The Big South Conference is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

's Division I. Originally a non-

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

conference, the Big South began sponsoring football in 2002 as part of the

Football Championship Subdivision The NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), formerly known as Division I-AA, is the second-highest level of college football in the United States, after the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, Football Bowl Subdivision (F ...

(FCS), and began operating the OVC–Big South Football Association in partnership with the

Ohio Valley Conference The Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) is a collegiate athletic conference which operates in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. It participates in Division I of the NCAA; the conference's football programs compete in partnership with ...

in 2023. The Big South, founded in 1983, is firmly rooted in the South Atlantic region of the United States, with full member institutions located in

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

, and

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

. Associate members are located in

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

and South Carolina.

History

Charter members included Armstrong State (later Armstrong Atlantic State University and now merged into Georgia Southern University as its Armstrong Campus) (1983–1987), Augusta (later Augusta State University and now merged into Augusta University) (1983–1990), Campbell University (1983–1994; 2011–2023), Baptist College (now Charleston Southern University) (1983–present), Coastal Carolina University (1983–2016), Radford University (1983–present) and

Winthrop University Winthrop University is a public university in Rock Hill, South Carolina. It was founded in 1886 by David Bancroft Johnson, who served as the superintendent of Columbia, South Carolina schools. He received a grant from Robert Charles Winthrop, a ...

(1983–present). The expansion of membership occurred during the 1980s and 1990s. Some of those members are the

University of North Carolina at Asheville The University of North Carolina at Asheville (UNC Asheville, UNCA, or simply Asheville) is a Public university, public Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts university in Asheville, North Carolina, United States. UNC Asheville ...

(1984–present), Davidson College (1990–1992), Liberty University (1991–2018), the

University of Maryland, Baltimore County The University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) is a Public university, public research university in Catonsville, Maryland named after Baltimore County, Maryland, Baltimore County. It had a fall 2022 enrollment of 13,991 students, 61 un ...

(1992–1998), the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (1992–1997), Towson University (1992–1995),

Elon University Elon University is a private university in Elon, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1889 as Elon College, the university is organized into six schools, most of which offer bachelor's degrees and several of which offer master's degrees or ...

(1999–2003), High Point University (1999–present) and Birmingham–Southern College (2000–2006). The Big South Conference began sponsoring football in 2002, with Charleston Southern, Elon (at the time) and Liberty ( Gardner–Webb University also joined as a football-only member) fielding teams; Coastal Carolina and Virginia Military Institute (VMI) joined the conference as football-only members in 2003. In that same athletic year, VMI also joined the conference for all sports, but left to re-join the

Southern Conference The Southern Conference (SoCon) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I. Southern Conference College football, football teams c ...

in 2014. Presbyterian College joined the conference in 2007, moving up from Division II, and became eligible for regular-season championships and conference honors during the 2008–09 athletic year. Gardner–Webb, which had been a football-only member since 2002, joined the conference for all sports on July 1, 2008. Campbell rejoined the Big South for all sports except football in the 2011–12 athletic year.

Longwood University Longwood University is a public university in Farmville, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1839 as Farmville Female Seminary and colloquially known as Longwood or Longwood College, it is the third-oldest public university in Virginia and one of ...

