Colonial Athletic Association

Colonial Athletic Association
CAA
Established	1979
Association	NCAA
Division	Division I
Subdivision	FCS
Members	10 (9 in 2022)
Sports fielded	21 men's: 10 women's: 11
Region	East Coast
Former names	ECAC South
Headquarters	Richmond, Virginia
Commissioner	Joe D’Antonio (since 2016)
Website	www.caasports.com
Locations

The Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division I whose full members are located in East Coast states from Massachusetts to South Carolina. Most of its members are public universities, and the conference is headquartered in Richmond. The CAA was historically a Southern conference until the addition of four schools in the Northeast (of five that joined from rival conference America East) after the turn of the 21st century, which added balance to the conference.

The CAA was founded in 1979 as the ECAC South basketball league. It was renamed the Colonial Athletic Association in 1985 when it added championships in other sports (although a number of members maintain ECAC affiliation in some sports). As of 2006, it organizes championships in 21 men's and women's sports. The addition of Northeastern University in 2005 gave the conference the NCAA minimum of six football programs needed to sponsor football. For the 2007 football season, all of the Atlantic 10 Conference's football programs joined the CAA football conference, as agreed in May 2005.

History[]

The CAA has expanded in recent years, following the exits of longtime members such as the United States Naval Academy, the University of Richmond, East Carolina University, and American University. In 2001, the six-member conference added four additional universities: Towson University, Drexel University, Hofstra University, and the University of Delaware. Four years later the league expanded again when Georgia State University and Northeastern University joined, further enlarging the conference footprint. Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) left for the Atlantic 10 Conference in July 2012.^[1] More changes came in 2013: Old Dominion University left for Conference USA,^[2] Georgia State joined the Sun Belt Conference,^[3] and the College of Charleston joined the CAA from the Southern Conference.^[4]

On the playing field, the CAA has produced 16 national team champions in six different sports (the most recent being the James Madison University Dukes who won the 2018 Division I Women's Lacrosse championship), 33 individual national champions, 11 national coaches of the year, 11 national players of the year and 12 Honda Award winners. In 2006, George Mason became the first CAA team to reach the Final Four. In 2011, the VCU Rams became the second CAA team to reach the Final Four, as well as the first team to win five games en route, due to their participation in the First Four round.

On March 25, 2013, George Mason University left the CAA to join the Atlantic 10 Conference.^[5] Shortly after, the CAA ceased sponsorship of wrestling due to the lack of teams.

The 2015–16 basketball season saw the conference RPI reach its highest rating when it finished the season ranked 9th in the nation.

During another phase of realignment that started in 2021, the CAA was affected when longtime member James Madison University announced it would leave the CAA, transition its football program to the Football Bowl Subdivision, and join the Sun Belt Conference. Initially, JMU was to join the Sun Belt in July 2023.^[6] However, the timeline changed when the CAA chose to ban JMU from subsequent championship events, citing a conference bylaw that allows it to impose such a ban on a departing member. While JMU will not officially join the Sun Belt until 2023–24, the second and final year of its FBS transition (at which time it will be counted as an FBS member for scheduling purposes), it will become a de facto associate member of the Sun Belt in 2022–23, housing all of its sports in that league except football and men's soccer^[7] (the latter of which will not be sponsored by the Sun Belt until 2023–24).^[8]

Shortly before JMU announced its departure, it was reported that the CAA sought to expand by several schools, allowing it to split into a divisional format for most of its sports in order to reduce travel costs for its members. Among the schools named as possible candidates were Fairfield University, Howard University, Monmouth University, and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.^[9][10] In January 2022, reports emerged that Hampton University, a historically black institution that had been working toward a CAA move since at least 1995, would likely join the CAA that July. Monmouth was again named as a potential CAA expansion candidate. Also, Stony Brook University, already a member of the CAA football league, was named as a candidate for full membership.^[11] On January 18, local media in Monmouth's home of New Jersey reported that a CAA invitation to that school was imminent.^[12]

Commissioners[]

Name	Years	Notes
Tom Yeager	1979–2016	Retired July 1, 2016
Joe D’Antonio	2016–	July 1, 2016

Member schools[]

Full members[]

Current full members[]

Institution	Location	Founded	Joined	Type	Enrollment	Endowment	Nickname	Colors
College of Charleston	Charleston, South Carolina	1770	2013	Public	10,783	$102,800,000	Cougars
University of Delaware	Newark, Delaware	1743	2001		23,281	$1,450,000,000	Fightin' Blue Hens
Drexel University	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	1891		Private	22,412	$798,300,000	Dragons
Elon University	Elon, North Carolina	1889	2014		6,991	$261,600,000	Phoenix
Hofstra University	Hempstead, New York	1935	2001		10,871	$637,100,000	Pride
James Madison University	Harrisonburg, Virginia	1908	1979	Public	21,787	$116,700,000	Dukes
Northeastern University	Boston, Massachusetts	1898	2005	Private	21,627	$1,070,000,000	Huskies
Towson University	Towson, Maryland	1866	1979	Public	22,923	$87,800,000	Tigers
			2001[a]
University of North Carolina Wilmington	Wilmington, North Carolina	1947	1984		17,499	$103,800,000	Seahawks
College of William & Mary	Williamsburg, Virginia	1693	1979		8,817	$967,700,000	Tribe

Notes

Former full members[]

Institution	Location	Founded	Joined	Left	Type	Nickname	Colors	Current Conference
American University	Washington, D.C.	1893	1984	2001	Private	Eagles		Patriot
University of Baltimore	Baltimore, Maryland	1925	1979	1981	Public	Super Bees		none[a]
Catholic University of America	Washington, D.C.	1887			Private (Roman Catholic)	Cardinals		Landmark (NCAA Division III)
East Carolina University	Greenville, North Carolina	1907	1981	2001	Public	Pirates		AAC
George Mason University	Fairfax, Virginia	1957	1979	2013		Patriots		Atlantic 10
Georgia State University	Atlanta, Georgia	1913	2005			Panthers		Sun Belt
United States Naval Academy	Annapolis, Maryland	1845	1979	1991	Federal (Military)	Midshipmen		Patriot
Old Dominion University	Norfolk, Virginia	1930		1982	Public	Monarchs		C-USA
			1991	2013
University of Richmond	Richmond, Virginia	1830	1979	2001	Private	Spiders		Atlantic 10
Saint Francis University	Loretto, Pennsylvania	1847		1981	Private (Roman Catholic)	Red Flash		Northeast
Virginia Commonwealth University	Richmond, Virginia	1838	1995	2012	Public	Rams		Atlantic 10

