The Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) is a

college athletic conference In college athletics in the United States, institutions typically join in conferences for regular play under different governing bodies. Varsity sports There are several national and regional associations governing the varsity teams of colleges ...

affiliated with the

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) established in 1940, is a college athletics association for colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic scholarships to its stu ...

(NAIA). The 11 member universities that compete in 19 sports are located in

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is bord ...

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = " Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,7 ...

and

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

. Basketball teams compete as a single division in the NAIA.

History

The Southern States Athletic Conference was established as the Georgia–Alabama–Carolina Conference (GACC) on March 16, 1999. On June 27, 2004, the conference changed its name to the Southern States Athletic Conference.

Chronological timeline

* 1999 - On March 16, 1999, the Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) was founded as the Georgia–Alabama–Carolina Conference (GACC). Charter members included Auburn University at Montgomery,

Brenau University Brenau University is a private university with its historic campus in Gainesville, Georgia. Founded in 1878, the university enrolls more than 2,800 students from approximately 48 states and 17 foreign countries who seek degrees ranging from assoc ...

, Brewton–Parker College, Emmanuel College,

Faulkner University Faulkner University is a private Christian university in Montgomery, Alabama. It is affiliated with the Churches of Christ. History The university was founded in 1942 by Dr. Rex Turner, Dr. Leonard Johnson and Joe Greer as Montgomery Bible S ...

, Georgia Southwestern State University,

North Georgia College & State University The University of North Georgia (UNG) is a public senior military college with multiple campuses in Georgia. It is part of the University System of Georgia. The university was established on January 8, 2013 by a merger of North Georgia Colle ...

(now the University of North Georgia),

Reinhardt College Reinhardt University is a private university in Waleska, Georgia. The university has an off-campus center in Alpharetta and offers some programs in Cartersville, Marietta, and Canton, and online. Reinhardt is affiliated with the United Method ...

(now Reinhardt University), Shorter College (now Shorter University), Southern Polytechnic State University, and

Southern Wesleyan University Southern Wesleyan University is a private Christian university in Central, South Carolina. It was founded in 1906 by what is now the Wesleyan Church. The institution is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on ...

beginning the 1999-2000 academic year. * 2004 - On June 27, 2004, the GACC was rebranded as the Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) in the 2004–05 academic year. * 2004 -

Berry College Berry College is a private liberal arts college in the Mount Berry community adjacent to Rome, Georgia. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). Berry College was founded on values based on Christian princip ...

and

Lee University Lee University is a private Christian university in Cleveland, Tennessee. It was originally the Church of God Bible Training School, a small Bible institute founded in 1918 with twelve students and one teacher, Nora I. Chambers. The school grew ...

joined the SSAC in the 2004–05 academic year. * 2005 - North Georgia left the SSAC and the NAIA to join the Division II ranks of the

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges ...

(NCAA) and the Peach Belt Conference (PBC) after the 2004–05 academic year. * 2005 - Columbia College of South Carolina joined the SSAC in the 2005–06 academic year. * 2006 - Georgia Southwestern State left the SSAC and the NAIA to join the NCAA Division II ranks and the Peach Belt (PBC) after the 2005–06 academic year. * 2009 - Reinhardt left the SSAC to join the

Appalachian Athletic Conference The Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Members of the conference are located in the Southeastern United States in Tennessee, Kentu ...

(AAC) after the 2008–09 academic year. * 2010 - Berry left the SSAC and the NAIA to join the

NCAA Division III NCAA Division III (D-III) is a division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States. D-III consists of athletic programs at colleges and universities that choose not to offer athletic scholarships to their ...

ranks as an Division III Independent (which would later join the Southern Athletic Association (SAA) beginning the 2012–13 academic year) after the 2009–10 academic year. * 2010 -

Belhaven University Belhaven University (Belhaven or BU) is a private evangelical Christian university in Jackson, Mississippi. Founded in 1883, the university offers traditional majors, programs of general studies, and pre-professional programs in Christian Minis ...

Loyola University New Orleans Loyola University New Orleans is a private Jesuit university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Originally established as Loyola College in 1904, the institution was chartered as a university in 1912. It bears the name of the Jesuit founder, Saint Igna ...

, the

University of Mobile The University of Mobile is a private, Baptist university in Mobile, Alabama. It is affiliated with the Alabama Baptist Convention (Southern Baptist Convention). History The university was founded in 1961 by the Alabama Baptist State under t ...

