- For the Michigan high school athletics conference, see Mid South Conference (MHSAA).
| Mid-South Conference (MSC) | |
| Established | 1995 |
|---|---|
| Association | NAIA |
| Division | I |
| Members | 9 (22 for football) |
| Sports fielded | 23 (men's: 11; women's: 10) |
| Region | Southern United States, Midwestern United States Region XI of the NAIA |
| Headquarters | Louisville, Kentucky |
| Commissioner | Eric Ward (since November 15, 2013) |
| Website | mid-southconference.org |
| Locations | |
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.
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 track and field, 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]
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.[4] Thomas More eventually confirmed in July 2018 that it would join the Mid-South in 2019.[5] Another Sun Conference member, St. Thomas in Miami Gardens, Florida also joined the MSC as an affiliate member for football in 2019.[3]
The league is headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, and the commissioner is Eric Ward.
Member schools[]
Full members[]
| Institution | Location | Founded | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Campbellsville University | Campbellsville, Kentucky | 1906 | 3,318 | Tigers | 1995 |
| Cumberland University | Lebanon, Tennessee | 1842 | 1,345 | Phoenix | 1995, 2012 |
| University of the Cumberlands | Williamsburg, Kentucky | 1887 | 1,743 | Patriots | 1995 |
| Georgetown College | Georgetown, Kentucky | 1829 | 1,400 | Tigers | 1995 |
| Life University | Marietta, Georgia | 1974 | 2,800 | Running Eagles | 2014 |
| Lindsey Wilson College | Columbia, Kentucky | 1903 | 2,677 | Blue Raiders | 2000 |
| University of Pikeville | Pikeville, Kentucky | 1889 | 1,156 | Bears | 2000 |
| Shawnee State University | Portsmouth, Ohio | 1986 | 4,300 | Bears | 2010 |
| Thomas More University | Crestview Hills, Kentucky | 1921 | 1,963 | Saints | 2019 |
- Cumberland (TN) — left the Mid-South in 2002, and re-joined in 2012.
Affiliate members[]
| Institution | Location | Founded | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined | Mid-South Sport |
Primary Conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ave Maria University | Ave Maria, Florida | 2003 | 1,080 | Gyrenes | 2017 | Football | Sun Conference |
| Bethel University | McKenzie, Tennessee | 1842 | 1,300 | Wildcats | 1995–96, 2003–04 |
Archery & Football | Southern States |
| Bluefield College | Bluefield, Virginia | 1922 | 793 | Rams | 2014–15 | Football | Appalachian |
| Cincinnati Christian University | Cincinnati, Ohio | 1924 | 800 | Eagles | 2015–16 | Football | River States |
| Edward Waters College | Jacksonville, Florida | 1866 | 800 | Tigers | 2017 | Football | Gulf Coast |
| Faulkner University | Montgomery, Alabama | 1942 | 2,212 | Eagles | 2008–09 | Football | Southern States |
| Keiser University | West Palm Beach, Florida | 1977 | 16,760 | Seahawks | 2018 | Football & Wrestling | Sun Conference |
| Kentucky Christian University | Grayson, Kentucky | 1919 | 550 | Knights | 2009 | Archery, Baseball, Football & Softball | Independent |
| Point University | West Point, Georgia | 1937 | 1450 | Skyhawks | 2017 | Football | Appalachian |
| St. Thomas University | Miami Gardens, Florida | 1961 | 4,674 | Bobcats | 2019 | Sun Conference | |
| Southeastern University | Lakeland, Florida | 1935 | 7000 | Fire | 2017 | Football & Wrestling | Sun Conference |
| St. Andrews University | Laurinburg, North Carolina | 1896 | 600 | Knights | 2017 | Football | Appalachian |
| Reinhardt University | Waleska, Georgia | 1883 | 1,057 | Eagles | 2013–14 | Football | Appalachian |
| Union College | Barbourville, Kentucky | 1879 | 1,350 | Bulldogs | 2002–03 | Football | Appalachian |
| Warner University | Lake Wales, Florida | 1968 | 1,037 | Royals | 2017 | Football | Sun Conference |
| Webber International University | Babson Park, Florida | 1927 | 616 | Warriors | 2017 | Football | Sun Conference |
- Bethel (TN) — left the Mid-South after the 1996 fall season (1996–97 season); later re-joined in the 2003 fall season (2003–04 season).
Beginning with the 2017 season, The Sun Conference and Mid-South merged its football conferences into the largest football conference in college sports.[6][7] 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. 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 |
- ↑ Wilson, Michael (25 February 2016). "Local teams officially join Mid-South football conference". The Lakeland Ledger. http://www.theledger.com/article/20160225/SPORTS19/160229601. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
- ↑ Evenson, Johyn (11 October 2016). "Keiser University Athletics adds football starting in 2018". http://cbs12.com/sports/content/keiser-university-adds-a-football-team-starting-in-2018. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 McPherson, Jordan (29 August 2018). "This South Florida college will have a football team. And it’ll start playing next year". https://www.miamiherald.com/sports/college/state-college-sports/article217400965.html. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
- ↑ Brown, Kyle; Weber, James (April 17, 2018). "Thomas More College approved to move to NAIA beginning in 2019". Cincinnati Enquirer. https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/2018/04/17/thomas-more-college-approved-move-naia-beginning-2019/526113002/. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
- ↑ Weber, James (July 24, 2018). "Thomas More College to join the NAIA in 2019". Cincinnati Enquirer. https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/kentucky/2018/07/24/new-conference-affiliation-thomas-more-college/830097002/. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
- ↑ "Mid-South Conference Creates Largest College Football Conference". The Sun Conference. 2016-02-25. http://www.thesunconference.com/news/2016/2/25/FB_0225164727.aspx. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
- ↑ 4:40 p.m. CST February 25, 2016 (2016-02-25). "Mid-South, Sun conferences unite for 20-team football league". Tennessean.com. http://www.tennessean.com/story/sports/college/2016/02/25/mid-south-sun-conferences-unite-team-football-league/80950984/. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
Former affiliate members[]
| Institution | Location | Founded | Nickname | Joined | Left | Mid-South Sport |
Primary Conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belhaven University | Jackson, Mississippi | 1894 | Blazers | 1998–99 | 2014–15 | football | American Southwest (NCAA Division III) |
| Cumberland University | Lebanon, Tennessee | 1842 | Bulldogs[lower-alpha 3] | 2002–03 | 2011–12 | football | Mid-South |
| Bethel University | McKenzie, Tennessee | 1842 | Wildcats | 2007–08 | 2012–13 | track & field | SSAC |
| Kentucky Wesleyan College | Owensboro, Kentucky | 1858 | Panthers | 2004–05 | 2005–06 | football | G-MAC (NCAA Division II) |
| Lambuth University | Jackson, Tennessee | 1843 | Eagles | 2006–07 | 2009–10 | football | Closed in 2011 |
| Shorter University | Rome, Georgia | 1873 | Hawks | 2005–06fb. 2007–08t.f. |
2011–12fb. 2011–12t.f. |
football track & field |
Gulf South (NCAA Division II) |
| University of Virginia's College at Wise | Wise, Virginia | 1954 | Highland Cavaliers[lower-alpha 4] | 2002–03 | 2009–10 | football | South Atlantic (NCAA Division II) |
Sports[]
Member teams compete in 23 sports: 11 men's, 10 women's and 2 mixed.
Football divisions[]
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References[]
External links[]
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