accepted an invitation to join the Big South on January 23, 2012, and membership formally began July 1 of that year; Longwood had been independent since 2004, during their transition to Division I. In 2014, following the departure of VMI, the conference returned to a single-division structure. On September 1, 2015, Coastal Carolina announced they would leave the conference following the 2015–16 school year to transition to FBS-level football and the Sun Belt Conference. On June 30, 2016, the day before the school joined the Sun Belt, Coastal Carolina won the 2016 College World Series in baseball. This was the first time in conference history that a team won an NCAA championship in any sport. In September 2016, the Big South and the ASUN Conference (ASUN) announced a football partnership that effectively combined the two conferences in that sport. Under its terms, any members of either conference that add or upgrade to scholarship football, provided they fall within the current geographic footprint of the two leagues, automatically join Big South football. At the time of announcement, the only ASUN member that played scholarship football, Kennesaw State, was already a Big South football member. The partnership also provides a guaranteed football home to the leagues' non-scholarship football programs (at that time, Campbell from the Big South, and Jacksonville and Stetson from the ASUN) should they upgrade to scholarship status. In November 2016, Campbell announced that it would begin offering scholarships and move its football program from the Pioneer Football League to the Big South in 2018. In December 2016, the University of North Alabama, ASUN, and the Big South Conference announced that, effective in 2018, the school will leave the Division II Gulf South Conference and will join ASUN in non-football sports and the Big South in football. UNA has won three Division II NCAA national championships in football and has won at least a share of the Gulf South Conference football championship for four consecutive seasons through 2016. Three months later, Liberty announced that it would begin a transition to FBS football in July 2017 and leave the Big South football league in 2018. Liberty and the Big South agreed later in 2017 that the school would continue to house all of its non-football sports (except for field hockey and women's swimming, neither of which is sponsored by the Big South) in that conference for the immediate future. Once Liberty became a full FBS member at the start of the 2019–20 school year, it would have technically become a Big South associate member (barring the school joining an FBS conference). However, Liberty's plans would change several months later, as it instead announced in May 2018 that it would move its non-football sports to the ASUN effective that July (except for the aforementioned field hockey and women's swimming, also not sponsored by the ASUN). In November 2017, the University of South Carolina Upstate and Hampton University announced that they would be leaving the ASUN and Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, respectively, to join the Big South, starting in the fall of 2018. On November 19, 2017, Presbyterian College announced it would be moving its football program to the non-scholarship Pioneer Football League. Presbyterian's last Big South football season was in 2019; the Blue Hose planned to play the 2020 season as an independent before joining the Pioneer League for 2021 and beyond. The Blue Hose remain a member of the Big South in all other sports. A more recent change to its core membership was the July 2021 arrival of North Carolina A&T State University from the MEAC as a full member, including football. At the same time, Robert Morris University was planned to join as a football-only member. North Carolina A&T joined on the originally planned schedule, but Robert Morris became a Big South football member in November 2020.

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

led the conference to move its 2020 football season to spring 2021. Since two of the eight Big South football members (apart from RMU) chose to play in the originally scheduled fall 2020 season and a third chose not to play football at all in 2020–21, the Big South chose to bring the Colonials into the football league for spring 2021. More recently, the Big South added three new single-sport members in women's lacrosse effective with the 2022 season (2021–22 school year): Furman University, Mercer University, and Wofford College. All three are full members of the

(SoCon), which disbanded its women's lacrosse league after the 2021 season. On January 25, 2022, the Colonial Athletic Association (now the Coastal Athletic Association) announced that Hampton University would join that conference, as well as CAA Football, its technically separate football league, on July 1, 2022. On February 22, that conference announced that North Carolina A&T State University would be leaving the Big South, joining the all-sports CAA on July 1. North Carolina A&T would play Big South football in 2022 and join CAA Football on July 1, 2023. Also on February 22, the conference announced its intent to combine its football membership with the

beginning in 2023 and operate as the OVC–Big South Football Association. The following month saw Bryant University announced as a new football-only member effective with the 2022 season. Campbell announced on August 3 that it would join both sides of the CAA in 2023 as well. This was followed by Bryant announcing that it would join CAA Football in 2024. On November 28, it was announced that Robert Morris would also leave the association and return football to its previous home, the Northeast Conference effective after the 2023 football season.

Member schools

Current full members

;Notes:

Current associate members

;Notes:

Former full members

{, class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;" !Institution !Location !Founded !Joined !Left !Type !Nickname !class="unsortable", Colors !Current
conference , - , Armstrong State University ,

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Brita ...

, 1935 , rowspan="2", 1983 , 1987 , rowspan="2", Public , Pirates , , ''none'' , - , Augusta University ,

Augusta, Georgia Augusta is a city on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The city lies directly across the Savannah River from North Augusta, South Carolina at the head of its navigable portion. Augusta, the third mos ...

