Virginia Conference Explained

Virginia Conference
Founded:1922
Folded:1936
Teams:11 (total)
Region:Virginia, North Carolina, Washington, D.C.

The Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (often shortened to just the Virginia Conference) was an intercollegiate athletic conference primarily composed of member schools located in the state of Virginia, though the conference did briefly include schools from both North Carolina and Washington, D.C. in its membership at various points in time. The league existed from January 1922 to December 1936, though it did not start organizing athletic competitions and enforcing eligibility requirements until the beginning of the 1923 football season. Before the withdrawal of the North Carolina colleges in 1927, the conference was officially known as the Virginia–North Carolina Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.[1]

The Virginia–North Carolina Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (1922–1927)

With intercollegiate athletics growing increasingly disparate in competitive level in the early 1920s (and several of the prominent colleges from the region having formed the Southern Conference in February 1921), a number of the smaller colleges from North Carolina and Virginia set out to create their own intercollegiate conference. Led by a number of the core members of the Eastern Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Association (which dissolved in October 1921), conversations began first in January 1922 among twelve colleges from the two states, with Hampden–Sydney College, Lynchburg College, Randolph–Macon College, University of Richmond, and College of William & Mary from Virginia, and Davidson College, Elon College, Guilford College, and Wake Forest College from North Carolina. Trinity College (now known as Duke University) and Emory and Henry College were absent from the meeting, though both schools had been invited. In the meeting, the schools resolved to organize a conference by June 1, 1922 which followed "Harvard" eligibility rules, barred so-called "tramp" athletes (who moved on a transitory basis from one school to another based on the whims of the athletic prospects), and professionalism issues.[2]

For reasons that remain unclear, the conference delayed its official organization until January 1, 1923, at which time it planned to begin intercollegiate play. The conference initially organized in December 1922 with just eight members, including Elon, Hampden–Sydney, Lynchburg, Randolph–Macon, and Richmond from the original meeting, as well as Bridgewater College, Roanoke College, and Lenoir–Rhyne College; William & Mary joined the following January. After the first meeting, Frederic W. Boatwright was elected president of the association. Invitations were also extended to Emory & Henry, Davidson, Wake Forest, Trinity, and Guilford; all but Emory & Henry declined to join.[3] [4] By April 1923, it was reported that the remaining North Carolina colleges were unlikely to join, as there was a separate movement of their own to organize; Such an effort was spearheaded by Robert Lee Flowers of Trinity, but appears to have not come to fruition.[5] Emory & Henry was also participating in meetings and joined prior to the start of any regular athletic activity, though no formal announcement of their decision to join has been found.[6]

Like many of the smaller athletic associations, the V-NCIAC was quickly embroiled in controversy. Following the 1923 football season, Lynchburg left the conference over an eligibility dispute, but was reinstated less than a week later after the situation was explained and remediation offered.[7] The following year, both William & Mary and Richmond began posturing for a future move to the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA), primarily citing dissatisfaction with their own league's continued reluctance to implement a one-year rule and prohibit the playing of freshmen in varsity athletics.[8]

By 1927, the failure to create a one-year rule had still not been resolved; William & Mary took up the cause, threatening to leave and join a conference "of consequence".[9] Finally, the conference bowed to the desires of the larger schools, banning freshmen from intercollegiate athletics by the start of the 1928 football season.[10] The decision prompted Elon and Lenoir to leave the conference following the 1927 football season, with Lenoir leaving immediately and Elon waiting to depart until the close of the 1927–28 basketball season. With the only two North Carolina members having departed, the conference began to be known as the Virginia Conference, though the dual-state name remained in use informally into 1928.[11] [12]

The Virginia Conference (1927–1936)

Though there were discussions in 1927 for member institutions to leave the conference for either the SIAA or a new organization after meetings in Charlotte involving several schools from South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia, the conference remained intact aside from the departure of the North Carolina schools; in fact, the Virginia Conference even made a push for the interested parties to join their own conference in a bid for expansion.[13] [14] Aside from Lynchburg College electing to drop intercollegiate football in the summer of 1932, the Virginia Conference went through a period of relative stability following the departure of the Carolina schools.[15]

