1.
Patriot League
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The Patriot League is a collegiate athletic conference comprising private institutions of higher education and two United States service academies based in the Northeastern United States. All 10 core members participate in the NCAAs Division I for all Patriot League sports that they offer, since not all schools sponsor every available NCAA sport, such as ice hockey and wrestling, most schools are affiliated with other collegiate conferences. Additionally, the Patriot League has an arrangement for football. Army is an Independent in the Football Bowl Subdivision, while Bucknell, Colgate, Holy Cross, Lafayette, American, Boston University and Loyola Maryland do not sponsor football. As of the 2015 season, Navy plays FBS football in the American Athletic Conference, three other private institutions are Patriot League members only for specific sports and are referred to as Patriot League associate members. Fordham University and Georgetown University are associate members in football, while MIT is a member in womens rowing. Patriot League members are schools with strong academic reputations that adhere strongly to the ideal of the scholar-athlete. An academic index ensures that athletes are truly representative of and integrated with the rest of the student body, out-of-league play for Patriot League schools is often with members of the Ivy League, which follow similar philosophies regarding academics and athletics. Patriot League members have some of the oldest collegiate athletic programs in the country, in particular, The Rivalry between Lehigh University and Lafayette College is both the nations most played and longest uninterrupted college football series. The winner of the Patriot League Basketball tournament receives an invitation to the NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament every March. In recent years, Bucknell and Lehigh have both won NCAA tournament games, the Patriot League champion in a number of other sports also receives an automatic invitation to its respective NCAA tournaments. The origins of the Patriot League began after the eight Ivy League schools each expanded its football schedules to ten games starting in 1980, the result was the Colonial League, a football-only circuit that began competition in 1986. In 1990, the changed its name to the Patriot League at the suggestion of Carl F. Ullrich. In 1991, the league gained a full member — the United States Naval Academy. In 1993, the league hired Constance H. Hurlbut as executive director and she was the first woman and youngest person to be the leader of an NCAA Division I conference. In 1995, Fordham resigned its membership but continued as an associate member in football. In 1996, Fairfield and Ursinus joined as members in field hockey. In 1997, Towson joined as a member in football
2.
Lewisburg, Pennsylvania
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Lewisburg is a borough in Union County, Pennsylvania, United States,30 miles south by southeast of Williamsport and 60 miles north of Harrisburg. In the past, it was the center for a fertile grain. The population was 5,620 at the 2000 census and it is the county seat of Union County. Located in central Pennsylvania, on the West Branch Susquehanna River and it is home to Bucknell University and is near the Lewisburg Federal Penitentiary. Its 19th-century downtown is on the National Register of Historic Places, Lewisburg is the principal city of the Lewisburg, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area, and is also part of the larger Bloomsburg-Berwick-Sunbury, PA Combined Statistical Area. Lewisburg was founded in 1785 by Ludwig Derr, a settler of the area, Derr had purchased several tracts of land from the William Penn family and other neighboring land owners, the largest of which was known as The Prescott. Having been on the land for such a time, Derr had befriended the local Native Americans of the area. Subsequently, in 1784, he worked with Samuel Weiser to lay out his combined land tracts, the name was later changed to Lewisburgh when Union County was separated from Snyder County. Much has been considered regarding how the name changed from Derrstown to Lewisburg, the most likely truth is that Derrs first name Ludwig translated into English as Louis but, being of German descent, it was spelled Lewis. Later, after Derrs death, the traditional Germanic burgh was appended to his first name to create Lewisburgh, note, U. S. Postal Service records contradict this story. The post office was named Lewisburgh when it was established in 1796, in 1893, the street names that run east and west are a local urban mystery. St. George, St. Catherine, and St. Louis etc. appear to be named for saints, however, since Derr was a Lutheran, and did not pay homage to Catholic saints, this is unlikely. George was Ludwigs son, his wife Catherine and Ludwig/Lewis himself, the other original street names that still exist are St. John, St. Mary and St. Anthony, which are probably the names of other children from families with whom Derrs own family were friends. However, there is an indication that Derr also had a daughter named Mary, overall, however, the premise is further supported by the notion that the German word for street is Strasse. At the time, street names were pronounced as Strasse Mary or Strasse George, later, when signs were made to note the street names, the abbreviation for Strasse was allowed to remain, but the US/English abbreviation was redundantly added to the signs. The second mystery surrounding Lewisburg is the disappearance of its founder Ludwig Derr, after selling several lots of land, Derr set off for Philadelphia to sell additional lots. Shortly after arriving, records some of his lots had sold. However, Ludwig Derr simply disappears from history in that city, Derrs son George went to Philadelphia to search for his father, but returned a short time later, unsuccessful
3.