, 1785 , 1990 , Jaguars , , Peach Belt , - , Birmingham–Southern College ,

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Jefferson County, Alabama, Jefferson County. The population was 200,733 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List ...

, 1856 , 2000 , 2007 , Private
, Panthers , , Closed in 2024 , - , Campbell University , Buies Creek, North Carolina , 1887 , 1983;
2011 , 1994;
2023 , Private
, Fighting Camels , , CAA , - , Coastal Carolina University , Conway, South Carolina , 1954 , 1983 , 2016 , Public , Chanticleers , , Sun Belt , - , Davidson College , Davidson, North Carolina , 1837 , 1990 , 1992 , Private
, Wildcats , , Atlantic 10 , - ,

, Elon, North Carolina , 1889 , 1999 , 2003 , Private
, Phoenix , , CAA , - , Hampton University , Hampton, Virginia , 1868 , 2018 , 2022 , Private
, Pirates , , CAA , - , Liberty University ,

Lynchburg, Virginia Lynchburg is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. First settled in 1757 by ferry owner and Abolitionism, abolitionist John Lynch (1740–1820), J ...

, 1971 , 1991 , 2018 , Private
, Flames and Lady Flames , , CUSA , - , ,

Catonsville, Maryland Catonsville () is a census-designated place (CDP) in Baltimore County, Maryland, Baltimore County, Maryland. The population was 44,701 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 US Census. The community is a streetcar suburb of Baltimore along the cit ...

, 1966 , 1992 , 1998 , Public , Retrievers , , America East , - , North Carolina A&T State University ,

Greensboro, North Carolina Greensboro (; ) is a city in Guilford County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 299,035; it was estimated to be 307,381 in 2024. It is the List of municipalitie ...

, 1891 , 2021 , 2022 , Public
, Aggies , , CAA , - , ,

, 1891 , 1992 , 1997 , Public , Spartans , , SoCon , - , Towson University , Towson, Maryland , 1866 , 1992 , 1995 , Public , Tigers , , CAA , - , Virginia Military Institute ,

Lexington, Virginia Lexington is an Independent city (United States)#Virginia, independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 7,320. It is the county seat of Rockbridge County, Virg ...

, 1839 , 2003 , 2014 , Senior Military College , Keydets , , SoCon ;Notes:

Former associate members

{, class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;" !Institution !Location !Founded !Joined !Left !Type !Nickname !class="unsortable", Colors !Big South
sport !Primary
conference !Conference
in former
Big South sport , - , Bryant University , Smithfield, Rhode Island , 1863 , 2022 , 2024 , Private
, Bulldogs , , Football , America East , CAA Football , - , Robert Morris University ,

Moon Township, Pennsylvania Moon Township is a township in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 27,261 at the 2020 census. Located northwest of Pittsburgh, the township is part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area and ...

, 1921 , 2020 , 2024 , Private
, Colonials , , Football ,

Horizon The horizon is the apparent curve that separates the surface of a celestial body from its sky when viewed from the perspective of an observer on or near the surface of the relevant body. This curve divides all viewing directions based on whethe ...

, Northeast , - , North Carolina A&T State University ,

, 1891 , 2022 , 2023 , Public
, Aggies , , Football , CAA , CAA Football , - , Kennesaw State University , Kennesaw, Georgia , 1963 , 2015 , 2022 , Public , Owls , , Football , colspan=2 , CUSA , - , Monmouth University , West Long Branch, New Jersey , 1933 , 2014 , 2022 , Private , Hawks , , Football , CAA , CAA Football , - , University of North Alabama , Florence, Alabama , 1830 , 2019 , 2022 , Public , Lions , , Football , ASUN , UAC , - , Davidson College , Davidson, North Carolina , 1837 , 2012 , 2014 , Private
, Wildcats , , Lacrosse (w) , colspan=2, Atlantic 10 , - , Stony Brook University ,

Stony Brook, New York Stony Brook is a political subdivisions of New York#Hamlet, hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Administrative divisions of New York#Town, Town of Brookhaven, New York, Brookhaven in Suffolk County, New York, United States, on the No ...

