Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association

Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA)
Established	1912
Association	NCAA
Division	Division II
Members	12
Sports fielded	14 men's: 6 women's: 8
Region	Middle Atlantic States, South Atlantic States
Former names	Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association
Headquarters	Charlotte, North Carolina
Commissioner	Jacqie McWilliams (since 2012)
Website	theciaa.com
Locations

The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) is a collegiate athletic conference, mostly consisting of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). CIAA institutions affiliate at the Division II level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).^{[citation needed]}

The twelve member institutions reside primarily along the central portion of the East Coast of the United States, in the states of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina. Since a majority of the members are in North Carolina, the CIAA moved its headquarters to Charlotte, North Carolina from Hampton, Virginia in August 2015.^[1]

The CIAA sponsors 14 annual championships and divides into north and south divisions for some sports. The most notable CIAA sponsored championship is the CIAA Basketball Tournament having become one of the largest college basketball events in the nation.^{[citation needed]}

History[]

The CIAA, founded on the campus of Hampton Institute (now Hampton University) in 1912, is the oldest African-American athletic conference in the United States. It was originally known as the Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association and adopted its current name in December 1950. The conference composes predominantly of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) spanning the east coast from Pennsylvania to South Carolina.

Founding leaders were Allen Washington and Charles H. Williams of Hampton Institute; Ernest J. Marshall of Howard University; George Johnson of Lincoln University (PA); W.E. Atkins, Charles Frazier, and H.P. Hargrave of Shaw University; and J.W. Barco and J.W. Pierce of Virginia Union University.^[2]

Football experiences a major resurgence after going through a period of decline at several member universities. Football was absent from the campus of Saint Augustine's University for nearly three decades, before the administration reinstated it in 2002. Shaw University then brought back its football program in 2003, following a hiatus of 24 years.

Lincoln University, a charter member, added varsity football in 2008 and was readmitted to the CIAA after nearly three decades in Division III. Chowan University joined the CIAA in 2008 for football only. On October 14, 2008, the CIAA Board of Directors admitted Chowan as a full member effective July 1, 2009, the first non-HBCU to play in the conference.

On August 27, 2012, the CIAA announced the appointment of Jacqie Carpenter, the first African-American female commissioner to hold the position.^[3]

In 2014, a collection of records, including the original 1912 documents leading to the formation of the CIAA and meeting minutes from 1913 to 1922, were sold at auction after being discovered in a storage locker. The lot sold for $11,500 to an unnamed bidder.^[4]

On May 22, 2018, Chowan University announced its athletic department will realign with the Conference Carolinas as a full-member while maintaining an associate relationship with the CIAA for both football and women's bowling.^[5]

Conference membership[]

Current members[]

Institution	Location	Founded	Type	Enrollment	Nickname	Colors	Joined
Bowie State University	Bowie, Maryland	1865	Public	5,561	Bulldogs		1979
Claflin University	Orangeburg, South Carolina	1869	Private (United Methodist)	1,978	Panthers		2018
Elizabeth City State University	Elizabeth City, North Carolina	1891	Public	2,421	Vikings		1957
Fayetteville State University	Fayetteville, North Carolina	1867	Public	5,000	Broncos		1954
Johnson C. Smith University	Charlotte, North Carolina	1867	Private (Presbyterian)	1,500	Golden Bulls		1926
Lincoln University	Oxford, Pennsylvania	1854	Public	2,650	Lions		1912; 2008
Livingstone College	Salisbury, North Carolina	1879	Private (A.M.E. Church)	1,200	Blue Bears		1931
Saint Augustine's University	Raleigh, North Carolina	1867	Private (Episcopal)	1,500	Falcons		1933
Shaw University	Raleigh, North Carolina	1865	Private (Baptist)	2,800	Bears		1912
Virginia State University	Ettrick, Virginia	1882	Public	7,100	Trojans		1920
Virginia Union University	Richmond, Virginia	1865	Private (Baptist)	1,700	Panthers		1912
Winston–Salem State University	Winston-Salem, North Carolina	1892	Public	6,000	Rams		1945; 2010

