The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), founded in 1938, is the governing association of

community college A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an "open enrollment" for students who have graduated from high school (also known as senior se ...

, state college and junior college athletics throughout the United States. Currently the NJCAA holds 24 separate regions across 24 states and is divided into 3 divisions.

History

The idea for the NJCAA was conceived in 1937 at

Fresno Fresno () is a major city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley region. It covers about and had a population of 542,107 in 2020, maki ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. A handful of junior college representatives met to organize an association that would promote and supervise a national program of junior college sports and activities consistent with the educational objectives of junior colleges. A constitution was presented and adopted at the charter meeting in Fresno on May 14, 1938. In 1949, the NJCAA was reorganized by dividing the nation into sixteen regions. The officers of the association were the president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, public relations director, and the sixteen regional vice presidents. Although the NJCAA was founded in California, it no longer operates there, having been supplanted by the unaffiliated

California Community College Athletic Association The California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) is a sports association of community colleges in the U.S. state of California. It oversees 108 athletic programs throughout the state. The organization was formed in 1929 as the Calif ...

. The NJCAA only allowed male competitors until 1975, when it established a women's division following the enactment of

Title IX Title IX is the most commonly used name for the federal civil rights law in the United States that was enacted as part (Title IX) of the Education Amendments of 1972. It prohibits sex-based discrimination in any school or any other educat ...

. Based out of

Hutchinson, Kansas Hutchinson is the largest city and county seat in Reno County, Kansas, United States, and located on the Arkansas River. It has been home to salt mines since 1887, thus its nickname of "Salt City", but locals call it "Hutch". As of the 2020 ...

since 1968, the national office relocated to Colorado Springs, Colorado in 1985. Headquarters moved to

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

in 2018.

Division history

Each institution belonging to the NJCAA chooses to compete on the Division I, II or III level. Division I colleges may offer full athletic scholarships, totaling a maximum of tuition, fees, room and board, course-related books, up to $250 in course-required supplies, and transportation costs one time per academic year to and from the college by direct route. Division II colleges are limited to awarding tuition, fees, course related books, and up to $250 in course required supplies. Division III institutions may provide no athletically related financial assistance. However, NJCAA colleges that do not offer athletic aid may choose to participate at the Division I or II level if they so desire.

Awards

* Academic Student-Athlete Awards by sport *"NJCAA Academic Team of the Year" by sport *"Betty Jo Graber Female Student-Athlete of the Year" by sport *"David Rowlands Male Student-Athlete of the Year" by sport *"Lea Plarski Award" by sport * NJCAA sponsors by sport * Service Awards by sport

Halls of fame

*NJCAA Hall of Fame *NJCAA Hall of Fame (Region XVI) *NJCAA Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame *NJCAA Basketball Hall of Fame *NJCAA Men's Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame *NJCAA Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame *NJCAA Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame

Conferences and regions

The NJCAA is divided into 24 different regions: NJCAAmap

* Region 1:

Arizona Community College Athletic Conference The Arizona Community College Athletic Conference (ACCAC) is a junior college conference in Region 1 of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). Conference championships are held in most sports and individuals can be named to All- ...

* Region 2: Bi-State Conference * Region 3:

Mid-State Athletic Conference The Mid-State Athletic Conference (MSAC) is a junior college conference located within Region III of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). The MSAC has 8 member schools, all located in Upstate New York. Conference championships ...

, Mountain Valley Athletic Conference, Western New York Athletic Conference * Region 4:

North Central Community College Conference The North Central Community College Conference, commonly known as the N4C, is part of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). Conference championships are held and individuals can be named to All-Conference and All-Academic teams ...

Illinois Skyway Conference The Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference is an athletic conference associated with the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). The conference consists of eight community colleges located in the suburbs of Chicago. The conference s ...

Arrowhead Conference The Arrowhead Conference is a conference within the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) located in region 4. The conference consists of six junior colleges located in northern Illinois. Members Founding member institutions were ...

City College of Chicago Athletic Conference A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

* Region 5:

Metro Athletic Conference The Dallas Athletic Conference is a conference within the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region 5. The conference consists of six junior colleges located in Dallas County, Texas. Members Dallas Athletic Conference member ins ...

North Texas Junior College Athletic Conference The North Texas Junior College Athletic Conference (NTJCAC) is a junior college athletic conference for many technical and community colleges in the state of Texas, sponsored by the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). Conference ...

Western Junior College Athletic Conference The Western Junior College Athletic Conference (WJCAC) is a junior college athletic conference for many technical and community colleges within the Southwest states of Texas and New Mexico, sponsored by the National Junior College Athletic Associa ...

* Region 6: Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference * Region 7:

Tennessee Junior and Community College Athletic Association Also known as the TJCCAA and Region 7, the Tennessee Junior and Community College Athletic Conference, commonly referred to as the ''Tennessee Community College Athletic Association'' (TCCAA) and a member of the National Junior College Athletic As ...

* Region 8: Mid-Florida Conference, Panhandle Conference,

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 ...

Suncoast Conference The Suncoast Conference (SCC), hosted by the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), is one of four conferences within Region 8 of the NJCAA. It is composed of four state colleges within the state of Florida, and is administered by ...