, 1957 , 2008 , 2013 , rowspan="2", Public , Seawolves , , Football , CAA , CAA Football , - , ,

Wilmington, North Carolina Wilmington is a port city in New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. With a population of 115,451 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, eighth-most populous city in the st ...

, 1947 , 2000 , 2004 , Seahawks , , Golf (w) , colspan=2 , CAA ;Notes:

Membership timeline

DateFormat = yyyy ImageSize = width:1000 height:auto barincrement:20 Period = from:1983 till:2028 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal PlotArea = right:20 left:0 bottom:50 top:5 #> to display a count on left side of graph, use "left:20" to suppress the count, use "left:20"<# Colors = id:barcolor value:rgb(0.99,0.7,0.7) id:line value:black id:bg value:white id:Full value:rgb(0.742,0.727,0.852) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports id:FullxF value:rgb(0.551,0.824,0.777) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports except for football id:AssocF value:rgb(0.98,0.5,0.445) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member for football only id:AssocOS value:rgb(0.5,0.691,0.824) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in some sports, but not all (consider identifying in legend or a footnote) id:OtherC1 value:rgb(0.996,0.996,0.699) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved to another conference id:OtherC2 value:rgb(0.988,0.703,0.383) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved to another conference where OtherC1 has already been used, to distinguish the two PlotData = width:15 textcolor:black shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:s bar:1 color:FullxF from:1983 till:1987 text: Armstrong Atlantic State (1983–1987) bar:1 color:OtherC1 from:1987 till:1990 bar:1 shift:(40) color:OtherC2 from:1990 till:2017 text: Peach Belt (PBC), then dropped athletics bar:2 color:FullxF from:1983 till:1990 text: Augusta State (1983–1990) bar:2 color:OtherC1 from:1990 till:end text: Peach Belt (PBC) bar:3 color:FullxF from:1983 till:1990 text:

Baptist Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...

(1983–present) bar:3 color:FullxF from:1990 till:2002 text: Charleston Southern bar:3 color:Full from:2002 till:end bar:4 color:FullxF from:1983 till:1994 text: Campbell (1983–1994) bar:4 color:OtherC1 from:1994 till:2011 text: Atlantic Sun (ASUN) bar:4 color:FullxF from:2011 till:2018 text:(2011–2018) bar:4 color:Full from:2018 till:2023 text:(2018–2023) bar:4 color:OtherC1 from:2023 till:end text: CAA bar:5 color:FullxF from:1983 till:2003 text: Coastal Carolina (1983–2016) bar:5 color:Full from:2003 till:2016 bar:5 color:OtherC1 from:2016 till:end text: Sun Belt bar:6 color:FullxF from:1983 till:end text: Radford (1983–present) bar:7 color:FullxF from:1983 till:end text: Winthrop (1983–present) bar:8 color:OtherC1 from:1983 till:1984 text:Ind. bar:8 color:FullxF from:1984 till:end text: UNC Asheville (1984–present) bar:9 color:OtherC1 from:1983 till:1988 text: SoCon bar:9 shift:(-10) color:OtherC2 from:1988 till:1990 text: Independent bar:9 color:FullxF from:1990 till:1992 text: Davidson (1990–1992) bar:9 shift:(70) color:OtherC1 from:1992 till:2014 text: SoCon bar:9 shift:(-60) color:AssocOS from:2012 till:2014 text: (lacrosse, 2012–14) bar:9 color:OtherC1 from:2014 till:end text: A-10 bar:10 color:OtherC1 from:1983 till:1991 text:Independent bar:10 color:FullxF from:1991 till:2002 text:

Liberty Liberty is the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views. The concept of liberty can vary depending on perspective and context. In the Constitutional ...