Notes

Associate members[]

Current associate members[]

Institution	Location	Founded	Joined	Type	Enrollment	Nickname	Colors	Sport	Primary Conference
University at Albany	Albany, New York	1844	2013	Public	17,944	Great Danes		football	America East
University of California, San Diego	La Jolla, California[a]	1960	2020[b]		40,473	Tritons		rowing (w)	Big West
University of Connecticut	Storrs, Connecticut	1861	2019	Public	32,257	Huskies		rowing (w)[14][c]	Big East
Eastern Michigan University	Ypsilanti, Michigan	1849	2012	Public	20,313	Eagles		rowing (w)	Mid-American
Fairfield University	Fairfield, Connecticut	1942	2014	Private	5,273	Stags		lacrosse (m)	MAAC
University of Maine	Orono, Maine	1865	2007	Public	11,404	Black Bears		football	America East
University of Massachusetts	Amherst, Massachusetts	1863	2009		30,593	Minutemen		lacrosse (m)	Atlantic 10
University of New Hampshire	Durham, New Hampshire	1866	2007		15,305	Wildcats		football	America East
University of Rhode Island	Kingston, Rhode Island	1892			16,883	Rams			Atlantic 10
University of Richmond	Richmond, Virginia	1830		Private	4,002	Spiders
Stony Brook University	Stony Brook, New York	1957	2013	Public	26,814	Seawolves			America East
Villanova University	Villanova, Pennsylvania	1842	2007	Private	11,023	Wildcats			Big East
			2015					rowing (w)

Former associate members[]

Institution	Location	Founded	Joined	Left	Type	Nickname	Colors	Sport	Primary Conference	Conference in Former CAA Sport
Binghamton University	Vestal, New York	1946	2001	2013	Public	Bearcats		wrestling	America East	EIWA
Boston College	Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts	1842	2001	2002	Private	Eagles		wrestling	ACC
Boston University	Boston, Massachusetts	1839	2001 (wrestling)	2013		Terriers		wrestling	Patriot	none[a]
			2011 (rowing)					rowing (w)		Patriot
The State University of New York at Buffalo	Buffalo, New York	1846	2008	2017	Public	Bulls		rowing (w)	Mid-American	none[b]
Campbell University	Buies Creek, North Carolina	1887	1996	2008	Private	Fighting Camels		wrestling	Big South	Southern
Davidson College	Davidson, North Carolina	1837	2001	2007		Wildcats		swimming & diving	Atlantic 10
University of Dayton	Dayton, Ohio	1850	2002	2014		Flyers		golf (w)	Atlantic 10	Metro Atlantic
Liberty University	Lynchburg, Virginia	1971	1991	1994		Flames		wrestling	ASUN	none[c]
Loyola University Maryland	Baltimore	1852	2001	2002		Greyhounds		lacrosse (m)	Patriot
University of Massachusetts	Amherst, Massachusetts	1863	2007	2012	Public	Minutemen		football	Atlantic 10	FBS Independent[d]
University of North Carolina at Greensboro	Greensboro, North Carolina	1891	1994	1996		Spartans		wrestling	SoCon	none[e]
Penn State University	University Park, Pennsylvania	1855	2009	2014		Nittany Lions		lacrosse (m)	Big Ten
University of Richmond	Richmond, Virginia	1830	2002		Private	Spiders		golf (w)	Atlantic 10	Patriot
Rider University	Lawrenceville, New Jersey	1865	2001	2013		Broncs		wrestling	MAAC	Mid-American
Robert Morris University	Moon Township, Pennsylvania	1921		2009		Colonials		lacrosse (m)	Horizon	ASUN
Sacred Heart University	Fairfield, Connecticut	1963	2005 (lacrosse)			Pioneers		lacrosse (m)	Northeast	Northeast
			2001 (wrestling)	2010				wrestling		EIWA
Saint Joseph's University	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	1851	2010	2013		Hawks		lacrosse (m)	Atlantic 10	Northeast
Villanova University	Villanova, Pennsylvania	1842	2001	2009		Wildcats		lacrosse (m)	Big East[f]
Virginia Tech	Blacksburg, Virginia	1872	1992	1998	Public	Hokies		wrestling	ACC
Wagner College	Staten Island, New York	1883	2001	2007	Private	Seahawks		wrestling	Northeast	none[g]
Xavier University	Cincinnati, Ohio	1831	2002	2013		Musketeers		golf (w)	Big East

Notes

Membership timeline[]

Full members Full members (non-football) Assoc. members (football only) Assoc. member (list sports)

Sports[]

The CAA sponsors championship competitions in ten men's and twelve women's NCAA sanctioned sports. Eleven schools are associate members in three sports.^[17]

Colonial Athletic Association teams

Sport	Men's	Women's
Baseball	9	-
Basketball	10	10
Cross Country	6	8
Field Hockey	-	7
Football	12	-
Golf	9	8
Lacrosse	6	7
Rowing	-	7
Soccer	9	10
Softball	-	7
Swimming & Diving	5	7
Tennis	8	9
Track and Field (Outdoor)	3	8
Volleyball	-	9

Men's sponsored sports by school[]

School	Baseball	Basketball	Cross country	Football	Golf	Lacrosse	Soccer	Swimming & diving	Tennis	Track & field (outdoor)	Total CAA sports
Charleston	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	N	Y	N	Y	N	6
Delaware	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	8
Drexel	N	Y	N	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	6
Elon	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	N	Y	N	7
Hofstra	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	8
James Madison	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	N	Y	N	Y	N	6
Northeastern	Y	Y	Y	N	N	N	Y	N	N	Y	5
Towson	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	N	N	6
UNC Wilmington	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	8
William & Mary	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	9
Totals	9	10	6	5+7	9	4+2	9	5	8	4	69+9
Associate members
Albany				Y							1
Fairfield						Y					1
Maine				Y							1
New Hampshire				Y							1
Rhode Island				Y							1
Richmond				Y							1
Stony Brook				Y							1
UMass						Y					1
Villanova				Y							1