East Coast Conference (Division I)
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The East Coast Conference was an NCAA Division I college athletic conference. It was founded as the university division of the Middle Atlantic Conference in 1958, the MAC consisted of over 30 teams at that time, making it impossible to organize full league schedules in sports like football, basketball, and baseball. In 1958, the larger schools created their own mini-conference, consisting of 11 members, in 1974, the larger schools in the MAC officially formed the East Coast Conference. During the 1974-75 through 1981-82 seasons, the ECC enjoyed a consistent membership of 12 teams and that stability was rocked when St. Josephs, Temple, and West Chester departed in the summer of 1982, while Towson was added, trimming the league to 10 programs. Over the next two years, La Salle and American also said goodbye, cutting the roster to 8, the winds of realignment would sweep across intercollegiate athletics in full force as the next decade dawned. Bucknell, Lafayette, and Lehigh left to form the Patriot League in 1990, while Delaware. Attempting to stem the tide, the ECC added UMBC and Central Connecticut in 1990, followed by Division I newcomers Buffalo, more erosion ensued as Rider, Towson, and UMBC moved to other leagues after the 1991-92 campaign, while Brooklyn suspended its entire athletic department. This reduced the ECC to just 3 members -- Hofstra, Central Connecticut, unable to move elsewhere themselves, that trio made one last salvage effort. Spreading far and wide, Chicago State, Northeastern Illinois, and Troy State were enlisted, finally, the ECC was absorbed by the Mid-Continent Conference in the summer of 1994, although Hofstra instead decided to join the North Atlantic Conference. None of the 5 ECC institutions which entered the Mid-Con at that time remain in the league today, according to the Middle Atlantic States Collegiate Athletic Corporations web site, the East Coast Conference was not a successor to the MAC. June 4–6,1974 - The first major schism to be focused on this study occurs when the MAC University Division, with 12 members, loses 11 members, who leave to form their own conference. American, Bucknell, Delaware, Drexel, Lafayette, La Salle, Lehigh, Rider, St. Josephs, Temple, gettysburg, which opts to join the College Division, is the only University Division institution to remain
4.
Bucknell University
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Bucknell University is a private liberal arts college located alongside the West Branch Susquehanna River in the town of Lewisburg, in central Pennsylvania, United States. The university consists of the College of Arts and Sciences, School of Management, and it offers nearly 50 majors and over 60 minors. It is primarily a school, and has about 50 graduate students. Students come from all 50 states and from more than 66 countries, Bucknell has nearly 200 student organizations and a large Greek presence. The schools mascot is Bucky the Bison and the school is a member of the Patriot League in NCAA Division I athletics, more than 4,000 subscribers ultimately contributed, including a small boy who gave 12 cents. In 1846, the school preparatory to the University opened in the basement of the First Baptist Church in Lewisburg, known originally as the Lewisburg High School, it became in 1848 the Academical and Primary Department of the University at Lewisburg. In 1850, the department moved into the first building completed on campus, built for $8,000, the building housed both womens and mens studies until the opening of the Female Institute in 1852. While studying together, women were required to face east while men faced west, the schools first commencement was held on August 20,1851, for a graduation class of seven men. Among the board members attending was James Buchanan, who would become the 15th President of the United States, stephen Taylor officiated as his last act before assuming office as president of Madison University. One day earlier, the trustees had elected Howard Malcom as the first president of the university, although the Female Institute began instruction in 1852, it wasn’t until 1883 that college courses were opened to women. Bucknell, though, was committed to educational opportunities for women. Within five years of opening, enrollment had grown so sharply that the university built a new hall–Larison Hall–to accommodate the Female Institute, women could venture into town only in the company of a female teacher who had a minimum of six years’ experience in handling girls. In 1881, facing dire financial circumstances, the university turned to William Bucknell and his donation of $50,000 saved the university from ruin. In 1886, in recognition of Bucknells support of the school, Bucknell Hall, the first of several buildings given to the university by Bucknell, was initially a chapel and for more than a half century the site of student theatrical and musical performances. Today, it houses the Stadler Center for Poetry, the 40 years from 1890 until 1930 saw a steady increase in the number of faculty members and students. When the Depression brought a drop in enrollment in 1933, several members of the faculty were loaned to found a new institution, Bucknell Junior College in Wilkes-Barre, today, that institution is a four-year university, Wilkes University, independent of Bucknell since 1947. Significant new construction in the 1970s included the Elaine Langone Center, the Gerhard Fieldhouse, during the early 1980s, the capacity of the Bertrand Library was doubled and facilities for engineering were substantially renovated. In 1988, the Weis Center for the Performing Arts was completed, New facilities for the sciences included the renovation of the Olin Science Building, the construction of the Rooke Chemistry Building in 1990 and the completion of a new Biology Building in 1991
5.
Pennsylvania
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Pennsylvania /ˌpɛnsᵻlˈveɪnjə/, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state located in the northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The Appalachian Mountains run through its middle, Pennsylvania is the 33rd largest, the 5th most populous, and the 9th most densely populated of the 50 United States. The states five most populous cities are Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie, the state capital, and its ninth-largest city, is Harrisburg. Pennsylvania has 140 miles of shoreline along Lake Erie and the Delaware Estuary. The state is one of the 13 original founding states of the United States, it came into being in 1681 as a result of a land grant to William Penn. Part of Pennsylvania, together with the present State of Delaware, had earlier been organized as the Colony of New Sweden and it was the second state to ratify the United States Constitution, on December 12,1787. Independence Hall, where the United States Declaration of Independence and United States Constitution were drafted, is located in the states largest city of Philadelphia, during the American Civil War, the Battle of Gettysburg, was fought in the south central region of the state. Valley Forge near Philadelphia was General Washingtons headquarters during the winter of 1777–78. Pennsylvania is 170 miles north to south and 283 miles east to west, of a total 46,055 square miles,44,817 square miles are land,490 square miles are inland waters, and 749 square miles are waters in Lake Erie. It is the 33rd largest state in the United States, Pennsylvania has 51 miles of coastline along Lake Erie and 57 miles of shoreline along the Delaware Estuary. Cities include Philadelphia, Reading, Lebanon and Lancaster in the southeast, Pittsburgh in the southwest, the tri-cities of Allentown, Bethlehem, the northeast includes the former anthracite coal mining communities of Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Pittston City, and Hazleton. Erie is located in the northwest, the state has 5 regions, namely the Allegheny Plateau, Ridge and Valley, Atlantic Coastal Plain, Piedmont, and the Erie Plain. Straddling two major zones, the majority of the state, with the exception of the corner, has a humid continental climate. The largest city, Philadelphia, has characteristics of the humid subtropical climate that covers much of Delaware. Moving toward the interior of the state, the winter climate becomes colder, the number of cloudy days increase. Western areas of the state, particularly locations near Lake Erie, can receive over 100 inches of snowfall annually, the state may be subject to severe weather from spring through summer into fall. Tornadoes occur annually in the state, sometimes in large numbers, the Tuscarora Nation took up temporary residence in the central portion of Pennsylvania ca. Both the Dutch and the English claimed both sides of the Delaware River as part of their lands in America
6.
