Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association

History

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The CIAA, founded on the campus of Hampton Institute (now Hampton University) in 1912, is the oldest African-American athletic conference in the United States. It was originally known as the Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association and adopted its current name in December 1950. The conference composes predominantly of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) spanning the east coast from Pennsylvania to South Carolina.

Founding leaders were Allen Washington and Charles H. Williams of Hampton Institute (now Hampton University); Ernest J. Marshall of Howard University; George Johnson of Lincoln University (PA); W. E. Atkins, Charles Frazier, and H. P. Hargrave of Shaw University; and J. W. Barco and J. W. Pierce of Virginia Union University.

Football experiences a major resurgence after going through a period of decline at several member universities. Football was absent from the campus of Saint Augustine's University for nearly three decades, before the administration reinstated it in 2002. Shaw University then brought back its football program in 2003, following a hiatus of 24 years.

Lincoln University, a charter member, added varsity football in 2008 and was readmitted to the CIAA after nearly three decades in Division III. Chowan University joined the CIAA in 2008 for football only. On October 14, 2008, the CIAA Board of Directors admitted Chowan as a full member effective July 1, 2009, the first non-HBCU to play in the conference.

On August 27, 2012, the CIAA announced the appointment of Jacqie Carpenter, the first African-American female commissioner to hold the position.

In 2014, a collection of records, including the original 1912 documents leading to the formation of the CIAA and meeting minutes from 1913 to 1922, were sold at auction after being discovered in a storage locker. The lot sold for $11,500 to an unnamed bidder.

On May 22, 2018, Chowan University announced its athletic department will realign with the Conference Carolinas as a full member while maintaining an associate relationship with the CIAA for both football and women's bowling.

On October 4, 2024, the CIAA suspended St. Augustine's membership within the conference for the 2024–25 academic year, citing failure to meet conference compliance requirements and concerns surrounding its ability to meet NCAA sports sponsorship and scheduling requirements. The suspension was extended indefinitely at the CIAA's 2024 Fall Board meeting on December 10, and the CIAA eventually voted to not extend their membership into the 2025–26 academic year at their 2025 Spring Board Meeting on June 20, effectively removing St. Augustine's from the conference.

Chronological timeline

• 1912 – The CIAA was founded as the Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA). Charter member included Hampton Institute (now Hampton University), Howard University, Lincoln University of Pennsylvania; Shaw University and Virginia Union University, beginning the 1912–13 academic year.
• 1920 – Virginia State College (now Virginia State University) joined the CIAA in the 1920–21 academic year.
• 1921 – Virginia Theological Seminary and College (now the Virginia University of Lynchburg) joined the CIAA in the 1921–22 academic year.
• 1923 – Saint Paul's Normal and Industrial School (later Saint Paul's Polytechnic Institute and then Saint Paul's College) joined the CIAA in the 1923–24 academic year.
• 1924 – The Agricultural and Technical College of North Carolina (now North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University) joined the CIAA in the 1924–25 academic year.
• 1926 – Johnson C. Smith University joined the CIAA in the 1926–27 academic year.
• 1928 – North Carolina College at Durham (now North Carolina Central University) joined the CIAA in the 1928–29 academic year.
• 1929 – Morgan College (now Morgan State University) joined the CIAA in the 1929–30 academic year.
• 1931 – Livingstone College joined the CIAA in the 1931–32 academic year.
• 1932 – Bluefield State Teachers College (now Bluefield State University) joined the CIAA in the 1932–33 academic year.
• 1933 – Saint Augustine's College (now Saint Augustine's University) joined the CIAA in the 1933–34 academic year.
• 1942 – West Virginia State College (now West Virginia State University) joined the CIAA in the 1942–43 academic year.
• 1945 – Delaware State College (now Delaware State University) and Winston-Salem Teachers College (now Winston-Salem State University) joined the CIAA in the 1945–46 academic year.
• 1950 – The CIAA has been rebranded as the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) in the 1950–51 academic year.
• 1954 – VUL left the CIAA after the 1953–54 academic year.
• 1954 – Fayetteville State Teachers College (now Fayetteville State University) and Maryland State College at Princess Anne (now the University of Maryland–Eastern Shore) joined the CIAA in the 1954–55 academic year.
• 1955 – Bluefield State and West Virginia State left the CIAA to join the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) after the 1954–55 academic year.
• 1957 – Elizabeth City State Teachers College (now Elizabeth City State University) joined the CIAA in the 1957–58 academic year.
• 1960 – Lincoln (Pa.) left the CIAA after the 1959–60 academic year.
• 1962 – Norfolk Polytechnic College (now Norfolk State University) joined the CIAA in the 1962–63 academic year.
• 1970 – Delaware State, Howard, Maryland–Eastern Shore (UMES), Morgan State, North Carolina A&T and North Carolina Central left the CIAA to form the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) after the 1969–70 academic year.
• 1979 – Bowie State College (now Bowie State University) joined the CIAA in the 1979–80 academic year.
• 1980 – North Carolina Central rejoined the CIAA in the 1980–81 academic year.
• 1995 – Hampton left the CIAA to join the MEAC after the 1994–95 academic year.
• 1996 – Norfolk State left the CIAA to join the MEAC after the 1995–96 academic year.
• 2006 – Winston-Salem State left the CIAA to join the MEAC after the 2005–06 academic year.
• 2007 – North Carolina Central left the CIAA for a second time to rejoin the MEAC after the 2006–07 academic year.
• 2008 – Lincoln (Pa.) rejoined the CIAA in the 2008–09 academic year.
• 2008 – Chowan University joined the CIAA as an associate member for football in the 2008 fall season (2008–09 academic year).
• 2009 – Chowan upgraded to join the CIAA as a full member for all sports in the 2009–10 academic year.
• 2010 – Winston–Salem State rejoined the CIAA in the 2010–11 academic year.
• 2011 – Saint Paul's left the CIAA after the school announced that it was discontinuing its athletics program after the 2010–11 academic year.
• 2018 – Claflin University joined the CIAA in the 2018–19 academic year.
• 2019 – Chowan left the CIAA to join the Conference Carolinas (CC) after the 2018–19 academic year; while it remained in the conference as an associate member for football and women's bowling, beginning the 2019–20 academic year.
• 2021 – Chowan left the CIAA as an associate member for women's bowling after the 2021 spring season (2020–21 academic year).
• 2023 – Chowan left the CIAA as an associate member for football after the 2022 fall season (2022–23 academic year).
• 2023 – Bluefield State rejoined the CIAA in the 2023–24 academic year.
• 2025 – Saint Augustine's was removed from the CIAA beginning with the 2025–26 academic year due to compliance and operational concerns.

