Mid-South Conference
The Mid-South Conference (MSC) is an athletic conference affiliated with the NAIA. Member institutions are located in Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, Ohio, Tennessee, and Virginia.
Mid-South Conference | |
---|---|
MSC | |
Established | 1995 |
Association | NAIA |
Members | 9 (12 in 2020; 22 for football) |
Sports fielded |
|
Region | Southern United States, Ohio Region XI of the NAIA |
Headquarters | Louisville, Kentucky |
Commissioner | Eric Ward (since November 15, 2013) |
Website | mid-southconference.org |
Locations | |
The Mid-South Conference has nine full members: Campbellsville, Cumberland (TN), Cumberlands (KY), Georgetown College (KY), Lindsey Wilson, Life, Pikeville, Shawnee State, and Thomas More. Seven of these members sponsor football; Life and Shawnee State do not.
The Mid-South Conference also has six associate members that compete primarily in other conferences. Faulkner, Kentucky Christian, Union and recently former member Bluefield are associate members of the MSC for football, Bethel is an associate member of the MSC for football and archery, and Reinhardt is an associate member of the MSC for football. This gave the conference 13 members for football. In the spring of 2016, the conference expanded to 20 members, adding the six football members of The Sun Conference, as well as Faulkner University for football,[1] On January 4, 2018, the conference added Keiser University for football,[2] and St. Thomas announced in July they would be joining the conference for football in 2019.[3] Another Sun Conference member, Florida Memorial in Miami Gardens, Florida is joining the MSC as an affiliate member for football in 2020, after re-adding the sport.[4] Also in 2020, Bethel is becoming a Mid-South full member, bringing track and field back to the MSC, and transferring all sports other than football and archery to the conference; additionally, Freed–Hardeman and Martin Methodist are joining Mid-South.[5]
In April 2018, Thomas More University (then Thomas More College), which had been an NAIA member before moving to NCAA Division III in 1990, announced that it had been formally invited to rejoin the NAIA effective in 2019–20 as a member of the Mid-South Conference. The school, while acknowledging that it was considering this move, denied published reports that it had accepted the invitation.[6] Thomas More eventually confirmed in July that it would join the Mid-South in 2019.[7]
The league is headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, and the commissioner is Eric Ward.
Member schools
Full members
Institution | Location | Founded | Type | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Campbellsville University | Campbellsville, Kentucky | 1906 | Private (Southern Baptist) | 3,318 | Tigers | 1995 |
Cumberland University | Lebanon, Tennessee | 1842 | Private (Nonsectarian) | 1,345 | Phoenix | 1995, 2012 |
University of the Cumberlands | Williamsburg, Kentucky | 1887 | Private (Christian) | 1,743 | Patriots | 1995 |
Georgetown College | Georgetown, Kentucky | 1829 | Private (Southern Baptist) | 1,400 | Tigers | 1995 |
Life University | Marietta, Georgia | 1974 | Private (Nonsectarian) | 2,800 | Running Eagles | 2014 |
Lindsey Wilson College | Columbia, Kentucky | 1903 | Private (United Methodist) | 2,677 | Blue Raiders | 2000 |
University of Pikeville | Pikeville, Kentucky | 1889 | Private (Presbyterian) | 1,156 | Bears | 2000 |
Shawnee State University | Portsmouth, Ohio | 1986 | Public | 4,300 | Bears | 2010 |
Thomas More University | Crestview Hills, Kentucky | 1921 | Private (Catholic) | 1,963 | Saints | 2019 |
- Cumberland (TN) — left the Mid-South in 2002, and re-joined in 2012.
Future members
Institution | Location | Founded | Type | Enrollment | Nickname | Joining | Current conference |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bethel University | McKenzie, Tennessee | 1842 | Private (Cumberland Presbyterian) | 2,975 | Wildcats | 2020 | Southern States |
Freed–Hardeman University | Henderson, Tennessee | 1869 | Private/Churches of Christ | 2,050+ | Lions | American Midwest | |
Martin Methodist College | Pulaski, Tennessee | 1870 | Private (Methodist) | 1,000 | Red Hawks | Southern States |
- Bethel (TN) — for archery and football, left the Mid-South after the 1996 fall season (1996–97 season); later re-joined in the 2003 fall season (2003–04 season). In the 2020 fall season (2020–21 season), Bethel is moving track & field back to the Mid-South after initially joining as an affiliate from 2007 to 2013, and transferring all other sports to the conference.
