History
The CIAA, founded on the campus of Hampton Institute (now Hampton University) in 1912, is the oldest African-American athletic conference in the United States. It was originally known as the Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association and adopted its current name in December 1950.
Founding leaders were Allen Washington and C.H. Williams of Hampton Institute; Ernest J. Marshall of Howard University; George Johnson of Lincoln University, PA ; W.E. Atkins, Charles Frasher, and H.P. Hargrave of Shaw University; and J.W. Barco and J.W. Pierce of Virginia Union University.
The CIAA's legacy dates back to 1892 when Livingstone College and Biddle University (now Johnson C. Smith University) played in the first football game between two African-American colleges. Many other sports also increased in popularity over the ensuing years.
Football is experiencing a major resurgence after going through a period of decline at several member universities. St. Paul's College disbanded its football program after the 1987 season. In 2002 the sport was revived for three years, preceding its full reestablishment at the NCAA level in 2005.
Similarly, football was absent from the campus of St. Augustine's University for nearly three decades, before getting reinstated by the administration in 2002. Shaw University then brought back its football program in 2003, following a hiatus of 24 years.
Lincoln University, a charter member, added varsity football in 2008 and was readmitted to the CIAA after nearly three decades in Division III. Chowan University joined the CIAA in 2008 for football only. On October 14, 2008, the CIAA Board of Directors admitted Chowan as a full member effective July 1, 2009, the first non-HBCU to play in the conference.
The CIAA, celebrating the Centennial of its founding in 1912, is composed predominantly of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) spanning the east coast from Pennsylvania to North Carolina.
On August 27, 2012, the CIAA announced the appointment of Jacqie Carpenter, the first African-American female commissioner to hold the position.
Read more about this topic: Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association
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