Big South Conference
| Big South Conference | |
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| Established | 1983 |
| Association | NCAA |
| Division | Division I FCS |
| Members | 12 |
| Sports fielded | 19 (men's: 9; women's: 10) |
| Region | South Atlantic States |
| Headquarters | Charlotte, North Carolina |
| Commissioner | Kyle Kallander (since 1996) |
| Website | www.bigsouthsports.com |
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The Big South Conference is a college athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division I. The conference's football teams are part of the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA). The Big South, founded in 1983, is firmly rooted in the southeastern United States, with member institutions located in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia.[1]
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History [edit]
Charter members included Armstrong State (now Armstrong Atlantic State University) (1983–1987), Augusta (now Augusta State University) (1983–1990), Campbell University (1983–1994; 2011–present), Charleston Baptist (now Charleston Southern University) (1983–present), Coastal Carolina University (1983–present), Radford University (1983–present) and Winthrop University (1983–present).
The expansion of membership occurred during the 80's and 90's. Some of those members are University of North Carolina at Asheville (1984–present), Davidson College (1990–1992), Liberty University (1991–present), University of Maryland, Baltimore County (1992–1998), University of North Carolina at Greensboro (1992–1997), Towson University (1992–1995), Elon University (1999–2003), High Point University (1999–present) and Birmingham–Southern College (2000–2007).
The Big South Conference began sponsoring football in 2002, with Charleston Southern University, Gardner–Webb University, and Liberty University fielding teams; Coastal Carolina University and Virginia Military Institute joined the conference as football-playing members in 2003. VMI also joined the conference for all sports. Presbyterian joined the conference in 2007, moving up from Division II, and became eligible for regular-season championships and conference honors during the 2008 athletic year.[2] Gardner–Webb, which had been a football playing member since 2002, joined the conference for all sports on July 1, 2008.[2] Longwood accepted an invitation to join the Big South on January 23, 2012, with membership to formally begin July 1.[3]
Member schools [edit]
Current full members [edit]
- Notes
* - Campbell was a founding member of the Big South Conference in 1983. The Fighting Camels left in 1994 and re-joined in 2011 for all sports, except for their football program, which remains in the Pioneer Football League.[4]
Current associate members [edit]
| Institution | Location | Founded | Type | Enrollment | Endowment | Joined | Nickname | Big South Sports |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Davidson College | Davidson, North Carolina | 1837 | Private | 1,756 | $509.6 million | 2012-13 | Wildcats | Women's lacrosse |
| Stony Brook University | Stony Brook, New York | 1957 | Public | 24,594 | $110.2 million | 2008-09 | Seawolves | Football |
- Notes
- Davidson women's lacrosse will leave the Big South after the 2013–14 school year when it joins the Atlantic 10 Conference (A10), which sponsors that sport.
- Stony Brook football will leave the Big South after the 2012 season to join the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA).
Future associate members [edit]
| Institution | Location | Founded | Type | Enrollment | Former Conference | Joining | Nickname | Big South Sports |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monmouth University* | West Long Branch, New Jersey | 1933 | Private | 7,440 | NEC/Independent* | 2014 | Hawks | Football |
- Note
* - The move of Monmouth to the Big South will involve a transition year as an FCS Independent.[5]
2011–2012 divisional realignment [edit]
With the additions of Campbell and Longwood to the Big South in 2011 and 2012, Big South commissioner Kyle Kallander stated the conference will break up into two divisions of six teams each beginning in 2012–2013.[6] He also said the Big South Tournament will be held at a single, neutral location. The divisional setup is as follows:
South Division
Teams will play the 5 other divisional opponents twice, one home and one away (10 games). They will play teams outside of the division once each (6 games). This cuts the number of conference games to 16, as opposed to 18 in previous years.
