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The Coastal Athletic Association (CAA), formerly the Colonial Athletic Association, is a collegiate
athletic conference An athletic conference is a collection of sports teams, playing competitively against each other in a sports league. In many cases conferences are subdivided into smaller divisions, with the best teams competing at successively higher levels. Conf ...
affiliated with the
NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges ...
's Division I whose full members are located in East Coast states, from
Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...
to
South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...
. Most of its members are
public universities A public university or public college is a university or college that is in owned by the state or receives significant public funds through a national or subnational government, as opposed to a private university. Whether a national university ...
, and the conference is headquartered in
Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, Californi ...
. The CAA was historically a
Southern Southern may refer to: Businesses * China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China * Southern Airways, defunct US airline * Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US * Southern Airways Express, M ...
conference until the addition of four schools in the
Northeastern United States The Northeastern United States, also referred to as the Northeast, the East Coast, or the American Northeast, is a geographic region of the United States. It is located on the Atlantic coast of North America, with Canada to its north, the Southe ...
(of five that joined from rival conference
America East The America East Conference is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with NCAA Division I founded in 1979, whose members are located in the Northeastern United States. The conference has nine core members including eight public research ...
) after the turn of the 21st century, which added geographic balance to the conference. The CAA was founded in 1979 as the ECAC 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 Northeastern University (NU) is a private research university with its main campus in Boston. Established in 1898, the university offers undergraduate and graduate programs on its main campus as well as satellite campuses in Charlotte, North Ca ...
in 2005 gave the conference the NCAA minimum of six football programs needed to sponsor
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...
. For the 2007 football season, all of the
Atlantic 10 Conference The Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10) is a collegiate athletic conference whose schools compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Division I. The A-10's member schools are located in states mostly on the United States Easter ...
's football programs joined the CAA football conference, as agreed in May 2005. The football league operates under CAA administration as the legally separate entity of CAA Football. The most recent changes to the conference membership took place in 2022 and 2023. First,
Hampton University Hampton University is a private, historically black, research university in Hampton, Virginia. Founded in 1868 as Hampton Agricultural and Industrial School, it was established by Black and White leaders of the American Missionary Association a ...
,
Monmouth University Monmouth University is a private university in West Long Branch, New Jersey. Founded in 1933 as Monmouth Junior College, it became Monmouth College in 1956 and Monmouth University in 1995 after receiving its charter. There are about 4,400 full ...
,
North Carolina A&T State University North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (also known as North Carolina A&T State University, North Carolina A&T, N.C. A&T, or simply A&T) is a public, historically black land-grant research university in Greensboro, North Caro ...
, and
Stony Brook University Stony Brook University (SBU), officially the State University of New York at Stony Brook, is a public research university in Stony Brook, New York. Along with the University at Buffalo, it is one of the State University of New York system' ...
joined in 2022. Stony Brook, already a member of CAA Football, joined in other sports at that time; Hampton and Monmouth joined both the all-sports CAA and CAA Football; and NC A&T joined the all-sports CAA in 2022 and joined CAA Football in 2023. This was followed by
Campbell University Campbell University is a private Baptist university in Buies Creek, North Carolina. It is affiliated with the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina (Southern Baptist Convention). Southern Baptist ConventionColleges and Universities sbc.n ...
joining both sides of the league in 2023.