Following the 1932 football season, the teams held their annual conference in late November, and voted in several changes. First, the conference voted to re-allow the invitation of members outside of Virginia, namely St. John's (MD) and American University, both from the neighboring Baltimore area. While American accepted the invitation and played sports in the Virginia Conference for the winter of 1932 and early spring of 1933, St. John's did not accept the invitation. The reason for their indecision was because of a second major change which transpired during the annual conference: the re-implementation of the controversial freshman rule, which had been suspended in the interim. This was especially problematic considering the fact that both St. John's and American played freshmen on their athletic teams at the time of their acceptance to the conference. Sports pundits widely decried the move as the conference sounding its own death knell.[16] [17]

Adding to the instability, a disagreement between The College of William & Mary and Emory and Henry College over football player eligibility prompted the two to cut relations in the sport and exacerbated what conference officials deemed a "rather serious" situation.[18] At the same time, both William & Mary and the University of Richmond were pursuing membership in the Southern Conference.[19]

As predicted, several of the smaller schools left the Virginia Conference to form the Chesapeake Conference following the 1932-33 basketball season, leaving just four members remaining: Emory & Henry, William & Mary, Roanoke, and Richmond. While Richmond and William & Mary had hopes of joining the Southern Conference, they did not join until before the 1936 football season because of the SIAA's decision to temporarily hold off on expansion.[20] Both William & Mary and Richmond played as dual members of the Southern and Virginia Conferences for the 1936 season, but the conference was dissolved the following December after Emory & Henry announced their intentions to withdraw, with aspirations of joining the SIAA, the previous June.[21] [22]

Member schools

The following colleges held membership in the Virginia Conference:[23]

InstitutionLocationFoundedNicknameJoinedLeft Current
conference
Washington, D.C.1893Eagles19321933Patriot
[24] [25] Bridgewater, Virginia1880Eagles19231933ODAC
Elon, North Carolina1889Phoenix19231928CAA
[26] [27] Emory, Virginia1836Wasps19231936ODAC
[28] Hampden Sydney, Virginia1775Tigers19231933ODAC
Hickory, North Carolina1891Bears19231927SAC
[29] Lynchburg, Virginia1903Fighting Hornets19231933ODAC
Ashland, Virginia1830Yellow Jackets19231933ODAC
[30] Richmond, Virginia1830Spiders19231936A–10 (all sports)
CAA (football)
[31] Salem, Virginia1842Maroons19231936ODAC
[32] Williamsburg, Virginia1693Indians19231936CAA

Timeline

ImageSize = width:580 height:320PlotArea = width:520 height:300 left:20 bottom:20

Colors = id:biggrid value:black id:smallgrid value:gray(0.80)

DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyyPeriod = from:01/01/1923 till:31/12/1936TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:5 start:01/01/1923 gridcolor:biggridScaleMinor = unit:year increment:1 start:01/01/1923 gridcolor:smallgrid

BarData= bar:Bridgewater bar:Elon bar:Emory bar:Hampden bar:Lenoir bar:Lynchburg bar:Randolph bar:Richmond bar:Roanoke bar:WilliamMary bar:American

PlotData= bar:Bridgewater from:01/08/1923 till:01/02/1933 color:powderblue width:15 textcolor:black anchor:from fontsize:s shift:(5,-5) text:Bridgewater

bar:Elon from:01/08/1923 till:01/04/1928 color:powderblue width:15 textcolor:black anchor:from fontsize:s shift:(5,-5) text:Elon

bar:Lenoir from:01/08/1923 till:30/12/1927 color:powderblue width:15 textcolor:black anchor:from fontsize:s shift:(5,-5) text:Lenoir

bar:Lynchburg from:01/08/1923 till:30/06/1932 color:powderblue width:15 textcolor:black anchor:from fontsize:s shift:(5,-5) text:Lynchburg from:30/06/1932 till:01/02/1933 color:lightorange width:15 textcolor:black anchor:from fontsize:s shift:(5,-5) text:(non-football member)