Spring Hill College Spring Hill College is a private, Jesuit college in Mobile, Alabama. It was founded in 1830 by Michael Portier, Bishop of Mobile. Along with being the oldest college or university in the state of Alabama, it was the first Catholic college in the ...

, Truett–McConnell College (now Truett–McConnell University), and

William Carey University William Carey University (also known as Carey, William Carey, or WCU) is a private Christian university in Mississippi, affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and the Mississippi Baptist Convention. The main campus is in Hatties ...

joined the SSAC in the 2010–11 academic year. * 2011 - Columbia (S.C.) left the SSAC to join the Appalachian (AAC) after the 2010–11 academic year. * 2012 - Shorter left the SSAC and the NAIA to join the NCAA Division II ranks and the

Gulf South Conference The Gulf South Conference (GSC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level, which operates in the Southeastern United States. History Originally known as the M ...

(GSC) after the 2011–12 academic year. * 2012 - The College of Coastal Georgia joined the SSAC in the 2012–13 academic year. * 2016 - Lee left the SSAC and the NAIA to join the NCAA Division II ranks and the Gulf South (GSC) after the 2012–13 academic year. * 2013 - Bethel University of Tennessee, Blue Mountain College, and Martin Methodist College (now the University of Tennessee Southern) joined the SSAC in the 2013–14 academic year. * 2014 - Three institutions left the SSAC and the NAIA to join the NCAA Division II ranks and their respective new home primary conferences: Emmanuel (Ga.) and Southern Wesleyan to the

Conference Carolinas Conference Carolinas, formerly known as the Carolinas-Virginia Athletic Conference (CVAC) or the Carolinas Conference, is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) primarily at the Divisi ...

(CC) and Spring Hill to the

Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. Formed in 1913, it consists mostly of historically black c ...

(SIAC). Southern Poly announced that it would drop its athletic program and close once being consolidated by

Kennesaw State University Kennesaw State University (KSU) is a public research university located in the state of Georgia with two different campuses in the Atlanta metropolitan area, one in Kennesaw and the other in Marietta on a combined of land. The school was fou ...

. All changes were effective after the 2013–14 academic year. * 2014 -

Dalton State College Dalton State College (DSC or Dalton State) is a public college in Dalton, Georgia. It is part of the University System of Georgia. Founded in 1963 as a junior college, the college became a four-year institution in 1998. Dalton State is accredite ...

and

Middle Georgia State University Middle Georgia State University is a public university with its main campus in Macon, Georgia. It is part of the University System of Georgia and offers programs to students on five campuses in Middle Georgia and online. Middle Georgia State Uni ...

joined the SSAC in the 2014–15 academic year. * 2015 - Belhaven left the SSAC and the NAIA to join the NCAA Division III ranks and the

American Southwest Conference The American Southwest Conference (ASC) is a college athletic conference, founded in 1996, whose member schools compete in the NCAA's Division III. The schools are located in Texas and Arkansas. The conference competes in baseball, men's and w ...

after the 2014–15 academic year. * 2016 - Auburn–Montgomery left the SSAC and the NAIA to join the NCAA Division II ranks as an NCAA D-II Independent (which would later join the Gulf South (GSC) beginning the 2017-18 academic year) after the 2015–16 academic year. * 2017 - Two institutions left the SSAC to join their respective new home primary conferences: Brenau to join the Appalachian (AAC) and Coastal Georgia to join the

Sun Conference The Sun Conference (TSC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Seven of the ten full member institutions are located in Florida, with three in Georgia. The Sun Conference ...

, both effective after the 2016–17 academic year. * 2018 - Florida College and

Stillman College Stillman College is a private historically black Presbyterian college in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. It awards the Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees in 17 disciplines/majors housed within three academic schools (Arts and Sciences, Busin ...

joined the SSAC in the 2018–19 academic year. * 2020 - Bethel (Tenn.) and Martin Methodist left the SSAC to join the

Mid-South Conference The Mid-South Conference (MSC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Member institutions are located in Kentucky, Ohio, and Tennessee. The league is headquartered in Lo ...