History

The CAA has expanded in recent years, following the exits of longtime members such as the
United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy ...
, the
University of Richmond The University of Richmond (UR or U of R) is a private liberal arts college in Richmond, Virginia. It is a primarily undergraduate, residential institution with approximately 4,350 undergraduate and graduate students in five schools: the School ...
, East Carolina University, and American University. In 2001, the six-member conference added four additional universities:
Towson University Towson University (TU or Towson) is a public university in Towson, Maryland. Founded in 1866 as Maryland's first training school for teachers, Towson University is a part of the University System of Maryland. Since its founding, the university h ...
, Drexel University, Hofstra University, and the
University of Delaware The University of Delaware (colloquially UD or Delaware) is a public land-grant research university located in Newark, Delaware. UD is the largest university in Delaware. It offers three associate's programs, 148 bachelor's programs, 121 ma ...
. Four years later the league expanded again when
Georgia State University Georgia State University (Georgia State, State, or GSU) is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1913, it is one of the University System of Georgia's four research universities. It is also the largest institution of hig ...
and
Northeastern University Northeastern University (NU) is a private research university with its main campus in Boston. Established in 1898, the university offers undergraduate and graduate programs on its main campus as well as satellite campuses in Charlotte, North Ca ...
joined, further enlarging the conference footprint.
Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is a public research university in Richmond, Virginia. VCU was founded in 1838 as the medical department of Hampden–Sydney College, becoming the Medical College of Virginia in 1854. In 1968, the Virginia ...
(VCU) left for the
Atlantic 10 Conference The Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10) is a collegiate athletic conference whose schools compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Division I. The A-10's member schools are located in states mostly on the United States Easter ...
in July 2012. More changes came in 2013:
Old Dominion University Old Dominion University (Old Dominion or ODU) is a public research university in Norfolk, Virginia. It was established in 1930 as the Norfolk Division of the College of William & Mary and is now one of the largest universities in Virginia w ...
left for Conference USA, Georgia State joined the Sun Belt Conference, and the
College of Charleston The College of Charleston (CofC or Charleston) is a public university in Charleston, South Carolina. Founded in 1770 and chartered in 1785, it is the oldest university in South Carolina, the 13th oldest institution of higher learning in the Unit ...
joined the CAA from the
Southern Conference The Southern Conference (SoCon) is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I. Southern Conference football teams compete in the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly k ...
. 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 George Mason (October 7, 1792) was an American planter, politician, Founding Father, and delegate to the U.S. Constitutional Convention of 1787, one of the three delegates present who refused to sign the Constitution. His writings, including ...
became the first CAA team to reach the Final Four. In 2011, the
VCU Rams The VCU Rams are the athletic teams of Virginia Commonwealth University of Richmond, Virginia, United States. The Rams compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association as members of the Atlantic 10 Conference. The most succe ...
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. 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 James Madison University (JMU, Madison, or James Madison) is a public research university in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Founded in 1908 as the State Normal and Industrial School for Women at Harrisonburg, the institution was renamed Madison Coll ...
announced it would leave the CAA, transition its football program to the
Football Bowl Subdivision The NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), formerly known as Division I-A, is the highest level of college football in the United States. The FBS consists of the largest schools in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). As ...
, and join the Sun Belt Conference (SBC). Initially, JMU was to join the SBC in July 2023. 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. Thus, JMU officially joined the Sun Belt in July 2022 instead (at which time it was counted as an FBS member for scheduling purposes after meeting an NCAA minimum requirement of five FBS opponents at home), housing all of its sports in that league, including men's soccer, which would be sponsored by the SBC again, but one season earlier. 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 Howard University (Howard) is a Private university, private, University charter#Federal, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, classifie ...
,
Monmouth University Monmouth University is a private university in West Long Branch, New Jersey. Founded in 1933 as Monmouth Junior College, it became Monmouth College in 1956 and Monmouth University in 1995 after receiving its charter. There are about 4,400 full ...
, and the
University of North Carolina at Greensboro The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG or UNC Greensboro) is a public research university in Greensboro, North Carolina. It is part of the University of North Carolina system. UNCG, like all members of the UNC system, is a stand- ...
. In January 2022, reports emerged that
Hampton University Hampton University is a private, historically black, research university in Hampton, Virginia. Founded in 1868 as Hampton Agricultural and Industrial School, it was established by Black and White leaders of the American Missionary Association a ...
, 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 Stony Brook University (SBU), officially the State University of New York at Stony Brook, is a public research university in Stony Brook, New York. Along with the University at Buffalo, it is one of the State University of New York system' ...
, already a member of CAA Football, was named as a candidate for membership in the all-sports CAA. On January 18, local media in Monmouth's home of New Jersey reported that a CAA invitation to that school was imminent. The CAA later announced on January 25 that Hampton, Monmouth, and Stony Brook would become members of the all-sports CAA that July, with Hampton and Monmouth joining Stony Brook in CAA Football. On February 22, the CAA announced that
North Carolina A&T State University North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (also known as North Carolina A&T State University, North Carolina A&T, N.C. A&T, or simply A&T) is a public, historically black land-grant research university in Greensboro, North Caro ...
would join the all-sports CAA that July and CAA Football in 2023. Still later,
Campbell University Campbell University is a private Baptist university in Buies Creek, North Carolina. It is affiliated with the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina (Southern Baptist Convention). Southern Baptist ConventionColleges and Universities sbc.n ...
was announced as a new member of both sides of the league effective in 2023. On July 20, 2023 the Colonial Athletic Association rebranded as the Coastal Athletic Association, citing the expansion of the conference footprint throughout the east coast for the change in name; however, the current logo was unchanged.


Commissioners


Member schools


Full members


Current full members

;Notes:


Former full members

;Notes


Associate members

In all tables below, dates of joining and departure reflect the calendar years these moves took effect. For spring sports, the year of arrival is the calendar year before the first season of competition. For fall sports, the year of departure is the calendar year after the final season of competition.


