Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association

Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association
(SIAA)
Established 1894
Dissolved 1942
Association NCAA
Members 72 (total)
Region Southern United States
Deep South
Locations

The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA) was one of the first collegiate athletic conferences in the United States. Twenty-seven of the current Division I FBS (formerly Division I-A) football programs were members of this conference at some point, as were at least 19 other schools. Every member of the current Southeastern Conference except Arkansas and Missouri, as well as six of the 15 current members of the Atlantic Coast Conference plus the University of Texas at Austin, now of the Big 12 Conference (and previously of the now defunct Southwest Conference), formerly held membership in the SIAA.

History

Conference Presidents
William Lofland Dudley 1894–1912
Walter Riggs 1912–1915
Buz M. Walker 1917
Henry D. Phillips 1919–1922
J. W. Provine 1927–1942

The SIAA was founded on December 21, 1894, by Dr. William Dudley, a chemistry professor at Vanderbilt,[1] at the Kimball House in Atlanta.[2] Dudley was a member of the Vanderbilt Athletic Association, formed in 1886 with Dr. W. M. Baskerville as president. Most students at Vanderbilt were members. The early sports played on the Vanderbilt campus were baseball, bicycling, and track and field events.[3] Dudley was primarily responsible for the formation of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association. The first advance in the direction of its formation was in March 1888 when the Vanderbilt Athletic Association endeavored to secure track and field meets at Vanderbilt from Southwestern Presbyterian University, Sewanee, and Tennessee. Sewanee's opposition stopped it from occurring.[4]

The original members were Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Sewanee, and Vanderbilt. Clemson, Cumberland, Kentucky, LSU, Mercer, Mississippi, Mississippi A&M (Mississippi State), Southwestern Presbyterian University, Tennessee, Texas, Tulane, and the University of Nashville joined the following year in 1895 as invited charter members.[5] The conference was originally formed for "the development and purification of college athletics throughout the South".[6] They crafted a constitution, created an Executive Committee, elected officers, and set rules for:[6]

Kimball House

The league did not, however, sponsor much in the way of championship competition for its member schools. It did hold an annual track and field competition for a trophy, and it also held some basketball tournaments over the years, but apparently some member schools did not compete in the tournament during some years, and sometimes non-member southern schools were even allowed to compete in it as well. In 1903, a single-game football playoff occurred, but it seems to have been coordinated more so by the two competing schools (Clemson and Cumberland) than the conference itself. Several other efforts over the years by individual schools (rather than by the SIAA) to hold a conference title game fell through. Most SIAA titles claimed by schools in various sports were actually more mythical in nature than officially sanctioned by the league. Indeed, some schools centrally-located in the conference played far more conference games than others on the periphery, making it difficult to form a fair comparison to determine just which team was truly the best, especially once the league began to constantly expand its membership.

In 1915, a disagreement arose within the conference regarding the eligibility of freshman athletes, the so-called "one-year rule." Generally, the larger universities opposed the eligibility of freshman players, while the smaller schools favored it. As a result, some of the large universities formed the Southern Intercollegiate Conference (now the Southern Conference), which used the one-year rule, while still maintaining membership within the SIAA.[7]

At the conference's annual meeting on December 10, 1920, the SIAA rejected proposals to ban freshman athletes and abolish paid summer baseball.[8] In protest, some schools that had voted in favor of the propositions immediately announced they would seek to form a new conference.[8] On February 25, 1921, Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Mississippi State, and Tennessee left the SIAA to form the Southern Conference, along with non-SIAA members Maryland, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Washington & Lee.[9] In 1922, the Southern Conference underwent an expansion and added six more members, all at the expense of the SIAA: Florida, Louisiana State, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tulane, and Vanderbilt.[7]

With the departure of most of the major colleges, the SIAA became a de facto small college conference in 1923. In the 1920s and 1930s, the SIAA increased its membership with the addition of many additional small universities. The conference eventually disbanded in 1942 with the onset of American involvement in World War II.[7] League archives were kept at Vanderbilt, the league's founding school, but the building housing the archives was eventually gutted with fire, taking countless irreplaceable items pertaining to the SIAA's history with it.

Membership

Original charter members are denoted in boldface. Invited charter members are denoted with an asterisk.[5] In the era in which the SIAA operated, teams tended to join in December; therefore, the first year of conference play in a given sport was often the following calendar year.

Conference affiliations reflect those for the 2016–17 school year.

