Coastal Athletic Association Football Conference

The Coastal Athletic Association Football Conference, formerly the Colonial Athletic Association Football Conference, branded as CAA Football, is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division I whose full members are located in East Coast states, from Maine to North Carolina. Most of its members are public universities, and the conference is headquartered in Richmond, Virginia. The conference is run by the same administration as the multisport conference Coastal Athletic Association (CAA; formerly the Colonial Athletic Association) but is legally a different entity.[1]

Coastal Athletic Association Football Conference
FormerlyColonial Athletic Association Football Conference
ConferenceNCAA
Founded2007
Sports fielded
  • 1
    • men's: 1 (football)
DivisionDivision I
SubdivisionFCS
No. of teams16 (14 in 2025)
HeadquartersRichmond, Virginia
RegionEast Coast
Official websitecaasports.com
Locations
Location of teams in {{{title}}}

History

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CAA Football was formed in 2005, although it did not begin play until 2007, as a separate conference independent of the CAA, but administered by the CAA front office. In the 2004–05 academic year, the CAA had five member schools that sponsored football, all of them as football-only members of the Atlantic 10 Conference. In 2005, Northeastern accepted the CAA's offer of membership, giving the CAA the six football-playing members it needed under NCAA rules to organize a football conference. At that time, the CAA announced it would launch its new football conference in 2007. Next, the CAA invited the University of Richmond to become a football-only member effective in 2007. Once UR accepted the offer, this left the A10 football conference with only five members, less than the six required under NCAA rules. As a result, the remaining A10 football programs all decided to join the CAA for football only, ending A10 football. Since the CAA football conference had the same members as the A10 the previous year, it can be said that the CAA football conference is the A10 football conference under new management.

The CAA football conference's earliest roots are in the New England Conference, founded in 1938 by four state-supported universities in that region plus Northeastern; three of the public schools are currently in CAA Football. However, neither the multi-sports CAA nor CAA Football includes the New England Conference in CAA Football history.[2] After the departure of Northeastern in 1945, the remaining members joined New England's other land-grant colleges, Massachusetts State College (now the University of Massachusetts Amherst) and the University of Vermont, to form the Yankee Conference under a new charter in 1946, with competition starting in 1947. That conference eventually dropped all sports other than football in 1975. Starting in the 1980s, it expanded to include many schools outside its original New England base. After the NCAA voted to limit the influence of single-sport conferences, the Yankee merged with the A-10 in 1997.

CAA Football went through many changes during the early 2010s with the loss of Georgia State, Massachusetts, and Old Dominion and the addition of Albany, Elon, and Stony Brook. Stability was maintained for a decade before the departure of James Madison in 2021 leading to the addition of Campbell, Hampton, Monmouth, North Carolina A&T, and Bryant from 2022 to 2024.

Coastal Athletic Association Football Conference
 
 
200km
125miles
 
Villanova
 
Campbell
 
Richmond
 
Rhode Island
 
New Hampshire
 
Maine
 
Albany
 
North Carolina A&T
 
Stony Brook
 
Hampton
 
Monmouth
 
William & Mary
 
Towson
 
Elon
 
Bryant
 
Delaware
Location of CAA members:
  CAA Football member
  Departing member

Timeline

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  • May 31, 2006 – Old Dominion, at the time a member of the all-sports CAA, announced plans to add football for the 2009 season and join CAA Football in 2011.[4] [5]
  • June 11, 2009 – Georgia State, at the time a member of the all-sports CAA, announced the addition of Football in 2011, and joining the CAA football conference in 2012.[6]
  • November 9, 2009 – Northeastern announced plans to drop football after the 2009 season.[7]
  • December 3, 2009 – Hofstra also announced that the university would no longer be sponsoring football.[8]
  • June 1, 2010 – Due to the reduction of the conference, CAA Football did not use the division format for the 2010 season.
  • August 7, 2012 – Albany and Stony Brook both accepted offers of membership in CAA Football for the 2013 season.[13]
  • May 23, 2013 – Elon announced that the school would become a member of CAA Football and the all-sports CAA for the 2014 season.[14]
  • November 6, 2021 – James Madison announced its departure for the Sun Belt Conference and upgrade to FBS. Originally, JMU was slated to play the 2022 season as an FCS Independent before joining the Sun Belt in 2023, but JMU ended up joining a year earlier.[15][16][17]
  • January 25, 2022 – Hampton and Monmouth accept invitations to join CAA Football and the all-sports CAA for the 2022 season. Stony Brook, which joined CAA Football in 2013, also becomes a member of the all-sports conference.[18]
  • February 22, 2022 – North Carolina A&T accepts an invitation to join CAA Football for the 2023 season, a year after joining the all-sports CAA.[19]
  • August 3, 2022 – Campbell also accepts an invitation to join both sides of the CAA for the 2023 season.[20]
  • July 20, 2023 – CAA Football changed its full name to the Coastal Athletic Association Football Conference.[21]
  • August 10, 2023 – Bryant accepts an invitation to join CAA Football for the 2024 season.[22]
  • May 14, 2024 – Richmond announced its departure from the CAA to join the Patriot League as an associate member for football for the 2025 season.[24]

