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. Its football teams are part of the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). The Big South, founded in 1983, is firmly rooted in the South Atlantic region of the United States, with member institutions located in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia.
History
Charter members included Armstrong State (now Armstrong Atlantic State University) (1983â€"1987), Augusta (later Augusta State University and now merged into Georgia Regents University) (1983â€"1990), Campbell University (1983â€"1994; 2011â€"present), Baptist College (now Charleston Southern University) (1983â€"present), Coastal Carolina University (1983â€"present), Radford University (1983â€"present) and Winthrop University (1983â€"present).
The expansion of membership occurred during the 80's and 90's. Some of those members are the University of North Carolina at Asheville (1984â€"present), Davidson College (1990â€"1992), Liberty University (1991â€"present), the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (1992â€"1998), the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (1992â€"1997), Towson University (1992â€"1995), Elon University (1999â€"2003), High Point University (1999â€"present) and Birminghamâ€"Southern College (2000â€"2007).
The Big South Conference began sponsoring football in 2002, with Charleston Southern, Elon (at the time) and Liberty (Gardnerâ€"Webb University also joined as a football-only member) fielding teams; Coastal Carolina and Virginia Military Institute (VMI) joined the conference as football-only members in 2003. In that same athletic year, VMI also joined the conference for all sports, but left to re-join the Southern Conference in 2014. Presbyterian College joined the conference in 2007, moving up from Division II, and became eligible for regular-season championships and conference honors during the 2008-09 athletic year. Gardnerâ€"Webb, which had been a football-only member since 2002, joined the conference for all sports on July 1, 2008. Campbell rejoined the Big South for all sports except football in the 2011-12 athletic year. Longwood University accepted an invitation to join the Big South on January 23, 2012, and membership formally began July 1 of that year; Longwood had been independent since 2004, during their transition to Division I. In 2014, following the departure of VMI, the conference returned to a single-division structure.
Member schools
Current full members
- Notes
* - Campbell was a founding member of the Big South Conference in 1983. The Fighting Camels left in 1994 and rejoined in 2011 for all sports, except for their football program, which remains in the Pioneer Football League.
Current associate members
Future associate members
Divisional realignment, 2012â€"2014
With the additions of Campbell and Longwood to the Big South in 2011 and 2012, Big South commissioner Kyle Kallander stated the conference will break up into two divisions of six teams each beginning in 2012â€"2013. He also said the Big South Basketball Tournaments will be held at a single, neutral location. The divisional setup was as follows:
In men's and women's basketball, teams played the five other divisional opponents twice, one home and one away (ten games). They will play teams outside of the division once each (six games). This cuts the number of conference games to sixteen, as opposed to eighteen in previous years.
Following the departure of VMI for the Southern Conference in 2014, the conference returned to a single-division structure, and the basketball conference schedule returned to eighteen games.
Former members
Former associate members
Membership timeline
- Augusta State was merged into Georgia Regents University in January 2013.
Sports
The Big South sponsors championship competition in nine men's and ten women's NCAA sanctioned sports. Davidson competes as an associate in lacrosse. Stony Brook has competed as an associate in football, but left in 2013 for membership in the Colonial Athletic Association. Monmouth became a football associate in 2014, and Kennesaw State will do so in 2015.
Men's sponsored sports by school
¿ = Campbell's football team does not participate in the Big South; it currently plays in the Pioneer Football League.
Men's varsity sports not sponsored by the Big South Conference which are played by Big South schools:
Women's sponsored sports by school
- Radford will add women's lacrosse in 2016 (2015â€"16 school year).
Women's varsity sports not sponsored by the Big South Conference which are played by Big South schools:
Football - players drafted to the NFL
The Big South has had a number of players to get drafted and play football professionally in the NFL.
Conference champions
Men's basketball
Basketball Tournament Championships by school
- †Former member of the Big South
Football
Broadcasters (Big South Network)
In addition to basketball games being broadcast on regional and national television, member schools of the Big South Conference are required to provide a live stream of all home games for all sports when playing teams both within and outside of the conference. These streams are run by the university hosting the event. All streams are featured on the conference website and are available for free. The football games broadcast on the web are branded as part of a Big South Network.
Facilities
- Notes
- Future members in gray.
- Departing members in pink.
- Charleston Southern uses the CSU Field House for all conference basketball games. Home games against local rivals or major-conference teams are played at the North Charleston Coliseum when available.
References
External links
- Official website
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