bar:Randolph from:01/08/1923 till:01/02/1933 color:powderblue width:15 textcolor:black anchor:from fontsize:s shift:(5,-5) text:Randolph–Macon

bar:Richmond from:01/08/1923 till:30/06/1935 color:powderblue width:15 textcolor:black anchor:from fontsize:s shift:(5,-5) text:Richmond from:30/06/1935 till:30/12/1936 color:lightpurple width:15 textcolor:black anchor:from fontsize:s shift:(-90,-5) text:(dual-membership in VC and SoCon)

bar:Roanoke from:01/08/1923 till:30/12/1936 color:powderblue width:15 textcolor:black anchor:from fontsize:s shift:(5,-5) text:Roanoke

bar:WilliamMary from:01/08/1923 till:30/06/1935 color:powderblue width:15 textcolor:black anchor:from fontsize:s shift:(5,-5) text:William & Mary from:30/06/1935 till:30/12/1936 color:lightpurple width:15 textcolor:black anchor:from fontsize:s shift:(-90,-5) text:(dual-membership in VC and SoCon)

bar:American from:01/12/1932 till:01/02/1933 color:lightorange width:15 textcolor:black anchor:from fontsize:s shift:(5,-5) text:American (winter only)

Champions

Football

Basketball

Notes and References

  1. Book: Wayland . Francis Fry . Bridgewater College: The First Hundred Years, 1880-1980 . 1993 . Bridgewater College . Bridgewater, VA . 294 . 19 August 2022.
  2. News: VA.-N. Carolina Colleges Form . 16 August 2022 . The Charlotte News . 11 January 1922.
  3. News: New Collegiate Body Effective January 1 . 16 August 2022 . Washington (DC) Evening Star . 20 December 1922.
  4. News: Indians Come In New Athletic Body . 16 August 2022 . Richmond Times-Dispatch . 7 January 1923.
  5. News: Urges Association College Athletics . 16 August 2022 . Elizabeth City Daily Advance . 29 March 1923.
  6. News: Eligibility Rules Be Effective October 1 . 16 August 2022 . Newport News Daily Press . 28 April 1923.
  7. News: Hornets Told Witt Is Still Ineligible . 16 August 2022 . Richmond Times-Dispatch . 15 December 1923.
  8. News: Indians-Spiders May Never Become Parts Conference . 16 August 2022 . Newport News Daily Press . 8 January 1925.
  9. News: William And Mary Would Join Or Form Athletic Group "Of Consequence" . 16 August 2022 . Newport News Daily Press . 10 February 1927.
  10. News: Sum For Milhiser "Gym" Equipment Is Now Available . 16 August 2022 . Richmond News Leader . 3 September 1928.
  11. News: Emory And Henry Takes Conference Crown First Year . 16 August 2022 . Newport News Daily Press . 1 November 1928.
  12. News: Virginia Leads In State Baseball Championship Race; Indians Are Second . 18 August 2022 . Newport News Daily Press . 4 May 1928.
  13. News: Projected Conference Is Still In A State Of Uncertainty, Says Rowe . 16 August 2022 . Newport News Daily Press . 19 January 1927.
  14. News: Carolina Schools Might Utilize Existing Athletic Body, Dobson Says . 16 August 2022 . Richmond Times-Dispatch . 9 January 1927.
  15. News: Intramural Sports Prove Successful . 16 August 2022 . Richmond Times-Dispatch . 1 January 1933.
  16. News: Virginia Conference Votes To Reinstate Freshman Rule; American U., St. John's To Enter . 17 August 2022 . Staunton Daily News Leader . 26 November 1933.
  17. News: Lidman . David . Frosh Rule, Enforced Starting 1933, Threatens Va. Conference Split . 17 August 2022 . Richmond Times-Dispatch . 26 November 1933.
  18. News: Eligibility Dispute Threatens Relations . . . November 16, 1935 . 10 . August 7, 2021 . .
  19. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ufJNAAAAIBAJ&sjid=oYoDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4778,5105801&dq=virginia-conference+randolph+-church&hl=en Split Seen Fatal in Va. Conference