Men's varsity sports not sponsored by the CAA which are played by CAA schools:

School	Gymnastics	Ice hockey	Sailing[a]	Squash[b]	Track & field (indoor)
Charleston	—	—	Independent	—	—
Drexel	—	—	—	Independent	—
Northeastern	—	Hockey East	—	—	ECAC
William & Mary	EIGL	—	—	—	ECAC

Notes

Women's sponsored sports by school[]

School	Basketball	Cross country	Field hockey	Golf	Lacrosse	Rowing	Soccer	Softball	Swimming & diving	Tennis	Track & field (outdoor)	Volleyball	Total CAA sports
Charleston	Y	Y	N	Y	N	N	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	8
Delaware	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	12
Drexel	Y	N	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	N	8
Elon	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	9
Hofstra	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	10
James Madison	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	11
Northeastern	Y	Y	Y	N	N	Y	Y	N	Y	N	Y	Y	8
Towson	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	11
UNC Wilmington	Y	Y	N	Y	N	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	9
William & Mary	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	10
Totals	10	9	7	8	7	3+4	10	8	7	9	9	9	96+4
Associate members
UC San Diego						Y							1
Eastern Michigan						Y							1
UConn						Y							1
Villanova						Y							1

Women's varsity sports not sponsored by the CAA which are played by CAA schools:

School	Beach volleyball	Equestrian[a]	Gymnastics	Ice hockey	Sailing[b]	Squash[c]	Track & field (indoor)
Charleston	ASUN	Independent	—	—	Independent	—	ECAC
Delaware	—	—	—	ACHA	—	—	ECAC
Drexel	—	—	—	—	—	Independent	—
Elon	—	—	—	—	—	—	ECAC
James Madison	—	—	—	—	—	—	ECAC
Northeastern	—	—	—	Hockey East	—	Independent	—
Towson	—	—	EAGL	—	—	—	ECAC
UNC Wilmington	ASUN	—	—	—	—	—	ECAC
William & Mary	—	—	ECAC	—	—	—	ECAC

Notes

In addition to the above, Charleston counts its female cheerleaders (though not its male cheerleaders) and all-female dance team as varsity teams. Neither cheerleading nor dance team competitions are sponsored by the NCAA.

Current champions[]

RS = regular-season champion; T = tournament champion

Season	Sport	Men's champion	Women's champion
Fall 2020	Cross country[a]	Northeastern	Elon
	Field hockey[a]	–	James Madison (RS) Delaware (T)
	Football[a]	Delaware	–
	Soccer[a][b]	Hofstra (RS, North) James Madison (RS, South & T)	Hofstra (RS, North) UNCW (RS, South) Elon (T)
	Volleyball[a][b]	–	Towson (RS, North & T) James Madison (RS, South)
Winter 2020–21	Basketball	James Madison & Northeastern (RS) Drexel (T)	Delaware (RS) Drexel (T)
	Swimming & diving	Towson	James Madison
Spring 2021	Baseball[b]	Northeastern (RS, North & T) UNCW (T)	–
	Golf	Charleston	James Madison
	Lacrosse[c]	Delaware (RS) Drexel (T)	Drexel (RS, North) Elon & James Madison (RS, South) James Madison (T)
	Rowing	–	Northeastern
	Softball[b]	–	Drexel (RS, North) James Madison (RS, South & T)
	Tennis	UNCW	James Madison
	Track & field (outdoor)	Northeastern	Elon

Men's basketball[]

*	Denotes a tie for regular season conference title
†	Denotes game went into overtime

Regular season champions[]

Note: The conference was known as the ECAC South from 1979 to 1985.

Season	Regular Season Champion	Conference Record
1980	Old Dominion	7–0
1981	James Madison	11–2
1982	James Madison	10–1
1983	William & Mary	9–0
1984	Richmond	7–3
1985	Navy	11–3
1986	Navy	13–1
1987	Navy	13–1
1988	Richmond	11–3
1989	Richmond	13–1
1990	James Madison	11–3
1991	James Madison	12–2
1992	Richmond	12–2
1993	James Madison	11–3
1994	Old Dominion	10–4
1995	Old Dominion	12–2
1996	VCU	14–2
1997	Old Dominion	10–6
1998*	William & Mary UNC Wilmington	13–3
1999	George Mason	13–3
2000*	George Mason James Madison	12–4
2001	Richmond	12–4
2002	UNC Wilmington	14–4
2003	UNC Wilmington	15–3
2004	VCU	14–4
2005	Old Dominion	15–3
2006*	George Mason UNC Wilmington	15–3
2007	VCU	16–2
2008	VCU	15–3
2009	VCU	14–4
2010	Old Dominion	15–3
2011	George Mason	16–2
2012	Drexel	16–2
	Northeastern	14–4
2014	Delaware	14–2
2015*	William & Mary UNC Wilmington Northeastern James Madison	12–6
2016*	Hofstra UNC Wilmington	14–4
2017	UNC Wilmington	15–3
2018*	College of Charleston Northeastern	14–4
2019	Hofstra	15–3
2020	Hofstra	14-4
2021*	James Madison Northeastern	8–2

History of the Tournament Final[]

