The Mid-American Conference is a College Athletic Conference whose members are located mainly in the Midwestern United States; nine of the schools are in Ohio and Michigan alone. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I-A.
Member Schools
There are thirteen schools with full membership:
East Division
West Division
The University of Central Florida (UCF) is an affiliate member in football only; its principal conference, the Atlantic Sun Conference, does not sponsor football. UCF plays in the conference's East Division. The University of Kentucky is an affiliate member in men's soccer only; its principal conference, the Southeastern Conference, sponsors soccer for women but not for men. IPFW is an affiliate member in tennis only. The University of Louisville is an affiliate member in field hockey only; it will be leaving the MAC in 2005 for the Big East Conference, which sponsors field hockey programs (Conference USA, its current principal conference, does not).
In 2005, UCF and Marshall will leave the MAC for Conference USA.
Member schools participate in baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross-country, field hockey, American football, men's and women's golf, women's gymnastics, men's and women's soccer, softball, men's and women's swimming, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's track, women's volleyball and wrestling.
The MAC is contracted to provide a team for two college football bowl games—the GMAC Bowl and Motor City Bowl.
Over the span of 58 years, the Mid-American Conference has progressively grown and developed into one of the most aggressive Division I conferences in the country. Under the guidance of Commissioner Rick Chryst, the seventh commissioner in the history of the league, the MAC has moved its men's and women's basketball championship into a first-class NBA/WNBA facility at Gund Arena and witnessed the emergence of its football program into the national spotlight, culminating in a recent three year contract whereby the MAC Championship game will be played at Ford Field in Detroit.
The past several years MAC schools can boast of academic notoriety with honorees in awards from the NCAA Top VIII program and CoSIDA Academic All-American of the year honors in football and men's basketball. The Academic All-Americans recognized annually by the College Sports Information Directors of America is traditionally well represented by MAC schools. In 2004 alone the women's basketball Academic All-America list had four MAC selections, tied for the most in the country, and softball had five MAC honorees while football has had as many as six league student-athletes on the prestigious list.
On the field of competition, MAC Alums have won the British Open (Ben Curtis of Kent State in 2003), set Super Bowl records (2 interceptions returned for touchdowns by Akron's Dwight Smith for Tampa Bay in 2003) and led their team to a World Series Championship (Ohio's Bob Brenly, manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2002).
In the coming years, the MAC will co-host the 2006 NCAA Women's Basketball Mideast Regional and the 2007 Women's Final Four at Gund Arena, after successfully hosting the 2000 NCAA Men's Basketball Regional at The Palace in Auburn Hills, MI. It also continues to be one of three conferences (SEC and Big 12) to sponsor a football championship game.
Continuing to lead by example, the MAC provides its student-athletes and member institutions with the best possible opportunities. Since 1946, the MAC has not only stood the test of time, but has thrived into forming a league that its founders could not have imagined or dreamed.
Based in Cleveland since July 1999 following a 15-year stay in Toledo, OH, the MAC has established historic measurements in both football and men's and women's basketball since its move to Northeast Ohio.
The 2003 football season was unprecedented for the MAC as five teams surprised opponents ranked in the top 25 of the major polls, including three on one day (Sept. 20). The two teams that met in the MAC Championship game - Miami and Bowling Green - went on to win bowl games and finish the season ranked in the top 25. The RedHawks were victors in the GMAC Bowl and their 13-1 record was noted with a No. 10 ranking in the Associated Press poll and No. 12 in the ESPN/USA TODAY Coaches poll. The Falcons topped Big Ten foe Northwestern in the Motor City Bowl and concluded the season at No. 23 in both polls. The Falcons also had a regular-season victory over a ranked Purdue squad.
ESPN, the Worldwide Leader in Sports, also tapped into the MAC Magic of the 2003 campaign. On Oct. 25, ESPN College GameDay was on hand for the matchup of No. 12 ranked Northern Illinois at No. 23 Bowling Green at Doyt Perry Stadium. The MAC received unprecedented national coverage during GameDay and also later that day on ESPN2 as the Huskies and Falcons met in the first game between two ranked MAC teams since 1973 (No. 17 Miami at No. 19 Kent State)
NFL teams also had an eye on MAC talent as for the first time ever the league had two selections tabbed in the first round. Miami quarterback Ben Roethlisberger went No. 11 to the Pittsburgh Steelers and Western Michigan defensive end Jason Babin was tabbed No. 27 by the Houston Texans.
