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Atlantic Coast Conference
Data
Established 1953
Members 12
Sports fielded 20
NCAA
championships 		97
NCAA men's titles 116
NCAA women's titles 57
Commissioner John Swofford

The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is one of the oldest collegiate athletic leagues in the United States. Founded in 1953, the ACC's twelve member universities compete in twenty sports in the NCAA's Division I.

History

Charter members of the ACC were Clemson, Duke, Maryland, North Carolina, North Carolina State, South Carolina, and Wake Forest. The seven ACC charter members were originally aligned with the Southern Conference, but left primarily due to the league's ban on postseason play. After drafting a set of bylaws for the creation of a new league, they formally withdrew from the Southern Conference at the Spring Meeting on the morning of May 8, 1953. The bylaws were ratified and the ACC officially came into existence on June 14, 1953. On December 4, 1953, officials convened in Greensboro, North Carolina and admitted Virginia into the conference.

In 1971, the ACC lost a member in the University of South Carolina, now a member of the Southeastern Conference. The ACC operated with seven members until the addition of former Southeastern Conference member Georgia Tech from the Metro Conference, on April 3, 1978. The addition of Florida State, on July 1, 1991, brought the total to nine. In 2003's cycle of conference alignment, the ACC added three more members, all from the Big East: Miami and Virginia Tech joined on July 1, 2004, and Boston College joined on July 1, 2005 as the league's twelfth member.

Basketball

The early roots of ACC basketball began primarily thanks to two men: Everett Case and Frank McGuire.

North Carolina State coach Everett Case had been a successful high school coach in Indiana who ironically accepted the Wolfpack's head coaching job at a time that the school decided to focus on competing in football with national football power, Duke University. Case immediately started winning and became the fastest college basketball coach to reach many win milestones; records that are still relevant today as coaches like Roy Williams and Bruce Pearl chase Case's "first coach to win x amount of games" milestones.

Case became known as “the grandfather of ACC basketball." Despite his success on the court, he may have been even a better promoter off the court. Case realized the need to sell his program and university. That is why he organized the funding and construction of Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh as the new home court for his team. At he time, Reynolds was the largest on-campus arena in America, and it was therefore used as the host site for many Southern Converence Tournaments, ACC Tournaments, and the “Dixie Classic”, an annual event involving the four ACC teams from North Carolina as well as four other prominent programs from across the nation. The Dixie Classic brought in huge revenues for all schools involved and soon became one of the premier sporting events in the south.

At the University of North Carolina, Frank McGuire was hired as the men’s basketball coach to counter Case's dominance over the Tarheel program had lead to over 15 consecutive losses at the hands of the Wolfpack. McGuire began recruiting in his home area of New York. McGuire knew that basketball was the major high school athletic event of the region, unlike football in the south. Case and McGuire literally “invented” a rivalry. Both men realized the benefits created through a rivalry between them. It brought more national attention to both of their programs and increased fan support on both sides. For this reason, they often exchanged verbal jabs at each other in public, while maintaining a secret working relationship in private.

In 1957, when McGuire’s North Carolina team won the national championship, an entrepreneur from Greensboro named C. D. Chesley noticed the popularity it generated. He developed a five-station television network which began broadcasting regular season ACC games the following season. From that point on, ACC basketball gained immense popularity.

Members

Institution Location Established Joined ACC School type Enrollment Varsity sports NCAA championships
(excludes football*)
Boston College Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts 1863 2005 Private 13,341 31 2
Clemson University Clemson, South Carolina 1889 1953 Public 17,110 19 3
Duke University Durham, North Carolina 1838 1953 Private 12,800 26 8
Florida State University Tallahassee, Florida 1851 1991 Public 37,471 19 5
Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) Atlanta, Georgia 1885 1979 Public 16,500 17 0
University of Maryland College Park, Maryland 1856 1953 Public 34,933 27 19
University of Miami Coral Gables, Florida 1925 2004 Private 13,339 17 5
University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, North Carolina 1789 1953 Public 25,972 28 31
North Carolina State University Raleigh, North Carolina 1887 1953 Public 29,310 25 2
University of Virginia Charlottesville, Virginia 1819 1953 Public 19,200 25 15
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) Blacksburg, Virginia 1872 2004 Public 28,303 21 0
Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, North Carolina 1834 1953 Private 6,504 18 7
* Division I-A football is the only sport for which the NCAA does not sponsor a championship. Instead, major-college football championships are sponsored by various third parties, such as the Bowl Championship Series and the Associated Press. The championship totals presented in this table do not include football championships.

