Coastal Athletic Association Football Conference

American college football conference From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Coastal Athletic Association Football Conference

The Coastal Athletic Association Football Conference, formerly the Colonial Athletic Association Football Conference, branded as CAA Football, is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division I whose full members are located in East Coast states, from Maine to North Carolina. Most of its members are public universities, and the conference is headquartered in Richmond, Virginia. The conference is run by the same administration as the multisport conference Coastal Athletic Association (CAA; formerly the Colonial Athletic Association) but is legally a different entity.[1]

Quick Facts Formerly, Conference ...
Coastal Athletic Association Football Conference
FormerlyColonial Athletic Association Football Conference
ConferenceNCAA
Founded2007
Sports fielded
  • 1
    • men's: 1 (football)
DivisionDivision I
SubdivisionFCS
No. of teams16 (14 in 2025)
HeadquartersRichmond, Virginia
RegionEast Coast
Official websitecaasports.com
Locations
Location of teams in {{{title}}}
Close

History

Summarize
Perspective

CAA Football 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. 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. In 2005, 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 for football only, ending A10 football. 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 CAA Football. However, neither the multi-sports CAA nor CAA Football includes the New England Conference in CAA Football history.[2] 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 Amherst) 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 A-10 in 1997.

CAA Football went through many changes during the early 2010s with the loss of Georgia State, Massachusetts, and Old Dominion and the addition of Albany, Elon, and Stony Brook. Stability was maintained for a decade before the departure of James Madison in 2021 leading to the addition of Campbell, Hampton, Monmouth, North Carolina A&T, and Bryant from 2022 to 2024.

Coastal Athletic Association Football Conference
Thumb
About OpenStreetMaps
Maps: terms of use
220km
137miles
Villanova
Campbell
Richmond
Rhode Island
New Hampshire
Maine
Albany
North Carolina A&T
Stony Brook
Hampton
Monmouth
William & Mary
Towson
Elon
Bryant
Delaware
Location of CAA members:
CAA Football member
Departing member

Timeline

  • May 31, 2006 – Old Dominion, at the time a member of the all-sports CAA, announced plans to add football for the 2009 season and join CAA Football in 2011.[4] [5]
  • June 11, 2009 – Georgia State, at the time a member of the all-sports CAA, announced the addition of Football in 2011, and joining the CAA football conference in 2012.[6]
  • November 9, 2009 – Northeastern announced plans to drop football after the 2009 season.[7]
  • December 3, 2009 – Hofstra also announced that the university would no longer be sponsoring football.[8]
  • June 1, 2010 – Due to the reduction of the conference, CAA Football did not use the division format for the 2010 season.
  • August 7, 2012 – Albany and Stony Brook both accepted offers of membership in CAA Football for the 2013 season.[13]
  • May 23, 2013 – Elon announced that the school would become a member of CAA Football and the all-sports CAA for the 2014 season.[14]
  • November 6, 2021 – James Madison announced its departure for the Sun Belt Conference and upgrade to FBS. Originally, JMU was slated to play the 2022 season as an FCS Independent before joining the Sun Belt in 2023, but JMU ended up joining a year earlier.[15][16][17]
  • January 25, 2022 – Hampton and Monmouth accept invitations to join CAA Football and the all-sports CAA for the 2022 season. Stony Brook, which joined CAA Football in 2013, also becomes a member of the all-sports conference.[18]
  • February 22, 2022 – North Carolina A&T accepts an invitation to join CAA Football for the 2023 season, a year after joining the all-sports CAA.[19]
  • August 3, 2022 – Campbell also accepts an invitation to join both sides of the CAA for the 2023 season.[20]
  • July 20, 2023 – CAA Football changed its full name to the Coastal Athletic Association Football Conference.[21]
  • August 10, 2023 – Bryant accepts an invitation to join CAA Football for the 2024 season.[22]
  • May 14, 2024 – Richmond announced its departure from the CAA to join the Patriot League as an associate member for football for the 2025 season.[24]

Member institutions

Current members

More information Institution, Location ...
InstitutionLocationFoundedJoinedTypeEnrollmentNicknameColors|Primary
Conference
State University of New York at Albany Albany, New York 1844 2013 Public 17,944 Great Danes     AmEast
Bryant University Smithfield, Rhode Island 1863 2024 Private 3,751 Bulldogs    
Campbell University Buies Creek, North Carolina 1887 2023 Private 5,622 Fighting Camels     CAA
University of Delaware Newark, Delaware 1743 2007 Public[a] 23,281 Fightin' Blue Hens     CAA
Elon University Elon, North Carolina 1889 2014 Private 6,991 Phoenix     CAA
Hampton University Hampton, Virginia 1868 2022 Private
(HBCU)
3,516 Pirates    
University of Maine Orono, Maine 1865 2007 Public 11,404 Black Bears       AmEast
Monmouth University West Long Branch, New Jersey 1933 2022 Private 5,675 Hawks     CAA
University of New Hampshire Durham, New Hampshire 1866 2007 Public 15,305 Wildcats       AmEast
North Carolina A&T State University Greensboro, North Carolina 1891 2023 Public
(HBCU)
13,332 Aggies     CAA
Towson University Towson, Maryland 1866 2007 Public 22,923 Tigers    
University of Rhode Island Kingston, Rhode Island 1892 16,883 Rams       A-10
University of Richmond Richmond, Virginia 1830 2007 Private 4,002 Spiders     A-10
Stony Brook University Stony Brook, New York 1957 2013 Public 26,782 Seawolves       CAA
Villanova University Villanova, Pennsylvania 1842 2007 Private 11,023 Wildcats     Big East
College of William & Mary Williamsburg, Virginia 1693 Public 8,817 Tribe       CAA
Close
Notes
  1. Delaware is officially chartered as a "privately-governed, state-assisted" institution. This status is broadly similar to that of New York State's statutory colleges, most of which are housed at Cornell University, or institutions in Pennsylvania's Commonwealth System of Higher Education.

Former members

More information Institution, Location ...
InstitutionLocationFoundedJoinedLeftTypeEnrollmentNicknameColors|Subsequent
Football
Conference
Current
Football
Conference
Hofstra University Hempstead, New York 1935 2007 2009 Private 10,871 Pride       none
(dropped football)
Georgia State University Atlanta, Georgia 1913 2012 2013 Public 32,082 Panthers     Sun Belt
(FBS)
James Madison University Harrisonburg, Virginia 1908 2007 2022 21,227 Dukes    
University of Massachusetts Amherst, Massachusetts 1863 2012 28,635 Minutemen     MAC
(FBS)
FBS Independent
(MAC in 2025)
Northeastern University Boston, Massachusetts 1898 2009 Private 21,627 Huskies     none
(dropped football)
Old Dominion University Norfolk, Virginia 1930 2011 2013 Public 24,932 Monarchs       CUSA
(FBS)
Sun Belt
(FBS)
Close

Membership timeline

Bryant Bulldogs footballBig South–OVC Football AssociationBig South ConferenceNortheast ConferenceNCAA Division I FCS independent schoolsNortheast-10 ConferenceNorth Carolina A&T Aggies footballBig South ConferenceMid-Eastern Athletic ConferenceCampbell Fighting Camels footballBig South ConferencePioneer Football LeagueMonmouth Hawks footballBig South ConferenceNCAA Division I FCS independent schoolsNortheast ConferenceHampton Pirates footballBig South ConferenceNCAA Division I FCS independent schoolsMid-Eastern Athletic ConferenceElon Phoenix footballSouthern ConferenceStony Brook Seawolves footballBig South ConferenceNCAA Division I FCS independent schoolsAlbany Great Danes footballNortheast ConferenceSun Belt ConferenceGeorgia State Panthers footballNCAA Division I FCS independent schoolsSun Belt ConferenceConference USANCAA Division I FCS independent schoolsOld Dominion Monarchs footballNCAA Division I FCS independent schoolsWilliam %26 Mary Tribe footballVillanova Wildcats footballMid-American ConferenceNCAA Division I FBS independent schoolsMid-American ConferenceUMass Minutemen footballTowson Tigers footballPatriot LeagueRichmond Spiders footballRhode Island Rams footballNortheastern HuskiesNew Hampshire Wildcats footballMaine Black Bears footballSun Belt ConferenceJames Madison Dukes footballHofstra PrideConference USADelaware Fightin' Blue Hens football

Current members  Former members  Other Conference  Other Conference 

Conference champions

Summarize
Perspective
* 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
  1. CAA Football recognized Richmond and Rhode Island as co-champions because Rhode Island's only conference loss was to Delaware, which was ineligible for the FCS playoffs due to its transition to FBS.

All-time conference championships

More information School, Championships ...
School Championships Outright championships Years
James Madison 6 4 2008, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2021
Richmond 6 0 2007, 2009, 2012, 2015, 2023, 2024
Villanova 4 0 2009, 2012, 2021, 2023
New Hampshire 3 1 2012, 2014, 2022
William & Mary 3 0 2010, 2015, 2022
Maine 2 2 2013, 2018
Delaware 2 1 2010, 2020a[26]
Towson 2 1 2011, 2012
UAlbany 1 0 2023
Rhode Island 1 0 2024
Massachusetts 1 0 2007
Close

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.[26]

