Fort Towson

The Big South Conference is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division I. Originally a non-football conference, the Big South began sponsoring football in 2002 as part of the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), and began operating the Big South–OVC Football Association in partnership with the Ohio Valley Conference in 2023. The Big South, founded in 1983, is firmly rooted in the South Atlantic region of the United States, with full member institutions located in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. Associate members are located in Georgia, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and South Carolina.[1]

History

Big South Conference
150km
100miles
Charleston Southern
USC Upstate
Longwood
Gardner–Webb
Presbyterian
High Point
UNC Asheville
Winthrop
.
Radford
  
Map
Location of Big South members : full

Charter members included Armstrong State (later Armstrong Atlantic State University and now merged into Georgia Southern University as its Armstrong Campus) (1983–1987), Augusta (later Augusta State University and now merged into Augusta University) (1983–1990), Campbell University (1983–1994; 2011–2023), Baptist College (now Charleston Southern University) (1983–present), Coastal Carolina University (1983–2016), Radford University (1983–present) and Winthrop University (1983–present).

The expansion of membership occurred during the 1980s and '90s. Some of those members are the University of North Carolina at Asheville (1984–present), Davidson College (1990–1992), Liberty University (1991–2018), the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (1992–1998), the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (1992–1997), Towson University (1992–1995), Elon University (1999–2003), High Point University (1999–present) and Birmingham–Southern College (2000–2006).

The Big South Conference began sponsoring football in 2002, with Charleston Southern, Elon (at the time) and Liberty (Gardner–Webb University also joined as a football-only member) fielding teams; Coastal Carolina and Virginia Military Institute (VMI) joined the conference as football-only members in 2003. In that same athletic year, VMI also joined the conference for all sports, but left to re-join the Southern Conference in 2014. Presbyterian College joined the conference in 2007, moving up from Division II, and became eligible for regular-season championships and conference honors during the 2008–09 athletic year.[2] Gardner–Webb, which had been a football-only member since 2002, joined the conference for all sports on July 1, 2008.[2] Campbell rejoined the Big South for all sports except football in the 2011–12 athletic year. Longwood University accepted an invitation to join the Big South on January 23, 2012, and membership formally began July 1 of that year; Longwood had been independent since 2004, during their transition to Division I.[3] In 2014, following the departure of VMI, the conference returned to a single-division structure.[4] On September 1, 2015, Coastal Carolina announced they would leave the conference following the 2015–16 school year to transition to FBS-level football and the Sun Belt Conference.[5] On June 30, 2016, the day before the school joined the Sun Belt, Coastal Carolina won the 2016 College World Series in baseball. This was the first time in conference history that a team won an NCAA championship in any sport.

In September 2016, the Big South and the ASUN Conference (ASUN) announced a football partnership that effectively combined the two conferences in that sport. Under its terms, any members of either conference that add or upgrade to scholarship football, provided they fall within the current geographic footprint of the two leagues, automatically join Big South football. At the time of announcement, the only ASUN member that played scholarship football, Kennesaw State, was already a Big South football member. The partnership also provides a guaranteed football home to the leagues' non-scholarship football programs (at that time, Campbell from the Big South, and Jacksonville and Stetson from the ASUN) should they upgrade to scholarship status.[6]

In November 2016, Campbell announced that it would begin offering scholarships and move its football program from the Pioneer Football League to the Big South in 2018.[7]

In December 2016, the University of North Alabama, ASUN, and the Big South Conference announced that, effective in 2018, the school will leave the Division II Gulf South Conference and will join ASUN in non-football sports and the Big South in football. UNA has won three Division II NCAA national championships in football and has won at least a share of the Gulf South Conference football championship for four consecutive seasons through 2016.