Member institutions

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Current members

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Institution Location Founded Joined Type Enrollment Nickname Colors Primary
Conference
State University of New York at Albany Albany, New York 1844 2013 Public 17,944 Great Danes     AmEast
Bryant University Smithfield, Rhode Island 1863 2024 Private 3,751 Bulldogs    
Campbell University Buies Creek, North Carolina 1887 2023 Private 5,622 Fighting Camels     CAA
University of Delaware Newark, Delaware 1743 2007 Public[a] 23,281 Fightin' Blue Hens     CAA
Elon University Elon, North Carolina 1889 2014 Private 6,991 Phoenix     CAA
Hampton University Hampton, Virginia 1868 2022 Private
(HBCU)
3,516 Pirates    
University of Maine Orono, Maine 1865 2007 Public 11,404 Black Bears       AmEast
Monmouth University West Long Branch, New Jersey 1933 2022 Private 5,675 Hawks     CAA
University of New Hampshire Durham, New Hampshire 1866 2007 Public 15,305 Wildcats       AmEast
North Carolina A&T State University Greensboro, North Carolina 1891 2023 Public
(HBCU)
13,332 Aggies     CAA
Towson University Towson, Maryland 1866 2007 Public 22,923 Tigers    
University of Rhode Island Kingston, Rhode Island 1892 16,883 Rams       A-10
University of Richmond Richmond, Virginia 1830 2007 Private 4,002 Spiders     A-10
Stony Brook University Stony Brook, New York 1957 2013 Public 26,782 Seawolves       CAA
Villanova University Villanova, Pennsylvania 1842 2007 Private 11,023 Wildcats     Big East
College of William & Mary Williamsburg, Virginia 1693 Public 8,817 Tribe       CAA
Notes
  1. ^ Delaware is officially chartered as a "privately-governed, state-assisted" institution. This status is broadly similar to that of New York State's statutory colleges, most of which are housed at Cornell University, or institutions in Pennsylvania's Commonwealth System of Higher Education.

Former members

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Institution Location Founded Joined Left Type Enrollment Nickname Colors Subsequent
Football
Conference
Current
Football
Conference
Hofstra University Hempstead, New York 1935 2007 2009 Private 10,871 Pride       none
(dropped football)
Georgia State University Atlanta, Georgia 1913 2012 2013 Public 32,082 Panthers     Sun Belt
(FBS)
James Madison University Harrisonburg, Virginia 1908 2007 2022 21,227 Dukes    
University of Massachusetts Amherst, Massachusetts 1863 2012 28,635 Minutemen     MAC
(FBS)
FBS Independent
(MAC in 2025)
Northeastern University Boston, Massachusetts 1898 2009 Private 21,627 Huskies     none
(dropped football)
Old Dominion University Norfolk, Virginia 1930 2011 2013 Public 24,932 Monarchs       CUSA
(FBS)
Sun Belt
(FBS)

