American Athletic Conference
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| Full name | American Athletic Conference of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division One |
| sport | Juniors: 10; Juniors: 11 |
| abbreviation | AAC |
| Association | NCAA |
| League foundation | 1979, renamed: 2013 |
| Teams | in American football : currently 11 |
| Country countries | United States |
The American Athletic Conference ( AAC ) is an eleven university league in the United States for the various sports that play in the NCAA .
history
The AAC was originally founded in 1979 as the Big East Conference (see also the new Big East Conference ) and is based in Providence . The majority of the original members did not practice American football in the professional form that various other member institutions did. When negotiating television and marketing contracts, this proved to be a hindrance over the years, especially as the teams of the old Big East were becoming more and more successful in marketing. With various changes in the membership of university teams within the conferences of the NCAA Division I, especially in the "Realignment" 2005, absurd constellations arose, especially since individual teams of the member universities of the Big East that did not meet the standards of American football infrastructure, practiced the sport within other conferences. During the realignment from 2010 to 2013, there was a final break, in which the Catholic Seven split off and the Big East Conference was re-established, taking the name with it. The organization and charter of the old Big East retained the remaining members and renamed the conference the American Athletic Conference . In addition to the Catholic Seven, who did not support American football in the same way as the others, they also left Syracuse University , University of Pittsburgh , West Virginia University , University of Notre Dame , Loyola University Maryland and, in 2014, the University of Louisville and Rutgers University the old Big East Conference. Instead, the AAC was able to gain the University of Central Florida (UCF), University of Houston , Southern Methodist University (SMU), Temple University and, from 2014, East Carolina University , Tulane University and the University of Tulsa . From 2015, the teams of the United States Naval Academy will also participate in the regular game of the AAC in American football .
The AAC made its first change in core membership in July 2020 when the University of Connecticut (UConn) left to join several of its historic rivals in the current Big East Conference.
Members
| university | place | Team name | founded | joined | from | Sponsorship | students |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Central Florida (UCF) | Orlando ( FL ) | Knights | 1963 | 2013 | C-USA | state | 50,968 |
| University of Cincinnati | Cincinnati ( OH ) | Bearcats | 1819 | 2005 | C-USA | state | 31,985 |
| East Carolina University | Greenville ( NC ) | Pirates | 1907 | 2014 | C-USA | state | 21,589 |
| University of Houston | Houston ( TX ) | Cougars | 1927 | 2013 | C-USA | state | 32,760 |
| University of Memphis | Memphis ( TN ) | Tigers | 1912 | 2013 | C-USA | state | 17,963 |
| University of South Florida | Tampa ( FL ) | Bulls | 1956 | 2005 | C-USA | state | 36,225 |
| Southern Methodist University (SMU) | Dallas ( TX ) | Mustangs | 1911 | 2013 | C-USA | Private | 7,000 |
| Temple University | Philadelphia ( PA ) | Owls | 1884 | 2013 * | A-10 | state | 27,725 |
| Tulane University | New Orleans ( LA ) | Green wave | 1834 | 2014 | C-USA | Private | 8,352 |
| University of Tulsa | Tulsa ( OK ) | Golden Hurricane | 1894 | 2014 | C-USA | Private | 3,174 |
| Wichita State University ** | Wichita ( KS ) | Shockers | 1895 | 2017 | MVC | state | 14,495 |
* The Temple Owls football team was part of the old Big East between 1991 and 2004 and returned in 2012. In 2013 the other sports teams followed suit.
** Wichita State does not have a football team.
Associate members
| university | place | Team name | founded | sport | in AAC since | Main Conference | Sponsorship | students |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California State University, Sacramento (Sacramento State) | Sacramento ( CA ) | Hornets | 1947 | Rowing (women) | 2014 | Big Sky | state | 28,811 |
| San Diego State University | San Diego ( CA ) | Aztecs | 1897 | Rowing (women) | 2014 | Mountain West | state | 31,899 |
| US Naval Academy (Navy) | Annapolis ( MD ) | Midshipmen | 1845 | American football | 2015 | patriot | state | 4,576 |
| University of Florida | Gainesville ( FL ) | Gators | 1853 | Lacrosse (women) | 2018 | SEC | state | 51,474 |
| Old Dominion University | Norfolk ( VA ) | Monarchs | 1930 | Rowing (women) Lacrosse (women) |
2018 (rowing) 2020 (lacrosse) |
C-USA | state | 24,670 |
| Vanderbilt University | Nashville ( TN ) | Commodores | 1873 | Lacrosse (women) | 2018 | SEC | Private | 12,686 |
former members
| university | place | Team name | founded | from | out | to | to | Sponsorship |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Connecticut (UConn) | Storrs ( CT ) | Huskies | 1881 | 1979 | Independent | 2020 |
Big East Independent (Football) |
state |
Web links
- The Official Site of the American Athletic Conference - site of the AAC ( english )