Year	CAA Champions	Score	Runner-Up	Tournament MVP	Venue
1980	Old Dominion	62–51†	Navy	Mark West, Old Dominion	Hampton Coliseum (Hampton, Virginia)
1981	James Madison	69–60	Richmond	Charles Fisher, James Madison	Hampton Coliseum (Hampton, Virginia)
1982	Old Dominion	58–57	James Madison	Mark West (2), Old Dominion	Norfolk Scope (Norfolk, Virginia)
1983	James Madison	41–38	William & Mary	Derek Steele, James Madison	Robins Center (Richmond, Virginia)
1984	Richmond	74–55	Navy	Johnny Newman, Richmond	Convocation Center (Harrisonburg, Virginia)
1985	Navy	85–76	Richmond	Vernon Butler, Navy	William & Mary Hall (Williamsburg, Virginia)
1986	Navy	72–61	George Mason	David Robinson, Navy	Patriot Center (Fairfax, Virginia)
1987	Navy	53–50	James Madison	David Robinson (2), Navy	Hampton Coliseum (Hampton, Virginia)
1988	Richmond	73–70	George Mason	Peter Wollfolk, Richmond	Hampton Coliseum (Hampton, Virginia)
1989	George Mason	78–72†	UNC Wilmington	Kenny Sanders, George Mason	Hampton Coliseum (Hampton, Virginia)
1990	Richmond	77–72	James Madison	Kenny Atkinson, Richmond	Richmond Coliseum (Richmond, Virginia)
1991	Richmond	81–78	George Mason	Jim Shields, Richmond	Richmond Coliseum (Richmond, Virginia)
1992	Old Dominion	78–73	James Madison	Ricardo Leonard, Old Dominion	Richmond Coliseum (Richmond, Virginia)
1993	East Carolina	54–49	James Madison	Lester Lyons, East Carolina	Richmond Coliseum (Richmond, Virginia)
1994	James Madison	77–76	Old Dominion	Odell Hodge, Old Dominion	Richmond Coliseum (Richmond, Virginia)
1995	Old Dominion	80–75	James Madison	Petey Sessoms, Old Dominion	Richmond Coliseum (Richmond, Virginia)
1996	VCU	46–43	UNC Wilmington	Bernard Hopkins, VCU	Richmond Coliseum (Richmond, Virginia)
1997	Old Dominion	62–58	James Madison	Odell Hodge (2), Old Dominion	Richmond Coliseum (Richmond, Virginia)
1998	Richmond	79–64	UNC Wilmington	Daryl Oliver, Richmond	Richmond Coliseum (Richmond, Virginia)
1999	George Mason	63–58	Old Dominion	George Evans, George Mason	Richmond Coliseum (Richmond, Virginia)
2000	UNC Wilmington	57–47	Richmond	Brett Blizzard, UNC Wilmington	Richmond Coliseum (Richmond, Virginia)
2001	George Mason	35–33	UNC Wilmington	Erik Herring, George Mason	Richmond Coliseum (Richmond, Virginia)
2002	UNC Wilmington	66–51	VCU	Brett Blizzard (2), UNC Wilmington	Richmond Coliseum (Richmond, Virginia)
2003	UNC Wilmington	70–62	Drexel	Brett Blizzard (3), UNC Wilmington	Richmond Coliseum (Richmond, Virginia)
2004	VCU	55–54	George Mason	Domonic Jones, VCU	Richmond Coliseum (Richmond, Virginia)
2005	Old Dominion	73–66†	VCU	Alex Loughton, Old Dominion	Richmond Coliseum (Richmond, Virginia)
2006	UNC Wilmington	78–67	Hofstra	T. J. Carter, UNC Wilmington	Richmond Coliseum (Richmond, Virginia)
2007	VCU	65–59	George Mason	Eric Maynor, VCU	Richmond Coliseum (Richmond, Virginia)
2008	George Mason	68–59	William & Mary	Folarin Campbell, George Mason	Richmond Coliseum (Richmond, Virginia)
2009	VCU	71–50	George Mason	Eric Maynor (2), VCU	Richmond Coliseum (Richmond, Virginia)
2010	Old Dominion	60–53	William & Mary	Gerald Lee, Old Dominion	Richmond Coliseum (Richmond, Virginia)
2011	Old Dominion	70–65	VCU	Frank Hassell, Old Dominion	Richmond Coliseum (Richmond, Virginia)
2012	VCU	59–56	Drexel	Darius Theus, VCU	Richmond Coliseum (Richmond, Virginia)
2013	James Madison	70–57	Northeastern	A. J. Davis, James Madison	Richmond Coliseum (Richmond, Virginia)
2014	Delaware	75–74	William & Mary	Jarvis Threatt, Delaware	Baltimore Arena (Baltimore, Maryland)
2015	Northeastern	72–61	William & Mary	Quincy Ford, Northeastern	Royal Farms Arena (Baltimore, Maryland)
2016	UNC Wilmington	80–73†	Hofstra	Chris Flemmings, UNC Wilmington	Royal Farms Arena (Baltimore, Maryland)
2017	UNC Wilmington	78–69	Charleston	C. J. Bryce, UNC Wilmington	North Charleston Coliseum (North Charleston, South Carolina)
2018	Charleston	83–76†	Northeastern	Grant Riller, Charleston	North Charleston Coliseum (North Charleston, South Carolina)
2019	Northeastern	82–74	Hofstra	Vasa Pusica, Northeastern	North Charleston Coliseum (North Charleston, South Carolina)
2020	Hofstra	70–61	Northeastern	Desure Buie, Hofstra	Entertainment and Sports Arena (Washington, D.C.)
2021	Drexel	63-56	Elon	Camren Wynter, Drexel	Atlantic Union Bank Center (Harrisonburg, VA)

Men's CAA Tournament championships and finalists[]

School	Championships	Finals Appearances	Years
Old Dominion‡	8	10	1980, 1982, 1992, 1995, 1997, 2005, 2010, 2011
UNC Wilmington	6	10	2000, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2016, 2017
Richmond‡	5	8	1984, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1998
VCU‡	5	8	1996, 2004, 2007, 2009, 2012
James Madison	4	11	1981, 1983, 1994, 2013
George Mason‡	4	10	1989, 1999, 2001, 2008
Navy‡	3	5	1985, 1986, 1987
Northeastern	2	5	2015, 2019
Hofstra	1	4	2020
Drexel	1	2	2021
Charleston	1	2	2018
Delaware	1	1	2014
East Carolina‡	1	1	1993
William & Mary	0	5	—
Elon	0	1	—
Towson	0	0	—

^‡Former member of the CAA

Broadcasters[]

Women's basketball[]

Regular season champions[]