Affiliate members
Future associate member
Institution | Location | Founded | Enrollment | Nickname | Joining | Mid-South Sport |
Primary Conference |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Florida Memorial University | Miami Gardens, Florida | 1879 | 1,784 | Lions | 2020 | Football | Sun Conference |
Beginning with the 2017 season, The Sun Conference and Mid-South merged its football conferences into the largest football conference in college sports.[8][9] Edward Waters was previously a full member of the Sun Conference from 2006 to 2010 and a football affiliate member from 2014 to 2016 seasons. Edward Waters left after the 2018 football season. The divisions are divided below.
Former members
Institution | Location | Founded | Nickname | Joined | Left | Current Conference |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bluefield College | Bluefield, Virginia | 1922 | Rams | 2012 | 2014 | Appalachian |
Lambuth University | Jackson, Tennessee | 1843 | Eagles | 1995 | 2006 | Closed in 2011 |
North Greenville University | Tigerville, South Carolina | 1891 | Crusaders | 1995 | 2001 | Carolinas (NCAA Division II) |
St. Catharine College | St. Catharine, Kentucky | 1873 | Patriots | 2008 | 2016 | Closed in 2016 |
University of Rio Grande | Rio Grande, Ohio | 1876 | RedStorm | 2009 | 2014 | River States |
Union College | Barbourville, Kentucky | 1879 | Bulldogs | 1995 | 2002 | Appalachian |
University of Virginia's College at Wise | Wise, Virginia | 1954 | Highland Cavaliers[lower-alpha 1] | 2010 | 2013 | South Atlantic (NCAA Division II) |
West Virginia University Institute of Technology |
Montgomery, West Virginia[lower-alpha 2] | 1895 | Golden Bears | 2006 | 2012 | River States |
- UVA–Wise dropped "Highland" from its athletic nickname in 2017.
- WVU Tech's campus is now in Beckley, West Virginia, but was in Montgomery during the school's tenure in the Mid-South Conference.
Former affiliate members
- Cumberland changed its nickname from Bulldogs to Phoenix in 2016.
- UVA–Wise dropped "Highland" from its athletic nickname in 2017.
Sports
Member teams compete in 23 sports: 11 men's, 10 women's and 2 mixed.
Sport | Men's | Women's | Mixed |
---|---|---|---|
Archery | |||
Baseball | |||
Basketball | |||
Bowling | |||
Cheerleading | |||
Cross Country | |||
Football | |||
Golf | |||
Soccer | |||
Softball | |||
Swimming | |||
Tennis | |||
Track & Field Outdoor | |||
Volleyball | Y | ||
Wrestling |
Football divisions
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References
- Wilson, Michael (February 25, 2016). "Local teams officially join Mid-South football conference". The Lakeland Ledger. Retrieved February 27, 2016.
- Evenson, Johyn (October 11, 2016). "Keiser University Athletics adds football starting in 2018". Retrieved April 23, 2018.
- McPherson, Jordan (August 29, 2018). "This South Florida college will have a football team. And it'll start playing next year". Retrieved October 10, 2018.
- "Football Joins Mid-South Conference As Affiliate Member". fmuathletics.com. October 15, 2019. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
- "Bethel, Freed-Hardeman and Martin Methodist Renew Rivalries with Mid-South Conference Move". Mid-South Conference. July 25, 2019. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
- Brown, Kyle; Weber, James (April 17, 2018). "Thomas More College approved to move to NAIA beginning in 2019". Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
- Weber, James (July 24, 2018). "Thomas More College to join the NAIA in 2019". Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
- "Mid-South Conference Creates Largest College Football Conference". The Sun Conference. February 25, 2016. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
- "Mid-South, Sun conferences unite for 20-team football league". Tennessean.com. February 25, 2016. Retrieved March 15, 2016.