Membership timeline

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Bryant Bulldogs footballBig South–OVC Football AssociationBig South ConferenceNortheast ConferenceNCAA Division I FCS independent schoolsNortheast-10 ConferenceNorth Carolina A&T Aggies footballBig South ConferenceMid-Eastern Athletic ConferenceCampbell Fighting Camels footballBig South ConferencePioneer Football LeagueMonmouth Hawks footballBig South ConferenceNCAA Division I FCS independent schoolsNortheast ConferenceHampton Pirates footballBig South ConferenceNCAA Division I FCS independent schoolsMid-Eastern Athletic ConferenceElon Phoenix footballSouthern ConferenceStony Brook Seawolves footballBig South ConferenceNCAA Division I FCS independent schoolsAlbany Great Danes footballNortheast ConferenceSun Belt ConferenceGeorgia State Panthers footballNCAA Division I FCS independent schoolsSun Belt ConferenceConference USANCAA Division I FCS independent schoolsOld Dominion Monarchs footballNCAA Division I FCS independent schoolsWilliam %26 Mary Tribe footballVillanova Wildcats footballMid-American ConferenceNCAA Division I FBS independent schoolsMid-American ConferenceUMass Minutemen footballTowson Tigers footballPatriot LeagueRichmond Spiders footballRhode Island Rams footballNortheastern HuskiesNew Hampshire Wildcats footballMaine Black Bears footballSun Belt ConferenceJames Madison Dukes footballHofstra PrideConference USADelaware Fightin' Blue Hens football

Current members  Former members  Other Conference  Other Conference 

Conference champions

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* Denotes a tie for regular season conference title
Denotes team failed to qualify for FCS Playoffs
Bold type Denotes national champion in the same season
Year Team(s) Conference record Overall record(s) Head coach(es)
2007* UMass
Richmond
7–1 10–3
11–3
Don Brown
Dave Clawson
2008 James Madison 8–0 12–2 Mickey Matthews
2009* Richmond
Villanova
7–1 11–2
14–1
Mike London
Andy Talley
2010* Delaware
William & Mary
6–2 12–3
8–4
K. C. Keeler
Jimmye Laycock
2011 Towson 7–1 9–3 Rob Ambrose
2012* New Hampshire
Richmond
Villanova
Towson
6–2[25] 8–3
8–3
8–3
7–4
Sean McDonnell
Danny Rocco
Andy Talley
Rob Ambrose
2013 Maine 7–1 10–3 Jack Cosgrove
2014 New Hampshire 8–0 10–1 Sean McDonnell
2015* James Madison
Richmond
William & Mary
6–2 9–2
8–3
8–3
Everett Withers
Danny Rocco
Jimmye Laycock
2016 James Madison 8–0 14–1 Mike Houston
2017 James Madison 8–0 14–1 Mike Houston
2018 Maine 7–1 10–4 Joe Harasymiak
2019 James Madison 8–0 14–2 Curt Cignetti
2020 Delaware 4–0 5−0 Danny Rocco
2021* James Madison
Villanova
7–1 10–1
9–2
Curt Cignetti
Mark Ferrante
2022* New Hampshire
William & Mary
7–1 9–4
11–2
Ricky Santos
Mike London
2023* UAlbany
Richmond
Villanova
7–1 9–2
8–3
9–2
Greg Gattuso
Russ Huesman
Mark Ferrante

All-time conference championships

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School Championships Outright championships Years
James Madison 6 4 2008, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2021
Richmond 5 0 2007, 2009, 2012, 2015, 2023
Villanova 4 0 2009, 2012, 2021, 2023
New Hampshire 3 1 2012, 2014, 2022
William & Mary 3 0 2010, 2015, 2022
Maine 2 2 2013, 2018
Delaware 2 1 2010, 2020a[26]
Towson 2 1 2011, 2012
UAlbany 1 0 2023
Massachusetts 1 0 2007

Co-championships are designated by italics.

BOLD denotes the team won the National Championship

Former member of CAA Football

  • ^a The CAA's 2020–21 NCAA Division I FCS football season was played in Spring 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Several teams opted out, and some games were canceled. The Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens completed the season with a 5-0 overall record, 4–0 in conference, and won the North Division title; the James Madison Dukes completed the season with a 5-0 overall record, 3–0 in conference, and won the South Division title. A vote of the CAA athletic directors, not including Delaware or James Madison, was held to determine a champion. The Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens were declared the 2020 CAA football champions as a result of this vote and were awarded the automatic qualifier for the FCS playoffs.[26]

NCAA FCS National Championships

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School Championships Finals appearances Won Lost
James Madison 2 4 2004*, 2016 2017, 2019
Delaware 1 4 2003* 1982†, 2007, 2010
Villanova 1 1 2009
UMass 1 3 1998* 1978, 2006^
Richmond 1 1 2008
Towson 0 1 2013

†Delaware was an NCAA I-AA independent in the 1982 season.

*Won as a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference.