Season	Regular Season Champion	Conference Record
1984	Richmond	4–1
1985	East Carolina	11–1
1986	James Madison	11–1
1987	James Madison	12–0
1988	James Madison	12–0
1989	James Madison	12–0
1990	Richmond	11–1
1991	James Madison	11–1
1992	Old Dominion	12–2
1993	Old Dominion	14–0
1994	Old Dominion	14–0
1995	Old Dominion	13–1
1996	Old Dominion	16–0
1997	Old Dominion	16–0
1998	Old Dominion	16–0
1999	Old Dominion	16–0
2000	Old Dominion	16–0
2001	Old Dominion	15–1
2002	Old Dominion	18–0
2003	Old Dominion	15–3
2004	Old Dominion	14–4
2005	Delaware	16–2
2006	Old Dominion	17–1
2007	Old Dominion	17–1
2008	Old Dominion	17–1
2009	Drexel	16–2
2010	Old Dominion	14–4
2011	James Madison	16–2
2012	Delaware	18–0
2013	Delaware	18–0
2014	James Madison	15–1
2015	James Madison	17–1
2016	James Madison	17–1
2017	Elon	16–2
2018*	Drexel James Madison	16–2
2019	James Madison	17–1
2020*	Drexel James Madison	16–2

*	Denotes a tie for regular season conference title
†	Denotes game went into overtime

History of the Tournament Finals[]

Year	CAA Champions	Score	Runner-Up	Tournament MVP	Venue
1984	East Carolina	54–39	Richmond	N/A	Minges Coliseum (Greenville, North Carolina)
1985	East Carolina	65–59	James Madison	N/A	William & Mary Hall (Williamsburg, Virginia)
1986	James Madison	66–62	East Carolina	Lisa Squirewell, ECU	Trask Coliseum (Wilmington, North Carolina)
1987	James Madison	74–62	American	Sydney Beasley, JMU	JMU Convocation Center (Harrisonburg, Virginia)
1988	James Madison	87–72	George Mason	Sydney Beasley, JMU	Bender Arena (Washington, D.C.)
1989	James Madison	55–45	Richmond	Carolin Dehn-Duhr, JMU	William & Mary Hall (Williamsburg, Virginia)
1990	Richmond	47–46	James Madison	Pam Bryant, UR	Robins Center (Richmond, Virginia)
1991	Richmond	88–70	East Carolina	Ginny Norton, UR	JMU Convocation Center (Harrisonburg, Virginia)
1992	Old Dominion	80–75	East Carolina	Pam Huntley, ODU	ODU Field House (Norfolk, Virginia)
1993	Old Dominion	65–51	William & Mary	Pam Huntley, ODU	ODU Field House (Norfolk, Virginia)
1994	Old Dominion	78–61	George Mason	Celeste Hill, ODU	JMU Convocation Center (Harrisonburg, Virginia)
1995	Old Dominion	63–44	James Madison	Ticha Penicheiro, ODU	ODU Field House (Norfolk, Virginia)
1996	Old Dominion	84–58	James Madison	Clarisse Machanguana, ODU	ODU Field House (Norfolk, Virginia)
1997	Old Dominion	83–46	East Carolina	Clarisse Machanguana, ODU	Richmond Coliseum (Richmond, Virginia)
1998	Old Dominion	82–49	American	Ticha Penicheiro, ODU	Richmond Coliseum (Richmond, Virginia)
1999	Old Dominion	73–67	East Carolina	Natalie Diaz, ODU	Robins Center (Richmond, Virginia)
2000	Old Dominion	92–49	UNC Wilmington	Natalie Diaz, ODU	ALLTEL Pavilion (Richmond, Virginia)
2001	Old Dominion	66–62	James Madison	Monique Coker, ODU	ODU Field House (Norfolk, Virginia)
2002	Old Dominion	76–48	UNC Wilmington	Okeisha Howard, ODU	ODU Field House (Norfolk, Virginia)
2003	Old Dominion	66–58	Delaware	Shareese Grant, ODU	Ted Constant Convocation Center (Norfolk, Virginia)
2004	Old Dominion	85–81	George Mason	Shareese Grant, ODU	Ted Constant Convocation Center (Norfolk, Virginia)
2005	Old Dominion	78–74†	Delaware	Shareese Grant, ODU	Patriot Center (Fairfax, Virginia)
2006	Old Dominion	58–54	James Madison	T. J. Jordan, ODU	Patriot Center (Fairfax, Virginia)
2007	Old Dominion	78–70	James Madison	T. J. Jordan, ODU	Bob Carpenter Center (Newark, Delaware)
2008	Old Dominion	74–51	VCU	Shahida Williams, ODU	Bob Carpenter Center (Newark, Delaware)
2009	Drexel	64–58	James Madison	Gabriela Marginean, Drexel	JMU Convocation Center (Harrisonburg, Virginia)
2010	James Madison	67–53	Old Dominion	Dawn Evans, JMU	JMU Convocation Center (Harrisonburg, Virginia)
2011	James Madison	67–61	Delaware	Dawn Evans, JMU	The Show Place Arena (Upper Marlboro, Maryland)
2012	Delaware	59–43	Drexel	Elena Delle Donne, UD	The Show Place Arena (Upper Marlboro, Maryland)
2013	Delaware	59–56	Drexel	Elena Delle Donne, UD	The Show Place Arena (Upper Marlboro, Maryland)
2014	James Madison	70–45	Delaware	Jazmon Gwathmey, JMU	The Show Place Arena (Upper Marlboro, Maryland)
2015	James Madison	62–56	Hofstra	Jazmon Gwathmey, JMU	The Show Place Arena (Upper Marlboro, Maryland)
2016	James Madison	60–46	Drexel	Jazmon Gwathmey, JMU	The Show Place Arena (Upper Marlboro, Maryland)
2017	Elon	78–60	James Madison	Lauren Brown, Elon	JMU Convocation Center (Harrisonburg, Virginia)
2018	Elon	57-45	Drexel	Shay Burnett, Elon	Daskalakis Athletic Center (Philadelphia)
2019	Towson	53-49	Drexel	Nukiya Mayo, Towson	Bob Carpenter Center (Newark, Delaware)
2020	Tournament canceled after the opening round due to the COVID-19 pandemic				Schar Center (Elon, North Carolina)
	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	Schar Center (Elon, North Carolina)

