The A-10 was started in 1976 as the ECBL, or Eastern Collegiate Basketball League. In 1981, the league became the "Atlantic-10". Division I football became part of the A-10 with the formation of the Atlantic 10 Football Conference in 1997, which was (and still is) comprised of members of the former "Yankee Conference". As of the 2003 season, A-10 conference football members are ... Delaware, Hofstra, James Madison, Maine,  Massachusetts, New Hampshire,  Northeastern, Rhode Island, Richmond, William & Mary and Villanova. In 2004, the conference will also include Towson University.

The Big Sky Conference

With its roots established in 1963, the Big Sky Conference began with six charter members; the University of Idaho, Idaho State University, Gonzaga University, the University of Montana, Montana State University and Weber State University. On July 1, 1970, the league experienced its first expansion, adding Boise State University and Northern Arizona University to the fold to create an eight-member league. On July 1, 1979, charter-member Gonzaga left the league and was replaced by the University of Nevada. In 1987, Eastern Washington was admitted to the league to create the first version of a nine-member Big Sky Conference. The University of Nevada’s departure in 1992 moved the league to eight members until July 1, 1996 when Boise State and Idaho left, but the addition of Cal State Northridge, Portland State and Sacramento State moved the league into a nine-member group for the second time. Beginning in 2001-2002, the composition changed yet again, as Cal State Northridge left the league, putting it back to eight members. As of the end of the 2002 season, Big Sky conference football members are Eastern Washington, Idaho St., Montana, Montana St., Northern Arizona, Portland St., Sacramento St., Weber St..

The Big South Conference

The conference had it's formation in 1983, as a basketball conference. At that time, Charleston Southern (then Baptist College) Athletic Director Howard Bagwell, and Augusta President George Christenberry initially began recruiting members into the Big South. One month later, Dr. Edward M. Singleton was selected as the league's first Commissioner and continued to solicit new members. By 1984, the League's charter members included: Armstrong State, Augusta, Campbell, Charleston Southern, Coastal Carolina, Radford and Winthrop. In 2002, the Big South Conference consists of nine member institutions in the Southeast. Members include: Birmingham-Southern College, Charleston Southern University, Coastal Carolina University, Elon University, High Point University, Liberty University, UNC Asheville, Radford University and Winthrop University. In 2002, the Big South sponsored 18 Division I championship programs, including a new I-AA football program. At the start of the 2003 season, the Big South's football members are Gardner-Webb, Coastal-Carolina, Liberty, Virginia Military Institute (VMI) and Charleston-Southern.

The Gateway Football Conference

The original Gateway Conference was founded in 1982 as a women's athletic organization. The Gateway Conference began sponsoring football on August 21, 1985...it's original members were Eastern Illinois, Illinois St., Northern Iowa, Southern Illinois, S.W. Missouri St. and Western Illinois. In June of 1986, Indiana State became the seventh conference member. Also, in the same year, the NCAA I-AA play-off selection committee granted the Gateway Conference an automatic bid to the play-off. In July of 1992, The Gateway Conference disbanded and became the Gateway Football Conference, an NCAA Division I-AA football conference. In 1995, Eastern Illinois left the Gateway to become a member of the Ohio Valley Conference. In 1997, the conference added I-AA independent Youngstown State University as a seventh member. Then, in 2000, the GFC extended an invitation to Western Kentucky...which brought the league up to it's current level of eight members. The GFC is currently the nation's only "I-AA football only" scholarship conference. It's members are divided up into other conferences for non-football sports, including the Missouri Valley Conference, the Mid-Continent Conference, the Sunbelt Conference and the Horizon League. Gateway Conference members are Illinois St., Indiana St., Northern Iowa, Southern Illinois, S.W. Missouri St., Western Illinois, Western Kentucky, Youngstown St.. Pete's would like to thank The Gateway Connection (http://www.thegatewayconnection.com) and the Gateway Football Conference for the informational links below:

The Ivy League

In October, 1933 Stanley Woodward of the New York Herald Tribune first uses the phrase "Ivy colleges" in print to describe the eight current Ivy schools (plus Army). On February 8, 1935, AP Sports editor Alan Gould first uses the exact term "Ivy League". Then in 1945 The first "Ivy Group Agreement" is signed, applying only to football. Ten years later, the Ivy Presidents extend the Ivy Group Agreement to all intercollegiate sports. Their statement also focuses on presidential governance of the league, the importance of intra-League competition, and a desire that recruited athletes be academically "representative" of each institution’s overall student body. Although this is the League’s official founding date, the first year of competition is 1956-57. In 1977 The Ivy Presidents approve a 10th game for football, previously limited to nine games. In December, 1981 A special NCAA convention creates a "I-AA" football division and Ivy League members begin play in that division the following September. Pete's would like to thank the Ivy League for providing the following information:

The Metro-Atlantic Conference

The MAAC was founded in 1980 by six charter members; the U.S. Military Academy, Fairfield University, Fordham University, Iona College, Manhattan College and Saint Peter's College. Competition followed one year later in the fall of 1981 with members competing in the sports of men's cross country and men's soccer. On January 2, 1982, Army traveled to Iona for the first MAAC men's basketball game and the MAAC story had begun. In January of 1993, the conference announced the formation of the MAAC Football League, which began play in September 1993. The league, which is part of the NCAA Division I-AA classification, consists of the six football-playing MAAC schools -- Canisius, Fairfield, Iona, Marist, Saint Peter's and Siena -- and three associate members Duquesne, La Salle and St. John's. The MAAC Football League is a Division I-AA league, which keeps costs to a minimum through a series of innovative conference rules involving travel squad size, length of the practice season, and a limited number of full-time coaches. Most importantly, however, there are no athletic scholarships, just need-based financial aid. Conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona College, Loyola College (MD), Manhattan College, Marist College, Niagara University, Rider University, Saint Peter's College, and Siena College. In addition, associate members Duquesne University, LaSalle University and St. John's University compete in football. Pete's would like to thank the MAAC for providing the following information:

The Mid-East Athletic Conference

In 1969, a bold ad hoc group of innovators long associated with intercollegiate athletics, met to discuss the feasibility of organizing a new conference based along the Atlantic coastline. Dissected from these discussions, a steering and planning committee was formed to fully investigate the idea, present a detailed report with recommendations to interested collegiate institutions; then construct a workshop to outline proposals. A number of representatives from neophyte institutions later convened to listen to the committee’s report, which led to a two day scrutinized discussion about the proposed organization and its procedures.  After adopting the program, seven of the institutions agreed to become the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). Its major objective was to establish, organize and supervise an intercollegiate athletic program among a compact group of educational institutions of high academic standards and with a sound philosophy of co-curricular activities. In 1970, the league was confirmed with these seven institutions seated on the chartered flight kicking off the 1971 football season: Delaware State College (now University), Howard University, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Morgan State University, North Carolina A&T State University, North Carolina Central University and South Carolina State College (now University). In October 1979, Bethune Cookman College and Florida A&M University were voted into the MEAC. As of the 2002 season end, MEAC football membership includes Bethune Cookman, Delaware State,
Florida A&M, Hampton University, Howard University, Morgan State, Norfolk State, N.C. A&T, S.C. State. Pete's would like to thank the MEAC for providing the following information:

The Northeast Conference

Based in Somerset, New Jersey, the Northeast Conference is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of 12 institutions of higher learning located throughout five states. Founded in 1981 as the basketball-only ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 21 championship sports for men and women. NEC member institutions include Central Connecticut State, Fairleigh Dickinson, Long Island, UMBC, Monmouth, Mt. St. Mary’s, Quinnipiac, Robert Morris, Sacred Heart, St. Francis (NY), St. Francis (PA) and Wagner. Over the course of the last 21 years, the NEC’s evolution from a single sport entity to a burgeoning 12-member, 21-sport conference in the year 2002 is a remarkable success story. Founded in 1981 as the ECAC-Metro Conference, the league began sponsoring additional sports in 1985 and changed its name to the Northeast Conference in 1988. With membership and sport sponsorship continuing to grow over the next decade, the NEC now has access to NCAA automatic bids in 12 sports (baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s golf, women’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s soccer, softball, men’s and women’s tennis, women’s volleyball). Pete's would like to thank the NEC for providing the following information:

The Ohio Valley Conference

The OVC's proud past dates back to 1948, but seeds for the new league were actually planted in 1941. It was then that Roy Stewart, the athletics director at Murray State, Charles (Turkey) Hughes, the athletics director at Eastern Kentucky, and Kelly Thompson, the public relations director at Western Kentucky, first broached the idea of forming a new conference. Discussions were put on hold by World War II, but reemerged Feb. 27-28, 1948 at the Kentucky Hotel in Louisville as the three original institutions combined with Morehead State, Louisville and Evansville to form the OVC. The first Division I-AA football playoff was held in 1978 with only four teams, which is the only year through present day that the OVC did not field a playoff representative. In 1979, four of the nation's top teams were invited to the playoffs, and two of them - Eastern Kentucky and Murray State - were from the OVC. In the early 1990's, the league expanded by two members, adding Southeast Missouri State University and the University of Tennessee at Martin. The league grew again in 1996-97 with the addition of Eastern Illinois University. Other current representatives include charter members Eastern Kentucky University, Morehead State University and Murray State University, along with Austin Peay State University, Tennessee State University and Tennessee Technological University. Jacksonville State University and Samford University will join the OVC in 2003, expanding the conference to 11 members for the first time. Pete's would like to thank the OVC for providing the following information:

The Patriot League

The Patriot League began as a successful Division I-AA football conference in 1986. Originally known as the Colonial League, began full round-robin play in football only. In 1990, the Colonial League changes its name to Patriot League and began multi-sport sponsorship. Full League members include American, Army, Bucknell, Colgate, Holy Cross, Lafayette, Lehigh and Navy. Associate members include Fairfield (field hockey), Fordham (football), Georgetown (football), Hobart (men's lacrosse), Towson (football) and Villanova (women's lacrosse).  Patriot League sponsors championship competition in 22 sports (11 for men; 11 for women). Pete's would like to thank the PL for providing the following information:

The Pioneer League

The Southern Conference

The Southern Conference is the nation's fourth oldest NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association. Only the Big Ten (1896), the Missouri Valley (1907) , and the Pac-10 (1915) conferences are older in terms of origination. The Southern Conference has excelled as one of the premiere Division I-AA football conference since earning that classification in 1981. The Conference currently consists of 12 members in five states throughout the Southeast and sponsors 19 varsity sports and championships that produce participants for NCAA Championships. The Southern Conference was formed on February 25, 1921 at a meeting in Atlanta, Ga. Fourteen institutions from the 30-member Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA) reorganized as the Southern Conference. Those charter members included Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi State, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Tennessee, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Washington & Lee. The league has undergone two major transitions during its history. The first occurred in December 1932 when the Southeastern Conference was formed out of the 23-school Southern Conference. The league's 13 members west and south of the Appalachian Mountains reorganized to help reduce the extensive travel demands that were present in the league at the time. In 1936, the Southern Conference invited The Citadel, William & Mary, Davidson, Furman, Richmond and Wake Forest to join the membership. The second major shift happened in 1953 when Clemson, Duke, Maryland, North Carolina, North Carolina State, South Carolina and Wake Forest officially withdrew from the league to form the Atlantic Coast Conference. In 2003, VMI withdrew from the conference and Elon became a member. So, SoCon football members are Appalachian St., Chattanooga, Citadel, E. Tennessee St., Elon, Georgia Southern, Western Carolina and Wofford. Pete's would like to thank the SoCon for providing the following information:

The Southland Conference

In the fall of 2002, after six years as two separate entities, the Southland Football League and Southland Conference reunited under one banner. After 32 years of existence as the Southland Conference, the Southland Football League began competition in 1996 as a result of the addition of Troy State University to the six I-AA football-playing members of the Southland Conference. The following year, (1997), Jacksonville State University began competing as a member of the SFL. Since it's foundation on March 15, 1963, the Conference has undergone significant change. Including football-only member Jacksonville State, membership has now grown to more than twice its original number with an all-time high of 12 institutions. With the withdrawal of Troy State (2001), combined with the impending departure of Jacksonville State (2003), Southland administrators have voted to reunite football with the other 16 sponsored sports programs of the Southland Conference. Pete's would like to thank the Southland Conference for providing the following information:

The Southwestern Conference

The SWAC began in 1920, as a Texas Sports conference. The founding members were Bishop College, Paul Quinn, Prairie View A&M, Texas College, Sam Houston College and Wiley College. Today, the SWAC ranks among the elite in the nation in terms of alumni playing with professional sports teams, particularly in the sport of football. On the gridiron, the conference as been the biggest draw on the Division I-AA level of the NCAA, leading the nation in average home attendance for 19 of the 20 years the I-AA division has been in existence. In fact, in 1994, the SWAC fell just 40,000 fans short of becoming the first non-Division I-A conference to attract one million fans to it’s home games. The conference no longer participates in the I-AA play-off.