The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. The conference was originally formed in 1951 as the State Teachers Conference, and was temporarily named the Pennsylvania State Teachers College Conference in 1956 before assuming its current name in 1964.
The conference's 17 full-time members include 16 based in Pennsylvania and one in West Virginia. The conference's headquarters are in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, and staffed by a commissioner, two assistant commissioners, and a director of media relations.
Contents
History
The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education organized the conference in 1951 to promote competition in men's sports amongst the system's 14 universities.
In 1977, following growing interest, the conference was expanded to offer competition in women's sports. From its inception, each conference member selected its own competitive division within the NCAA (I, II, or III).
In 1980, however, the presidents voted to reclassify the entire conference to Division II within the NCAA.
Membership remained unchanged until the conference announced on June 18, 2007, that it had invited three private universities—Gannon University and Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pennsylvania and C.W. Post of Brookville, New York—to join the conference. Gannon and Mercyhurst left the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference to join the PSAC, effective July 1, 2008. C.W. Post became an associate member for football and field hockey.
In 2010, Seton Hill University was accepted to join the conference as an associate member for field hockey. With the transition of West Chester from Division I to Division II, the number of teams competing in field hockey increased from 10 to 12 for the 2011 season.
On August 19, 2012, the PSAC announced that Seton Hill and the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, formerly members of the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC), would become full members beginning with the 2013–14 school year. This announcement was fallout from a split in the WVIAC that ultimately led to the formation of the Mountain East Conference (MEC). Although Seton Hill was one of the schools that initially broke away from the WVIAC, it chose not to join the MEC. The arrival of these two schools brought the PSAC to 18 full members, making it the largest NCAA all-sports conference in terms of membership at that time. While two other conferences briefly expanded to more members, the D-II Lone Star Conference to 19 in 2019–20 and the D-III USA South Athletic Conference to the same number in 2021–22, both have since reduced their memberships to less than 18, once again giving the PSAC the largest membership of any NCAA all-sports conference.
Role in Division I conference realignment
The PSAC played a little-known but nonetheless significant role in the history of NCAA Division I conference realignment. In 1986, the conference was seeking a way out of a football scheduling conundrum. The PSAC had 14 members at the time, and had been split into divisions for decades. One of the methods it historically used to determine a football champion involved a championship game between the winners of its two divisions. However, due to NCAA limits on regular-season games, every PSAC team had to leave a schedule spot open, with only the two division winners getting to play all of their allowed regular-season games. Then-conference commissioner Tod Eberle asked Dick Yoder, then athletic director at West Chester and member of the Division II council, to draft NCAA legislation that would allow the PSAC to play a conference title game that would be exempt from regular-season limits. The initial draft required that a qualifying league have 14 members and play a round-robin schedule within each division; only the PSAC then qualified.
Before Yoder formally introduced the proposal, he was approached by the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association, which was interested in co-sponsoring the legislation because it was also split into football divisions and wanted the option of a championship game. Since the CIAA then had 12 members, Yoder changed the legislation to require 12 members instead of 14. Although at the time all NCAA legislation had to be approved by the entire membership, regardless of divisional alignment, the proposal passed with little notice. It was generally seen as a non-issue by Division I-A (now FBS) schools since no conference in that group then had more than 10 members. While the PSAC planned to stage its first exempt title game in 1988, it decided against doing so at that time because the D-II playoffs expanded from 8 to 16 teams that season, and it feared that the result of a title game could cost the league a playoff berth. The new NCAA rule would not see its first use until the Southeastern Conference took advantage of it by expanding to 12 members in 1991 and launching a title game the following year.
Chronological timeline
1951 – The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) was founded as the State Teachers Conference (STCP). Charter members included Bloomsburg State Teachers College (now Commonwealth University-Bloomsburg), California State Teachers College (now PennWest California), Cheyney State Teachers College (now Cheyney University), Clarion State Teachers College (now PennWest Clarion), East Stroudsburg State Teachers College (now East Stroudsburg University), Edinboro State Teachers College (now PennWest Edinboro), Indiana State Teachers College (now Indiana University of Pennsylvania), Kutztown State Teachers College (now Kutztown University), Lock Haven State Teachers College (now Commonwealth University-Lock Haven), Mansfield State Teachers College (now Commonwealth University-Mansfield), Millersville State Teachers College (now Millersville University), Shippensburg State Teachers College (now Shippensburg University), Slippery Rock State Teachers College (now Slippery Rock University), and West Chester State Teachers College (now West Chester University), beginning the 1951–52 academic year.
1956 – The STCP was rebranded as the Pennsylvania State Teachers College Conference (PSTCC) in the 1956–57 academic year.
1964 – The PSTCC was rebranded as the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) in the 1964–65 academic year.
1980 – The PSAC had joined the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II ranks, transitioning from the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), beginning the 1980–81 academic year.
2008:
Gannon University and Mercyhurst University joined the PSAC in the 2008–09 academic year.
Long Island University–Post (LIU Post) joined the PSAC as an affiliate member for field hockey and football in the 2008 fall season (2008–09 academic year).
2011 – Seton Hill University joined the PSAC as an affiliate member for field hockey in the 2011 fall season (2011–12 academic year).