In June of 2003 the MAC reached a five-year agreement with ESPN, Inc. that guarantees the league exposure for the term of the agreement on ESPN and ESPN2. ABC/ESPN owns exclusive rights to the MAC Football Championship game and ESPN/ESPN2 those same rights to the MAC Men's Basketball Championship.
The 2004 television schedule has three MAC schools slated for ABC Regional coverage with Miami (at Michigan), Bowling Green (at Oklahoma) and Marshall (at Ohio State) involved. Ten additional ESPN or ESPN2 games will involve MAC teams as well as the MAC Game of the Week on FOX Sports Net Regionals.
The MAC's relationship with ESPN, Inc., helped the league receive additional national exposure in February 2003 as part of the ESPN Bracket Buster Saturday in men's basketball. The MAC continued as a participant in the 2004 ESPN Bracket Buster event with Western Michigan and Kent State hosting nationally televised games and Miami going on the road for a nationwide telecast.
In the first year of the television deal (2000), the MAC played its first-ever over-the-air broadcast on ABC -- the MAC Football Championship game -- and also made nine national appearances on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC.
The Mid-American Conference was founded as a five-school league on February 24, 1946 in Columbus, Ohio with Ohio, Butler, Cincinnati, Wayne State and Western Reserve admitted as charter members.
The Mid-American Conference has 13 full-time schools and a 14th, UCF, for football only. Comprising the East Division is the University of Akron (joined in 1992), University at Buffalo (1998), University of Central Florida (2002, football only), Kent State University (1951), Marshall University (1954-69, 1997), Miami University (1947) and Ohio University (1946). The West Division members are Ball State University (1973), Bowling Green State University (1952), Central Michigan University (1971), Eastern Michigan University (1971), Northern Illinois University (1975-86, 1997), University of Toledo (1950) and Western Michigan University (1947). Affiliate members include the University of Kentucky in men's soccer, the University of Louisville in field hockey and Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW) in men's tennis. Marshall and UCF will depart the MAC after the 2004-05 season in order to compete in Conference USA.
Former MAC members are Butler (1947-50), Western Reserve (1947-55), Cincinnati (1947-53) and Wayne State (1947).
The 14 current football-member institutions have a total enrollment of better than 310,000, with individual enrollments ranging from 16,000-38,000. The MAC's overall enrollment makes it the fourth-largest conference in the United States. MAC alumni number over 1.7 million.
The MAC was the first Division I-A conference to have its own Hall of Fame, and began honoring its tradition in 1988 with a Hall of Fame. From 1988 to May of 1994, a total of 52 individuals were inducted into the MAC Hall of Fame.
Over its 58-plus years, the MAC has produced a long list of great athletes and coaches from all corners of the sports world. A list that includes Olympic gold medalists, Major League Baseball, NFL and NBA standouts, PGA standouts, national-caliber game officials and Hall of Fame coaches and players.
A presidentially controlled conference, all major policy decisions are made by the MAC Council of Presidents, which consists of chief executive officers of the 13 full member universities.
In 1946 men's basketball was the first competitive sport in the MAC, which now sponsors a total of 23 sports. Women's sports were brought into the conference's structure in 1980.
For men, championships (11) are sponsored in football, basketball, baseball, cross country, soccer, swimming and diving, indoor track and field, outdoor track and field, wrestling, golf and tennis.
For women, championships (12) are sponsored in basketball, softball, volleyball, cross country, field hockey, golf, soccer, swimming and diving, gymnastics, indoor track and field, outdoor track and tennis.
The MAC has also gained national recognition in the NFL recently, with numerous former stars playing significant roles on the big stage. Former Miami University star Ben Rothlisberger helped take the Pittsburgh Steelers to the 2005 AFC Championship while Western Michigan defensive end and two-time MAC Defensive Player of the Year, Jason Babin, was drafted by the Houston Texans in the first round of the 2004 NFL Draft.
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Last updated: 08-25-2005 21:44:58
