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Southern Conference

Not to be confused with Conference South, Big South Conference, Conference League South, or Southern Conference (NJCAA).
Southern Conference
AssociationNCAA
Founded1921 (1921)
CommissionerMichael Cross (since 2023)
Sports fielded
  • 21
    • men's: 11
    • women's: 9
    • coeducational: 1
DivisionDivision I
SubdivisionFCS
No. of teams10
HeadquartersSpartanburg, South Carolina
RegionSoutheast
Official websitesoconsports.com
Locations
Location of teams in {{{title}}}

The Southern Conference (SoCon) is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I. Southern Conference football teams compete in the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly known as Division I-AA). Member institutions are located in the states of Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. Established in 1921, the Southern Conference ranks as the fifth-oldest major college athletic conference in the United States, and either the third or fourth oldest in continuous operation, depending on definitions.[1] [i]

The Southern Conference is considered one of the stronger football conferences in the Football Championship Subdivision and is considered a mid-major conference in basketball. The three-time Division I NCAA Football champion Appalachian State Mountaineers were a member of the conference when they stunned the fifth-ranked Michigan Wolverines 34–32 on September 1, 2007.[2] The Davidson Wildcats reached the Elite Eight in the 2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament by upsetting power programs Gonzaga, Georgetown, and Wisconsin.[3] More recently, the six-time Division I NCAA football champion Georgia Southern Eagles stunned Southeastern Conference power-house Florida Gators 26–20 in The Swamp on November 23, 2013—the first loss to a lower-division opponent in the Florida program's history.[4] In 2015, Furman defeated UCF 16–15 and The Citadel topped South Carolina 23–22 for their second win over the Gamecocks in the past three meetings. On September 4, 2021, East Tennessee State University stunned Vanderbilt 23–3 in their opening game. The SoCon also frequently sees multiple teams selected to participate in the NCAA Division I baseball championship.[5]

The SoCon was the first conference to use the three-point field goal in basketball in a November 29, 1980, game at Western Carolina against Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU), where Ronnie Carr shot the historic shot from 22 feet (6.7 m) away and the Catamounts won 77–70.[6][7]

  1. ^ "The History of the Southern Conference". Southern Conference. 2008-06-30. Retrieved 2023-09-12.
  2. ^ Stewart Mandel (2007-09-01). "The Mother of All Upsets". CNNSI. Archived from the original on December 9, 2007.
  3. ^ "Curry's sweet touch continues as Davidson eludes Wisconsin". ESPN. Associated Press. 2008-03-28. Archived from the original on January 28, 2017.
  4. ^ David Jones. "Florida falls to FCS opponent, won't be bowl eligible". USA Today. Retrieved 2014-03-20.
  5. ^ "Preseason Projected Field Of 64". BaseballAmerica.com. Retrieved 2012-03-20.
  6. ^ "A First in NCAA Basketball - CATAMOUNTSPORTS.COM - Western Carolina Official Athletic Site". Archived from the original on 2014-02-25. Retrieved 2014-02-16.
  7. ^ "Rivals.com". Collegebasketball.rivals.com. Retrieved 2022-03-13.


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