TranSouth Athletic Conference

{{Infobox sports league

| name = TranSouth Athletic Conference

| logo = TranSouth Athletic Conference logo.jpg

| logo_size = 225

| founded = 1996

| folded = 2013

| association = NAIA

| teams = 6

| sports = 13

| mens = 6

| womens = 7

| region = Southeastern United States
Region XI of the NAIA

| commissioner =

| website =

| map = TSAC conference map.png

| map_size = 250

}}

The TranSouth Athletic Conference (TSAC) was a college athletic conference for smaller colleges and universities located in the Southern United States. It was affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and competes in that organization's Region XI.

History

On August 9, 2012 it was announced that Mid-Continent University had accepted an invitation to join the American Midwest Conference, starting with the 2013-14 season.{{cite web|publisher=Mid-Continent University|url=http://www.midcontinentcougars.com/article/1079.php|title=Mid-Continent Accepts Invitation to American Midwest Conference|date=August 9, 2012|accessdate=August 26, 2012}} Later, Bethel, Blue Mountain, and Martin Methodist were announced to be moving to the Southern States Athletic Conference starting with the 2013-14 season.{{cite web|publisher=Southern States Athletic Conference|url=http://www.ssacsports.com/article/1728.php|title=SSAC Announces Bethel, Blue Mountain, and Martin Methodist as Newest Members|date=November 15, 2012|accessdate=November 15, 2012}}

=Chronological timeline=

1996 – The TranSouth Athletic Conference (TSAC) was founded from mostly former members of the Tennessee Collegiate Athletic Conference (TCAC). Charter members included Bethel College (now Bethel University), David Lipscomb University (a.k.a. Lipscomb University), Freed–Hardeman University, Martin Methodist College (now the University of Tennessee Southern), Trevecca Nazarene University and Union University, alongside Berry College, Birmingham–Southern College, Blue Mountain College (now Blue Mountain Christian University), Lee College (now Lee University), and Williams Baptist College (now Williams Baptist University) beginning the 1996–97 academic year.
1997 – Lyon College joined the TSAC in the 1997–98 academic year.
1999 – Bethel (Tenn.) left the TSAC to join the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (KIAC) after the 1998–99 academic year.
2001 – Three institutions left the TSAC to join their respective new home primary conferences: Birmingham–Southern and Lipscomb to the Division I ranks of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as NCAA D-II Independents, and Williams Baptist to the American Midwest Conference, all after the 2000–01 academic year.
2002 – Cumberland University of Tennessee joined the TSAC in the 2002–03 academic year.
2003 – Athens State University joined the TSAC in the 2003–04 academic year
2004 – Three institutions left the TSAC to join their respective new home primary conferences: Berry and Lee to the Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC), and Athens State to discontinue athletics due to lack of sponsored sports, all effective after the 2003–04 academic year.
2005 – Crichton College (later Victory University) joined the TSAC in the 2005–06 academic year.
2006 – Lambuth University and Mid-Continent University joined the TSAC (with Bethel [Tenn.] re-joining) in the 2006–07 academic year.
2008 – Lambuth and Victory (formerly Crichton) left the TSAC to become NAIA Independents as charter members of the Association of Independent Institutions (AII; now the Continental Athletic Conference) after the 2007–08 academic year. At the same time, Lambuth began transition to the NCAA Division II ranks as an NCAA D-II Independent.
2012 – Four institutions left the TSAC to join their respective new home primary conferences: Trevecca Nazarene to the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) and Union (Tenn.) to the Gulf South Conference (GSC) (both into the NCAA Division II ranks), Lyon to the American Midwest, and Cumberland (Tenn.) to the Mid-South Conference, all after the 2011–12 academic year.
2012 – Life University joined the TSAC in the 2012–13 academic year.
2013 – The TSAC would cease operations as an athletic conference after the 2012–13 academic year; as many schools left to join their respective new home primary conferences beginning the 2013–14 academic year: Freed–Hardeman and Mid-Continent to the American Midwest, Bethel (Tenn.), Blue Mountain and Martin Methodist (now UT Southern) to the SSAC, and Life returning as an NAIA Independent (before joining the Mid-South during the 2014–15 academic year).