Former members [edit]
| Institution | Location | Joined | Left | Nickname | Current Conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Armstrong Atlantic State University | Savannah, Georgia | 1983 | 1987 | Pirates | Peach Belt (NCAA Division II) |
| Augusta State University | Augusta, Georgia | 1983 | 1990 | Jaguars | Peach Belt (NCAA Division II) |
| Birmingham–Southern College | Birmingham, Alabama | 2000 | 2007 | Panthers | SAA (NCAA Division III) |
| Davidson College | Davidson, North Carolina | 1990 | 1992 | Wildcats | SoCon |
| Elon University | Elon, North Carolina | 1999 | 2003 | Phoenix | SoCon |
| University of Maryland, Baltimore County | Catonsville, Maryland | 1992 | 1998 | Retrievers | America East |
| University of North Carolina at Greensboro | Greensboro, North Carolina | 1992 | 1997 | Spartans | SoCon |
| Towson University | Towson, Maryland | 1992 | 1995 | Tigers | CAA |
Membership timeline [edit]
Sports [edit]
The Big South sponsors championship competition in nine men's and ten women's NCAA sanctioned sports. Davidson competes as an associate in lacrosse. Stony Brook has competed as an associate in football, but is departing for membership in the Colonial Athletic Association.[7][8]
| Sport | Men's | Women's |
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| Cross Country |
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| Football |
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| Golf |
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| Lacrosse |
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| Soccer |
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| Softball |
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| Tennis |
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| Track and Field (Indoor) |
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| Track and Field (Outdoor) |
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| Volleyball |
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Football - players drafted to the NFL [edit]
The Big South has had a number of players to get drafted and play football professionally in the NFL.
| Name | Position | School | Draft year | Draft pick | NFL team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyler Thigpen | QB | Coastal Carolina | 2007 | Round 7, Pick 217 | Vikings |
| Jerome Simpson | WR | Coastal Carolina | 2008 | Round 2, Pick 46 | Bengals |
| Brian Johnston | DE | Gardner–Webb | 2008 | Round 7, Pick 210 | Chiefs |
| Rashad Jennings | RB | Liberty | 2009 | Round 7, Pick 250 | Jaguars |
| Josh Norman | CB | Coastal Carolina | 2012 | Round 5, Pick 143 | Panthers |
| Justin Bethel | S | Presbyterian | 2012 | Round 6, Pick 177 | Cardinals |
| NFL Draftees from the Big South Conference | |||||
Conference champions [edit]
Men's basketball
| Season | Regular Season Champion | Tournament Champion | Tournament final location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Charleston Southern (5–1) | Charleston Southern | Savannah Civic Center, Savannah, Georgia |
| 1987 | Charleston Southern (12–2) | Charleston Southern | Savannah Civic Center |
| 1988 | Coastal Carolina (9–3) | Winthrop | Winthrop Coliseum, Rock Hill, South Carolina |
| 1989 | Coastal Carolina (9–3) | UNC Asheville | Winthrop Coliseum |
| 1990 | Coastal Carolina (11–1) | Coastal Carolina | Winthrop Coliseum |
| 1991 | Coastal Carolina (13–1) | Coastal Carolina | Civic Center of Anderson, Anderson, South Carolina |
| 1992 | Radford (12–2) | Campbell | Civic Center of Anderson |
| 1993 | Towson State (14–2) | Coastal Carolina | North Charleston Coliseum, North Charleston, South Carolina |
| 1994 | Towson State (15–3) | Liberty | North Charleston Coliseum |
| 1995 | UNC Greensboro (14–2) | Charleston Southern | Vines Center, Lynchburg, Virginia |
| 1996 | UNC Greensboro (11–3) | UNC Greensboro | Vines Center |
| 1997 | UNC Asheville (11–3) | Charleston Southern | Vines Center |
| 1998 | UNC Asheville (11–1) | Radford | Vines Center |
| 1999 | Winthrop (9–1) | Winthrop | Asheville Civic Center, Asheville, North Carolina |