Member schools

Current members

The CIAA currently has 12 full members, seven are public schools and five are private schools:

;Notes:

Former members

The CIAA had 13 former full members, all but 6 of which were public schools:

;Notes:

Former associate members

The CIAA had one former associate member, which was also a private school:

;Notes:

Membership timeline

DateFormat = yyyy ImageSize = width:900 height:auto barincrement:20 Period = from:1912 till:2035 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal PlotArea = right:5 left:5 bottom:40 top:5

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bar:1 color:Full from:1912 till:1995 text:Hampton (1912–1995)

bar:2 color:Full from:1912 till:1970 text:Howard (1912–1970)

bar:3 color:Full from:1912 till:1960 text:Lincoln (Pa.) (1912–1960) bar:3 color:Full from:2008 till:end text:(2008–present)

bar:4 color:Full from:1912 till:1979 text:Shaw (1912–present) bar:4 color:FullxF from:1979 till:2003 text: bar:4 color:Full from:2003 till:end text:

bar:5 color:Full from:1912 till:end text:Virginia Union (1912–present)

bar:6 color:Full from:1920 till:end text:Virginia State (1920–present)

bar:7 color:Full from:1921 till:1954 text:VUL (1921–1954)

bar:8 color:Full from:1923 till:2011 text:Saint Paul's (1923–2011)

bar:9 color:Full from:1924 till:1970 text:North Carolina A&T (1924–1970)

bar:10 color:Full from:1926 till:end text:Johnson C. Smith (1926–present)

bar:11 color:Full from:1928 till:1970 text:North Carolina Central (1928–1970) bar:11 color:Full from:1980 till:2007 text:(1980–2007)

bar:12 color:Full from:1929 till:1970 text:Morgan State (1929–1970)

bar:13 color:Full from:1931 till:end text:Livingstone (1931–present)

bar:14 color:Full from:1932 till:1955 text:Bluefield State (1932–1955) bar:14 color:Full from:2023 till:end text:(2023–present)

bar:15 color:Full from:1933 till:1965 text:Saint Augustine's (1933–2024) bar:15 color:FullxF from:1965 till:2002 text: bar:15 color:Full from:2002 till:2024 text:

bar:16 color:Full from:1942 till:1955 text:West Virginia State (1942–1955)

bar:17 color:Full from:1945 till:1970 text:Delaware State (1945–1970)

bar:18 color:Full from:1945 till:2006 text:Winston–Salem State (1945–2006) bar:18 color:Full from:2010 till:end text:(2010–present)

bar:19 color:Full from:1954 till:end text:Fayetteville State (1954–present)

bar:20 color:Full from:1954 till:1970 text:Maryland–Eastern Shore (1954–1970)

bar:21 color:Full from:1957 till:end text:Elizabeth City State (1957–present)

bar:22 color:Full from:1962 till:1996 text:Norfolk State (1962–1996)

bar:23 color:Full from:1979 till:end text:Bowie State (1979–present)

bar:24 color:AssocF from:2008 till:2009 text:Chowan (2009–2019) bar:24 color:Full from:2009 till:2019 bar:24 color:AssocOS from:2019 till:2021 bar:24 color:AssocF from:2021 till:2023

bar:25 color:FullxF from:2018 till:end text:Claflin (2018–present)

bar:N color:powderblue from:1912 till:1950 text:Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association bar:N color:blue from:1950 till:end text:Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association

ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:5 start:1915

TextData = fontsize:M textcolor:black pos:(0,20) tabs:(400-center) text:^"Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association membership history"

1. If the chart uses more than one bar color, add a legend by selecting the appropriate fields from the following three options (use only the colors that are used in the graphic.) Leave a blank line after the end of the timeline, then add a line with the selected values from the list, separated by a space.

Sports

Men's sponsored sports by school

Men's varsity sports not sponsored by the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association which are played by CIAA schools:

Women's sponsored sports by school

• ‡ — D-I sport

Women's varsity sports not sponsored by the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association which are played by CIAA schools:

Conference facilities

CIAA Basketball Tournament

The CIAA is the first NCAA Division II conference to have its tournament televised as part of Championship Week on ESPN. Over 100,000 fans and spectators are in attendance annually and it has become one of the largest college basketball events in the nation. During the week of the tournament, there are many high-profile social and celebratory events associated with the event. The last day of the tournament is known as "Super Saturday" in which the men's and women's tournament champions are crowned. For 15 years, the tournament had an annual $55 million economic impact on Charlotte, North Carolina and was consistently the largest event held in the city every year. The conference was offered better incentives to move it to Baltimore, Maryland, in 2021, where it will remain at least through 2025.

CIAA cheerleading

One of the signature events of "Super Saturday" at the CIAA Basketball Tournament is the Cheer Exhibition. At the exhibition, CIAA cheer squads showcase elaborate routines to entertain spectators and display their talents. Every cheerleading team in the CIAA is a "Stomp-N-Shake" squad which is a unique style of cheer that is most common among historically Black colleges and schools located in the East Coast region.

The CIAA is one of the only conferences in the country that has an annual All-Conference Cheerleading Team. The All-Conference Cheerleading Team is a recognition bestowed on select cheerleaders in the conference that exemplify the epitome of school spirit, leadership, athleticism, and academic excellence.

References

References

1. "About the CIAA".
2. Burkins, Glenn. (March 3, 2014). "CIAA headquarters will move to Charlotte; tournament stays 6 more years". Qcitymetro.com.
3. [https://theciaa.com/sports/2018/9/25/information-about-ciaa-index-7-2018.aspx "About the CIAA: The History of the CIAA,"] Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association, theciaa.com
4. Raymond Schmidt, ''Shaping College Football: The Transformation of an American Sport, 1919–1930'' (Syracuse University Press, 2007) p133
5. (August 16, 2002). "NCCU Eagles Fan Forum!-Shaw and St. Augustine's Football 2002".
6. (October 15, 2008). "CIAA votes to add Chowan as a full member for 2009 - Restoration NewsMedia".
7. (August 27, 2012). "Carpenter Named New CIAA Commissioner".
8. (February 26, 2014). "Saunders: This CIAA treasure trove fails to bring in big money at auction".
9. (May 22, 2018). "Chowan Announces Conference Realignment".
10. (October 4, 2024). "CIAA Suspends St. Augustine’s Athletics for 2024-25". Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association.
11. (December 10, 2024). "CIAA 2024 FALL BOARD MEETING RECAP". Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association.
12. (June 20, 2025). "CIAA Board of Directors Concludes 2025 Spring Meeting with Key Strategic Approvals". Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association.
13. (April 2, 2007). "2007 CIAA Tournament Week is Largest Ever". CIAA.
14. Marusakjmarusak, Joe. (February 23, 2016). "CIAA basketball tournament declared an 'extraordinary event'". The Charlotte Observer.
15. (February 22, 2016). "CIAA brings big business to uptown Charlotte".
16. (January 7, 2019). "CIAA tournament to leave Charlotte for Baltimore in 2021". WBTV.com.
17. (January 10, 2020). "75th CIAA tournament to be 15th, final year in Charlotte". WSOCTV.com.
18. (June 1, 2022). "CIAA extends contract with Baltimore to host basketball tournament through 2025". [[WBAL-TV]].
19. "All-Time CIAA Men's Basketball Champions".
20. "CIAA Basketball Tournament Site History".
21. "CIAA Basketball Tournament Preview". Charlotte's got a lot.
22. (March 1, 2015). "SAU BlueChips Perform Well At CIAA Cheerleading Competition On Super Saturday". Saint Augustine's University.
23. (January 11, 2019). "2018–19 All-CIAA Cheerleading Team". CIAA.