The Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) was formed in 1902 and is the third oldest athletic conference in the United States. Its current commissioner is Tim Gleason. 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). The Ohio Athletic Conference competes in the NCAA's Division III. Through the years, 31 schools have been members of the OAC. The enrollments of the current ten member institutions range from around 1,000 to 4,500. Member teams are located in Ohio.
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, and Western 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.
Conference timeline
Historical membership of the OAC: current members in red and former members in steel.
1919 - Baldwin Wallace left the OAC, effective after the 1918-19 academic year.
1920 - Hiram College joined the OAC, effective in the 1920-21 academic year.
1921 - Otterbein College (now Otterbein University) and St. Xavier College (now Xavier University) joined the OAC, effective in the 1921-22 academic year.
1922 - Muskingum College (now Muskingum University) joined the OAC, effective in the 1922-23 academic year.
1923 - Baldwin Wallace re-joined back to the OVC for a second time, effective in the 1923-24 academic year.
1924 - Cincinnati left the OAC, effective after the 1923-24 academic year.
1926 - Marietta College joined the OVC, effective in the 1926-27 academic year.
1927 - Capital University joined the OVC, effective in the 1927-28 academic year.
1928 - Denison, Miami, Ohio, Ohio Wesleyan and Wittenberg left the OAC to form the Buckeye Conference alongside Cincinnati (who left 4 years prior), effective after the 1927-28 academic year.
1931 - Ashland College (now Ashland University) joined the OAC, effective in the 1931-32 academic year.
1932 - Western Reserve left the OAC, effective after the 1931-32 academic year.
1933 - Bowling Green State College (now Bowling Green State University) joined the OAC, with Denison re-joining for a second time as well, effective in the 1933-34 academic year.
1934 - Wittenberg re-joined back to the OAC for a second time, effective in the 1934-35 academic year.
1935 - Hiram left the OAC, effective after the 1934-35 academic year.
1936 - Baldwin Wallace, Case Tech, John Carroll, Toledo and Xavier were suspended from the OVC for a violation of the opening date of football practice, all of them (except Xavier (Oh.)) were re-instated back the following school year.
1936 - Akron and Xavier (Oh.) left the OAC, effective after the 1935-36 academic year.
1942 - Bowling Green State left the OAC, effective after the 1941-42 academic year.
1947 - Ohio Wesleyan re-joined back to the OAC for a second time, effective in the 1947-48 academic year.
1944 - Akron re-joined back to the OAC for a second time, effective in the 1944-45 academic year (with football re-joining in the 1948 fall season (1948-49 academic year).
1947 - Ohio Northern left the OAC, effective after the 1946-47 academic year.
1947 - Ohio Wesleyan re-joined back to the OAC for a second time, effective in the 1947-48 academic year.
1948 - Ashland and Case Tech, alongside Baldiwn Wallace for a second time, left the OAC, effective after the 1947-48 academic year.
1949 - John Carroll and Toledo left the OAC, effective after the 1948-49 academic year.
1951 - Kent State left the OAC, effective after the 1950-51 academic year.
1951 - Hiram re-joined back to the OAC for a second time, effective in the 1951-52 academic year.
1961 - Baldwin Wallace re-joined back to the OAC for a third time, effective in the 1946-47 academic year.
1966 - Akron left the OAC for a second time, effective after the 1965-66 academic year.
1971 - Hiram left the OAC for a second time, effective after the 1970-71 academic year.
1973 - Ohio Northern re-joined back to the OAC for a second time, effective 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 the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC), effective after the 1983-84 academic year.
1989 - Wittenberg left the OAC for a second time, effective after the 1988-89 academic year.
1989 - Hiram re-joined back to the OAC for a third time, alongside John Caroll who re-joined for a second time, effective in the 1989-90 academic year.
1999 - Hiram left the OAC for a third time, effective after the 1998-99 academic year.
2011 - Defiance College joined the OAC as an associate member for men's and women's swimming and diving, effective in the 2011-12 academic year.
2012 - Transylvania University joined the OAC as an associate member for men's and women's swimming and diving, effective in the 2012-13 academic year.
2015 - Manchester University joined the OAC as an associate member for men's and women's swimming and diving, effective in the 2015-16 academic year.
Member schools
Current members
The OAC currently has nine full members, all are private schools:
^Akron left the OAC after the 1935–36 school year, but re-joined back effective in the 1944–45 school year before leaving for good after the 1965–66 school 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 re-joined back effectively 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 re-joined back effective in the 1951–52 school year. It left the OAC again after the 1970–71 school year, but re-joined back again effective in the 1989–90 school year before leaving for good after the 1998–99 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. As of 2021, 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 re-joined back effective in the 1947–48 school year before leaving for good after the 1983–84 school year.
^Western Reserve's nicknames were the following: Pioneers from 1920–21 to 1927–28; and Red Cats from 1928–29 to 1970–71.
^Wittenberg left the OAC after the 1927–28 school year, but re-joined back effective in the 1934–35 school year before leaving for good after the 1988–89 school year.
Former associate members
The OAC had three former associate members, all were private schools:
