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National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
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The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs. Membership in the NAIA consists of smaller colleges and universities across the United States. Unlike the NCAA, the NAIA permits membership to colleges and universities outside the USA. The NAIA has six members in Canada and at one point had one in the Bahamas, thus making it the only international intercollegiate athletic association in North America.
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Encyclopedia
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs. Membership in the NAIA consists of smaller colleges and universities across the United States. Unlike the NCAA, the NAIA permits membership to colleges and universities outside the USA. The NAIA has six members in Canada and at one point had one in the Bahamas, thus making it the only international intercollegiate athletic association in North America. For the 2007-08 academic year, the NAIA has 291 member institutions. Currently, the headquarters are located in Kansas City, Missouri.. The NAIA sponsors 23 national championships. The CBS College Sports Network, formerly called CSTV, serves as the national media for the NAIA .
History
The NAIA was formed in 1937, when Dr. James Naismith and local leaders formed the National College Basketball Tournament staged at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The goal of the tournament was to establish a forum for small colleges and universities to determine a national basketball champion. The original eight-team tournament expanded to 32 teams in 1938. On March 10, 1940; the National Association for Intercollegiate Basketball was formed in Kansas City, Missouri.
In 1948, the NAIB became the first national organization to open their intercollegiate postseason to black student-athletes. That same year, Indiana State coach John Wooden brought the first African-American student athlete to play at the national tournament. In 1952, the NAIB was transformed into the NAIA, and with that came the sponsorship of additional sports such as men's golf, tennis and outdoor track and field. The association furthered its commitment to African-American athletes, when in 1953, it became the first collegiate association to invite historically black colleges and universities into its membership. In 1957, Tennessee State became the first historically black institution to win a collegiate basketball national championship. Football in the NAIA was split into two divisions in 1970, based on enrollment (Div. I & Div. II); it was consolidated back into a single division in 1997.
Female participation
The NAIA began sponsoring intercollegiate championships for women in 1980, the first coed national athletics association to do so, offering collegiate athletics championships to women in basketball, cross country, gymnastics, indoor and outdoor track and field, softball, wrestling and diving, tennis and volleyball.
Championships Sports
The NAIA holds, or has held in the past, championship tournaments in the following sports (year established):
* Baseball (1957)
* Basketball (For championships by year see table below)
**Men's
*** Division I (1937)
*** Division II (1992)
**Women's
***Division I (1981)
***Division II (1992)
* Bowling (discontinued) (1962-1978)
*Cross Country
** Men's (1956)
** Women's (1980)
* Football (1956)
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*Golf
** Men's
** Women's (1995)
*Gymnastics (Both discontinued)
** Men's (1964-1984)
** Women's (1981-1988)
* Ice Hockey (discontinued) (1968-1984)
*Soccer
** Men's (1959)
** Women's (1984)
* Softball (1981)
*Swimming
** Men's (1957)
** Women's
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*Tennis
** Men's (1952)
** Women's (1981)
*Indoor and Outdoor Track
** Men's Indoor (1966)
*** Men's Outdoor
** Women's Indoor (1981)
*** Women's Outdoor (1981)
*Volleyball
** Women's Volleyball (1980)
** Men's Volleyball (Original run 1969-1980 now a developing sport)
* Water Polo (discontinued)
* Wrestling (1956)
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The NAIA has 23 championship sports. Awarding 12 for men's sports and 11 for women's sports. Basketball the only sport divided into two divisions.
Conferences
The NAIA has divided into 28 conferences, and each is subdivided into regions .
See also
External links
- Publications, radio programs, and message boards about NAIA sports
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