Three months later, Liberty announced that it would begin a transition to FBS football in July 2017 and leave the Big South football league in 2018.[8] Liberty and the Big South agreed later in 2017 that the school would continue to house all of its non-football sports (except for field hockey and women's swimming, neither of which is sponsored by the Big South) in that conference for the immediate future. Once Liberty became a full FBS member at the start of the 2019–20 school year, it would have technically become a Big South associate member (barring the school joining an FBS conference).[9] However, Liberty's plans would change several months later, as it instead announced in May 2018 that it would move its non-football sports to the ASUN effective that July (except for the aforementioned field hockey and women's swimming, also not sponsored by the ASUN).[10]

In November 2017, the University of South Carolina Upstate and Hampton University announced that they would be leaving the ASUN and Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, respectively, to join the Big South, starting in the fall of 2018.[11][12]

On November 19, 2017, Presbyterian College announced it would be moving its football program to the non-scholarship Pioneer Football League.[13] Presbyterian's last Big South football season was in 2019; the Blue Hose planned to play the 2020 season as an independent before joining the Pioneer League for 2021 and beyond.[14] The Blue Hose remain a member of the Big South in all other sports.[15]

A more recent change to its core membership was the July 2021 arrival of North Carolina A&T State University from the MEAC as a full member, including football.[16] At the same time, Robert Morris University was planned to join as a football-only member.[17] North Carolina A&T joined on the originally planned schedule, but Robert Morris became a Big South football member in November 2020. COVID-19 led the conference to move its 2020 football season to spring 2021. Since two of the eight Big South football members (apart from RMU) chose to play in the originally scheduled fall 2020 season and a third chose not to play football at all in 2020–21, the Big South chose to bring the Colonials into the football league for spring 2021.[18]

More recently, the Big South added three new single-sport members in women's lacrosse effective with the 2022 season (2021–22 school year): Furman University, Mercer University, and Wofford College. All three are full members of the Southern Conference (SoCon), which disbanded its women's lacrosse league after the 2021 season.[19]

On January 25, 2022, the Colonial Athletic Association (now the Coastal Athletic Association) announced that Hampton University would join that conference, as well as CAA Football, its technically separate football league, on July 1, 2022.[20] On February 22, that conference announced that North Carolina A&T State University would be leaving the Big South, joining the all-sports CAA on July 1. North Carolina A&T would play Big South football in 2022 and join CAA Football on July 1, 2023.[21]

Also on February 22, the conference announced its intent to combine its football membership with the Ohio Valley Conference beginning in 2023 and operate as the Big South–OVC Football Association.[22] The following month saw Bryant University announced as a new football-only member effective with the 2022 season.[23] Campbell announced on August 3 that it would join both sides of the CAA in 2023 as well.[24] This was followed by Bryant announcing that it would join CAA Football in 2024.[25] On November 28, it was announced that Robert Morris would also leave the association and return football to its previous home, the Northeast Conference effective after the 2023 football season.

Member schools

Current full members

Institution Location Founded Joined Type Enrollment Endowment
(millions)
Nickname Colors Football
Charleston Southern University North Charleston, South Carolina 1964 1983 Private
(Southern Baptist)
3,414 $24 Buccaneers     Yes
Gardner–Webb University Boiling Springs, North Carolina 1905 2008 Private
(Southern Baptist)
3,594 $70.5 Runnin' Bulldogs     Yes
High Point University High Point, North Carolina 1924 1999 Private
(United Methodist)
4,545 $138.5 Panthers     No
Longwood University Farmville, Virginia 1839 2012 Public 4,470 $100 Lancers     No
Presbyterian College Clinton, South Carolina 1880 2007 Private
(PCUSA)
1,330 $88.1 Blue Hose     No[a]
Radford University Radford, Virginia 1910 1983 Public 10,700 $55.2 Highlanders       No
University of North Carolina at Asheville Asheville, North Carolina 1927 1984 Public
(UNC)
3,762 $52.4 Bulldogs     No
University of South Carolina Upstate Spartanburg, South Carolina 1967 2018 Public
(USCS)
6,000 $74 Spartans       No
Winthrop University Rock Hill, South Carolina 1886 1983 Public 6,073 $62.3 Eagles     No
Notes
  1. ^ Presbyterian's football team competes in the Pioneer Football League, a Division I FCS football-only conference whose members choose not to offer athletic scholarships for football.