• Winston-Salem State — left after the 2005–06 season, re-joined in the 2010–11 season.
• For some sports, the following division alignment goes as follows:
  • CIAA North — Bowie State, Elizabeth City State, Lincoln (PA), Virginia State, Virginia Union, Winston-Salem State
  • CIAA South — Claflin, Fayetteville State, Johnson C. Smith, Livingston, Saint Augustine's, Shaw

Former members[]

Institution	Location	Founded	Type	Nickname	Joined	Left	Current conference
Bluefield State College	Bluefield, West Virginia	1895	Public	Big Blues	1932	1955	NCAA D-II Independent, USCAA
Chowan University	Murfreesboro, North Carolina	1848	Private	Hawks	2009	2019	Conference Carolinas
Delaware State University	Dover, Delaware	1891	Public	Hornets	1945	1970	Mid-Eastern Athletic (NCAA D-I)
Hampton University	Hampton, Virginia	1868	Private (Nonsectarian)	Pirates	1912	1995	Big South (NCAA D-I)
Howard University	Washington, D.C.	1867	Private (Nonsectarian)	Bison	1912	1970	Mid-Eastern Athletic (NCAA D-I)
University of Maryland Eastern Shore	Princess Anne, Maryland	1886	Public	Hawks	1954	1970	Mid-Eastern Athletic (NCAA D-I)
Morgan State University	Baltimore, Maryland	1867	Public	Bears	1929	1970	Mid-Eastern Athletic (NCAA D-I)
Norfolk State University	Norfolk, Virginia	1935	Public	Spartans	1962	1996	Mid-Eastern Athletic (NCAA D-I)
North Carolina A&T State University	Greensboro, North Carolina	1891	Public	Aggies	1924	1970	Mid-Eastern Athletic (NCAA D-I) (Big South in July 2021)
North Carolina Central University	Durham, North Carolina	1910	Public	Eagles	1928; 1980	1970; 2007	Mid-Eastern Athletic (NCAA D-I)
Saint Paul's College	Lawrenceville, Virginia	1888	Private (Episcopal)	Tigers	1923	2011	Closed in 2013
Virginia University of Lynchburg	Lynchburg, Virginia	1886	Private (Christian)	Dragons	1921	1954	NCCAA
West Virginia State University	Institute, West Virginia	1891	Public	Yellow Jackets	1942	1955	Mountain East

Membership timeline[]

 Full member (all sports)   Full member (non-football)   Associate member (football-only)   Associate member (sport) 

Sports[]

A divisional format is used for basketball (M / W), bowling, football, softball, tennis (W), and volleyball.
North Bowie State Elizabeth City State Lincoln Virginia State Virginia Union Winston-Salem State	South Claflin Fayetteville State Johnson C. Smith Livingstone Saint Augustine's Shaw

Conference sports

Sport	Men's	Women's
Baseball	Y
Basketball	Y	Y
Bowling		Y
Cross Country	Y	Y
Football	Y
Golf	Y
Softball		Y
Tennis	Y	Y
Track & Field Indoor	Y	Y
Track & Field Outdoor	Y	Y
Volleyball		Y

Men's sponsored sports by school[]

School	Baseball	Basketball	Cross Country	Football	Golf	Tennis	Track & Field Indoor	Track & Field Outdoor	Total CIAA Sports
Bowie State		Y	Y	Y			Y	Y	5
Claflin	Y	Y	Y				Y	Y	5
Elizabeth City State		Y	Y	Y	Y				4
Fayetteville State		Y	Y	Y	Y				4
Johnson C. Smith		Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	7
Lincoln	Y	Y	Y	Y			Y	Y	6
Livingstone		Y	Y	Y	Y		Y	Y	6
Saint Augustine's	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y		Y	Y	7
Shaw		Y	Y	Y		Y			4
Virginia State	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	8
Virginia Union		Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	7
Winston-Salem State	Y	Y	Y	Y					4
Totals	5	12	12	11	7	4	8	8	67

• Claflin University currently competes as an associate member of Peach Belt Conference in baseball.

