Gulf Coast Athletic Conference
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Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC) |
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| Established | 1981 |
| Association | NAIA |
| Division | Division I |
| Members | 8 |
| Sports fielded | 10 (men's: 4; women's: 6) |
| Region |
Southeastern United States Region XIII of the NAIA |
| Commissioner | Steve Martin |
| Website | gcaconf.com |
| Locations | |
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The Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC) is a college athletic conference currently made up entirely of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and affiliated with the NAIA's Division I. Member institutions are located in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee, USA.
Contents
- History 1
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Member schools 2
- Current members 2.1
- Former members 2.2
- Membership timeline 2.3
- Conference sports 3
- Conference champions 4
- References 5
- External links 6
History
The GCAC was established in 1981, with the following charter institutions: Belhaven College, Dillard University, Louisiana College, Spring Hill College, Tougaloo College, William Carey University and Xavier University of Louisiana. The first sports were men and women's basketball and men's tennis, with other sports soon following.[1]
The University of Mobile was admitted in October, 1985, Southern University at New Orleans was granted admission in May, 1986, Loyola University was admitted in April, 1995, and Louisiana State University in Shreveport became a member in April, 2000. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina forced Dillard and Xavier (La.) to cancel all athletic competition for 2005-06 and Loyola and Southern-New Orleans were able only to compete partially. All schools returned to competition in 2006-07, although in most cases with a reduced number of sports.
Louisiana College left the GCAC to join the American Southwest Conference of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III in 2000. Belhaven also left in 2000, only to re-join in 2002; while Talladega College, who joined in 1999, left in 2002. In 2010, Belhaven, Loyola-New Orleans, Spring Hill, Mobile and William Carey left the GCAC to join the Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC).[2] In 2010 LSU-Shreveport left the conference to join the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC). Edward Waters College and Fisk University joined to replace the departed schools in 2010. Philander Smith College also joined the GCAC in 2011. In January 2011, it was announced Talladega College will re-join the conference starting in the 2011-12 academic year. Talladega was a previous member of the GCAC from 1999-2002.[3]
Member schools
Current members
| Institution | Location | Founded | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined |
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| Dillard University | New Orleans, Louisiana | 1869 | 900 | Bleu Devils | 1981 |
| Edward Waters College | Jacksonville, Florida | 1866 | 800 | Tigers | 2010 |
| Philander Smith College | Little Rock, Arkansas | 1864 | 700 | Panthers | 2011 |
| Southern University at New Orleans | New Orleans, Louisiana | 1956 | 3,200 | Black Knights | 1986 |
| Talladega College | Talladega, Alabama | 1867 | 600 | Tornadoes |
1999; 2011 |
| Tougaloo College | Tougaloo, Mississippi | 1869 | 900 | Bulldogs | 1981 |
| Voorhees College | Denmark, South Carolina | 1897 | 600 | Tigers | 2013 |
| Xavier University of Louisiana | New Orleans, Louisiana | 1925 | 3,200 |
Gold Rush & Gold Nuggets |
1981 |
- Talladega — left the GCAC in 2002, and re-joined in 2011.
Former members
| Institution | Location | Founded | Nickname | Joined | Left |
Current Conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belhaven College | Jackson, Mississippi | 1883 | Blazers |
1981; 2002 |
2000; 2010 |
Southern States |
| Fisk University | Nashville, Tennessee | 1866 | Bulldogs | 2010 | 2014 | Independent |
| Louisiana College | Pineville, Louisiana | 1906 | Wildcats | 1981 | 2000 |
American Southwest (NCAA D-III) |
| Louisiana State University in Shreveport | Shreveport, Louisiana | 1967 | Pilots | 2000 | 2010 | Red River |
| Loyola University New Orleans | New Orleans, Louisiana | 1904 | Wolfpack | 1995 | 2010 | Southern States |
| University of Mobile | Mobile, Alabama | 1961 | Rams | 1985 | 2010 | Southern States |
| Spring Hill College | Mobile, Alabama | 1830 | Badgers | 1981 | 2010 |
Southern Intercollegiate (NCAA D-II) |
| William Carey University | Hattiesburg, Mississippi | 1906 | Crusaders | 1981 | 2010 | Southern States |
Membership timeline
Full member (non-football)
Conference sports
| Sport | Men's | Women's |
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| Basketball |
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| Cross Country |
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| Softball |
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| Tennis |
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| Track & Field Outdoor |
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| Volleyball |
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Conference champions
References
External links
- Official website
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