(MSC) after the 2019–20 academic year. * 2021 - Florida College left the SSAC to become an NAIA Independent within the

Continental Athletic Conference NAIA independent schools are four-year institutional members of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) that do not have formal conference affiliations. NAIA schools that are not members of any other athletic conference are ...

after the 2020–21 academic year. * 2021 -

Talladega College Talladega College is a private historically black college in Talladega, Alabama. It is Alabama's oldest private historically black college and offers 17 degree programs. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. His ...

joined the SSAC in the 2021–22 academic year. * 2022 - Life University joined the SSAC in the 2022–23 academic year. * 2022 -

Point University Point University is a private evangelical Christian university in West Point, Georgia. It was founded in 1937 as Atlanta Christian College in East Point. The college announced its name change to Point University in 2011 and relocated its main ...

and Thomas University will join the SSAC (with the

University of Tennessee Southern The University of Tennessee Southern (UT-Southern, formerly Martin Methodist College) is a public college in Pulaski, Tennessee. Founded in 1870, for over 150 years it was a private institution until joining the University of Tennessee system i ...

, formerly Martin Methodist, re-joining) beginning the 2023–24 academic year.

Member schools

Current members

The SSAC currently has 11 full members, all but two are

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

schools: ;Notes:

Future members

The SSAC will have three future full members for the 2023–24 school year: ;Notes:

Former members

The SSAC had 19 former full members, all but five were

schools. School names and nicknames reflect those used in the final school year of SSAC membership: ;Notes:

Membership timeline

DateFormat = yyyy ImageSize = width:900 height:auto barincrement:20 Period = from:1999 till:2025 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal PlotArea = right:5 left:5 bottom:40 top:5 Colors = id:barcolor value:rgb(0.99,0.7,0.7) id:line value:black id:bg value:white id:Full value:rgb(0.7,0.9,0.8) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports id:FullxF value:rgb(0.9,0.8,0.7) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports except for football id:AssocF value:rgb(0.9,0.7,0.8) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member for football only id:AssocOS value:rgb(0.8,0.9,0.7) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member for another sport only id:OtherC1 value:rgb(0.996,0.996,0.699) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved in another conference id:OtherC2 value:rgb(0.988,0.703,0.383) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved in another conference when the other color has already been used PlotData = width:15 textcolor:black shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:s bar:1 color:FullxF from:1999 till:2016 text: Auburn–Montgomery (1999–2016) bar:1 color:OtherC1 from:2016 till:2017 text:D-II Ind. bar:1 shift:(20) color:OtherC2 from:2017 till:end text: Peach Belt bar:2 color:FullxF from:1999 till:2017 text: Brenau (1999–2017) bar:2 color:OtherC1 from:2017 till:end text: Appalachian bar:3 color:FullxF from:1999 till:end text: Brewton–Parker (1999–present) bar:4 color:FullxF from:1999 till:2014 text: Emmanuel (Ga.) (1999–2014) bar:4 color:OtherC1 from:2014 till:end text:

Carolinas The Carolinas are the U.S. states of North Carolina and South Carolina, considered collectively. They are bordered by Virginia to the north, Tennessee to the west, and Georgia to the southwest. The Atlantic Ocean is to the east. Combining Nor ...

bar:5 color:FullxF from:1999 till:end text:

Faulkner William Cuthbert Faulkner (; September 25, 1897 – July 6, 1962) was an American writer known for his novels and short stories set in the fictional Yoknapatawpha County, based on Lafayette County, Mississippi, where Faulkner spent most of ...

(1999–present) bar:6 color:FullxF from:1999 till:2006 text: Georgia Southwestern State (1999–2006) bar:6 color:OtherC1 from:2006 till:end text: Peach Belt bar:7 color:FullxF from:1999 till:2005 text: North Georgia College & State (1999–2005) bar:7 shift:(40) color:OtherC1 from:2005 till:end text: Peach Belt bar:8 color:FullxF from:1999 till:2009 text: Reinhardt (1999–2009) bar:8 color:OtherC1 from:2009 till:end text: Appalachian bar:9 color:FullxF from:1999 till:2012 text: Shorter (1999–2012) bar:9 color:OtherC1 from:2012 till:end text:

Gulf South The Gulf Coast of the United States, also known as the Gulf South, is the coastline along the Southern United States where they meet the Gulf of Mexico. The coastal states that have a shoreline on the Gulf of Mexico are Texas, Louisiana, Mississ ...

bar:10 color:FullxF from:1999 till:2014 text: Southern Polytechnic State (1999–2014) bar:11 color:FullxF from:1999 till:2014 text: Southern Wesleyan (1999–2014) bar:11 color:OtherC1 from:2014 till:end text:

bar:12 color:FullxF from:2004 till:2010 text:

Berry A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit, although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples are strawberries, rasp ...