Current associate members

Institution Location Founded Joined Type Enrollment Nickname Colors Big South
sport
Primary
conference
Bryant University Smithfield, Rhode Island 1863 2022[26] Private
(Nonsectarian)
3,751 Bulldogs     Football America East
Furman University Greenville, South Carolina 1826 2021 Private
(Nonsectarian)
2,629 Paladins     Women's lacrosse SoCon
Mercer University Macon, Georgia 1833 2021 Private
(Nonsectarian)
9,026 Bears     Women's lacrosse SoCon
Robert Morris University Moon Township, Pennsylvania 1921 2020[a] Private
(Nonsectarian)
4,895 Colonials       Football Horizon
Wofford College Spartanburg, South Carolina 1854 2021 Private
(United Methodist)
1,773 Terriers     Women's lacrosse SoCon
Notes
  1. ^ Robert Morris was originally intended to join Big South football in the 2021 football season (part of the 2021–22 academic year). With the 2020 Big South football season moved to spring 2021, RMU was brought into the football league early.


Former full members

Institution Location Founded Joined Left Type Nickname Colors Current
conference
Armstrong State University Savannah, Georgia 1935 1983 1987 Public Pirates     none[a]
Augusta University[b] Augusta, Georgia 1785 1990 Jaguars     Peach Belt
(NCAA Division II)
Birmingham–Southern College Birmingham, Alabama 1856 2000 2007 Private
(Methodist)
Panthers     SAA
(NCAA Division III)
Campbell University Buies Creek, North Carolina 1887 1983[c]
2011
1994
2023
Private
(Southern Baptist)
Fighting Camels     CAA
Coastal Carolina University Conway, South Carolina 1954 1983 2016 Public Chanticleers       Sun Belt
Davidson College Davidson, North Carolina 1837 1990 1992 Private
(PCUSA)
Wildcats     Atlantic 10
Elon University Elon, North Carolina 1889 1999 2003 Private
(Nonsectarian)
Phoenix     CAA
Hampton University Hampton, Virginia 1868 2018 2022 Private
(Nonsectarian, HBCU)
Pirates     CAA
Liberty University Lynchburg, Virginia 1971 1991 [d] 2018 Private
(Nondenominational)
Flames and Lady Flames       C-USA
University of Maryland, Baltimore County Catonsville, Maryland 1966 1992 1998 Public Retrievers     America East
North Carolina A&T State University Greensboro, North Carolina 1891 2021 2022 Public
(UNC, HBCU)
Aggies     CAA
University of North Carolina at Greensboro Greensboro, North Carolina 1891 1992 1997 Public Spartans       SoCon
Towson University Towson, Maryland 1866 1992 1995 Public Tigers     CAA
Virginia Military Institute Lexington, Virginia 1839 2003 2014 Senior Military College Keydets       SoCon
Notes
  1. ^ Armstrong State, which was last a member of the NCAA Division II Peach Belt Conference, dropped intercollegiate athletics at the end of the 2016–17 school year due to its impending consolidation with Georgia Southern University.
  2. ^ Formerly known as Augusta State University until January 2013, when it merged with another Augusta institution (Georgia Health Sciences University) to create Georgia Regents University. At the time of the merger, only GRU (as Augusta State) had an athletic program, and GRU's sports teams continued to compete as "Augusta State" through the end of the 2012–13 school year. The school changed its name again to the current Augusta University in 2015.
  3. ^ Campbell was a founding member of the Big South in 1983. The Fighting Camels left the Big South after the 1993–94 school year to join the Trans Atlantic Athletic Conference (TAAC; later the Atlantic Sun Conference, now the ASUN Conference); before rejoining effective the 2011–12 school year for all sports, except for their football program, which remained in the Pioneer Football League until joining Big South football in the 2018 fall season (2018–19 school year). Campbell then left the Big South again in 2023 to the Colonial Athletic Association as its primary athletic conference.[27]
  4. ^ Liberty was ineligible for the Big South football title in its final conference season of 2017 (2017–18 school year), as it had started a transition to FBS football in that season.