School City State Tenure Conference left for Current conference
Alabama Tuscaloosa Alabama 1894–1917, 1919–1921 Southern Conference Southeastern Conference
Auburn Auburn Alabama 1894–1921 Southern Conference Southeastern Conference
Centenary Shreveport Louisiana 1925–1941 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (D-III)
Centre (merged with Central in 1901) Danville Kentucky 1901–1904, 1910–1916, 1918–1941 Southern Athletic Association (D-III)
Chattanooga Chattanooga Tennessee 1914–1916, 1919–1932 Dixie Conference Southern Conference
The Citadel Charleston South Carolina 1909–1935 Southern Conference Southern Conference
Clemson* Clemson South Carolina 1895–1921 Southern Conference Atlantic Coast Conference
Cumberland* Lebanon Tennessee 1895–1907 Mid-South Conference (NAIA)
Davidson Davidson North Carolina 1898–1900, 1902–1906 Atlantic 10 Conference
Delta State Cleveland Mississippi 1936–1941 Gulf South Conference (D-II)
Eastern Kentucky (formerly Central) Richmond Kentucky 1896-1900; 1928–1942 Ohio Valley Conference
Emory & Henry Emory Virginia 1936–1941 Old Dominion Athletic Conference (D-III)
Erskine Due West South Carolina 1923–1941 Conference Carolinas (D-II)
Florida Gainesville Florida 1911–1917, 1919–1921 Southern Conference Southeastern Conference
Furman Greenville South Carolina 1902–1904, 1906–1910, 1914–1929, 1932–1935 Southern Conference Southern Conference
Georgetown (Kentucky) Georgetown Kentucky 1915–1916, 1919–1941 Mid-South Conference (NAIA)
Georgia Athens Georgia 1894–1916, 1919–1921 Southern Conference Southeastern Conference
Georgia Tech Atlanta Georgia 1894–1900, 1902–1913, 1916–1921 Southern Conference Atlantic Coast Conference
Gordon Military College Barnesville Georgia 1906–1910 Georgia Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA)
Howard College (Samford) Homewood Alabama 1909–1912, 1914–1917, 1919–1931 Dixie Conference Southern Conference
Jacksonville State Jacksonville Alabama 1939–1940 Ohio Valley Conference
Kentucky* Lexington Kentucky 1895–1904, 1911–1916, 1919–1921 Southern Conference Southeastern Conference
Kentucky Wesleyan Owensboro Kentucky 1925–1930 Great Midwest Athletic Conference (D-II)
Louisiana College Pineville Louisiana 1922–1941 American Southwest Conference (D-III)
Louisiana State* Baton Rouge Louisiana 1895–1917, 1919–1921 Southern Conference Southeastern Conference
Louisiana Tech Ruston Louisiana 1925–1942 Louisiana Intercollegiate Conference Conference USA
Louisville Louisville Kentucky 1914–1941 Atlantic Coast Conference
Loyola (New Orleans) New Orleans Louisiana 1925, 1930–1937 Southern States Athletic Conference (NAIA)
Memphis State (Memphis) Memphis Tennessee 1935–1942 Independent American Athletic Conference
Memphis University School Memphis Tennessee 1908–1910 Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (HS)
Mercer* Macon Georgia 1895–1937 Southern Conference
Miami (Florida) Coral Gables Florida 1929–1942 Independent Atlantic Coast Conference
Middle Tennessee Murfreesboro Tennessee 1931–1942 Conference USA
Millsaps Jackson Mississippi 1908–1909, 1913–1938 Southern Athletic Association (D-III)
Mississippi* Oxford Mississippi 1895–1921 Southern Conference Southeastern Conference
Mississippi College Clinton Mississippi 1910–1917, 1919–1941 American Southwest Conference (D-III)
Mississippi A&M* (Mississippi State) Starkville Mississippi 1895–1921 Southern Conference Southeastern Conference
Morehead State Morehead Kentucky 1934–1942 Ohio Valley Conference
Murray State Murray Kentucky 1931–1942 Ohio Valley Conference
Nashville* Nashville Tennessee 1895–1908 University closed in 1909
Newberry Newberry South Carolina 1922–1942 South Atlantic Conference (D-II)
North Carolina Chapel Hill North Carolina 1894–1901 South Atlantic Intercollegiate Athletic Association Atlantic Coast Conference
Northwestern State Natchitoches Louisiana 1928–1941 Southland Conference
Oglethorpe Atlanta Georgia 1920–1925 Southern Athletic Association (D-III)
Presbyterian Clinton South Carolina 1921–1942 Big South Conference
Rollins Winter Park Florida 1925–1942 Sunshine State Conference (D-II)
University of North Georgia Dahlonega Georgia 1908–1909 Peach Belt Conference (D-II)
University of the South (Sewanee) Sewanee Tennessee 1894–1924 Southern Conference Southern Athletic Association (D-III)
South Carolina Columbia South Carolina 1915–1921 Southern Conference Southeastern Conference
Southern (Florida) Lakeland Florida 1925–1930 Sunshine State Conference (D-II)
Southern Mississippi Hattiesburg Mississippi 1928–1941 Conference USA
Southern University (Birmingham-Southern) Birmingham Alabama 1901–1912; 1930–1931 Dixie Conference Southern Athletic Association (D-III)
Southwestern Presbyterian* (Rhodes) Memphis Tennessee 1895–1900, 1902–1903 Southern Athletic Association (D-III)
Southwestern Louisiana (Louisiana–Lafayette) Lafayette Louisiana 1925–1942 Sun Belt Conference
Spring Hill Mobile Alabama 1927–1931 Dixie Conference Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (D-II)
Stetson DeLand Florida 1925–1931, 1933–1940 Atlantic Sun Conference (Pioneer Football League for football)
Tampa Tampa Florida 1936–1942 Sunshine State Conference (D-II)
Tennessee* Knoxville Tennessee 1895–1916, 1919–1921 Southern Conference Southeastern Conference
Tennessee Tech Cookeville Tennessee 1933–1942 Ohio Valley Conference
Texas* Austin Texas 1895–1906 Independent Big 12 Conference
Texas A&M College Station Texas 1903–1908, 1912–1914 Southwest Conference Southeastern Conference
Transylvania Lexington Kentucky 1914–1916, 1919–1924, 1926–1941 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (D-III)
Trinity College (Duke) Durham North Carolina 1903–1912 Atlantic Coast Conference
Troy State (Troy) Troy Alabama 1936–1942 no team (WWII) Sun Belt Conference
Tulane* New Orleans Louisiana 1894–1906, 1911–1917, 1919–1921 Southern Conference American Athletic Conference
Union (Kentucky) Barbourville Kentucky 1933–1941 Appalachian Athletic Conference (NAIA)
Union (Tennessee) Jackson Tennessee 1925–1942 Gulf South Conference (NCAA D-II)
Vanderbilt Nashville Tennessee 1894–1924 Southern Conference Southeastern Conference
Virginia Tech Blacksburg Virginia 1898 Atlantic Coast Conference
Western Kentucky Bowling Green Kentucky 1921–1942 Conference USA
Wofford Spartanburg South Carolina 1903–1942 Southern Conference