NCAA FCS national championships

More information School, Championships ...
School Championships Finals appearances Won Lost
James Madison[a] 2 4 2004,[b] 2016 2017, 2019
Delaware[c] 1 4 2003[b] 1982,[d] 2007, 2010
Villanova 1 1 2009
UMass[e] 1 3 1998[b] 1978,[f] 2006
Richmond[g] 1 1 2008
Towson 0 1 2013
Close
  1. James Madison left CAA Football (and the multi-sports CAA) in 2022 to join the FBS Sun Belt Conference.
  2. Won as a member of Atlantic 10 Conference football.
  3. Delaware will leave CAA Football (and the multi-sports CAA) in 2025 to join the FBS Conference USA.
  4. Delaware was an NCAA I-AA independent in the 1982 season.
  5. UMass became a football-only member of the Mid-American Conference in 2013, and an FBS independent beginning with the 2016 season. UMass will return to the MAC in 2025, this time as a full member.
  6. Appeared as a member of the Yankee Conference.
  7. Richmond will leave CAA Football in 2025 to become a football-only member of the Patriot League.

All-time NFL Draft selections

More information Year, Round ...
YearRoundSelectionPlayerPositionCollegeNFL team
2008118Joe FlaccoQuarterbackDelawareBaltimore Ravens
4125Arman ShieldsWide receiverRichmondOakland Raiders
5149Tim HightowerRunning backRichmondArizona Cardinals
6207Matt SherryTight endVillanovaCincinnati Bengals
2009373Derek CoxCornerbackWilliam & MaryJacksonville Jaguars
4125Lawrence SidburyDefensive endRichmondAtlanta Falcons
2010261Vladimir DucasseOffensive tackleUMassNew York Jets
6178Arthur MoatsDefensive endJames MadisonBuffalo Bills
184Adrian TracyLinebackerWilliam & MaryNew York Giants
203Scotty McGeeKick returnerJames MadisonJacksonville Jaguars
7234Sean LissemoreDefensive tackleWilliam & MaryDallas Cowboys
2011249Ben IjalanaOffensive tackleVillanovaIndianapolis Colts
7206Justin RogersCornerbackRichmondBuffalo Bills
2012498Gino GradkowskiGuardDelawareBaltimore Ravens
133Jerron McMillianSafetyMaineGreen Bay Packers
20134114B. W. WebbCornerbackWilliam & MaryDallas Cowboys
116Earl WatfordGuardJames MadisonArizona Cardinals
5152Cooper TaylorSafetyRichmondNew York Giants
7241Jared SmithDefensive tackleNew HampshireSeattle Seahawks
2014394Terrance WestRunning backTowsonCleveland Browns
6184Kendall JamesCornerbackMaineMinnesota Vikings
2015 5 171 Nick Boyle Tight End Delaware Baltimore Ravens
7245Tre McBrideWide receiverWilliam & MaryTennessee Titans
20166185DeAndre Houston-CarsonCornerbackWilliam & MaryChicago Bears
7239Trevor BatesLinebackerMaineIndianapolis Colts
2017259Tanoh KpassagnonDefensive endVillanovaKansas City Chiefs
7236Brad SeatonOffensive tackleVillanovaTennessee Titans
20184108Kyle LaulettaQuarterbackRichmondNew York Giants
5145Bilal NicholsDefensive tackleDelawareChicago Bears
6192Jamil DembyOffensive tackleMaineLos Angeles Rams
2019260Nasir AdderleySafetyDelawareLos Angeles Chargers
6193Oli UdohOffensive tackleElonMinnesota Vikings
7227Jimmy MorelandCornerbackJames MadisonWashington Redskins
20205171Isaiah CoulterWide receiverRhode IslandHouston Texans
7231Ben DiNucciQuarterbackJames MadisonDallas Cowboys
20226185Christian BenfordCornerbackVillanovaBuffalo Bills
20235152Colby SorsdalOffensive tackleWilliam & MaryDetroit Lions
20246208Dylan LaubeRunning backNew HampshireLas Vegas Raiders
Close

Conference facilities

Summarize
Perspective

Departing members in pink. Future members in gray.

More information School, Football stadium ...
School Football stadium Capacity
Albany Bob Ford Field at Tom & Mary Casey Stadium 8,500
Bryant Beirne Stadium 5,500
Campbell Barker–Lane Stadium 5,500
Delaware Delaware Stadium 18,500
Elon Rhodes Stadium 11,250
Hampton Armstrong Stadium 10,000
Maine Harold Alfond Sports Stadium 8,419
Monmouth Kessler Field 4,600
New Hampshire Wildcat Stadium 11,015
North Carolina A&T Truist Stadium 21,500
Rhode Island Meade Stadium 6,580
Richmond E. Claiborne Robins Stadium 8,700
Stony Brook Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium 12,300
Towson Johnny Unitas Stadium 11,198
Villanova Villanova Stadium 12,500
William & Mary Walter J. Zable Stadium 12,259
Close

References

Loading related searches...

Wikiwand - on

Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.