Former associate members

Institution Location Founded Joined Left Type Nickname Colors Big South
sport
Primary
conference
Conference
in former
Big South sport
North Carolina A&T State University Greensboro, North Carolina 1891 2022[a] 2023 Public
(UNC, HBCU)
Aggies     Football CAA CAA Football[b]
Kennesaw State University Kennesaw, Georgia 1963 2015 2022 Public Owls     Football ASUN
(C-USA in 2024)
FCS independent
(C-USA in 2024)
Monmouth University West Long Branch, New Jersey 1933 2014 2022 Private Hawks     Football CAA CAA Football[b]
University of North Alabama Florence, Alabama 1830 2019 2022 Public Lions     Football ASUN UAC
Davidson College Davidson, North Carolina 1837 2012 2014 Private
(PCUSA)
Wildcats     Lacrosse (w) Atlantic 10
Stony Brook University Stony Brook, New York 1957 2008 2013 Public Seawolves       Football CAA CAA Football[b]
University of North Carolina Wilmington Wilmington, North Carolina 1947 2000 2004 Seahawks       Golf (w) CAA
Notes

Membership timeline

Bryant UniversityColonial Athletic AssociationNorth Carolina A&T State UniversityMid-Eastern Athletic ConferenceRobert Morris UniversityUniversity of North AlabamaColonial Athletic AssociationHampton UniversityMid-Eastern Athletic ConferenceCentral Intercollegiate Athletic AssociationUSC Upstate SpartansASUN ConferencePeach Belt ConferencePeach Belt ConferenceNAIA independent schoolsKennesaw State UniversityMonmouth UniversityLongwood UniversityConference CarolinasStony Brook UniversityPresbyterian CollegeSouth Atlantic ConferenceNAIA independent schoolsSouthern ConferenceVirginia Military InstituteSouthern ConferenceGardner–Webb UniversityNCAA Division I FCS independent schoolsSouth Atlantic ConferenceNAIA independent schoolsSouthern Athletic AssociationSouthern Collegiate Athletic ConferenceBirmingham–Southern CollegeTranSouth Athletic ConferenceSouthern States ConferenceHigh Point UniversityNCAA Division II independent schoolsConference CarolinasConference CarolinasColonial Athletic AssociationSouthern ConferenceElon UniversityNCAA Division I independent schoolsSouth Atlantic ConferenceConference CarolinasAmerica East ConferenceNortheast ConferenceUniversity of Maryland, Baltimore CountyEast Coast Conference (Division I)Southern ConferenceUniversity of North Carolina at GreensboroUSA South Athletic ConferenceColonial Athletic AssociationAmerica East ConferenceTowson UniversityEast Coast Conference (Division I)Conference USAASUN ConferenceLiberty UniversityAtlantic 10 ConferenceSouthern ConferenceDavidson CollegeNCAA Division I FCS independent schoolsSouthern ConferenceUniversity of North Carolina at AshevilleWinthrop UniversityRadford UniversitySun Belt ConferenceCoastal Carolina UniversityCoastal Athletic AssociationASUN ConferenceCampbell UniversityCharleston Southern UniversityCharleston Southern UniversityPeach Belt ConferenceAugusta UniversityPeach Belt ConferenceArmstrong State University
  • Augusta State was merged into Georgia Regents University in January 2013; the merged school renamed itself Augusta University in 2015.

Full members  Full members (non-football)  Assoc. members (football only)  Other Conference  Other Conference 

Sports

Teams in Big South competition
Sport Men's Women's
Baseball 9 -
Basketball 9 9
Cross Country 9 9
Football 4 -
Golf 8 9
Lacrosse - 9
Soccer 8 9
Softball - 7
Tennis 6 7
Track and Field (Indoor) 6 7
Track and Field (Outdoor) 7 8
Volleyball - 8

Men's sponsored sports by school

School Baseball Basketball Cross Country Football Golf Soccer Tennis Track & Field
(Indoor)
Track & Field
(Outdoor)
Total Big South Sports
Charleston Southern Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No No Yes Yes 7
Gardner–Webb Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 9
High Point Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes No Yes Yes 7
Longwood Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes No Yes 7
Presbyterian Yes Yes Yes No[c] Yes Yes Yes No No 6
Radford Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes No No 6
UNC Asheville Yes Yes Yes No No Yes Yes Yes Yes 7
USC Upstate Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 8
Winthrop Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes No Yes Yes 7
Totals 9 9 9 2+2 8 8 6 6 7 64+2
Affiliate members
Bryant Yes 1
Robert Morris Yes 1
Notes
  1. ^ Measured from North Carolina A&T's departure as a full Big South member.
  2. ^ a b c CAA Football is technically a separate entity from the all-sports CAA.
  3. ^ Presbyterian football left the Big South after the 2019 season. It played as an FCS independent in the 2020–21 school year and is now in the Pioneer Football League.