| 2000 | Radford (12–2) | Winthrop | Asheville Civic Center |
| 2001 | Radford (12–2) | Winthrop | Roanoke Civic Center, Roanoke, Virginia |
| 2002 | Winthrop (10–4) (#1 seed) UNC Asheville (10–4) |
Winthrop | Roanoke Civic Center |
| 2003 | Winthrop (11–3) | UNC Asheville | Vines Center (semis & finals only) |
| 2004 | Liberty (12–4) | Liberty | Vines Center (finals only) |
| 2005 | Winthrop (15–1) | Winthrop | Winthrop Coliseum (finals only) |
| 2006 | Winthrop (13–3) | Winthrop | Winthrop Coliseum (semis & finals only) |
| 2007 | Winthrop (14–0) | Winthrop | Winthrop Coliseum (semis & finals only) |
| 2008 | UNC Asheville (10–4)(#1 seed) Winthrop (10–4) |
Winthrop | Justice Center, Asheville (semis & finals only) |
| 2009 | Radford (15-3) | Radford | Dedmon Center, Radford, Virginia (finals only) |
| 2010 | Coastal Carolina (15–3) | Winthrop | Kimbel Arena, Conway, South Carolina (semis & finals only) |
| 2011 | Coastal Carolina (16-2) | UNC Asheville | Kimbel Arena (semis & finals only) |
| 2012 | UNC Asheville (16-2) | UNC Asheville | Kimmel Arena (quarters, semis & final), Asheville, NC |
| 2013 | Charleston Southern, High Point (12-4) | Liberty | HTC Center, Conway, SC |
Basketball Tournament Championships by school
| School | # of Tournament Championships | Last Tournament Championship |
|---|---|---|
| Winthrop | 10 | 2010 |
| Charleston Southern | 4 | 1997 |
| UNC Asheville | 4 | 2012 |
| Coastal Carolina | 3 | 1993 |
| Liberty | 3 | 2013 |
| Radford | 2 | 2009 |
| Campbell | 1 | 1992 |
| UNC Greensboro† | 1 | 1996 |
- †Former member of the Big South
Football
| Season | Champion | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Gardner–Webb | 3–0 |
| 2003 | Gardner–Webb | 4–0 |
| 2004 | Coastal Carolina | 4–0 (10–1) |
| 2005 | Charleston Southern | 3–1 (7–4) |
| Coastal Carolina | 3–1 (9–2) | |
| 2006 | Coastal Carolina | 4–0 (9–3) |
| 2007 | Liberty | 4–0 (8–3) |
| 2008 | Liberty | 5–0 (10–2) |
| 2009 | Stony Brook | 5–1 (6–5) |
| Liberty | 5–1 (8–3) | |
| 2010 | Coastal Carolina* | 5–1 (6–5)
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| Stony Brook | 5–1 (6–5) | |
| Liberty | 5–1 (8–3) | |
| 2011 | Stony Brook | 6-0 (8-3) |
| 2012 | Coastal Carolina* | 5–1 (7–4)
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| Stony Brook | 5–1 (9–2) | |
| Liberty | 5–1 (6–5) |
Broadcasters (Big South Network) [edit]
In addition to basketball games being broadcasted on regional and national television, member schools of the Big South Conference are required to provide a live stream of all home games for all sports when playing teams both within and outside of the conference. These streams are run by the university hosting the event. All streams are featured on the conference website and are available for a monthly fee. The football games broadcasted on the web are branded as part of a Big South Network.
Facilities [edit]
- Notes
- Future members in gray.
- Charleston Southern uses the CSU Field House for all conference basketball games. Home games against local rivals or major-conference teams are played at the North Charleston Coliseum when available.
References [edit]
- ^ Big South Conference (2007-08-01). "Big South Conference History". Big South Sports.
- ^ a b Big South Conference (2008-07-01). "Gardner–Webb Officially Joins Big South". Big South Sports.
- ^ Big South Conference (2012-01-23). "Big South Conference Adds Longwood University As Full Member". Big South Sports.
- ^ [1]
- ^ http://www.bigsouthsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=206394001&SPSID=25301&SPID=1985&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=4800 Big South Adds Monmouth University as Associate Football Member
- ^ Big South Conference Adds Longwood; Goes to Divisional Play for 2012-13 Season
- ^ http://www.bigsouthsports.com/HomePage.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4800
- ^ http://www.bigsouthsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4800&ATCLID=205672104
External links [edit]
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