(1991–2018) bar:10 color:Full from:2002 till:2018 bar:10 color:OtherC1 from:2018 till:2023 text: ASUN bar:10 color:OtherC2 from:2023 till:end text: C-USA bar:11 color:OtherC1 from:1983 till:1992 text: ECC bar:11 color:FullxF from:1992 till:1995 text: Towson State (1992–1995) bar:11 shift:(70) color:OtherC1 from:1995 till:2001 text: NAC/AEC bar:11 color:OtherC2 from:2001 till:end text: CAA bar:12 color:OtherC1 from:1983 till:1988 text: DIAC bar:12 color:OtherC2 from:1988 till:1992 text:Independent bar:12 color:FullxF from:1992 till:1997 text: UNC Greensboro (1992–1997) bar:12 shift:(40) color:OtherC1 from:1997 till:end text: SoCon bar:13 color:OtherC1 from:1983 till:1990 text:Independent bar:13 color:OtherC2 from:1990 till:1992 text: ECC bar:13 color:FullxF from:1992 till:1998 text: UMBC (1992–1998) bar:13 color:OtherC1 from:1998 till:2003 text: NEC bar:13 color:OtherC2 from:2003 till:end text: America East bar:14 color:OtherC1 from:1983 till:1989 text: CIAC bar:14 color:OtherC2 from:1989 till:1997 text: SAC bar:14 color:OtherC1 from:1997 till:1999 text: Indep. bar:14 color:FullxF from:1999 till:2002 text: Elon (1999–2003) bar:14 color:Full from:2002 till:2003 bar:14 color:OtherC1 from:2003 till:2014 text: SoCon bar:14 color:OtherC2 from:2014 till:end text: CAA bar:15 color:OtherC1 from:1983 till:1995 text: CIAC bar:15 color:OtherC1 from:1995 till:1997 text: CVAC bar:15 color:OtherC2 from:1997 till:1999 text: Indep. bar:15 color:FullxF from:1999 till:end text: High Point (1999–present) bar:16 color:OtherC1 from:1983 till:1996 text: SSC (NAIA) bar:16 color:OtherC2 from:1996 till:2001 text: TSAC (NAIA) bar:16 color:FullxF from:2001 till:2006 text: Birmingham–Southern (2001–2006) bar:16 shift:(70) color:OtherC1 from:2006 till:2012 text: SCAC bar:16 color:OtherC2 from:2012 till:2024 text: SAA, then closed bar:17 color:OtherC1 from:1983 till:1989 text: Independent bar:17 color:OtherC2 from:1989 till:2000 text: SAC bar:17 color:OtherC1 from:2000 till:2002 text: Indep. bar:17 color:AssocF from:2002 till:2008 text: Gardner–Webb (football, 2002–2008; all sports, 2008–present) bar:17 color:Full from:2008 till:end bar:18 color:OtherC1 from:1983 till:2003 text: SoCon bar:18 color:Full from:2003 till:2014 text: VMI (2003–2014) bar:18 color:OtherC1 from:2014 till:end text: SoCon bar:19 color:OtherC1 from:1983 till:1989 text: Independent bar:19 color:OtherC2 from:1989 till:2007 text: SAC bar:19 color:FullxF from:2007 till:2009 text:

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

(2007–present) bar:19 color:Full from:2009 till:2020 bar:19 color:FullxF from:2020 till:end bar:20 color:AssocF from:2008 till:2013 text: Stony Brook (football, 2008–2013) bar:21 color:OtherC1 from:1983 till:1995 text:Independent bar:21 color:OtherC2 from:1995 till:2003 text: CVAC bar:21 color:OtherC1 from:2003 till:2012 text:Independent bar:21 color:FullxF from:2012 till:end text: Longwood (2012–present) bar:23 color:AssocF from:2014 till:2022 text: Monmouth (football, 2014–2022) bar:24 color:AssocF from:2015 till:2022 text: Kennesaw State (football, 2015–2022) bar:25 color:OtherC1 from:1983 till:1990 text: NAIA Independent bar:25 color:OtherC2 from:1990 till:2000 text: PBAC bar:25 color:OtherC2 from:2000 till:2007 text: PBC bar:25 color:OtherC1 from:2007 till:2018 text: ASUN bar:25 color:FullxF from:2018 till:end text: USC Upstate (2018–present) bar:26 color:OtherC1 from:1983 till:1995 text: CIAA bar:26 color:OtherC2 from:1995 till:2018 text: MEAC bar:26 color:FullxF from:2018 till:2019 text: Hampton (2018–2022) bar:26 color:Full from:2019 till:2022 bar:26 shift:(30) color:OtherC1 from:2022 till:end text: CAA bar:27 color:AssocF from:2019 till:2022 text: North Alabama (football, 2019–2022) bar:28 color:AssocF from:2020 till:2024 text: Robert Morris (football, 2020–2024) bar:29 color:OtherC1 from:1983 till:2021 text: MEAC bar:29 shift:(-20) color:Full from:2021 till:2022 text: North Carolina A&T (2021–2022) bar:29 color:AssocF from:2022 till:2023 :text: bar:29 shift:(90) color:OtherC1 from:2023 till:end :text: CAA bar:30 color:AssocF from:2022 till:2024 :text: Bryant (football, 2022-2024) ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:2 start:1983 TextData = fontsize:L textcolor:black pos:(0,30) tabs:(400-center) text:^"Big South membership history" #> If the chart uses more than one bar color, add a legend by selecting the appropriate fields from the following six 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. <# * Augusta State was merged into Georgia Regents University in January 2013; the merged school renamed itself Augusta University in 2015.

Sports

{, class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" , + Teams in Big South competition !Sport, , Men's, , Women's , - , align="left",

Baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

, , 9 , , – , - , align="left",

Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

, , 9 , , 9 , - , align="left", Cross Country , , 9, , 9 , - , align="left",

Football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

, , 2 , , – , - , align="left",

Golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standa ...

, , 8 , , 9 , - , align="left",

Lacrosse Lacrosse is a contact team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game w ...

, , – , , 9 , - , align="left",

Soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

, , 8 , , 9 , - , align="left",

Softball Softball is a Variations of baseball, variation of baseball, the difference being that it is played with a larger ball, on a smaller field, and with only underhand pitches (where the ball is released while the hand is primarily below the ball) ...

, , – , , 7 , - , align="left",

Tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...

, , 6 , , 7 , - , align="left", Track and Field (Indoor) , , 6 , , 7 , - , align="left", Track and Field (Outdoor) , , 7 , , 8 , - , align="left",

Volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

, , – , , 8

Men's sponsored sports by school

{, class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; width:80%; text-align:center;" , - ! School!! Baseball !! Basketball !! Cross Country !! Football !! Golf !! Soccer !! Tennis !! Track & Field
(Indoor) !! Track & Field
(Outdoor) !! Total Big South Sports , - , Charleston Southern , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 7 , - , Gardner–Webb , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 9 , - , High Point , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 7 , - , Longwood , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 7 , - , Presbyterian , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 6 , - , Radford , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 6 , - , UNC Asheville , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 7 , - , USC Upstate , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 8 , - , Winthrop , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 7 , - , Totals , , 9 , , 9 , , 9 , , 2 , , 8 , , 8 , , 6 , , 6 , , 7 , , 64 ;Notes Men's varsity sports not sponsored by the Big South Conference which are played by Big South schools: {, class="wikitable" , - ! School !! Lacrosse !! Swimming !! Wrestling , - , Gardner–Webb , , No , , ASUN , , SoCon , - , High Point , , A-10 , , No , , No , - , Presbyterian , , No , , No , , SoCon ;Notes In addition to the above, Campbell counts both its male and female cheerleaders as varsity athletes.