Men's varsity sports not sponsored by the Big South Conference which are played by Big South schools:

School Lacrosse Swimming Wrestling
Gardner–Webb No ASUN SoCon
High Point A-10 No No
Presbyterian No No SoCon
Notes

In addition to the above, Campbell counts both its male and female cheerleaders as varsity athletes.

Women's sponsored sports by school

School Basketball Cross Country Golf Lacrosse Soccer Softball Tennis Track & Field
(Indoor)
Track & Field
(Outdoor)
Volleyball Total Big South Sports
Charleston Southern Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 9
Gardner–Webb Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 10
High Point Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No No Yes Yes Yes 8
Longwood Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes No 8
Presbyterian Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No No Yes 8
Radford Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 10
UNC Asheville Yes Yes Yes No Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes 8
USC Upstate Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 9
Winthrop Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes 9
Totals 9 9 9 6+3 9 7 7 7 8 8 79+3
Affiliate members
Furman Yes 1
Mercer Yes 1
Wofford Yes 1
Notes

Women's varsity sports not sponsored by the Big South Conference which are played by Big South schools:

School Acrobatics &
Tumbling[a]
Field Hockey Swimming Wrestling[b]
Gardner–Webb No No ASUN No
Longwood No MAC No No
Presbyterian Independent No No Independent
UNC Asheville No No ASUN No
Notes
  1. ^ Part of the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program; national championship competition is governed by the National Collegiate Acrobatics & Tumbling Association.
  2. ^ Part of the NCAA Emerging Sports program; national championship competition is governed by the Women's Collegiate Wrestling Association.

In addition to the above, Campbell, Gardner–Webb, and Presbyterian consider their female cheerleaders to be varsity athletes, with Campbell also considering its male cheerleaders as such.

Football – players drafted to the NFL

The Big South has had a number of players to get drafted and play football professionally in the NFL.

Name Position School Draft year Draft pick NFL team
Tyler Thigpen QB Coastal Carolina 2007 Round 7, Pick 217 Vikings
Jerome Simpson WR Coastal Carolina 2008 Round 2, Pick 46 Bengals
Brian Johnston DE Gardner–Webb 2008 Round 7, Pick 210 Chiefs
Rashad Jennings RB Liberty 2009 Round 7, Pick 250 Jaguars
Josh Norman CB Coastal Carolina 2012 Round 5, Pick 143 Panthers
Justin Bethel S Presbyterian 2012 Round 6, Pick 177 Cardinals
Walt Aikens CB Liberty 2014 Round 4, Pick 125 Dolphins
NFL Draftees from the Big South Conference

Conference champions

Men's basketball

Season Regular season champion Tournament champion Tournament final location
1986 Charleston Southern (5–1) Charleston Southern Savannah Civic Center, Savannah, GA
1987 Charleston Southern (12–2) Charleston Southern Savannah Civic Center
1988 Coastal Carolina (9–3) Winthrop Winthrop Coliseum, Rock Hill, SC
1989 Coastal Carolina (9–3) UNC Asheville Winthrop Coliseum
1990 Coastal Carolina (11–1) Coastal Carolina Winthrop Coliseum
1991 Coastal Carolina (13–1) Coastal Carolina Civic Center of Anderson, Anderson, SC
1992 Radford (12–2) Campbell Civic Center of Anderson
1993 Towson State (14–2) Coastal Carolina North Charleston Coliseum, North Charleston, SC
1994 Towson State (15–3) Liberty North Charleston Coliseum
1995 UNC Greensboro (14–2) Charleston Southern Vines Center, Lynchburg, VA
1996 UNC Greensboro (11–3) UNC Greensboro Vines Center
1997 UNC Asheville (11–3) Charleston Southern Vines Center
1998 UNC Asheville (11–1) Radford Vines Center
1999 Winthrop (9–1) Winthrop Asheville Civic Center, Asheville, NC
2000 Radford (12–2) Winthrop Asheville Civic Center
2001 Radford (12–2) Winthrop Roanoke Civic Center, Roanoke, VA
2002 Winthrop, UNC Asheville (10–4) Winthrop Roanoke Civic Center
2003 Winthrop (11–3) UNC Asheville Vines Center (semis & finals only)
2004 Liberty (12–4) Liberty Vines Center (finals only)
2005 Winthrop (15–1) Winthrop Winthrop Coliseum (finals only)
2006 Winthrop (13–3) Winthrop Winthrop Coliseum (semis & finals only)
2007 Winthrop (14–0) Winthrop Winthrop Coliseum (semis & finals only)
2008 UNC Asheville, Winthrop (10–4) Winthrop Justice Center, Asheville, NC (semis & finals only)
2009 Radford (15–3) Radford Dedmon Center, Radford, VA (finals only)
2010 Coastal Carolina (15–3) Winthrop Kimbel Arena, Conway, SC (semis & finals only)
2011 Coastal Carolina (16–2) UNC Asheville Kimbel Arena (semis & finals only)
2012 UNC Asheville (16–2) UNC Asheville Kimmel Arena, Asheville, NC (quarters, semis & final)
2013 Charleston Southern, High Point (12–4) Liberty HTC Center, Conway, SC
2014 High Point (12–4) Coastal Carolina HTC Center, Conway, SC
2015 Charleston Southern, High Point (13–5) Coastal Carolina HTC Center, Conway, SC
2016 High Point, Winthrop (13–5) UNC Asheville Gore Arena, Buies Creek, NC
2017 Winthrop, UNC Asheville (15–3) Winthrop Winthrop Coliseum, Rock Hill, SC (quarters, semis, & finals)
2018 UNC Asheville (13–5) Radford Dedmon Center, Radford, VA
2019 Campbell, Radford (12–4) Gardner–Webb Dedmon Center, Radford, VA
2020 Radford, Winthrop (15–3) Winthrop Winthrop Coliseum, Rock Hill, SC
2021 Winthrop (17–1) Winthrop Winthrop Coliseum, Rock Hill, SC
2022 Longwood (15–1) Longwood Bojangles Coliseum, Charlotte, NC
2023 UNC Asheville (16–2) UNC Asheville Bojangles Coliseum, Charlotte, NC

Basketball Tournament Championships by school

School # of Tournament Championships Last Tournament Championship
Winthrop 13 2021
UNC Asheville 6 2023
Coastal Carolina 5 2015
Charleston Southern 4 1997
Liberty 3 2013
Radford 3 2018
Longwood 2 2024
Campbell 1 1992
Gardner–Webb 1 2019
UNC Greensboro 1 1996
  • Former member of the Big South

Football

Season Champion Record
2002 Gardner-Webb 3–0
2003 Gardner-Webb 4–0
2004 Coastal Carolina 4–0 (10–1)
2005 Charleston Southern 3–1 (7–4)
Coastal Carolina 3–1 (9–2)
2006 Coastal Carolina 4–0 (9–3)
2007 Liberty 4–0 (8–3)
2008 Liberty 5–0 (10–2)
2009 Stony Brook 5–1 (6–5)
Liberty 5–1 (8–3)
2010 Coastal Carolina[a] 5–1 (6–5)
Stony Brook 5–1 (6–5)
Liberty 5–1 (8–3)
2011 Stony Brook 6–0 (8–3)
2012 Coastal Carolina[a] 5–1 (7–4)
Stony Brook 5–1 (9–2)
Liberty 5–1 (6–5)
2013 Coastal Carolina 4–1 (10–2)
Liberty 4–1 (8–4)
2014 Liberty[a] 4–1 (8–4)
Coastal Carolina 4–1 (11–1)
2015 Charleston Southern 6–0 (9–2)
2016 Charleston Southern[a] 4–1 (7–4)
Liberty 4–1 (6–5)
2017 Kennesaw State 5–0 (12–2)
2018 Kennesaw State 5–0 (11–2)
2019 Monmouth 6–0 (11–3)
2020 Monmouth 3–0 (3–1)
2021 Kennesaw State 7–0 (11–2)
2022 Gardner-Webb 5–0 (7–6)
2023 Gardner-Webb 5-1 (7-4)
  1. ^ a b c d Won the Big South Conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs.