Women's CAA Tournament Championships and finalists[]

School	Championships	Finals Appearances	Years
Old Dominion‡	17	18	1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
James Madison	9	17	1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2016
Delaware	2	6	2012, 2013
East Carolina‡	2	6	1984, 1985
Richmond‡	2	4	1990, 1991
Elon	2	2	2017, 2018
Drexel	1	6	2009
Towson	1	1	2019
American‡	0	2	—
George Mason‡	0	3	—
UNC Wilmington	0	2	—
William & Mary	0	1	—
VCU‡	0	1	—
Northeastern	0	0	—

^‡Former member of the CAA

Football[]

Colonial Athletic Association Football Conference
CAA, CAA Football
Established	2007
Association	NCAA
Division	Division I
Subdivision	FCS
Members	12 (11 in 2022)
Sports fielded	1 men's: 1 (football)
Region	East Coast
Headquarters	Richmond, Virginia
Website	caasports.com
Locations

The CAA Football Conference was formed in 2005, although it did not begin play until 2007, as a separate conference independent of the CAA, but administered by the CAA front office. For this reason, there are no true "football associate members" as every member of CAA Football is a full-member of the football-only conference. In the 2004–05 academic year, the CAA had five member schools that sponsored football, all of them as football-only members of the Atlantic 10 Conference (A10). In 2005, as previously noted, Northeastern accepted the CAA's offer of membership, giving the CAA the six football-playing members it needed under NCAA rules to organize a football conference. At that time, the CAA announced it would launch its new football conference in 2007. Next, the CAA invited the University of Richmond to become a football-only member effective in 2007. Once UR accepted the offer, this left the A10 football conference with only five members, less than the six required under NCAA rules. As a result, the remaining A10 football programs all decided to join the CAA on a football-only basis, spelling the end of A10 football, at least under that conference's banner. Since the CAA football conference had the same members as the A10 the previous year, it can be said that the CAA football conference is the A10 football conference under new management.

The CAA football conference's earliest roots are in the New England Conference, founded in 1938 by four state-supported universities in that region plus Northeastern; three of the public schools are currently in the CAA football conference. After the departure of Northeastern in 1945, the remaining members joined New England's other land-grant colleges, Massachusetts State College (now the University of Massachusetts) and the University of Vermont, to form the Yankee Conference under a new charter in 1946, with competition starting in 1947. That conference eventually dropped all sports other than football in 1975. Starting in the 1980s, it expanded to include many schools outside its original New England base. After the NCAA voted to limit the influence of single-sport conferences, the Yankee merged with the A10 in 1997. As mentioned above, the A10 football conference effectively became the CAA Football Conference in 2007.

The CAA Football Conference does not claim the legacy of the A10 Football Conference or the Yankee Conference. However, every school that was in the Yankee Conference at the time of the A10 merger and still fields an FCS-level football team (nine out of the final 12 members of the Yankee Conference) is in the CAA football conference. As further proof of the continuity between conferences, the CAA inherited the A10's automatic bid to the FCS playoffs, which in turn was inherited from the Yankee.

On May 31, 2006, Old Dominion University announced that it would start a football team to begin play in 2009.^[18] ODU joined the CAA football conference in 2011.^[19] On April 17, 2008, Georgia State University announced that it would start a football team to begin play in 2010 and join the CAA football conference in 2012.^[20] The team is playing in the 70,000 seat Georgia Dome, but is restricting ticket sales to just over 28,000 for virtually all its games. However, GSU played only the 2012 season in the CAA, and was not eligible for the conference title, as it began an FBS transition in advance of its 2013 move to the Sun Belt Conference.^[3]

Since the CAA began play as a football conference in 2007, a member team has played in the FCS Championship game seven times, with Delaware making it in 2007 and 2010, Richmond in winning in 2008, Villanova winning in 2009, Towson appearing in 2013, and James Madison winning in 2016 and appearing in 2017. In 2007, the CAA set records with 15 national player of the week honorees and by sending five teams to the national championship playoffs. The very next season, in 2008, they broke that record with 19 national player of the week honorees and tied their own record by again sending five teams to the national championship playoffs for the second straight year. At the end of the 2008 season, the CAA had six Top 25 teams with four placing in the Top Ten. Players from the CAA received 78 All-America honors.

In the opening weekend of the 2009 season, CAA teams defeated three Division I FBS teams. William & Mary and Richmond took down teams from the ACC (one of the six conferences whose champions receive automatic Bowl Championship Series berths), respectively Virginia and Duke, while Villanova defeated Temple from the MAC. The following weekend saw New Hampshire defeat another MAC team, Ball State (which had gone through the previous regular season unbeaten, but ended 2009 2–10). All four of the CAA teams to defeat FBS teams qualified for the 2009 FCS playoffs and won their first-round games; Villanova and William & Mary reached the semifinals, and Villanova won the FCS championship.

Northeastern—the school whose 2005 move to the CAA enabled the creation of the CAA football conference—dropped football after the 2009 season. President Joseph E. Aoun and the board of trustees endorsed the move after an extensive, two-year review of the athletic program by its director, Peter Roby. The decision to eliminate football followed six straight losing seasons and sparse game attendance at a school whose ice rink often sells out for hockey.^[21]

On December 3, 2009, Hofstra announced that the university would no longer be sponsoring football. The decision follows a two-year review of sports spending at Hofstra. School officials stated there are no plans to cut any other sports at the Long Island school. Hofstra cited costs and low student interest—only 500 students would attend home games despite free tickets—as reasons to drop the program.^[22] Due to the reduction of the conference, the CAA did not use the division format for the 2010 season. Even though Old Dominion began conference play in 2011 and Georgia State did the same in 2012, the divisional format is not likely to return in the immediate future, as the CAA lost football members in both 2012 and 2013. UMass departed for FBS and the Mid-American Conference in 2012 followed by Georgia State's departure for the Sun Belt and Old Dominion for Conference USA.