  20. News: Three State Colleges in New Conference; Virginia Loop . 16 August 2022 . Richmond Times-Dispatch . 1 February 1933.
  21. News: Emory Will Quit State Conference . 17 August 2022 . Bristol News Bulletin . 12 June 1936.
  22. News: Old Virginia Athletic Body 'Goes To Wall' . 17 August 2022 . Richmond Times-Dispatch . 3 December 1936.
  23. https://books.google.com/books?id=z3pYAAAAYAAJ&q=football+%22virginia+conference+%22+-west-virginia-conference The Blue book of college athletics
  24. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=n6IwAAAAIBAJ&sjid=s4oDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6809,5518457&dq=virginia-conference+roanoke+-church&hl=en On Va. Gridirons
  25. https://archive.today/20130131215625/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/baltsun/access/1794310512.html?FMT=CITE&FMTS=CITE:AI&type=historic&date=Jan+29,+1933&author=&pub=The+Sun+(1837-1985)&desc=Hopkins+And+St.+John's+To+Discuss+Conference&pqatl=google Hopkins And St. John's To Discuss Conference
  26. http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/conference_champs/champions.php?conid=200 Virginia Conference
  27. Web site: Kaleidoscope. 1929. Hampden-Sydney College.
  28. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=5MNGAAAAIBAJ&sjid=mDMNAAAAIBAJ&pg=1649,3971815&dq=virginia-conference+-west-virginia-conference&hl=en Several Upsets Seen On Gridiron's Front
  29. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=guVNAAAAIBAJ&sjid=gYoDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4015,5057092&dq=virginia-conference+richmond+-church&hl=en Six Conference Games
  30. http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_iaa/atlantic10/richmond/index.php Richmond Historical Data
  31. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=zzYjAAAAIBAJ&sjid=wGoFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1309,6583015&dq=virginia-conference+-west-virginia-conference&hl=en Arnold College, Bates Opponent, Ties Conn. Aggies
  32. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=r6IwAAAAIBAJ&sjid=s4oDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6504,7087173&dq=virginia-conference+richmond+-church&hl=en Only One Defeat
  33. News: . Few State Elevens Break Even In '27 Football Season . . . November 15, 1927 . 5 . August 7, 2021 . .
  34. News: . Old Dominion Grid Season Ends With Indians' Victory . . . . December 7, 1930 . 5 . August 6, 2021 . .
  35. News: . Generals State Champions; Randolph Macon Team Wins Virginia Conference . . . November 27, 1931 . 11 . August 6, 2021 . .
  36. News: . State Fall Sports Come To An End . . . Associated Press . November 28, 1932 . 6 . August 7, 2021 . .
  37. News: . Silverman Leader In Point Scoring . . . . March 1, 1928 . 3 . August 20, 2022 . .
  38. News: . Randolph-Macon Center Top State Scorers in Final Court Standings . . . . March 10, 1929 . 7 . August 20, 2022 . .
  39. News: . Taps Sound Final Note Over College Basketball In Old Dominion For 1930 Season . . . March 4, 1930 . 15 . August 20, 2022 . .
  40. News: . William And Mary Is State Champion For 2nd Successive Year . . . . February 27, 1931 . 9 . August 19, 2022 . .
  41. News: . Jacket Center Leads State Scorers; W. & L. Va. Champions . . . . March 2, 1931 . 8 . August 20, 2022 . .
  42. News: Ferris . Paul W. . Reverses To Virginia And Richmond Feature Final Week Of Season . . . February 29, 1932 . 11 . August 19, 2022 . .
  43. News: . Va. Conference Title to W. & M. . . . February 27, 1933 . 8 . August 16, 2022 . .
  44. News: . Emory And Henry Claims 2 Titles . . . . February 26, 1934 . 5 . August 19, 2022 . .