Women's basketball

Season Regular Season Champion Tournament Champion Tournament Runner-up
1986–87 Radford Radford Campbell
1987–88 Radford & Campbell Radford Campbell
1988–89 Radford Campbell Radford
1989–90 Radford Radford Campbell
1990–91 Campbell Radford Campbell
1991–92 Radford Radford Campbell
1992–93 UNC Greensboro Radford UNC Greensboro
1993–94 UNC Greensboro Radford UNC Greensboro
1994–95 UNC Greensboro Radford UNC Greensboro
1995–96 UNC Greensboro Radford Winthrop
1996–97 UNC Greensboro Liberty UNC Greensboro
1997–98 Liberty Liberty UNC Asheville
1998–99 Liberty Liberty Coastal Carolina
1999-00 Liberty Liberty Coastal Carolina
2000–01 Liberty Liberty Elon
2001–02 Liberty Liberty Coastal Carolina
2002–03 Liberty Liberty High Point
2003–04 Liberty Liberty Birmingham-Southern
2004–05 Liberty Liberty UNC Asheville
2005–06 Liberty Liberty High Point
2006–07 High Point UNC Asheville Radford
2007–08 Liberty Liberty Radford
2008–09 Liberty Liberty Gardner-Webb
2009–10 Gardner-Webb Liberty Gardner-Webb
2010–11 Liberty Gardner-Webb Liberty
2011–12 Liberty Liberty High Point
2012–13 Liberty Liberty Longwood
2013–14 High Point Winthrop High Point
2014–15 Liberty Liberty High Point
2015–16 UNC Asheville UNC Asheville Liberty
2016–17 Radford UNC Asheville Radford
2017–18 Liberty Liberty UNC Asheville
2018–19 Radford Radford Campbell
2020–21 High Point High Point Campbell
2021–22 Campbell Longwood Campbell
2022–23 Gardner-Webb Gardner-Webb High Point

Men's Soccer

Broadcasters (Big South Network)

In addition to basketball games being broadcast on regional and national television, member schools of the Big South Conference are required to provide a live stream of all home games for all sports when playing teams both within and outside the conference. These streams are run by the university hosting the event. All streams are featured on the conference website and are available for free. The football games broadcast on the web are branded as part of a Big South Network.

National champions

School Sport Coach Year Opponent Opponent's Conference
Coastal Carolina Baseball Gary Gilmore 2016 Arizona Pac-12

Facilities

School Football stadium Capacity Basketball arena Capacity Baseball stadium Capacity Soccer stadium Capacity
Bryant Beirne Stadium 5,500 Football-only member
Charleston Southern Buccaneer Field 4,000 CSU Field House[a]
North Charleston Coliseum
790
11,475
Buccaneer Ballpark 1,500 Buccaneer Field 4,000
Gardner–Webb Ernest W. Spangler Stadium 7,800 Paul Porter Arena 3,500 John Henry Moss Stadium 700 Greene–Harbison Stadium 1,000
High Point Non-football school Qubein Center 4,200 George S. Erath Field at Coy O. Williard Baseball Stadium 700 Vert Track and Soccer Stadium 1,100
Longwood Non-football school Joan Perry Brock Center 3,000 Bolding Stadium 500 Longwood University Athletics Complex 350
Presbyterian Plays in the Pioneer Football League Templeton Physical Education Center 2,300 Presbyterian College Baseball Complex 500 Martin Stadium at Edens Field 400
Radford Non-football school Dedmon Center 3,205 Williams field at Carter Memorial Stadium 700 Patrick D. Cupp Stadium 5,000
Robert Morris Joe Walton Stadium 3,000 Football-only member
UNC Asheville Non-football school Kimmel Arena 3,200 Greenwood Baseball Field,
McCormick Field
300,
4,000
Greenwood Field 1,000
USC Upstate Non-football school G. B. Hodge Center 878 Cleveland S. Harley Baseball Park 500 County University Soccer Stadium 3,000
Winthrop Non-football school Winthrop Coliseum 6,100 Winthrop Ballpark 1,989 Eagle Field 1,500
Notes
  1. ^ Charleston Southern uses the CSU Field House for all conference basketball games. Home games against local rivals or major-conference teams are played at the North Charleston Coliseum when available.

