TheOhio Athletic Conference (OAC) is anintercollegiate athletic conference which competes in theNCAA'sDivision III. All member institutions are located inOhio. Formed in 1902, it is the third oldest athletic conference in the United States. In its history, 31 schools have been members of the OAC. The enrollments of the current nine member institutions range from around 1,000 to 4,500. Its current commissioner is Bethany Dannelly. Former commissioners include Mike Cleary, who was the first General Manager of a professional basketball team to hire an African American head coach, and would later run the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA).
Locations of members in the Ohio Athletic Conference
The Ohio Athletic Conference was found in 1902 with six charter members—Case Tech,Kenyon,Oberlin,Ohio State,Ohio Wesleyan, andWestern Reserve. By 1934, the conference reached an all-time high of twenty-four members,[1] seeing many schools come and go throughout the upcoming decades. By 2000, the conference solidified to its current form with the addition of its final school,Wilmington, to ten members.
1928 – Denison, Miami, Ohio, Ohio Wesleyan and Wittenberg left the OAC to form theBuckeye Conference, alongside Cincinnati (who left 4 years prior), after the 1927–28 academic year.
1931 –Ashland College (now Ashland University) joined the OAC in the 1931–32 academic year.
1932:
Western Reserve left the OAC after the 1931–32 academic year.
1933 –Bowling Green State College (now Bowling Green State University) joined the OAC, with Denison rejoining for a second time as well, in the 1933–34 academic year.
1934 – Wittenberg rejoined the OAC for a second time in the 1934–35 academic year.
1935 – Hiram left the OAC after the 1934–35 academic year.
1936:
Baldwin Wallace, Case Tech, John Carroll, Toledo and Xavier were suspended from the OAC for a violation of the opening date of football practice, all of them (except Xavier) were re-instated back the following school year.
Akron and Xavier left the OAC after the 1935–36 academic year.
1942 – Bowling Green State left the OAC after the 1941–42 academic year.
1944 – Akron rejoined the OAC for a second time in the 1944–45 academic year, with football rejoining in the 1948 fall season (1948–49 academic year).
1947:
Ohio Northern left the OAC after the 1946–47 academic year.
Ohio Wesleyan rejoined the OAC for a second time in the 1947–48 academic year.
1948 – Ashland and Case Tech, alongside Baldiwn Wallace for a second time, left the OAC after the 1947–48 academic year.
1949 – John Carroll and Toledo left the OAC after the 1948–49 academic year.
1951:
Kent State left the OAC after the 1950–51 academic year.
Hiram rejoined the OAC for a second time in the 1951–52 academic year.
1961 – Baldwin Wallace rejoined the OAC for a third time in the 1961–62 academic year.
1966 – Akron left the OAC for a second time after the 1965–66 academic year.
1971 – Hiram left the OAC for a second time after the 1970–71 academic year.
1973 – Ohio Northern rejoined the OAC for a second time in the 1973–74 academic year.
1984 – Kenyon, Oberlin and Wooster left the OAC, alongside Denison and Ohio Wesleyan for a second time, to form theNorth Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) after the 1983–84 academic year.
1989:
Wittenberg left the OAC for a second time after the 1988–89 academic year.
Hiram rejoined the OAC for a third time, alongside John Caroll who rejoined for a second time, both effective in the 1989–90 academic year.
1999 – Hiram left the OAC for a third time after the 1998–99 academic year.
^abcdCase Tech and Western Reserve merged with to form Case Western Reserve University in 1967. However, their athletic programs continued to operate separately until after the 1969-70 school year.
^Case Tech's nicknames were the following: Scientists from 1918-19 to 1939-40; and Rough Riders from 1940-41 to 1970-71.
^Denison left the OAC after the 1927-28 school year, but rejoined in the 1933-34 school year before leaving for good after the 1983-84 school year.
^Hiram first left the OAC after the 1934-35 school year, but rejoined in the 1951-52 school year. It left the OAC again after the 1970-71 school year, but returned again in the 1989-90 school year before leaving for good after the 1998-99 school year.
^John Carroll left the OAC after the 1948-49 school year, but rejoined in the 1989-90 school year before leaving for good after the 2024-25 school year.
^During Miami's tenure in the OAC, the school had no established nickname; "Boys", "Big Reds", and "Red and White" were used interchangeably. "Redskins" made its first appearance in 1928; by 1931, that nickname became official. Miami (OH) has been competing as the RedHawks since the 1997-98 school year.
^Ohio adopts conference rules in 1909 that go into effect for the 1910 fall season (1910-11 school year)."Ohio University Football",Cincinnati Enquirer, Cincinnati, OH, p. 4, September 27, 1909
^Ohio Wesleyan left the OAC after the 1927-28 school year, but rejoined in the 1947-48 school year before leaving for good after the 1983-84 school year.
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