(2004–2010) bar:12 color:OtherC1 from:2010 till:2012 text: D-III Ind. bar:12 color:OtherC2 from:2012 till:end text: SAA bar:13 color:FullxF from:2004 till:2013 text:

Lee Lee may refer to: Name Given name * Lee (given name), a given name in English Surname * Chinese surnames romanized as Li or Lee: ** Li (surname 李) or Lee (Hanzi ), a common Chinese surname ** Li (surname 利) or Lee (Hanzi ), a Chinese ...

(2004–2013) bar:13 color:OtherC1 from:2012 till:end text:

bar:14 color:FullxF from:2005 till:2011 text: Columbia (S.C.) (2005–2011) bar:14 color:OtherC1 from:2011 till:end text: Appalachian bar:15 color:FullxF from:2010 till:2015 text: Belhaven (2010–2015) bar:15 color:OtherC1 from:2015 till:2022 text:

American Southwest The Southwestern United States, also known as the American Southwest or simply the Southwest, is a geographic and cultural region of the United States that generally includes Arizona, New Mexico, and adjacent portions of California, Colorado ...

bar:15 color:OtherC2 from:2022 till:end text: CCS bar:16 color:FullxF from:2010 till:end text: Loyola (La.) (2010–present) bar:17 color:FullxF from:2010 till:end text: Mobile (2010–present) bar:18 color:FullxF from:2010 till:2014 text: Spring Hill (2010–2014) bar:18 color:OtherC1 from:2014 till:end text: SIAC bar:19 color:FullxF from:2010 till:2013 text: Truett–McConnell (2010–2013) bar:19 shift:(60) color:OtherC1 from:2013 till:end text: Appalachian bar:20 color:FullxF from:2010 till:end text: William Carey (2010–present) bar:21 color:FullxF from:2012 till:2017 text:

Coastal Georgia Southeast Georgia's Lower Coastal Plain is a subregion that encompasses the lowest-lying areas of the Atlantic coastal plain in the state, containing barrier islands, marshes, and swampy lowlands, as well as flat plains and low terraces. It diff ...

(2012–2017) bar:21 color:OtherC1 from:2017 till:end text: The Sun bar:22 color:FullxF from:2013 till:2020 text: Bethel (Tenn.) (2013–2020) bar:22 color:OtherC1 from:2020 till:end text:

Mid-South Mid-South may refer to: * Mid-South (region), a region of the United States including portions of Tennessee, Mississippi, Kentucky, and Missouri * East South Central States, a region of the United States * Memphis metropolitan area, Tennessee, U ...

bar:23 color:FullxF from:2013 till:end text: Blue Mountain (2013–present) bar:24 color:FullxF from:2013 till:2020 text: Martin Methodist/UT Southern (2013–2020) bar:24 color:OtherC1 from:2020 till:2023 text:

bar:24 color:FullxF from:2023 till:end text:(2023–future) bar:25 color:FullxF from:2014 till:end text: Dalton State (2014–present) bar:26 color:FullxF from:2014 till:end text: Middle Georgia State (2014–present) bar:27 color:FullxF from:2018 till:2021 text: Florida College (2018–2021) bar:27 shift:(40) color:OtherC1 from:2021 till:end text: NAIA Ind. bar:28 color:FullxF from:2018 till:end text: Stillman (2018–present) bar:29 color:FullxF from:2021 till:end text: Talladega (2021–present) bar:30 color:FullxF from:2022 till:end text:

Life Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for growth, reaction to stimuli, metabolism, energy ...

(2022–present) bar:31 shift:(-40) color:FullxF from:2023 till:end text:

Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...

(2023–future) bar:32 shift:(-30) color:FullxF from:2023 till:end text: Point (2023–future) bar:N color:powderblue from:1999 till:2004 text:Georgia–Alabama–Carolina Conference (GACC) bar:N shift:(100) color:blue from:2004 till:end text:Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:2 start:2000 TextData = fontsize:M textcolor:black pos:(0,25) tabs:(400-center) text:^"Southern States Athletic Conference Membership History" #> If the chart uses more than one bar color, add a legend by selecting the appropriate fields from the following three options (use only the colors that are used in the graphic.) Leave a blank line after the end of the timeline, then add a line with the selected values from the list, separated by a space. <#

Sports

The SSAC holds championships in the following 19 sports:

References

External links

* {{NAIA conference navbox College sports in Alabama College sports in Georgia (U.S. state) College sports in Louisiana College sports in Mississippi College sports in Tennessee