America's Oldest Conference
MIAA Football Member SchoolsAdrian CollegeAlbion CollegeAlma CollegeHope CollegeKalamazoo CollegeOlivet CollegeTrine UniversityFinlandia University**Football Only Member
|
The 2016-17 academic year marked the 129th consecutive year of operation for the NCAA Division III-affiliated conference. The MIAA was founded March 24, 1888. From the very beginning, the MIAA has conducted full-season championships in multiple sports. There have been changes in some of the sports (bicycle racing and Indian club juggling have long since disappeared, and basketball did not even exist in 1888), but these changes have served to develop the MIAA into one of America’s finest NCAA Division III conferences, today offering 22 sports for men and women. The MIAA’s continuity is noteworthy. Of the 13 schools that have had full membership, nine are still members -- Adrian, Albion, Alma, Calvin, Hope, Kalamazoo, Olivet, Saint Mary’s and Trine. Albion and Olivet were charter members, although Albion is the only member to hold continuous membership. Ex-members are Michigan State University (1888-1907), Eastern Michigan University (1892-1926), Hillsdale College (1888-1960) and Defiance College (1997-2000). The MIAA’s membership list went unchanged from 1954 until 1997 when the Defiance College of Ohio and Saint Mary’s College of Indiana were invited to join. It also marked the first time that the league added members outside the State of Michigan. The league stipulated, however, that the name of the conference would not change. The inaugural year of current members are: Adrian (1908), Albion (1888), Alma (1902), Calvin (1953), Hope (1926), Kalamazoo (1896), Olivet (1888), Saint Mary’s (1997) and Trine (2004). The MIAA marked a historic note in 2002 when the league accepted Wisconsin Lutheran College of Milwaukee, Wis. as an associate member for the purpose of competing only in football. Wisconsin Lutheran left after the 2007 season to join another conference. In May, 2017 the MIAA accepted Finlandia University of Hancock, Michigan to become an associate member for the purpose of competing only in football beginning with the 2018 season. Tri-State University became a conference member in 2004-05 upon its acceptance as a provisional NCAA member. Tri-State became a full member of the NCAA on August 1, 2007. On August 1, 2008 Tri-State changed its name to Trine University. * * * James Heckman of Hillsdale is considered the “Father of the MIAA.” After several schools had sponsored successful track and field days from 1884 to 1887, Heckman promoted the idea of a permanent league. The snow was deep in Michigan when the first delegates met in Jackson on March 17, 1888, to organize the MIAA. In Michigan, the state population in 1888 was two million people; 13 schools were offering classes on a college level. Of the schools, which were to figure in MIAA history, Eastern Michigan was the largest with 714 students. Albion’s enrollment was listed as 451, Hillsdale 450, Michigan State 314, Olivet 277, Adrian 150, Hope 148, Kalamazoo 143 and Alma 95. The University of Michigan had grown to giant proportions in 1888 with 93 instructors and 1,671 students. Among the denominational schools, the enrollment figures included many students taking work on a high school level; at Kalamazoo, for example, 98 of the 143 were preparatory students, and only 45 were taking college work. As a result, athletic teams of those years included both high school and college students, and five or six years of participation on one school’s teams was not unusual. A week after this historic meeting, delegates from Albion, Hillsdale, Michigan and Olivet drew up the MIAA’s first constitution. * * * MIAA member schools are active in Division III of the NCAA, both as participants and tournament hosts, as well as being involved in the governance of the Association. Since 1990, MIAA member colleges have won 23 national Division III championships. NCAA Division III history was made in 1991-92 when the MIAA claimed two national championships in basketball -- Calvin the men’s title and Alma the women’s. During the decade of the 2010s, MIAA teams have been the NCAA volleyball champion four times, Calvin in 2010, 2013 and 2016 and Hope in 2014. The league has had 98 individual NCAA national championship performances since 1978. |