Southern Conference

The Southern Conference is the nation's fourth oldest NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association. Only the Big Ten (1896), the Missouri Valley (1907), and the Pac-10 (1915) conferences are older in terms of origination. The Southern Conference was formed on February 25, 1921 at a meeting in Atlanta, Georgia. Fourteen institutions from the 30-member Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA) reorganized as the Southern Conference. Those charter members included Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi State, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Tennessee, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Washington & Lee. Athletic competition began in the fall of 1921.