^UMass became a football-only member in the MAC in 2013, and an independent football member of FBS beginning with the 2016 season.

All-time NFL Draft selections

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Year Round Selection Player Position College NFL team
2008 1 18 Joe Flacco Quarterback Delaware Baltimore Ravens
4 125 Arman Shields Wide receiver Richmond Oakland Raiders
5 149 Tim Hightower Running back Richmond Arizona Cardinals
6 207 Matt Sherry Tight end Villanova Cincinnati Bengals
2009 3 73 Derek Cox Cornerback William & Mary Jacksonville Jaguars
4 125 Lawrence Sidbury Defensive end Richmond Atlanta Falcons
2010 2 61 Vladimir Ducasse Offensive tackle UMass New York Jets
6 178 Arthur Moats Defensive end James Madison Buffalo Bills
184 Adrian Tracy Linebacker William & Mary New York Giants
203 Scotty McGee Kick returner James Madison Jacksonville Jaguars
7 234 Sean Lissemore Defensive tackle William & Mary Dallas Cowboys
2011 2 49 Ben Ijalana Offensive tackle Villanova Indianapolis Colts
7 206 Justin Rogers Cornerback Richmond Buffalo Bills
2012 4 98 Gino Gradkowski Guard Delaware Baltimore Ravens
133 Jerron McMillian Safety Maine Green Bay Packers
2013 4 114 B. W. Webb Cornerback William & Mary Dallas Cowboys
116 Earl Watford Guard James Madison Arizona Cardinals
5 152 Cooper Taylor Safety Richmond New York Giants
7 241 Jared Smith Defensive tackle New Hampshire Seattle Seahawks
2014 3 94 Terrance West Running back Towson Cleveland Browns
6 184 Kendall James Cornerback Maine Minnesota Vikings
2015 5 171 Nick Boyle Tight End Delaware Baltimore Ravens
7 245 Tre McBride Wide receiver William & Mary Tennessee Titans
2016 6 185 DeAndre Houston-Carson Cornerback William & Mary Chicago Bears
7 239 Trevor Bates Linebacker Maine Indianapolis Colts
2017 2 59 Tanoh Kpassagnon Defensive end Villanova Kansas City Chiefs
7 236 Brad Seaton Offensive tackle Villanova Tennessee Titans
2018 4 108 Kyle Lauletta Quarterback Richmond New York Giants
5 145 Bilal Nichols Defensive tackle Delaware Chicago Bears
6 192 Jamil Demby Offensive tackle Maine Los Angeles Rams
2019 2 60 Nasir Adderley Safety Delaware Los Angeles Chargers
6 193 Oli Udoh Offensive tackle Elon Minnesota Vikings
7 227 Jimmy Moreland Cornerback James Madison Washington Redskins
2020 5 171 Isaiah Coulter Wide receiver Rhode Island Houston Texans
7 231 Ben DiNucci Quarterback James Madison Dallas Cowboys
2022 6 185 Christian Benford Cornerback Villanova Buffalo Bills
2023 5 152 Colby Sorsdal Offensive tackle William & Mary Detroit Lions
2024 6 208 Dylan Laube Running back New Hampshire Las Vegas Raiders

Conference facilities

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Departing members in pink. Future members in gray.

School Football stadium Capacity
Albany Bob Ford Field at Tom & Mary Casey Stadium 8,500
Bryant Beirne Stadium 5,500
Campbell Barker–Lane Stadium 5,500
Delaware Delaware Stadium 18,500
Elon Rhodes Stadium 11,250
Hampton Armstrong Stadium 10,000
Maine Harold Alfond Sports Stadium 8,419
Monmouth Kessler Field 4,600
New Hampshire Wildcat Stadium 11,015
North Carolina A&T Truist Stadium 21,500
Rhode Island Meade Stadium 6,580
Richmond E. Claiborne Robins Stadium 8,700
Stony Brook Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium 12,300
Towson Johnny Unitas Stadium 11,198
Villanova Villanova Stadium 12,500
William & Mary Walter J. Zable Stadium 12,259

