Eastern College Athletic Conference
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| Association | NCAA |
|---|---|
| Commissioner | Kevin McGinniss (since 2013) |
| Sports fielded |
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| Division | I, II, III |
| Region | East Coast |
| Official website | http://www.ecac.org |
| Locations | |
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The Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) is a college athletic conference comprising schools that compete in 19 sports (15 men's and 17 women's). It has 303 member institutions in NCAA Divisions I, II, and III, ranging in location from Maine to North Carolina and west to Missouri.[1] Most or all members belong to at least one other athletic conference.
The ECAC was founded as the Central Office for Eastern Intercollegiate Athletics in 1938, largely through the efforts of James Lynah of Cornell University. In 1983, the Eastern Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (EAIAW) was consolidated into the ECAC. Most member schools are in other conferences as well, but through the ECAC they are able to participate in sports that their main conferences do not offer. Its headquarters are located in Centerville, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod.
Mission statement
The mission of the ECAC shall be to initiate, stimulate and improve intercollegiate athletics programs for student-athletes, and to promote and develop educational leadership, athletics excellence and athletics participation.
The ECAC shall:
1. Understand, respect and support programs and philosophies of each member;
2. Assist and involve all constituents in developing and maintaining consistent, equitable competitive opportunities;
3. Develop and implement the best possible programs and services (championships, officiating, public relations, etc.) for the membership; and
4. Promote college athletics in general, and specifically, highlight stories about its membership, student-athletes, coaches and administrators.
The ECAC shall be a leader, either as a primary or secondary provider, of services to its member conferences and institutions to achieve the mission.[2]
Membership
Division I
As of Fall 2013, there are 88 Division I members.[3]
Division II
As of Fall 2013, there are 23 Division II members.[4]
Division III
As of Fall 2013, there are 192 Division III members.[5]
Affiliates
The ECAC has several affiliated single-sport leagues:[6]
- Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges
- Eastern Association of Women's Rowing Colleges
- Eastern Intercollegiate Gymnastics League
- Intercollegiate Rowing Association
- Intercollegiate Association of Amateur Athletes in America
- ECAC Lacrosse League (defunct)
- ECAC Division II Lacrosse League
- ECAC Hockey (independent since 2004)
Sports
| ECAC SPORTS | ||||||||||||||
| Sport | DI-M | DI-W | DII-M | DII-W | DIII-M | DIII-W | ||||||||
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| Baseball | 
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| Basketball |
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| Bowling |
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| Cross Country |
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| Field Hockey |
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| Football |
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| Golf |
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| Gymnastics |
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| Ice Hockey |
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| Lacrosse |
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| Rowing |
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| Soccer |
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| Softball |
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| Swimming & Diving |
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| Tennis |
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| Track & Field (Indoor) |
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| Track & Field (Outdoor) |
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| Volleyball |
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ECAC Men's Basketball Tournaments
At various times, the ECAC has organized regional college basketball championship tournaments at the end of the regular season for teams playing at the NCAA Division I, Division II, and Division III levels. It held the Division I tournaments from 1975 to 1982 to provide independent colleges and universities in the eastern United States with a means of participating in end-of-season tournaments that resulted in the winning team receiving an automatic bid to the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, similar to the end-of-season tournaments held by conventional athletic conferences. The Division I ECAC tournaments were discontinued after all participating schools joined conferences of their own during the late 1970s and early 1980s.[7][8]
The ECAC also held combined Division II/III regional end-of- season tournaments from 1973 to 1980 and a single Division II tournament after the regular season from 1988 to 2006 and in 2007 and 2008. Since 1981, it has organized regional Division III men's basketball tournaments annually at the end of each regular season.[7]
Awards
- Robbins Scholar-Athletes[11]
- Award of Merit (for student-athletes)[12]
- Award of Valor (for student-athletes)[13]
- ECAC Rowing Trophy[14]
See also
- ECAC Hockey, a Division I ice hockey conference previously affiliated with the ECAC
- Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, a similar Division I conference in the western U.S.
References
- ^ Membership. Eastern College Athletic Conference official website. Retrieved 2013-10-25.
- ^ About the ECAC: Mission Statement. ECAC official website. Retrieved 2010-03-03.
- ^ Membership: Division I (88 Members). ECAC official website. Retrieved 2013-10-025.
- ^ Membership: Division II (23 Members). ECAC official website. Retrieved 2013-10-25.
- ^ Membership: Division III (192 Members). ECAC official website. Retrieved 2013-10-25.
- ^ Affiliates. ECAC official website. Retrieved 2013-10-25.
- ^ a b Varsity Pride: ECAC Men's Basketball Tournaments
- ^ Varsity Pride: 1982 ECAC Men's Basketball Tournaments
- ^ Membership: Awards. ECAC official website. Retrieved 2010-03-03.
- ^ ECAC Awards and Honors. ECAC official website. Retrieved 2010-03-03.
- ^ ECAC Awards and Honors: Robbins Scholar-Athletes. ECAC official website. Retrieved 2010-03-03.
- ^ ECAC Awards and Honors: Appreciation and Merit Awards. ECAC official website. Retrieved 2010-03-03.
- ^ ECAC Awards and Honors: Award of Valor. ECAC official website. Retrieved 2010-03-03.
- ^ ECAC Awards and Honors: ECAC Rowing Trophy. ECAC official website. Retrieved 2010-03-03.