Member schools

=Final members=

On its final season, the TSAC had six member schools, which most were private schools:

class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: center;"

! Institution

! Location

! Founded

! Affiliation

! Enrollment

! Nickname

! Joined

! Left

! Subsequent
conference

! Current
conference

Bethel University

| McKenzie, Tennessee

| 1842

| Cumberland
Presbyterian

| 2,975

| Wildcats

| 1996;
2006{{efn|group=final|Bethel (Tenn.) left the TSAC after the 1997–98 season; before re-joining in the 2006–07 school year.}}

| 2013

| Southern States (SSAC)
(2013–20)

| Mid-South (MSC)
(2020–present)

Blue Mountain College{{efn|group=final|name=coed|This institution is a former women's college, which has eventually turned into a co-educational college (Blue Mountain since 2007–08).}}{{efn|group=final|Currently known as Blue Mountain Christian University since November 2022.}}

| Blue Mountain, Mississippi

| 1873

| Baptist

| 505

| Toppers

| 1996

| 2013

| colspan="2" | Southern States (SSAC)
(2013–present)

Freed–Hardeman University

| Henderson, Tennessee

| 1869

| Churches
of Christ

| 2,027

| Lions

| 1996

| 2013

| American Midwest
(2013–20)

| Mid-South (MSC)
(2020–present)

Life University

| Marietta, Georgia

| 1974

| Nonsectarian

| 3,100

| Running Eagles

| 2012

| 2013

| NAIA Independent
(2013–14)
Mid-South (MSC)
(2014–22)

| Southern States (SSAC)
(2022–present)

Martin Methodist College{{efn|group=final|Martin Methodist joined the University of Tennessee system in July 2021 to become the University of Tennessee Southern. Before that it was a private institution affiliated with the United Methodist Church.}}

| Pulaski, Tennessee

| 1870

| United Methodist

| 1,001

| RedHawks{{efn|group=final|The former Martin Methodist is now competing as the UT Southern FireHawks.}}

| 1996

| 2013

| Southern States (SSAC)
(2013–20)
Mid-South (MSC)
(2020–23)

| Southern States (SSAC)
(2023–present)

Mid-Continent University

| Mayfield, Kentucky

| 1949

| Baptist

| 1,823

| Cougars

| 2006

| 2013

| American Midwest
(2013–14)

| Closed in 2014

;Notes:

=Former members=

The TSAC had 12 former full member schools, which most were private schools:

class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: center;"

! Institution

! Location

! Founded

! Affiliation

! Enrollment

! Nickname

! Joined

! Left

! Subsequent
conference(s)

! Current
conference

Athens State University

| Athens, Alabama

| 1822

| Public

| 3,200

| Bears

| 2003

| 2004

| colspan="2" | Discontinued athletics

Berry College

| Mount Berry, Georgia

| 1902

| Nondenominational

| 1,937

| Vikings

| 1996

| 2004

| Southern States (SSAC)
(2004–10)
D-III Independent
(2010–13)

| Southern (SAA){{efn|group=former|name=D3|Currently an NCAA Division III athletic conference.}}
(2013–present)

Birmingham–Southern College

| Birmingham, Alabama

| 1856

| United
Methodist

| 1,400

| Panthers

| 1996

| 2001

| various{{efn|group=former|Birmingham–Southern had joined the following subsequent conferences: the Big South Conference{{efn|group=former|name=D1|Currently an NCAA Division I athletic conference.}} from 2001–02 to 2006–07; the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference{{efn|group=former|name=D3}} (SCAC) from 2007–08 to 2012–13; and the Southern Athletic Association{{efn|group=former|name=D3}} (SAA) from 2013–14 to 2023–24.}}

| Closed in 2024

Cumberland University

| Lebanon, Tennessee

| 1842

| Nonsectarian

| 1,500

| Bulldogs{{efn|group=former|Cumberland (Tenn.) changed its nickname from Bulldogs to Phoenix in 2016.}}

| 2002

| 2012

| colspan="2" | Mid-South (MSC)
(2012–present)

Lambuth University

| Jackson, Tennessee

| 1843

| United
Methodist

| 800

| Eagles

| 2006

| 2008

| NAIA Independent
(2008–09)
D-II Independent
(2009–11)

| Closed in 2011

Lipscomb University

| Nashville, Tennessee

| 1891

| Churches
of Christ

| 4,278

| Bisons

| 1996

| 2001

| D-I Independent
(2001–03)

| Atlantic Sun (ASUN){{efn|group=former|name=D1}}
(2003–present)