References

  1. ^ "Big South Conference History". Big South Sports. August 1, 2007.
  2. ^ a b "Gardner–Webb Officially Joins Big South". Big South Sports. July 1, 2008. Archived from the original on December 8, 2014.
  3. ^ "Big South Conference Adds Longwood University As Full Member". Big South Sports. January 23, 2012. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016.
  4. ^ Stretlow, Bret (October 28, 2014). "Title race in balanced Big South again tough to predict". The Fayetteville Observer. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
  5. ^ "Statement from Big South Commissioner Kyle B. Kallander on Coastal Carolina" (Press release). Big South Conference. September 1, 2015. Archived from the original on September 3, 2015. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
  6. ^ "Big South and ASUN Conference Establish FCS Membership Partnership" (Press release). ASUN Conference. September 13, 2016. Retrieved October 30, 2016.
  7. ^ "Fighting Camels football to join Big South in 2018" (Press release). Campbell University. November 14, 2016. Archived from the original on November 15, 2016. Retrieved November 14, 2016.
  8. ^ "NCAA Approves Liberty's Waiver Request for FBS Reclassification Process" (Press release). Liberty University Athletics. February 16, 2017. Archived from the original on February 20, 2017. Retrieved February 16, 2017.
  9. ^ "Big South Conference Announces Decision on Liberty's Membership Status" (Press release). Liberty University Athletics. September 22, 2017. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  10. ^ "ASUN Conference Announces Liberty University as League Member for 2018-19" (Press release). ASUN Conference. May 17, 2018. Retrieved May 31, 2018.
  11. ^ Shanesy, Todd (November 15, 2017). "USC Upstate moving to Big South Conference". GoUpstate.com. Retrieved November 15, 2017.
  12. ^ Johnson, Dave (November 16, 2017). "Hampton to leave MEAC for Big South". Daily Press. Newport News, VA. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
  13. ^ "Presbyterian to join Pioneer Football League in 2021". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
  14. ^ "Presbyterian College to join Pioneer Football League in 2021" (Press release). Pioneer Football League. November 20, 2017. Retrieved November 21, 2017.
  15. ^ "Presbyterian to join Pioneer Football League in 2021". FOX Sports. November 20, 2017. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
  16. ^ "North Carolina A&T to join Big South in 2021". ESPN.com. Associated Press. February 7, 2020. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  17. ^ "Big South Conference Adds Robert Morris University as Football Member" (Press release). Big South Conference. June 15, 2020. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  18. ^ "Big South Announces Football 2021 Spring Schedule" (Press release). Big South Conference. November 9, 2020. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  19. ^ "Big South Adds Three Associate Members in Women's Lacrosse" (Press release). Big South Conference. June 7, 2021. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  20. ^ ""CAA Welcomes Hampton University, Monmouth University and Stony Brook University as New Members"". Colonial Athletic Association. January 25, 2022. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  21. ^ "CAA Welcomes North Carolina A&T as Newest Member of the Conference". Colonial Athletic Association. February 22, 2022. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  22. ^ "Big South Conference and OVC Announce Football Agreement" OVCSports.com. Retrieved 2022-02-22.
  23. ^ "Big South Adds Bryant University as Associate Football Member" (Press release). Big South Conference. March 29, 2022. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  24. ^ "Campbell University Accepts Invitation To Join The CAA In 2023" (Press release). Colonial Athletic Association. August 3, 2022. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  25. ^ "CAA Football Welcomes Bryant University As Its Newest Member In 2024" (Press release). CAA Football. August 10, 2023. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
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  27. ^ "Campbell University to join Colonial Athletic Association in 2023". Campbell University Fighting Camels. August 3, 2022. Retrieved August 4, 2022.

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