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The Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (often shortened to just the Virginia Conference) was an intercollegiate athletic conference primarily composed of member schools located in the state of Virginia, though the conference did briefly include schools from both North Carolina and Washington, D.C. in its membership at various points in time. The league existed from January 1922 to December 1936, though it did not start organizing athletic competitions and enforcing eligibility requirements until the beginning of the 1923 football season. Before the withdrawal of the North Carolina colleges in 1927, the conference was officially known as the Virginia–North Carolina Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

The Virginia–North Carolina Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (1922–1927)

With intercollegiate athletics growing increasingly disparate in competitive level in the early 1920s (and several of the prominent colleges from the region having formed the Southern Conference in February 1921), a number of the smaller colleges from North Carolina and Virginia set out to create their own intercollegiate conference. Led by a number of the core members of the Eastern Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Association (which dissolved in October 1921), conversations began first in January 1922 among twelve colleges from the two states, with Hampden–Sydney College, Lynchburg College, Randolph–Macon College, University of Richmond, and College of William & Mary from Virginia, and Davidson College, Elon College, Guilford College, and Wake Forest College from North Carolina. Trinity College (now known as Duke University) and Emory and Henry College were absent from the meeting, though both schools had been invited. In the meeting, the schools resolved to organize a conference by June 1, 1922 which followed "Harvard" eligibility rules, barred so-called "tramp" athletes (who moved on a transitory basis from one school to another based on the whims of the athletic prospects), and professionalism issues.

For reasons that remain unclear, the conference delayed its official organization until January 1, 1923, at which time it planned to begin intercollegiate play. The conference initially organized in December 1922 with just eight members, including Elon, Hampden–Sydney, Lynchburg, Randolph–Macon, and Richmond from the original meeting, as well as Bridgewater College, Roanoke College, and Lenoir–Rhyne College; William & Mary joined the following January. After the first meeting, Frederic W. Boatwright was elected president of the association. Invitations were also extended to Emory & Henry, Davidson, Wake Forest, Trinity, and Guilford; all but Emory & Henry declined to join. By April 1923, it was reported that the remaining North Carolina colleges were unlikely to join, as there was a separate movement of their own to organize; Such an effort was spearheaded by Robert Lee Flowers of Trinity, but appears to have not come to fruition. Emory & Henry was also participating in meetings and joined prior to the start of any regular athletic activity, though no formal announcement of their decision to join has been found.

Like many of the smaller athletic associations, the V-NCIAC was quickly embroiled in controversy. Following the 1923 football season, Lynchburg left the conference over an eligibility dispute, but was reinstated less than a week later after the situation was explained and remediation offered. The following year, both William & Mary and Richmond began posturing for a future move to the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA), primarily citing dissatisfaction with their own league's continued reluctance to implement a one-year rule and prohibit the playing of freshmen in varsity athletics.

By 1927, the failure to create a one-year rule had still not been resolved; William & Mary took up the cause, threatening to leave and join a conference "of consequence". Finally, the conference bowed to the desires of the larger schools, banning freshmen from intercollegiate athletics by the start of the 1928 football season. The decision prompted Elon and Lenoir to leave the conference following the 1927 football season, with Lenoir leaving immediately and Elon waiting to depart until the close of the 1927–28 basketball season. With the only two North Carolina members having departed, the conference began to be known as the Virginia Conference, though the dual-state name remained in use informally into 1928.

The Virginia Conference (1927–1936)

Though there were discussions in 1927 for member institutions to leave the conference for either the SIAA or a new organization after meetings in Charlotte involving several schools from South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia, the conference remained intact aside from the departure of the North Carolina schools; in fact, the Virginia Conference even made a push for the interested parties to join their own conference in a bid for expansion. Aside from Lynchburg College electing to drop intercollegiate football in the summer of 1932, the Virginia Conference went through a period of relative stability following the departure of the Carolina schools.

Following the 1932 football season, the teams held their annual conference in late November, and voted in several changes. First, the conference voted to re-allow the invitation of members outside of Virginia, namely St. John's (MD) and American University, both from the neighboring Baltimore area. While American accepted the invitation and played sports in the Virginia Conference for the winter of 1932 and early spring of 1933, St. John's did not accept the invitation. The reason for their indecision was because of a second major change which transpired during the annual conference: the re-implementation of the controversial freshman rule, which had been suspended in the interim. This was especially problematic considering the fact that both St. John's and American played freshmen on their athletic teams at the time of their acceptance to the conference. Sports pundits widely decried the move as the conference sounding its own death knell.

Adding to the instability, a disagreement between The College of William & Mary and Emory and Henry College over football player eligibility prompted the two to cut relations in the sport and exacerbated what conference officials deemed a "rather serious" situation. At the same time, both William & Mary and the University of Richmond were pursuing membership in the Southern Conference.

As predicted, several of the smaller schools left the Virginia Conference to form the Chesapeake Conference following the 1932-33 basketball season, leaving just four members remaining: Emory & Henry, William & Mary, Roanoke, and Richmond. While Richmond and William & Mary had hopes of joining the Southern Conference, they did not join until before the 1936 football season because of the SIAA's decision to temporarily hold off on expansion. Both William & Mary and Richmond played as dual members of the Southern and Virginia Conferences for the 1936 season, but the conference was dissolved the following December after Emory & Henry announced their intentions to withdraw, with aspirations of joining the SIAA, the previous June.