Logos

Image:Bc-lg.png|Boston College Eagles Image:Clemson-University-claw-logo.png|Clemson Tigers Image:Duke logo.gif|Duke Blue Devils Image:Fsu-lg.png|Florida State Seminoles Image:GeorgiaTech.jpg|Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Image:Md-lg.png|Maryland Terrapins Image:UMiamiLogo.gif|Miami Hurricanes Image:Unc-lg.png|North Carolina Tar Heels Image:Ncst-lg.png|NC State Wolfpack Image:V-sabres.gif|Virginia Cavaliers Image:Vt-lg.png|Virginia Tech Hokies Image:Wake-lg.png|Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Sports

Member universities compete in the following sports:

Basketball

Historically, the ACC has been considered one of the most successful conferences in men's basketball. ACC schools have captured 10 NCAA championships. North Carolina has won four (1957, 1982, 1993, 2005), Duke has won three (1991, 1992, 2001), N.C. State has won two (1974, 1983) and Maryland has won one (2002). This total is second only to the Pac-10. In addition, 8 of the 12 members have advanced to the Final Four at least once. The ACC has been home to many legendary coaches, including Everett Case, Frank McGuire, Vic Bubas, Dean Smith, Norm Sloan, Lefty Driesell, Jim Valvano, Mike Krzyzewski, Bobby Cremins, Gary Williams, and Roy Williams.

In women's basketball, the ACC has won two national championships: North Carolina in 1994 and Maryland in 2006. In 2006, Duke, Maryland, and North Carolina all advanced to the Final Four, the first time a conference placed three teams in the women's Final Four. The 2006 NCAA women's finalists were also both from the ACC, with Maryland defeating Duke for the title.

With the expansion to 12 teams in 2005, the ACC schedule could no longer accommodate a home-and-away series between every pair of teams each season. In the new scheduling model, each team is assigned two permanent partners and nine rotating partners over a three-year period. Teams play their permanent partners in a home-and-away series each year. The rotating partners are split into three groups: three teams who are played in a home-and-away series, three teams who are played at home, and three teams who are played on the road. The rotating partner groups are rotated over the three-year period.

Football

Though the NCAA does not determine an official "national champion" for Division IA football, the ACC has had members win national championships as determined by the Associated Press, the Coaches' Poll and the Bowl Championship Series, they are:
  • Associated Press National Champions:
    • Clemson: 1981
    • Florida State: 1993, 1999
    • Maryland: 1953
  • Coaches Poll National Champions:
    • Clemson: 1981
    • Florida State: 1993, 1999
    • Georgia Tech: 1990
    • Maryland: 1953
  • Bowl Championship Series National Champions
    • Florida State: 1999

As of 2005, the ACC began divisional play in football. Division leaders compete in a playoff game to determine the ACC championship. The inaugural ACC Championship Game was played on December 3, 2005 at ALLTEL Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida. Florida State defeated Virginia Tech to capture their 12th championship since they joined the league in 1992. This division structure leads to each team playing the following games:

  • Five games within its division (one against each opponent)
  • One game against a "permanent rival" from the other division
  • Two rotating games against teams in the other division
In the table below, the teams are listed in columns by division, and horizontally paired by permanent cross-divisional rivalry (not necessarily the school's closest traditional rival).

Atlantic Division Coastal Division
Boston College Virginia Tech
Clemson Georgia Tech
Florida State Miami
Maryland Virginia
N.C. State North Carolina
Wake Forest Duke

Bowl Games
The bowl lineup as of the 2006 season, in order of selection (which can be based on any criteria the bowls choose):

Lacrosse

Since 1971, when the first men's national champion was determined by the NCAA, the ACC has won 10 national championships (as of 2006). North Carolina has won four national championships (1981, 1982, 1986, and 1991), the University of Virginia has won four (1972, 1999, 2003 and 2006), and the University of Maryland has won two (1973, and 1975). Women's Lacrosse, a sport in which the national champion has only been determined since 1982, has seen much dominance by the ACC, specifically by The University of Maryland. In all, the ACC has won 12 women's national championships. The University of Maryland accounts for nine of those championships (1986, 1992, 1995-2001), and the University of Virginia won the other three (1991, 1993, and 2004).

Soccer

In men's soccer, the ACC has won 11 national championships, including 10 in the 22 seasons between 1984 and 2005. 5 have been won by Virginia (1989, 1991–1994). The remaining 6 have been won by Maryland (1968, 2005), Clemson (1984, 1987), Duke (1986), and North Carolina (2001).

Since women's soccer became a collegiate sport in 1982, the conference has produced a national powerhouse that has not been seen in many NCAA sports. North Carolina has won 17 of the 24 national titles since the NCAA crowned its first champion (1982-1984, 1986-1994, 1996-1997, 1999-2000, and 2003).