    Timeline

    Jacksonville State University Troy University University of Tampa Emory and Henry College Delta State University University of Memphis Morehead State University Union College (Kentucky) Tennessee Technological University Murray State University Middle Tennessee State University University of Miami University of Southern Mississippi Northwestern State University Spring Hill College Union University Stetson University University of Louisiana at Lafayette Florida Southern College Rollins College Loyola University New Orleans Louisiana Tech University Kentucky Wesleyan College Centenary College of Louisiana Louisiana College Presbyterian College Newberry College Erskine College Western Kentucky University Birmingham-Southern College Oglethorpe University Millsaps College Wofford College University of South Carolina Transylvania University Georgetown College (Kentucky) University of Louisville University of Tennessee at Chattanooga University of Florida Mississippi College Centre College Samford University The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina Memphis University School North Georgia College & State University Gordon College (Georgia) Texas Agricultural and Mechanical University Duke University Birmingham–Southern College Furman University Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Davidson College Eastern Kentucky University University of Tennessee Tulane University University of Texas at Austin Rhodes College University of Nashville University of Mississippi Mississippi State University Mercer University Louisiana State University University of Kentucky Cumberland University Clemson University Georgia Institute of Technology Vanderbilt University Sewanee: The University of the South University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University of Georgia Auburn University University of Alabama

    References

    1. ↑ Greg Roza, Football in the SEC (Southeastern Conference), p. 1, 2007, ISBN 1-4042-1919-6.
    2. ↑ "S. I. A. A. Was Started At The Kimball House". The Atlanta Constitution. December 17, 1905. p. 1. Retrieved May 16, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
    3. ↑ William L Traughber (August 25, 2005). "William Dudley: a Father of Vanderbilt Athletics".
    4. ↑ "Vanderbilt Paper Tells How First Efforts Succeeded in Formation of S. I. A. A. Order". Macon Telegraph. April 12, 1921.
    5. 1 2 Bailey, John Wendell (1924). Handbook of Southern Intercollegiate Track and Field Athletics. Mississippi Agricultural and Mechanical College. p. 14.
    6. 1 2 Southern Inter-Collegiate Athletic Association (PDF). Athens, GA: E. D. Stone. 1895. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
    7. 1 2 3 Roger Saylor, Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (PDF), College Football Historical Society, The LA84 Foundation, retrieved March 1, 2009.
    8. 1 2 "NEW COLLEGE BODY PLANNED IN SOUTH; Twelve Universities Take Steps to Break Away From Intercollegiate A. A". The New York Times. December 12, 1920.
    9. ↑ "The Southern Conference". Southern Conference. Retrieved 13 October 2011.

    External links

    This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/4/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.