Member schools
Current members
The PSAC currently has 17 full members, all but two being public schools. Also, only three of the 15 public members are outside of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education.
Notes
Future members
The PSAC will have one future full member, a private school:
Notes
Affiliate members
The PSAC has five affiliate members, all but one are private schools:
Notes
Former members
The PSAC had two former full members, a public school and a private school:
Notes
Former affiliate members
The PSAC had one former affiliate member, which was also a private school:
Note
Membership timeline
Full member (all sports)
Full member (non-football)
Associate member (football)
Associate member (sport)
Sports
In wrestling; Bloomsburg, Clarion, Edinboro, and Lock Haven compete as members of the Division I Mid-American Conference. The PSAC held an annual championship open to all Division I and Division II teams, however with the transition of all of the former members of the Eastern Wrestling League into the MAC starting in 2019 the Division I level PSAC programs will focus on Division I level competition. The PSAC offers championships in the following sports.
Other sponsored sports by school
In addition to the above:
Edinboro sponsors coeducational varsity teams in esports and wheelchair basketball.
Gannon recognizes its cheerleaders (both male and female) and all-female dance team as varsity athletes.
Mansfield fields a varsity team in sprint football, a weight-restricted form of football played under standard NCAA rules but governed outside the NCAA.
Shepherd and West Chester recognize their female cheerleaders, but not their male ones, as varsity athletes.
Notable alumni
The following is a list of alumni of the respective universities, including before the formation of the Conference in 1951.
Football
Jason Capizzi, Indiana, former Pittsburgh Panthers offensive tackle
Gene Carpenter, Millersville, former head coach of Millersville
Curt Cignetti, Indiana, former University of Alabama recruiting coordinator, former James Madison University head coach, current Indiana University head coach
Frank Cignetti, Jr., Indiana, former University of Pittsburgh offensive coordinator
Frank Cignetti, Sr., Indiana, former IUP and West Virginia University head coach, 1991 Division II Coach of the Year
Dominique Curry, California, St. Louis Rams wide receiver
Rob Davis, Shippensburg, former NFL long snapper, current director of player development for the Green Bay Packers
Doug Dennison, Kutztown, former NFL running back
Jahri Evans, Bloomsburg, offensive guard for the New Orleans Saints
Lawson Fiscus, Indiana, early professional football player
James Franklin, East Stroudsburg, head coach for the Pennsylvania State University
David Green, Edinboro, former CFL running back, 1979 CFL's Most Outstanding Player
Kris Griffin, Indiana, former NFL linebacker
Brent Grimes, Shippensburg, former NFL cornerback for the Atlanta Falcons
Baseball
Clyde Barnhart, Shippensburg, former World Series-winning outfielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Tom Brookens, Mansfield, former MLB third baseman
Mark Corey, Edinboro, former MLB pitcher
Ryan Vogelsong, Kutztown, MLB pitcher
Pete Vukovich, Clarion, MLB Pitcher, Cy Young Winner-Brewers
Matt Adams, Slippery Rock, First Baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals in the MLB.
Pat Kelly, West Chester, former MLB infielder, New York Yankees
Joey Wendle, West Chester, MLB Infielder, Tampa Bay Rays
Dan Altavilla, Mercyhurst, MLB Pitcher, Seattle Mariners
Lou Trivino, Slippery Rock, MLB Pitcher, Oakland Athletics
Matt Festa, East Stroudsburg, MLB Pitcher, Seattle Mariners
Chas McCormick, Millersville, reigning World Series-Champion outfielder for the Houston Astros.
Tim Mayza, Millersville, MLB Pitcher, Toronto Blue Jays
Basketball
Geno Auriemma, West Chester, women's head coach at Connecticut; member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and Women's Basketball Hall of Fame
Del Beshore, California, former NBA point guard
John Calipari, Clarion, Arkansas men's head coach, 1996 and 2008 Naismith College Coach of the Year, member of the Naismith Hall of Fame
Stephen Dennis, Kutztown, Division II Player of the Year and professional player
Mel Hankinson, Indiana, former college basketball coach including Liberty
Jodi Kest, Slippery Rock, Akron women's basketball head coach
C. Vivian Stringer, Slippery Rock, women's head coach at Rutgers; member of the Naismith and Women's Halls of Fame
Soccer
Nicholas Addlery, California, forward currently for the Puerto Rico Islanders and the Jamaica national team
Raymond Bernabei, Indiana, National Intercollegiate Soccer Officials Association and National Soccer Hall of Fame
Jay Hoffman, East Stroudsburg, head coach of the 1999 U.S. women's Pan American Games gold medal team, and assistant coach of the 1999 U.S. FIFA Women's World Cup gold medal team
Bob Rigby, East Stroudsburg, former goalkeeper in the North American Soccer League and the U.S. national team
Olympians
Bekzod Adburakhmonov, Clarion, 2020 Summer Olympics bronze medalist
Kurt Angle, Clarion, 1996 Summer Olympics wrestling gold medalist
Steve Spence, Shippensburg, former Olympic long-distance runner
Cary Kolat, Lock Haven, 2000 Summer Olympics Freestyle Wrestling - 9th
Stanley Dziedzic, Slippery Rock, 1976 Summer Olympics wrestling bronze medalist