Lee University

| Cleveland, Tennessee

| 1918

| Church
of God

| 4,954

| Flames

| 1996

| 2004

| Southern States (SSAC)
(2004–13)

| Gulf South (GSC){{efn|group=former|name=D2|Currently an NCAA Division II athletic conference.}}
(2013–present)

Lyon College

| Batesville, Arkansas

| 1872

| Presbyterian
{{small|(PCUSA)}}

| 600

| Scots

| 1997

| 2012

| American Midwest
(2012–2023)

| St. Louis (SLIAC){{efn|group=former|name=D3}}
(2023–present)

Trevecca Nazarene University

| Nashville, Tennessee

| 1901

| Nazarene

| 2,345

| Trojans

| 1996

| 2012

| colspan="2" | Great Midwest (G-MAC){{efn|group=former|name=D2}}
(2012–present)

Union University

| Jackson, Tennessee

| 1823

| Baptist

| 4,259

| Bulldogs

| 1996

| 2012

| colspan="2" | Gulf South (GSC){{efn|group=former|name=D2}}
(2012–present)

Victory University{{efn|group=former|Formerly known as Crichton College until 2010.}}

| Memphis, Tennessee

| 1941

| Nondenominational

| 1,970

| Eagles

| 2005

| 2008

| various{{efn|group=former|Victory (formerly Crichton) had joined the following subsequent conferences: as an NAIA Independent during the 2008–09 school year (before discontinuing athletics); and as an Independent within the National Christian Collegiate Athletic Association (NCCAA) and the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) from 2010–11 to 2013–14.}}

| Closed in 2014

Williams Baptist University{{efn|group=former|Formerly known as Williams Baptist College until 2018.}}

| Walnut Ridge, Arkansas

| 1941

| Baptist

| 700

| Eagles

| 1996

| 2000

| NAIA Independent
(2000–01)

| American Midwest
(2001–present)

;Notes:

=Membership timeline=

DateFormat = yyyy

ImageSize = width:1000 height:auto barincrement:20

Period = from:1996 till:2026

TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal

PlotArea = right:5 left:5 bottom:40 top:5

Colors = id:barcolor value:rgb(0.99,0.7,0.7)

id:line value:black

id:bg value:white

id:Full value:rgb(0.7,0.9,0.8) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports

id:FullxF value:rgb(0.9,0.8,0.7) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports except for football

id:AssocF value:rgb(0.9,0.7,0.8) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member for football only

id:AssocOS value:rgb(0.8,0.9,0.7) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member for another sport only

id:OtherC1 value:rgb(0.996,0.996,0.699) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved in another conference

id:OtherC2 value:rgb(0.988,0.703,0.383) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved in another conference when the other color has already been used

PlotData =

width:15 textcolor:black shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:s

bar:1 color:FullxF from:1996 till:2004 text:Berry (1996–2004)

bar:1 color:OtherC1 from:2004 till:2010 text:Southern States

bar:1 color:OtherC2 from:2010 till:2013 text:D-III Ind.

bar:1 color:OtherC1 from:2013 till:end text:SAA

bar:2 color:FullxF from:1996 till:1998 text:Bethel (Tenn.) (1996–1998)

bar:2 shift:(70) color:OtherC1 from:1998 till:2006 text:Kentucky

bar:2 color:FullxF from:2006 till:2013 text:(2006–2013)

bar:2 color:OtherC1 from:2013 till:2020 text:Southern States

bar:2 color:OtherC2 from:2020 till:end text:Mid-South

bar:3 color:FullxF from:1996 till:2001 text:Birmingham–Southern (1996–2001)

bar:3 shift:(10) color:OtherC1 from:2001 till:2007 text:Big South

bar:3 color:OtherC2 from:2007 till:2013 text:SCAC

bar:3 color:OtherC1 from:2013 till:end text:SAA

bar:4 color:FullxF from:1996 till:2013 text:Blue Mountain (1996–2013)

bar:4 color:OtherC1 from:2013 till:end text:Southern States

bar:5 color:FullxF from:1996 till:2013 text:Freed–Hardeman (1996–2013)

bar:5 color:OtherC1 from:2013 till:2020 text:American Midwest

bar:5 color:OtherC2 from:2020 till:end text:Mid-South

bar:6 color:FullxF from:1996 till:2004 text:Lee (1996–2004)

bar:6 color:OtherC1 from:2004 till:2013 text:Southern States

bar:6 color:OtherC2 from:2013 till:end text:Gulf South

bar:7 color:FullxF from:1996 till:2001 text:Lipscomb (1996–2001)

bar:7 color:OtherC1 from:2001 till:2003 text:D-I Ind.