Member schools

The following colleges held membership in the Virginia Conference:

1. participated in basketball season only before departing for Chesapeake Conference
2. except for a brief departure in December 1923

Timeline

Champions

Football

Basketball

References

1. Wayland, Francis Fry (1993). Bridgewater College: The First Hundred Years, 1880-1980. Bridgewater, VA: Bridgewater College. p. 294. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
2. "VA.-N. Carolina Colleges Form". The Charlotte News. 11 January 1922. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
3. "New Collegiate Body Effective January 1". Washington (DC) Evening Star. 20 December 1922. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
4. "Indians Come In New Athletic Body". Richmond Times-Dispatch. 7 January 1923. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
5. "Urges Association College Athletics". Elizabeth City Daily Advance. 29 March 1923. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
6. "Eligibility Rules Be Effective October 1". Newport News Daily Press. 28 April 1923. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
7. "Hornets Told Witt Is Still Ineligible". Richmond Times-Dispatch. 15 December 1923. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
8. "Indians-Spiders May Never Become Parts Conference". Newport News Daily Press. 8 January 1925. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
9. "William And Mary Would Join Or Form Athletic Group "Of Consequence"". Newport News Daily Press. 10 February 1927. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
10. "Sum For Milhiser "Gym" Equipment Is Now Available". Richmond News Leader. 3 September 1928. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
11. "Emory And Henry Takes Conference Crown First Year". Newport News Daily Press. 1 November 1928. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
12. "Virginia Leads In State Baseball Championship Race; Indians Are Second". Newport News Daily Press. 4 May 1928. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
13. "Projected Conference Is Still In A State Of Uncertainty, Says Rowe". Newport News Daily Press. 19 January 1927. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
14. "Carolina Schools Might Utilize Existing Athletic Body, Dobson Says". Richmond Times-Dispatch. 9 January 1927. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
15. "Intramural Sports Prove Successful". Richmond Times-Dispatch. 1 January 1933. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
16. "Virginia Conference Votes To Reinstate Freshman Rule; American U., St. John's To Enter". Staunton Daily News Leader. 26 November 1933. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
17. Lidman, David (26 November 1933). "Frosh Rule, Enforced Starting 1933, Threatens Va. Conference Split". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
18. "Eligibility Dispute Threatens Relations". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Richmond, Virginia. November 16, 1935. p. 10. Retrieved August 7, 2021 – via Newspapers.com .
19. ^ Split Seen Fatal in Va. Conference, The Free Lance-Star, December 7, 1935.
20. "Three State Colleges in New Conference; Virginia Loop". Richmond Times-Dispatch. 1 February 1933. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
21. "Emory Will Quit State Conference". Bristol News Bulletin. 12 June 1936. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
22. "Old Virginia Athletic Body 'Goes To Wall'". Richmond Times-Dispatch. 3 December 1936. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
23. The Blue book of college athletics, p. 25, F. Turbyville, 1936.
24. On Va. Gridirons, The Free Lance-Star, October 5, 1929.
25. ^ Hopkins And St. John's To Discuss Conference, The Baltimore Sun, January 29, 1933.
26. Virginia Conference Archived December 11, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, College Football Data Warehouse, retrieved June 7, 2011.
27. ^ "Kaleidoscope". Hampden-Sydney College. 1929.
28. ^ Several Upsets Seen On Gridiron's Front, The Palm Beach Post, September 24, 1933.
29. ^ Six Conference Games, The Free Lance-Star, December 10, 1929.
30. ^ Richmond Historical Data Archived May 15, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, College Football Data Warehouse, retrieved June 7, 2011.
31. Arnold College, Bates Opponent, Ties Conn. Aggies, The Lewiston Daily Sun, September 21, 1931.
32. Only One Defeat, The Free Lance-Star, November 4, 1929.
33. "Few State Elevens Break Even In '27 Football Season". Daily Press. Newport News, Virginia. November 15, 1927. p. 5. Retrieved August 7, 2021 – via Newspapers.com .
34. "Old Dominion Grid Season Ends With Indians' Victory". Daily Press. Newport News, Virginia. Associated Press. December 7, 1930. p. 5. Retrieved August 6, 2021 – via Newspapers.com .
35. "Generals State Champions; Randolph Macon Team Wins Virginia Conference". The Bee. Danville, Virginia. November 27, 1931. p. 11. Retrieved August 6, 2021 – via Newspapers.com .
36. "State Fall Sports Come To An End". The News Leader. Staunton, Virginia. Associated Press. November 28, 1932. p. 6. Retrieved August 7, 2021 – via Newspapers.com .
37. "Silverman Leader In Point Scoring". The Evening Leader. Staunton, Virginia. Associated Press. March 1, 1928. p. 3. Retrieved August 20, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
38. "Randolph-Macon Center Top State Scorers in Final Court Standings". Daily Press. Newport News, Virginia. Associated Press. March 10, 1929. p. 7. Retrieved August 20, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
39. "Taps Sound Final Note Over College Basketball In Old Dominion For 1930 Season". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Richmond, Virginia. March 4, 1930. p. 15. Retrieved August 20, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
40. "William And Mary Is State Champion For 2nd Successive Year". Daily Press. Newport News, Virginia. Associated Press. February 27, 1931. p. 9. Retrieved August 19, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
41. "Jacket Center Leads State Scorers; W. & L. Va. Champions". The Evening Leader. Staunton, Virginia. Associated Press. March 2, 1931. p. 8. Retrieved August 20, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
42. Ferris, Paul W. (February 29, 1932). "Reverses To Virginia And Richmond Feature Final Week Of Season". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Richmond, Virginia. p. 11. Retrieved August 19, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
43. "Va. Conference Title to W. & M." Richmond Times-Dispatch. Richmond, Virginia. February 27, 1933. p. 8. Retrieved August 16, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
44. "Emory And Henry Claims 2 Titles". Daily Press. Newport News, Virginia. Associated Press. February 26, 1934. p. 5. Retrieved August 19, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .

• Virginia Conference
• 1923 establishments in Virginia
• 1936 disestablishments in Virginia