National Collegiate Athletic Association
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The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a non-profit association which regulates athletes of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations, and individuals. It also organizes the programs of many colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. The organization is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 2014, the NCAA generated almost a billion dollars in revenue. 80 to 90% of this revenue was due to the Division I Mens Basketball Tournament and this revenue is then distributed back into various organizations and institutions across the United States. In August 1973, the current three-division setup of Division I, Division II, under NCAA rules, Division I and Division II schools can offer scholarships to athletes for playing a sport. Division III schools may not offer any athletic scholarships, generally, larger schools compete in Division I and smaller schools in II and III. Division I football was divided into I-A and I-AA in 1978. Subsequently, the term Division I-AAA was briefly added to delineate Division I schools which do not field a football program at all, in 2006, Divisions I-A and I-AA were respectively renamed the Football Bowl Subdivision and Football Championship Subdivision. Inter-collegiate sports began in the US in 1852 when crews from Harvard University, as other sports emerged, notably football and basketball, many of these same concepts and standards were adopted. Football, in particular, began to emerge as a marquee sport, the IAAUS was officially established on March 31,1906, and took its present name, the NCAA, in 1910. For several years, the NCAA was a group and rules-making body, but in 1921, the first NCAA national championship was conducted. Gradually, more rules committees were formed and more championships were created, a series of crises brought the NCAA to a crossroads after World War II. The Sanity Code – adopted to establish guidelines for recruiting and financial aid – failed to curb abuses, postseason football games were multiplying with little control, and member schools were increasingly concerned about how the new medium of television would affect football attendance. The complexity of problems and the growth in membership and championships demonstrated the need for full-time professional leadership. Walter Byers, previously an executive assistant, was named executive director in 1951. Byers wasted no time placing his stamp on the Association, as college athletics grew, the scope of the nations athletics programs diverged, forcing the NCAA to create a structure that recognized varying levels of emphasis. In 1973, the Associations membership was divided into three legislative and competitive divisions – I, II, and III, five years later in 1978, Division I members voted to create subdivisions I-A and I-AA in football. Until the 1980s, the association did not offer womens athletics, instead, the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women, with nearly 1000 member schools, governed womens collegiate sports in the United States
7.
NCAA Division I
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Division I is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association in the United States. This level was called the University Division of the NCAA, in contrast to the lower level College Division. For football only, Division I was further subdivided in 1978 into Division I-A, Division I-AA, in 2006, Division I-A and I-AA were renamed Football Bowl Subdivision and Football Championship Subdivision, respectively. FCS teams are allowed to award scholarships, a practice technically allowed. FBS teams also have to meet attendance requirements, while FCS teams do not need to meet minimum attendance requirements. Another difference is post season play, starting with the 2014 postseason, a four-team playoff called the College Football Playoff, replaced the previous one game championship format. Even so, Division I FBS football is still the only NCAA sport in which a champion is not determined by an NCAA-sanctioned championship event. All D-I schools must field teams in at least seven sports for men and seven for women or six for men and eight for women, with at least two team sports for each gender. Division I schools must meet minimum financial aid awards for their athletics program, Several other NCAA sanctioned minimums and differences that distinguish Division I from Divisions II and III. Each playing season has to be represented by each gender as well, there are contest and participant minimums for each sport, as well as scheduling criteria. Mens and womens teams have to play all but two games against Division I teams, for men, they must play one-third of all their contests in the home arena. The NCAA has limits on the financial aid each Division I member may award in each sport that the school sponsors. Equivalency sports, in which the NCAA limits the total financial aid that a school can offer in a sport to the equivalent of a set number of full scholarships. Roster limitations may or may not apply, depending on the sport, the term counter is also key to this concept. The NCAA defines a counter as an individual who is receiving financial aid that is countable against the aid limitations in a sport. The number of scholarships that Division I members may award in sport is listed below. In this table, scholarship numbers for head-count sports are indicated without a point, for equivalency sports, they are listed with a decimal point. An exception exists for players at non-scholarship FCS programs who receive aid in another sport, participants in basketball are counted in that sport, unless they also play football