Women's sponsored sports by school

{, class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; width:80%;" , - ! School !! Basketball !! Cross Country !! Golf !! Lacrosse !! Soccer !! Softball !! Tennis !! Track & Field
(Indoor) !! Track & Field
(Outdoor) !! Volleyball !! Total Big South Sports , - , Charleston Southern , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 9 , - , Gardner–Webb , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 10 , - , High Point , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 8 , - , Longwood , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 8 , - , Presbyterian , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 8 , - , Radford , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 10 , - , UNC Asheville , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 8 , - , USC Upstate , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 9 , - , Winthrop , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 9 , - , Totals , , 9 , , 9 , , 9 , , 6+3 , , 9 , , 7 , , 7 , , 7 , , 8 , , 8 , , 79+3 , - ! colspan=12 , Affiliate members , - , Furman , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 1 , - , Mercer , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 1 , - , Wofford , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 1 ;Notes Women's varsity sports not sponsored by the Big South Conference which are played by Big South schools: {, class="wikitable" , - ! School !! Acrobatics &
Tumbling !! Field Hockey !! Rowing !! Swimming !! Wrestling , - , Gardner–Webb , , No , , No , , No , , ASUN , , No , - , High Point , , No , , No , , Independent , , No , , No , - , Longwood , , No , , MAC , , No , , No , , No , - , Presbyterian , , Independent , , No , , No , , No , , Independent , - , UNC Asheville , , No , , No , , No , , ASUN , , No ;Notes In addition to the above, Campbell, Gardner–Webb, and Presbyterian consider their female cheerleaders to be varsity athletes, with Campbell also considering its male cheerleaders as such.

Football – players drafted by the NFL

Football players from the Big South have been drafted to play professionally in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

. {, class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" !Name !Position !School !Draft year !Draft pick !NFL team , - ,

Tyler Thigpen Tyler Beckham Thigpen (born April 14, 1984) is an American former professional American football, football quarterback. Thigpen was selected out of Coastal Carolina University by the Minnesota Vikings in the seventh round of the 2007 NFL draft. ...

, , QB , , Coastal Carolina , , 2007 , , Round 7, Pick 217 , ,

Vikings Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...

, - , Jerome Simpson , , WR , , Coastal Carolina , , 2008 , , Round 2, Pick 46 , , Bengals , - , Brian Johnston , , DE , , Gardner–Webb , , 2008 , , Round 7, Pick 210 , , Chiefs , - , Rashad Jennings , , RB , ,

, , 2009 , , Round 7, Pick 250 , , Jaguars , - , Josh Norman , , CB , , Coastal Carolina , , 2012 , , Round 5, Pick 143 , , Panthers , - ,

Justin Bethel Justin Andrew Bethel (born June 17, 1990) is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback and special teamer in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Presbyterian Blue Hose and was sel ...

, , S , , Presbyterian , , 2012 , , Round 6, Pick 177 , , Cardinals , - , Walt Aikens , , CB , , Liberty , , 2014 , , Round 4, Pick 125 , , Dolphins , - ! colspan=6 , NFL Draftees from the Big South Conference

Conference champions

Men's basketball

{, class="wikitable" !Season !Regular season champion !Tournament champion !Tournament final location , - , 1986 , Charleston Southern (5–1) , Charleston Southern , Savannah Civic Center, Savannah, GA , - ,

1987 Events January * January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency. * January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade. * January 3 – Afghan leader ...

, Charleston Southern (12–2) , Charleston Southern , Savannah Civic Center , - , 1988 , Coastal Carolina (9–3) , Winthrop , Winthrop Coliseum, Rock Hill, SC , - , 1989 , Coastal Carolina (9–3) , UNC Asheville , Winthrop Coliseum , - , 1990 , Coastal Carolina (11–1) , Coastal Carolina , Winthrop Coliseum , - , 1991 , Coastal Carolina (13–1) , Coastal Carolina , Civic Center of Anderson, Anderson, SC , - ,

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

, Radford (12–2) , Campbell , Civic Center of Anderson , - , 1993 , Towson State (14–2) , Coastal Carolina , North Charleston Coliseum, North Charleston, SC , - ,

1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...