The 2010 season started with the biggest non-conference win of the CAA's short history, when James Madison defeated nationally ranked Virginia Tech (FBS #13 at the time) of the ACC. JMU won 21–16 on September 11, at Virginia Tech's Lane Stadium.

Current members[]

The CAA football conference has the following members:

• Albany
• Delaware
• Elon
• James Madison
• Maine
• New Hampshire
• Richmond
• Rhode Island
• Stony Brook
• Towson
• Villanova
• William & Mary

Former members[]

The former members of the CAA football conference are:

• Northeastern: 2007–2009, dropped football^[21]
• Georgia State: 2012, moved to the FBS-level Sun Belt Conference^[23]
• Hofstra: 2007–2009, dropped football^[24]
• UMass: 2007–2011, moved to the FBS-level Mid-American Conference for football only, now an FBS Independent ^[25]
• Old Dominion: 2011–2012, competed as an FCS independent in 2013 before joining Conference USA, an FBS conference, for the sport in 2014

Hofstra, Massachusetts, and Northeastern each also played in the CAA's predecessor football conferences. Massachusetts and Northeastern joined the Yankee Conference in 1947 and 1993 respectively, and Hofstra joined the Atlantic 10 Conference in 2001.

Additionally, former members of its ancestor conferences (New England Conference, Yankee Conference, Atlantic 10 Conference) include:

• Boston U.: 1971–1997, dropped football
• Northeastern: 1938–1945 (New England Conference)
• Holy Cross: 1971, became independent, now in Patriot League
• UConn: 1938–1999, moved up to Division I-A (now FBS) and joined the Big East Conference for football in 2004. When the original Big East split in 2013, UConn remained with most of the FBS Big East schools in the reorganized American Athletic Conference. In July 2020, UConn joined the current non-football Big East Conference, with football becoming an FBS independent.
• Vermont: 1938–1973, dropped football

Membership timeline[]

Full members

Conference champions[]

*	Denotes a tie for regular season conference title
†	Denotes team failed to qualify for FCS Playoffs
Bold type	Denotes national champion in the same season

Year	Team(s)	Conference Record	Overall Record(s)	Head Coach(es)
2007*	Massachusetts Richmond	7–1	10–3 11–3	Don Brown Dave Clawson
2008	James Madison	8–0	12–2	Mickey Matthews
2009*	Richmond Villanova	7–1	11–2 14–1	Mike London Andy Talley
2010*	Delaware William & Mary	6–2	12–3 8–4	K. C. Keeler Jimmye Laycock
2011	Towson	7–1	9–3	Rob Ambrose
2012*	New Hampshire Richmond† Villanova Towson†[26]	6–2	8–3 8–3 8–3 7–4	Sean McDonnell Danny Rocco Andy Talley Rob Ambrose
2013	Maine	7–1	10–3	Jack Cosgrove
2014	New Hampshire	8–0	10–1	Sean McDonnell
2015*	James Madison Richmond William & Mary	6–2	9–2 8–3 8–3	Everett Withers Danny Rocco Jimmye Laycock
2016	James Madison	8–0	14–1	Mike Houston
2017	James Madison	8–0	14–1	Mike Houston
2018	Maine	7–1	10–4	Joe Harasymiak
2019	James Madison	8–0	14–2	Curt Cignetti
2020	Delaware	4–0	5−0	Danny Rocco
2021*	James Madison Villanova	7–1	10–1 9–2	Curt Cignetti Mark Ferrante

All-time conference championships[]

School	Championships	Outright Championships	Years
James Madison	5	4	2008, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019
Richmond	4	0	2007, 2009, 2012, 2015
Delaware	2	1	2010, 2020a[27]
Maine	2	2	2013, 2018
New Hampshire	2	1	2012, 2014
Towson	2	1	2011, 2012
Villanova	2	0	2009, 2012
William & Mary	2	0	2010, 2015
Massachusetts ‡	1	0	2007

Co-championships are designated by italics.

BOLD denotes the team won the National Championship

^‡Former member of CAA Football

• ^a The CAA's 2020–21 NCAA Division I FCS football season was played in Spring 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Several teams opted out, and some games were canceled. The Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens completed the season with a 5-0 overall record, 4-0 in conference, and won the North Division title; the James Madison Dukes completed the season with a 5-0 overall record, 3-0 in conference, and won the South Division title. A vote of the CAA athletic directors, not including Delaware or James Madison, was held to determine a champion. The Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens were declared the 2020 CAA football champions as a result of this vote and were awarded the automatic qualifier for the FCS playoffs.^[27]

NCAA FCS National Championships by School[]

School	Championships	Finals Appearances	Won	Lost
James Madison	2	4	2004*, 2016	2017, 2019
Delaware	1	4	2003*	1982†, 2007, 2010
Villanova	1	1	2009
Massachusetts	1	3	1998*	1978, 2006^
Richmond	1	1	2008
Towson	0	1	2013

†Delaware was an NCAA FCS Independent in the 1982 season.

*Won as a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference.

^UMass became a football-only member in the MAC in 2013, and an independent football member of FBS beginning with the 2016 season.

All-time NFL Draft selections[]