Facilities

School Baseball Stadium Stadium Capacity Basketball arena Arena capacity Football stadium Stadium capacity
Boston College Commander Shea Field 1,000 Conte Forum 8,606 Alumni Stadium 44,500
Clemson Doug Kingsmore Stadium 3,500 Littlejohn Coliseum 10,980 Memorial Stadium 81,000
Duke Jack Coombs Field 2,000 Coach K Court at Cameron Indoor Stadium 9,314 Wallace Wade Stadium 33,941
Florida State Mike Martin Field at Dick Howser Stadium 6,700 Donald L. Tucker Center 12,200 Bobby Bowden Field at Doak Campbell Stadium 83,000
Georgia Tech Russ Chandler Stadium 4,157 Bobby Cremins Court at Alexander Memorial Coliseum 9,191 Bobby Dodd Stadium 55,000
Maryland Shipley Field 2,500 Comcast Center 17,950 Byrd Stadium 51,500
Miami Mark Light Field 5,000 BankUnited Center 7,900 Miami Orange Bowl 74,177
North Carolina Boshamer Stadium 2,000 Dean Smith Center (men)
Carmichael Auditorium (women) 		21,750
10,180 		Kenan Stadium 60,000
NC State Doak Field 2,200 RBC Center (men)
Reynolds Coliseum (women) 		19,722
12,400 		Carter-Finley Stadium 57,500
Virginia Davenport Field 2,000 John Paul Jones Arena 15,000 Scott Stadium 61,500
Virginia Tech English Field 1,033 Cassell Coliseum 9,847 Lane Stadium 66,233
Wake Forest Gene Hooks Stadium 2,500 Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum 14,407 Groves Stadium 31,500

Rivalries

As with most ACC traditions, the conference's classic rivalries began on the (men's) basketball court. Before the 2003 expansion, the ACC was able to maintain a full home-and-home double round-robin basketball schedule, meaning each team played each other team both at home and away each season. Coupled with the conference's geographic compactness (especially before Florida State joined in 1991), this enhanced conference cohesiveness and built a strong, interlocking web of rivalries, as each school could generally find something historical to be upset with each other school about. Some rivalries were, of course, stronger than others — notably those among the four "Tobacco Road" schools located in North Carolina.

Lesser-known are the ACC's football rivalries, with the exception of Florida State-Miami. With the recent expansion, intra-state rivalries in Florida and Virginia that have always been more significant in football than basketball are now under the conference banner. This gives them added meaning, as these games will have more direct impact on postseason bowl game invitations.

Intra-Conference Rivalries

  • Boston College and Miami: These two former Big East colleges have a heated rivalry dating back to the "Hail Flutie" game in 1984.
  • Clemson and Georgia Tech: In football, this series has been very close of late. Between 1996 and 2005, 9 of the 10 games were determined by fewer than 7 points. This rivalry is also born out of their proximity (approximately 100 miles).
  • Clemson and N.C. State: Known as the "Textile Bowl" in football.
  • Clemson and Florida State: Known as "the Bowden Bowl"; a newer rivalry in college football pitting head coaches/father and son, Bobby Bowden and Tommy Bowden against one another.
  • Duke and Maryland: Traditionally a basketball rivalry; reached heightened status in the 2000-01 season when the teams played four times in ESPN "Instant Classics." Each school won a national championship in the early 2000s.
  • Duke and North Carolina: Their basketball rivalry is widely considered the best in the country. See UNC-Duke rivalry.
  • Duke and Wake Forest: The two private Big Four schools on Tobacco Road have shared a heated rivalry for decades. Wake Forest and Duke were the first colleges in North Carolina to have basketball teams in the early 1900's.
  • Florida State and Miami: Arguably the two most successful college football teams of the last 25 years.
  • Georgia Tech and Virginia: Known to Georgia Tech football fans as "41-38."
  • Maryland and Virginia: A border rivalry with mid-Atlantic football recruiting implications.
  • Miami and Virginia Tech: Both schools were powers in the Big East and the rivalry has continued with both of them moving to the ACC.
  • North Carolina and N.C. State: In-state rivals of long standing; formerly competed (with Duke and Wake Forest) in the annual "Dixie Classic" basketball tournament ending in 1961.
  • North Carolina and Virginia: In football, known as the Oldest Rivalry in the South.
  • North Carolina and Wake Forest: Another Tobacco Road rivalry, Wake and Carolina have been at it longer than any other two North Carolina schools. The schools first met on Oct. 18, 1888 when Wake Forest defeated North Carolina 6-4 in the first intercollegiate football game played in North Carolina. As with all Big Four rivalries--and each of the four hates the other three--Wake and Carolina have shared a colorful history.
  • Virginia and Virginia Tech: Compete for the Commonwealth Cup in football.

Extra-Conference Rivalries

Since the 1999-2000 season, ACC teams have played Big Ten teams in the annual ACC - Big Ten Challenge men's basketball tournament; the ACC has "won" this tournament every year since its inception (ACC teams have won a majority of the games played in every season).

See also

External links

Atlantic Coast Conference | BCS conferences | College athletics conferences | NCAA Division I-A Conferences

Atlantic Coast Conference

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Atlantic Coast Conference".

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