. Temple joined The American. Massachusetts joined them in FBS football with membership in the MAC beginning in the 2012 season and as an FBS independent beginning in 2016. Charlotte, which started a football program in 2013, left for Conference USA and eventually joined The American in 2023.

{{notelist|group=f}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{Official website|http://www.atlantic10.com}}

{{Atlantic 10 Conference navbox}}

{{NCAA Division I all-sports conferences}}

{{NCAA nonfootball Div1 conferences}}

{{Colonial Athletic Association Football Conference navbox}}

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Category:1976 establishments in the United States

Category:Articles which contain graphical timelines

Category:Sports in the Eastern United States

Category:Sports organizations established in 1976