bar:7 color:OtherC2 from:2003 till:end text:Atlantic Sun

bar:8 color:FullxF from:1996 till:2013 text:Martin Methodist (1996–2013)

bar:8 color:OtherC1 from:2013 till:2020 text:Southern States

bar:8 color:OtherC2 from:2020 till:2023 text:Mid-South

bar:8 color:OtherC1 from:2023 till:end text:Southern States

bar:9 color:FullxF from:1996 till:2012 text:Trevecca Nazarene (1996–2012)

bar:9 color:OtherC1 from:2012 till:2024 text:Great Midwest

bar:9 color:OtherC2 from:2024 till:end text:Gulf South

bar:10 color:FullxF from:1996 till:2012 text:Union (Tenn.) (1996–2012)

bar:10 color:OtherC1 from:2012 till:end text:Gulf South

bar:11 color:FullxF from:1996 till:2000 text:Williams Baptist (1996–2000)

bar:11 shift:(10) color:OtherC1 from:2000 till:2001 text:NAIA Ind.

bar:11 shift:(30) color:OtherC2 from:2001 till:end text:American Midwest

bar:12 color:FullxF from:1997 till:2012 text:Lyon (1997–2012)

bar:12 color:OtherC1 from:2012 till:2022 text:American Midwest

bar:12 color:OtherC2 from:2022 till:2023 text:D-III Ind.

bar:12 shift:(20) color:OtherC1 from:2023 till:end text:St. Louis

bar:13 color:FullxF from:2002 till:2012 text:Cumberland (Tenn.) (2002–2012)

bar:13 color:OtherC1 from:2012 till:end text:Mid-South

bar:14 color:FullxF from:2003 till:2004 text:Athens State (2003–2004)

bar:15 color:FullxF from:2005 till:2008 text:Crichton (2005–2008)

bar:15 shift:(10) color:OtherC1 from:2008 till:2009 text:NAIA Ind.

bar:15 color:OtherC1 from:2010 till:2014 text:NCCAA/USCAA

bar:16 color:FullxF from:2006 till:2008 text:Lambuth (2006–2008)

bar:16 shift:(50) color:OtherC1 from:2008 till:2011 text:NAIA Ind./D-II Ind.

bar:17 color:FullxF from:2006 till:2013 text:Mid-Continent (2006–2013)

bar:17 color:OtherC1 from:2013 till:2014 text:American Midwest

bar:18 shift:(-50) color:FullxF from:2012 till:2013 text:Life (2012–2013)

bar:18 color:OtherC1 from:2013 till:2014 text:NAIA Ind.

bar:18 shift:(20) color:OtherC2 from:2014 till:2022 text:Mid-South

bar:18 color:OtherC1 from:2022 till:end text:Southern States

bar:N color:red from:1996 till:2013 text:TranSouth Athletic Conference

bar:N color:blue from:2013 till:end text:Post-TSAC

ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:2 start:1997

TextData =

fontsize:M

textcolor:black

pos:(0,25) tabs:(400-center)

text:^"TranSouth Athletic Conference membership history"

> If the chart uses more than one bar color, add a legend by selecting the appropriate fields from the following three options (use only the colors that are used in the graphic.) Leave a blank line after the end of the timeline, then add a line with the selected values from the list, separated by a space.

{{Font color||{{RGB|178|229|204}}| Full member (all sports) }}

{{Font color||{{RGB|229|204|178}}| Full member (non-football) }}

{{Font color||{{RGB|229|178|204}}| Associate member (football only) }}

{{Font color||{{RGB|229|204|178}}| Full member (non-football) }}

References

Category:Defunct NAIA conferences

Category:Sports in the Southern United States

TranSouth Athletic Conference

History

=Chronological timeline=

Member schools

=Final members=

=Former members=

=Membership timeline=

Sponsored sports

References