References

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  1. ^ "CAA Changes Official Conference Name To Coastal Athletic Association" (Press release). Coastal Athletic Association. July 20, 2023. Retrieved July 20, 2023. The name change will carry over to the league's football conference, which will be officially recognized as the Coastal Athletic Association Football Conference but continue to be referred to as the CAA Football Conference.
  2. ^ "The CAA & CAA Football". Coastal Athletic Association. Retrieved July 25, 2023. The conference [CAA Football] celebrated 75 years in 2022, with its roots tracing back to the Yankee Conference (1947-1996) and the Atlantic 10 Football Conference (1997-2006) before CAA Football begin (sic) in 2007.
  3. ^ "CAA TO BEGIN SPONSORING DIVISION I-AA FOOTBALL IN 2007". Colonial Athletic Association. May 4, 2005. Archived from the original on April 11, 2023. Retrieved May 13, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  4. ^ "Football to be added to ODU sports programs in 2009". Old Dominion Athletics. May 31, 2006. Archived from the original on February 12, 2009. Retrieved August 20, 2011.
  5. ^ Ducibella, Jim (January 24, 2007). "ODU football closing in on necessary endowment". The Virginian-Pilot. Retrieved April 21, 2008.
  6. ^ "Frequently Asked Questions About Georgia State Football". GeorgiaStateSports.com. April 16, 2008. Archived from the original on September 30, 2011. Retrieved August 20, 2011.
  7. ^ Ryan, Andrew (November 23, 2009). "Northeastern calls an end to football". The Boston Globe. Retrieved July 29, 2010.
  8. ^ "Hofstra makes 'painful but clear' choice to drop football". CBSSports.com. December 3, 2009. Retrieved July 4, 2013.
  9. ^ Carey, Jack (April 20, 2011). "UMass football to join FBS, Mid-American Conference". USA Today. Retrieved October 17, 2013.
  10. ^ "UMass Announces Elevation to FBS Football and Invitation to MAC" (Press release). UMass Athletics. April 20, 2011. Retrieved October 17, 2013.
  11. ^ McMurphy, Brett (April 7, 2012). "Sun Belt adding Georgia State". College Football Insider (CBSSports.com). Retrieved April 9, 2012.
  12. ^ "Old Dominion to join Conference USA in 2013". Fox News. Sports Network. May 17, 2012. Retrieved October 17, 2013.
  13. ^ "Albany and Stony Brook Accept CAA Football Membership Offers" (Press release). Colonial Athletic Association. August 7, 2012. Retrieved August 18, 2012.
  14. ^ "Elon University Accepts Invitation To Join The CAA In 2014-15" (Press release). Colonial Athletic Association. May 23, 2013. Retrieved May 23, 2013.
  15. ^ "James Madison's move to Sun Belt would trigger messy divorce from CAA". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2022-01-22.
  16. ^ Eck, T. J. (November 5, 2021). "Update: JMU accepts invite to join the Sun Belt Conference". WHSV-TV. Archived from the original on 2021-11-05. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  17. ^ Vannini, Charlie. "James Madison will join Sun Belt in all sports starting in fall 2022: Sources". The Athletic. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  18. ^ "CAA Welcomes Hampton University, Monmouth University and Stony Brook University as New Members" (Press release). Colonial Athletic Association. January 25, 2022. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  19. ^ "CAA Welcomes North Carolina A&T as Newest Member of the Conference" (Press release). Colonial Athletic Association. February 22, 2022. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  20. ^ "Campbell University Accepts Invitation To Join The CAA In 2023" (Press release). Colonial Athletic Association. August 3, 2022. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
  21. ^ "CAA Changes Official Conference Name To Coastal Athletic Association" (Press release). Coastal Athletic Association. July 20, 2023. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  22. ^ "CAA Football Welcomes Bryant University As Its Newest Member In 2024" (Press release). CAA Football. August 10, 2023. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
  23. ^ "Delaware Accepts Invitation to Join Conference USA as Full Member". University of Delaware Athletics. Retrieved 2023-11-28.
  24. ^ "Richmond Football to Move to Patriot League Following 2024 Season" (Press release). Richmond Spiders Athletics. May 14, 2024. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  25. ^ Old Dominion had the league's best regular-season record at 7–1 in the CAA and 10–1 overall, but was ineligible for the conference title. Under CAA bylaws of the time, a school that announced its future departure immediately became ineligible for CAA tournaments or championships in team sports.
  26. ^ a b Washburn, Rob (April 17, 2021). "Delaware Selected As CAA Football Champion And Automatic Bid Recipient To NCAA FCS Playoffs". Colonial Athletic Association.
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