Yankee Conference
Encyclopedia
The Yankee Conference was a collegiate sports conference in the eastern United States
. It once sponsored competition in many sports, but eventually became a football
-only league. Although not under the same charter, it is essentially an ancestor of today's Colonial Athletic Association
(CAA) football conference.
The Yankee Conference essentially was formed in 1938 as the New England Conference
. The NCAA however considers the Yankee Conference and New England Conference to be two separate conferences, as they were formed under different charters.
in New England
, to form a committee to explore the formation of a new conference. The committee recommended that the five current members join with another New England land-grant institution, the University of Vermont
. This led to the formation of the Yankee Conference in 1946, with athletic competition beginning in the 1947–48 school year.
It existed until 1997, when NCAA
legislation limiting the influence of single-sport conferences over policy became effective, and then merged with the Atlantic 10 Conference (A10).
Institutions which were members of the conference at the time of its merger with the A10 were:
and former members
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It once sponsored competition in many sports, but eventually became a football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
-only league. Although not under the same charter, it is essentially an ancestor of today's Colonial Athletic Association
Colonial Athletic Association
The Colonial Athletic Association is a NCAA Division I college athletic conference whose full-time members are located in East Coast states from Massachusetts to Georgia. Most of its members are public universities, with five in Virginia alone, and the conference is headquartered in Richmond,...
(CAA) football conference.
The Yankee Conference essentially was formed in 1938 as the New England Conference
New England Conference
The New England Conference was a collegiate sports conference in the eastern United States, more specifically in New England, that operated from 1938 to 1947...
. The NCAA however considers the Yankee Conference and New England Conference to be two separate conferences, as they were formed under different charters.
Formation
In 1945, Northeastern University, the only private school in the New England Conference, announced its departure. This led the remaining five members, all land-grant universitiesLand-grant university
Land-grant universities are institutions of higher education in the United States designated by each state to receive the benefits of the Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890....
in New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
, to form a committee to explore the formation of a new conference. The committee recommended that the five current members join with another New England land-grant institution, the University of Vermont
University of Vermont
The University of Vermont comprises seven undergraduate schools, an honors college, a graduate college, and a college of medicine. The Honors College does not offer its own degrees; students in the Honors College concurrently enroll in one of the university's seven undergraduate colleges or...
. This led to the formation of the Yankee Conference in 1946, with athletic competition beginning in the 1947–48 school year.
Charter members
- University of ConnecticutUniversity of ConnecticutThe admission rate to the University of Connecticut is about 50% and has been steadily decreasing, with about 28,000 prospective students applying for admission to the freshman class in recent years. Approximately 40,000 prospective students tour the main campus in Storrs annually...
- University of MaineUniversity of MaineThe University of Maine is a public research university located in Orono, Maine, United States. The university was established in 1865 as a land grant college and is referred to as the flagship university of the University of Maine System...
- University of MassachusettsUniversity of Massachusetts AmherstThe University of Massachusetts Amherst is a public research and land-grant university in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States and the flagship of the University of Massachusetts system...
(then Massachusetts State College) - University of New HampshireUniversity of New HampshireThe University of New Hampshire is a public university in the University System of New Hampshire , United States. The main campus is in Durham, New Hampshire. An additional campus is located in Manchester. With over 15,000 students, UNH is the largest university in New Hampshire. The university is...
- University of Rhode IslandUniversity of Rhode IslandThe University of Rhode Island is the principal public research university in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. Its main campus is located in Kingston. Additional campuses include the Feinstein Campus in Providence, the Narragansett Bay Campus in Narragansett, and the W. Alton Jones Campus in West...
(then Rhode Island State College) - University of VermontUniversity of VermontThe University of Vermont comprises seven undergraduate schools, an honors college, a graduate college, and a college of medicine. The Honors College does not offer its own degrees; students in the Honors College concurrently enroll in one of the university's seven undergraduate colleges or...
Later history
In 1975 it dropped sponsorship of all sports except football. Over the years, many schools outside its original New England base joined the league.It existed until 1997, when NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
legislation limiting the influence of single-sport conferences over policy became effective, and then merged with the Atlantic 10 Conference (A10).
Institutions which were members of the conference at the time of its merger with the A10 were:
- Boston UniversityBoston UniversityBoston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
- University of ConnecticutUniversity of ConnecticutThe admission rate to the University of Connecticut is about 50% and has been steadily decreasing, with about 28,000 prospective students applying for admission to the freshman class in recent years. Approximately 40,000 prospective students tour the main campus in Storrs annually...
- University of DelawareUniversity of DelawareThe university is organized into seven colleges:* College of Agriculture and Natural Resources* College of Arts and Sciences* Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics* College of Earth, Ocean and Environment* College of Education and Human Development...
- James Madison UniversityJames Madison UniversityJames Madison University is a public coeducational research university located in Harrisonburg, Virginia, U.S. Founded in 1908 as the State Normal and Industrial School for Women at Harrisonburg, the university has undergone four name changes before settling with James Madison University...
- University of MaineUniversity of MaineThe University of Maine is a public research university located in Orono, Maine, United States. The university was established in 1865 as a land grant college and is referred to as the flagship university of the University of Maine System...
- University of MassachusettsUniversity of Massachusetts AmherstThe University of Massachusetts Amherst is a public research and land-grant university in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States and the flagship of the University of Massachusetts system...
- University of New HampshireUniversity of New HampshireThe University of New Hampshire is a public university in the University System of New Hampshire , United States. The main campus is in Durham, New Hampshire. An additional campus is located in Manchester. With over 15,000 students, UNH is the largest university in New Hampshire. The university is...
- Northeastern University
- University of Rhode IslandUniversity of Rhode IslandThe University of Rhode Island is the principal public research university in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. Its main campus is located in Kingston. Additional campuses include the Feinstein Campus in Providence, the Narragansett Bay Campus in Narragansett, and the W. Alton Jones Campus in West...
- University of RichmondUniversity of RichmondThe University of Richmond is a selective, private, nonsectarian, liberal arts university located on the border of the city of Richmond and Henrico County, Virginia. The University of Richmond is a primarily undergraduate, residential university with approximately 4,000 undergraduate and graduate...
- Villanova UniversityVillanova UniversityVillanova University is a private university located in Radnor Township, a suburb northwest of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States...
- The College of William & Mary
and former members
- College of the Holy CrossCollege of the Holy CrossThe College of the Holy Cross is an undergraduate Roman Catholic liberal arts college located in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA...
(left after the 1971 football season) - University of VermontUniversity of VermontThe University of Vermont comprises seven undergraduate schools, an honors college, a graduate college, and a college of medicine. The Honors College does not offer its own degrees; students in the Honors College concurrently enroll in one of the university's seven undergraduate colleges or...
(ceased fielding a football team after the 1974 season)