Year	Round	Selection	Player	Position	College	NFL Team
2008	1	18	Joe Flacco	Quarterback	Delaware	Baltimore Ravens
	4	125	Arman Shields	Wide receiver	Richmond	Oakland Raiders
	5	149	Tim Hightower	Running back	Richmond	Arizona Cardinals
	6	207	Matt Sherry	Tight end	Villanova	Cincinnati Bengals
2009	3	73	Derek Cox	Cornerback	William & Mary	Jacksonville Jaguars
	4	125	Lawrence Sidbury	Defensive end	Richmond	Atlanta Falcons
2010	2	61	Vladimir Ducasse	Offensive tackle	Massachusetts	New York Jets
	6	178	Arthur Moats	Defensive end	James Madison	Buffalo Bills
		184	Adrian Tracy	Linebacker	William & Mary	New York Giants
		203	Scotty McGee	Kick returner	James Madison	Jacksonville Jaguars
	7	234	Sean Lissemore	Defensive tackle	William & Mary	Dallas Cowboys
2011	2	49	Ben Ijalana	Offensive tackle	Villanova	Indianapolis Colts
	7	206	Justin Rogers	Cornerback	Richmond	Buffalo Bills
2012	4	98	Gino Gradkowski	Guard	Delaware	Baltimore Ravens
		133	Jerron McMillian	Safety	Maine	Green Bay Packers
2013	4	114	B. W. Webb	Cornerback	William & Mary	Dallas Cowboys
		116	Earl Watford	Guard	James Madison	Arizona Cardinals
	5	152	Cooper Taylor	Safety	Richmond	New York Giants
	7	241	Jared Smith	Defensive tackle	New Hampshire	Seattle Seahawks
2014	3	94	Terrance West	Running back	Towson	Cleveland Browns
	6	184	Kendall James	Cornerback	Maine	Minnesota Vikings
2015	7	245	Tre McBride	Wide receiver	William & Mary	Tennessee Titans
2016	6	185	DeAndre Houston-Carson	Cornerback	William & Mary	Chicago Bears
	7	239	Trevor Bates	Linebacker	Maine	Indianapolis Colts
2017	2	59	Tanoh Kpassagnon	Defensive end	Villanova	Kansas City Chiefs
	7	236	Brad Seaton	Offensive tackle	Villanova	Tennessee Titans
2018	4	108	Kyle Lauletta	Quarterback	Richmond	New York Giants
	5	145	Bilal Nichols	Defensive tackle	Delaware	Chicago Bears
	6	192	Jamil Demby	Offensive tackle	Maine	Los Angeles Rams
2019	2	60	Nasir Adderley	Safety	Delaware	Los Angeles Chargers
	6	193	Oli Udoh	Offensive tackle	Elon	Minnesota Vikings
	7	227	Jimmy Moreland	Cornerback	James Madison	Washington Redskins
2020	5	171	Isaiah Coulter	Wide receiver	Rhode Island	Houston Texans
	7	231	Ben DiNucci	Quarterback	James Madison	Dallas Cowboys

Men's soccer[]

Regular season champions[]

Note: The conference was known as the ECAC South from 1983 to 1985.

List of CAA regular season champions.^[28]

Season	Regular Season Champion	Conference Record
1983	George Mason	4–1–0
1984	American	5–0–2
1985	American	6–1–0
1986	George Mason	5–0–2
1987	William & Mary	6–1–0
1988	Navy	5–1–1
1989	George Mason	6–0–1
1990	George Mason	6–1–0
1991	James Madison	6–1–0
1992	William & Mary	5–0–2
1993	James Madison	7–0–0
1994	James Madison	6–0–1
1995	William & Mary	6–2–0
1996	William & Mary	8–0–0
1997	American	6–0–2
1998	VCU	7–0–1
1999	Old Dominion	7–1–0
2000	James Madison	7–1–0
2001	Old Dominion	3–0–2
2002	VCU	7–1–1
2003	VCU	8–1–0
2004	VCU	7–1–1
2005	Old Dominion	9–1–1
2006	Towson	10–0–1
2007	Drexel	8–2–1
2008	UNC Wilmington	7–4–0
2009	UNC Wilmington	8–0–3
2010	William & Mary	8–1–2
2011	James Madison	8–3–0
2012	Drexel	8–1–1
2013	Drexel	4–1–2
2014	Delaware, Hofstra & UNCW	5–2–1
2015	Elon & Hofstra	6–2–0
2016	Hofstra	7–1–0
2017	James Madison	5–1–2
2018	James Madison	6–2
2019	UNC Wilmington	7–0–1

All-time conference championships[]

School	Championships	Outright Championships	Years
James Madison	7	7	1991, 1993, 1994, 2000, 2011, 2017, 2018
UNC Wilmington	4	3	2008, 2009, 2014, 2019
Hofstra	3	1	2014, 2015, 2016
Elon	1	0	2015
Towson	2	1	2011, 2012
Villanova	2	0	2009, 2012
William & Mary	2	0	2010, 2015
Delaware	1	0	2010
Massachusetts ‡	1	0	2007

Facilities[]

School	Football stadium	Capacity	Basketball arena (Nickname)	Capacity	Baseball park	Capacity
Albany	Bob Ford Field at Tom & Mary Casey Stadium	8,500	Football-only member (See: America East)
Charleston	Non-football school		TD Arena	5,100	CofC Baseball Stadium at Patriot's Point	2,000
Delaware	Delaware Stadium	16,730	Bob Carpenter Center (The "Bob")	5,000	Bob Hannah Stadium	1,300
Drexel	Non-football school		Daskalakis Athletic Center (The "DAC")	2,509	Non-baseball school
Elon	Rhodes Stadium	11,250	Schar Center	5,100	Walter C. Latham Park	500
Hofstra	Non-football school		Mack Sports Complex (The "Mack")	5,124	University Field	400
James Madison	Bridgeforth Stadium and Zane Showker Field	24,877	Atlantic Union Bank Center[a]	8,500	Eagle Field at Veterans Memorial Park	1,200
Maine	Alfond Stadium	8,419	Football-only member (See: America East)
New Hampshire	Wildcat Stadium	11,015	Football-only member (See: America East)
Northeastern	Non-football school		Matthews Arena (men's) Cabot Center (women's)	6,000 2,500	Parsons Field	3,000
Rhode Island	Meade Stadium	6,580	Football-only member (See: Atlantic 10)
Richmond	E. Claiborne Robins Stadium	8,700	Football-only member (See: Atlantic 10)
Stony Brook	Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium	12,300	Football-only member (See: America East)
Towson	Johnny Unitas Stadium	11,198	SECU Arena	5,200	John B. Schuerholz Baseball Complex	500
UNC Wilmington	Non-football school		Trask Coliseum	5,200	Brooks Field	3,500
Villanova	Villanova Stadium	12,500	Football-only member (See: Big East)
William & Mary	Zable Stadium	12,259	Kaplan Arena	8,600	Plumeri Park	1,000

References[]

External links[]

• Official website