Current associate members

;Notes:


Former associate members

;Notes:


Membership timeline

DateFormat = yyyy ImageSize = width:1000 height:auto barincrement:20 Period = from:1979 till:2030 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal PlotArea = right:20 left:0 bottom:50 top:5 #> to display a count on left side of graph, use "left:20" to suppress the count, use "left:20"<# Colors = id:barcolor value:rgb(0.99,0.7,0.7) id:line value:black id:bg value:white id:Full value:rgb(0.742,0.727,0.852) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports id:FullxF value:rgb(0.551,0.824,0.777) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports except for football id:AssocF value:rgb(0.98,0.5,0.445) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member for football only id:AssocOS value:rgb(0.5,0.691,0.824) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in some sports, but not all (consider identifying in legend or a footnote) id:OtherC1 value:rgb(0.996,0.996,0.699) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved to another conference id:OtherC2 value:rgb(0.988,0.703,0.383) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved to another conference where OtherC1 has already been used, to distinguish the two PlotData= width:15 textcolor:black shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:s bar:1 color:FullxF from:1979 till:1981 text:
Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
(1979–1981) bar:1 shift:(75) color:OtherC1 from:1981 till:1983 text:ECAC-Metro (1981–1983), then dropped athletics bar:2 color:FullxF from:1979 till:1981 text: Catholic (D.C.) (1979–1981) bar:2 color:OtherC1 from:1981 till:1982 bar:2 shift:(80) color:OtherC2 from:1982 till:1984 text: ODAC bar:2 color:OtherC1 from:1984 till:1989 bar:2 color:OtherC2 from:1989 till:2007 text:
CAC CAC may refer to: Arts * California Arts Council, an agency for advancing California through the arts and creativity * Campbelltown Arts Centre, multidisciplinary contemporary arts centre south-west of Sydney, Australia * Comics Arts Conference, ...
bar:2 color:OtherC1 from:2007 till:end text: Landmark bar:3 color:FullxF from:1979 till:1981 text: St. Francis (Pa.) (1979–1981) bar:3 shift:(110) color:OtherC1 from:1981 till:1988 text:ECAC-Metro bar:3 shift:(40) color:OtherC2 from:1988 till:end text:
NEC is a Japanese multinational information technology and electronics corporation, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo. The company was known as the Nippon Electric Company, Limited, before rebranding in 1983 as NEC. It provides IT and network soluti ...
bar:4 color:FullxF from:1979 till:1981 text:
Towson Towson () is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 55,197 as of the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Baltimore County and the second-most populous unincorp ...
(1979–1981) bar:4 shift:(65) color:OtherC1 from:1981 till:1982 text: ECAC-Metro (1981–1982) bar:4 shift:(165) color:OtherC2 from:1982 till:1992 text: ECC bar:4 color:OtherC1 from:1992 till:1995 text:
Big South The Big South Conference is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division I. Originally a non-football conference, the Big South began sponsoring football in 2002 as part of the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). Th ...
bar:4 color:OtherC2 from:1995 till:2001 text:
America East The America East Conference is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with NCAA Division I founded in 1979, whose members are located in the Northeastern United States. The conference has nine core members including eight public research ...
bar:4 color:FullxF from:2001 till:end text:(2001–present) bar:5 color:FullxF from:1979 till:1982 text:
Old Dominion Old Dominion most commonly refers to: *The Old Dominion, a nickname for the U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia ** Colony of Virginia *Old Dominion University, a public university in Norfolk, Virginia **Old Dominion Monarchs, the athletic teams represe ...
(1979–1982) bar:5 shift:(75) color:OtherC1 from:1982 till:1991 text: Sun Belt bar:5 color:FullxF from:1991 till:2013 text:(1991–2013) bar:5 color:OtherC1 from:2013 till:2022 text:
C-USA Conference USA (C-USA or CUSA) is an intercollegiate athletic conference whose current member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports. C-USA's offices are ...
bar:5 color:OtherC2 from:2022 till:end text: Sun Belt bar:6 color:FullxF from:1979 till:1991 text:
Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It in ...
(1979–1991) bar:6 color:OtherC1 from:1991 till:end text:
Patriot A patriot is a person with the quality of patriotism. Patriot may also refer to: Political and military groups United States * Patriot (American Revolution), those who supported the cause of independence in the American Revolution * Patriot m ...
bar:7 color:FullxF from:1979 till:2013 text:
George Mason George Mason (October 7, 1792) was an American planter, politician, Founding Father, and delegate to the U.S. Constitutional Convention of 1787, one of the three delegates present who refused to sign the Constitution. His writings, including ...
(1979–2013) bar:7 color:OtherC1 from:2013 till:end text:
A-10 The Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II is a single-seat, twin-turbofan, straight-wing, subsonic attack aircraft developed by Fairchild Republic for the United States Air Force (USAF). In service since 1976, it is named for the Republic ...
bar:8 color:FullxF from:1979 till:2022 text:
James Madison James Madison Jr. (March 16, 1751June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Father. He served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison is hailed as the "Father of the Constitution" for h ...
(1979–2022) bar:8 color:OtherC1 from:2022 till:end text: Sun Belt bar:9 color:FullxF from:1979 till:2001 text: Richmond (1979–2001) bar:9 color:OtherC1 from:2001 till:2002 text:
A-10 The Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II is a single-seat, twin-turbofan, straight-wing, subsonic attack aircraft developed by Fairchild Republic for the United States Air Force (USAF). In service since 1976, it is named for the Republic ...
bar:9 shift:(20) color:AssocOS from:2002 till:2014 text:(women's golf, 2002–2014) bar:9 color:OtherC1 from:2014 till:end text: bar:10 color:FullxF from:1979 till:end text: William & Mary (1979–present) bar:11 color:FullxF from:1981 till:2001 text: East Carolina (1981–2001) bar:11 color:OtherC1 from:2001 till:2014 text:
C-USA Conference USA (C-USA or CUSA) is an intercollegiate athletic conference whose current member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports. C-USA's offices are ...
bar:11 color:OtherC2 from:2014 till:end text: AAC bar:12 color:FullxF from:1984 till:2001 text: American (1984–2001) bar:12 color:OtherC1 from:2001 till:end text:
Patriot A patriot is a person with the quality of patriotism. Patriot may also refer to: Political and military groups United States * Patriot (American Revolution), those who supported the cause of independence in the American Revolution * Patriot m ...
bar:13 color:FullxF from:1984 till:end text: UNC Wilmington (1984–present) bar:14 color:FullxF from:1995 till:2012 text: VCU (1995–2012) bar:14 color:OtherC1 from:2012 till:end text: A10 bar:16 color:FullxF from:2001 till:end text:
Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...
(2001–present) bar:17 color:FullxF from:2001 till:end text: Drexel (2001–present) bar:18 color:FullxF from:2001 till:end text:
Hofstra Hofstra University is a private university in Hempstead, New York. It is Long Island's largest private university. Hofstra originated in 1935 as an extension of New York University (NYU) under the name Nassau College – Hofstra Memorial of New ...
(2001–present) bar:27 color:FullxF from:2005 till:2013 text: Georgia State (2005–2013) bar:27 color:OtherC1 from:2013 till:end text: Sun Belt bar:28 color:FullxF from:2005 till:end text:
Northeastern The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...
(2005–present) bar:40 color:FullxF from:2013 till:end text: Charleston (2013–present) bar:41 color:FullXF from:2014 till:end text: Elon (2014–present) bar:45 color:FullXF from:2022 till:end text:
Hampton Hampton may refer to: Places Australia *Hampton bioregion, an IBRA biogeographic region in Western Australia *Hampton, New South Wales *Hampton, Queensland, a town in the Toowoomba Region * Hampton, Victoria Canada * Hampton, New Brunswick *Ha ...
(2022–present) bar:46 color:FullXF from:2022 till:end text: Monmouth (2022–present) bar:47 color:FullXF from:2022 till:end text: North Carolina A&T (2022–present) bar:39 color:FullXF from:2022 till:end text: Stony Brook (2022–present) bar:48 color:FullXF from:2023 till:end text:
Campbell Campbell may refer to: People Surname * Campbell (surname), includes a list of people with surname Campbell Given name * Campbell Brown (footballer), an Australian rules footballer * Campbell Brown (journalist) (born 1968), American television ne ...
(2023–present) bar:N color:powderblue from:1979 till:1985 text:ECAC South bar:N color:blue from:1985 till:2023 text:Colonial Athletic Association bar:N color:powderblue from:2023 till:end text:Coastal Athletic Association ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:2 start:1980 TextData = fontsize:M textcolor:black pos:(0,30) tabs:(400-center) text:^"Colonial Athletic Association membership history" #> If the chart uses more than one bar color, add a legend by selecting the appropriate fields from the following six 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. <#


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. This does not include football, administered by the CAA through the separate entity of CAA Football.


Men's sponsored sports by school

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


Women's sponsored sports by school

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


Men's basketball


Regular season champions

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


History of the tournament final


Men's CAA tournament championships and finalists

Former member of the CAA


Broadcasters


Women's basketball


Regular season champions


History of the Tournament finals


Women's CAA tournament championships and finalists

Former member of the CAA


Football


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.


All-time conference championships


Facilities


See also

*
List of American collegiate athletic stadiums and arenas This is a list of American college athletic stadiums and arenas. Conference alignments reflect those of the 2019–20 school year, except as noted otherwise. College football All conference affiliations and stadiums are current for the upcoming 20 ...


References


External links

* {{Authority control Organizations based in Richmond, Virginia Sports in the Eastern United States Sports organizations established in 1983 Articles which contain graphical timelines