* Region 9: Colorado Community College Athletic Conference, Nebraska Community College Athletic Conference, Wyoming Community College Athletic Conference * Region 10: Carolinas Junior College Conference * Region 11: Iowa Community College Athletic Conference * Region 12: Michigan Community College Athletic Association, Ohio Community College Athletic Conference * Region 13: Minnesota College Athletic Conference, Mon-Dak Conference * Region 14: Southwest Junior College Conference * Region 15:

City University of New York Athletic Conference The City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNY Athletic Conference or CUNYAC) is an intercollegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division III. Its member institutions are all located in New York City and are campuses ...

, Mid Hudson Conference * Region 16: Missouri Community College Athletic Conference * Region 17:

Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association The Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association (also known as GCAA) is a college athletic conference and member of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) in the NJCAA Region 17. Members of the GCAA include technical and community col ...

* Region 18: Scenic West Athletic Conference * Region 19: Eastern Pennsylvania Athletic Conference, Garden State Athletic Conference * Region 20: Pennsylvania Collegiate Athletic Association, Maryland Junior College Athletic Conference * Region 21: Massachusetts Community College Athletic Association * Region 22: Alabama Community College Conference * Region 23: MISS-LOU Junior College Conference,

Mississippi Association of Community & Junior Colleges The Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference (MACCC), formerly known as the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) is one of the two conferences that make up Region XXIII (or Region 23) of the National Ju ...

* Region 24: Mid-West Athletic Conference,

Great Rivers Athletic Conference Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements * Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size * Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent People * List of people known as "the Great" *Artel Great (born ...

Sports

Baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

(Divisions I, II, III) *

Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

(Divisions I, II, III) *

Softball Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...

(Divisions I, II, III) *

Volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Sum ...

(Divisions I, II, III) * Soccer (Divisions I, II) *

Track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

(Divisions I, II) *

Tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...

(Divisions I, II) *

Wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

(Divisions I, II) *

Golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping ...

(Divisions I, II, III) * Cross country (Divisions I, II) * Football (Division I) *

Bowling Bowling is a target sport and recreational activity in which a player rolls a ball toward pins (in pin bowling) or another target (in target bowling). The term ''bowling'' usually refers to pin bowling (most commonly ten-pin bowling), thou ...

(Division I) *

Swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...

(Division I) * Diving (Division I) *

Lacrosse Lacrosse is a team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensiv ...

(Division I) *

Half marathon A half marathon is a road running event of —half the distance of a marathon. It is common for a half marathon event to be held concurrently with a marathon or a 5K race, using almost the same course with a late start, an early finish or shortcut ...

(Division I)

Baseball

JUCO World Series The JUCO World Series is an annual baseball tournament held across three divisions of National Junior College Athletic Association baseball. Taking place in late May and early June each year, it determines the junior college baseball national champi ...

* JUCO Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame

Basketball Championships

* NJCAA Division I * NJCAA Division II * NJCAA Division III * NJCAA Women's Championship

Football

Due to the relatively small number of schools fielding teams, some football-only conferences exist. They may be home to teams from multiple regions. * The Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference includes only schools in Kansas (Region 6). All are members of the conference in other sports. * The Midwest Football Conference which features schools from Iowa (Region 11), once included programs in northern Illinois (Region 4), Michigan (part of Region 12), and North Dakota (part of Region 13) before several of its schools dropped football prior to the 2015 season. The three Iowa schools (Ellsworth, Iowa Central and Iowa Western) play each other and also have a scheduling alliance with the KJCCC. The College of DuPage (Region 4), the only Illinois school that still has football, plays as an independent. Harper, Joliet and Grand Rapids all disbanded their football programs. North Dakota State School of Science joined the MCAC (see below). * The Minnesota College Athletic Conference, includes schools in Minnesota and North Dakota (part of Region 13). All of the Minnesota schools participate in the conference in other sports. North Dakota State School of Science and Dakota College only participate in football. * The

only includes schools in that state, which is a part of Region 23. None of the Louisiana members of Region 23 field a football team. * The Northeast JC Football Conference includes schools from regions 15 (Lower New York, New York City and Long Island), and 19 (Lackawanna, Pa.). Lackawanna is the only football-playing school in Region 19. * The

Southwest Junior College Football Conference The Southwest Junior College Football Conference (SWJCFC) is a football conference for National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) teams located in the Southwestern United States. The conference has produced 5 of the last 15 NJCAA national ...

includes teams from both regions in Texas (5 and 14), Northeastern Oklahoma A&M (Region 2) and New Mexico Military (Region 5). *

Western States Football League The Western States Football League (WSFL) is a defunct American junior college football league for schools in the states of Arizona, Idaho, New Mexico and Utah that existed from 1985 to 2018. The league was part of the National Junior College Athle ...

, now defunct, once included teams from Arizona (Region 1) and Utah and Idaho (Region 18). Snow College, Utah, is now the only college sponsoring football in Region 1 and Region 18. There are also independent schools in regions 2 (Arkansas Baptist), 3 (upstate New York), 8 (ASA-Miami), 10 (Louisburg, N.C.), 12 (Hocking College), and 17 (Georgia Military). Onondaga Community College's football program does not compete in the NJCAA but instead competes at the club football level. Regions 7, 9, 16, 20, 21, 22 and 24 do not have any football programs.

References

External links

* {{authority control Sports organizations established in 1938 College sports governing bodies in the United States NJCAA athletics Organizations based in Charlotte, North Carolina 1938 establishments in the United States

History

Division history

Awards

Halls of fame

Conferences and regions

Sports

Baseball

Basketball Championships

Football

See also

References

External links