Women's sponsored sports by school[]

School	Basketball	Bowling ‡	Cross Country	Softball	Tennis	Track & Field Indoor	Track & Field Outdoor	Volleyball	Total CIAA Sports
Bowie State	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	8
Claflin	Y		Y	Y		Y	Y	Y	5
Elizabeth City State	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y			Y	6
Fayetteville State	Y	Y	Y	Y				Y	5
Johnson C. Smith	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	8
Lincoln	Y		Y	Y		Y	Y	Y	6
Livingstone	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	8
Saint Augustine's	Y	Y	Y	Y		Y	Y	Y	7
Shaw	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y		Y	Y	7
Virginia State	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	8
Virginia Union	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	8
Winston-Salem State	Y		Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	7
Totals	12	9	12	12	8	9	10	12	84

• ^‡ — D-I sport

Other sponsored sports by school[]

School		Men						Women
		Baseball	Lacrosse	Soccer	Swimming & Diving	Tennis		Golf	Lacrosse	Soccer	Tennis	Swimming & Diving
Lincoln										ECC
Shaw				IND						IND

Conference facilities[]

School	Football		Basketball
	Stadium	Capacity	Arena	Capacity
Bowie State	Bulldog Stadium	2,964	A.C. Jordan Arena	2,200
Claflin	non-football school		Edward Tullis Arena	3,000
Elizabeth City State	Roebuck Stadium	6,500	R. L. Vaughn Center	5,000
Fayetteville State	Luther "Nick" Jeralds Stadium	5,520	Felton J. Capel Arena	4,000
Johnson C. Smith	Irwin Belk Complex	4,500	Brayboy Gymnasium	2,316
Lincoln	Lincoln University Stadium	2,600	Manuel Rivero Hall	3,000
Livingstone	Alumni Memorial Stadium	5,500	William Trent Gymnasium	1,500
Saint Augustine's	George Williams Athletic Complex	2,500	Emery Gymnasium	1,000
Shaw	Durham County Stadium	8,500	C.C. Spaulding Gym	1,500
Virginia State	Rogers Stadium	7,909	VSU Multi-Purpose Center	6,000
Virginia Union	Hovey Field	10,000	Barco-Stevens Hall	2,000
Winston–Salem State	Bowman Gray Stadium	22,000	C.E. Gaines Center	3,200

CIAA Basketball Tournament[]

The CIAA is the first NCAA Division II conference to have its tournament televised as part of Championship Week on ESPN. Over 100,000 fans and spectators are in attendance annually and it has become one of the largest college basketball events in the nation. During the week of the tournament, there are many high-profile social and celebratory events associated with the event.^[6][7] The last day of the tournament is known as "Super Saturday" in which the men's and women's tournament champions are crowned. For 15 years, the tournament had an annual $55 million economic impact on Charlotte, North Carolina and was consistently the largest event held in the city every year.^[8] The conference was offered better incentives to move it to Baltimore, Maryland which is where it will be held beginning in 2021.^[9][10]

CIAA cheerleading[]

One of the signature events of "Super Saturday" at the CIAA Basketball Tournament is the Cheer Exhibition. At the exhibition, CIAA cheer squads showcase elaborate routines to entertain spectators and display their talents.^[13][14] Every cheerleading team in the CIAA is a "Stomp-N-Shake" squad which is a unique style of cheer that is most common among predominately African-American schools and colleges located in the East Coast region.

The CIAA is one of the only conferences in the country that has an annual All-Conference Cheerleading Team. The All-Conference Cheerleading Team is a recognition bestowed on select cheerleaders in the conference that exemplify the epitome of school spirit, leadership, athleticism, and academic excellence.^[15]

Institution	Squad name
Bowie State University	The "Golden Girls"
Claflin University	The "Panther Dolls"
Elizabeth City State University	The "D'Lytes"
Fayetteville State University	"Cheer Phi Smoov"
Johnson C. Smith University	The "Luv-A-Bulls"
Lincoln University	The "Fe Fe's"
Livingstone College	The "La La's"
Saint Augustine's University	The "Bluechips"
Shaw University	The "Chi Chi's"
Virginia State University	The "Woo Woo's"
Virginia Union University	The "Rah Rah's"
Winston-Salem State University	The "Powerhouse of Red and White"

References[]

External links[]

• Official website