, Towson State (15–3) , Liberty , North Charleston Coliseum , - , 1995 , UNC Greensboro (14–2) , Charleston Southern , Vines Center, Lynchburg, VA , - , 1996 , UNC Greensboro (11–3) , UNC Greensboro , Vines Center , - , 1997 , UNC Asheville (11–3) , Charleston Southern , Vines Center , - , 1998 , UNC Asheville (11–1) , Radford , Vines Center , - ,

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

, Winthrop (9–1) , Winthrop , Asheville Civic Center, Asheville, NC , - ,

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

, Radford (12–2) , Winthrop , Asheville Civic Center , - , 2001 , Radford (12–2) , Winthrop , Roanoke Civic Center, Roanoke, VA , - , 2002 , Winthrop, UNC Asheville (10–4) , Winthrop , Roanoke Civic Center , - , 2003 , Winthrop (11–3) , UNC Asheville , Vines Center (semis & finals only) , - ,

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

, Liberty (12–4) , Liberty , Vines Center (finals only) , - ,

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

, Winthrop (15–1) , Winthrop , Winthrop Coliseum (finals only) , - , 2006 , Winthrop (13–3) , Winthrop , Winthrop Coliseum (semis & finals only) , - , 2007 , Winthrop (14–0) , Winthrop , Winthrop Coliseum (semis & finals only) , - , 2008 , UNC Asheville, Winthrop (10–4) , Winthrop , Justice Center, Asheville, NC (semis & finals only) , - ,

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

, Radford (15–3) , Radford , Dedmon Center, Radford, VA (finals only) , - ,

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

, Coastal Carolina (15–3) , Winthrop , Kimbel Arena, Conway, SC (semis & finals only) , - ,

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

, Coastal Carolina (16–2) , UNC Asheville , Kimbel Arena (semis & finals only) , - ,

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

, UNC Asheville (16–2) , UNC Asheville , Kimmel Arena, Asheville, NC (quarters, semis & final) , - ,

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

, Charleston Southern, High Point (12–4) ,

, HTC Center, Conway, SC , - ,

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

, High Point (12–4) , Coastal Carolina , HTC Center, Conway, SC , - , 2015 , Charleston Southern, High Point (13–5) , Coastal Carolina , HTC Center, Conway, SC , - , 2016 , High Point, Winthrop (13–5) , UNC Asheville , Gore Arena, Buies Creek, NC , - , 2017 , Winthrop, UNC Asheville (15–3) , Winthrop , Winthrop Coliseum, Rock Hill, SC (quarters, semis, & finals) , - , 2018 , UNC Asheville (13–5) , Radford , Dedmon Center, Radford, VA , - , 2019 , Campbell, Radford (12–4) , Gardner–Webb , Dedmon Center, Radford, VA , - ,

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

, Radford, Winthrop (15–3) , Winthrop , Winthrop Coliseum, Rock Hill, SC , - , 2021 , Winthrop (17–1) , Winthrop , Winthrop Coliseum, Rock Hill, SC , - , 2022 , Longwood (15–1) , Longwood , Bojangles Coliseum, Charlotte, NC , - , 2023 , UNC Asheville (16–2) , UNC Asheville , Bojangles Coliseum, Charlotte, NC , - , 2024 , High Point (13-3) , Longwood , Qubein Center, High Point, NC , - ,

2025 So far, the year has seen the continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudanese civil war, and the Gaza war. Internal crises in Bangladesh post-resignation v ...

, High Point (14-2) , High Point , Freedom Hall Civic Center, Johnson City, TN

Basketball Tournament Championships by school

{, class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;width:700px;" ! School ! # of Tournament Championships ! Last Tournament Championship , - , Winthrop , 13 , 2021 , - , UNC Asheville , 6 , 2023 , - , Coastal Carolina , 5 , 2015 , - , Charleston Southern , 4 , 1997 , - ,

, 3 , 2013 , - , Radford , 3 , 2018 , - , Longwood , 2 , 2024 , - , Campbell , 1 , 1992 , - , Gardner–Webb , 1 , 2019 , - , High Point , 1 , 2025 , - , UNC Greensboro , 1 , 1996 , -

Football

{, class="wikitable" , - !Season !Champion !Record , - , 2002 , Gardner–Webb , 3–0 , - , 2003 , Gardner–Webb , 4–0 , - , 2004 , Coastal Carolina , 4–0 (10–1) , - , rowspan=2, 2005 , Charleston Southern , 3–1 (7–4) , - , Coastal Carolina , 3–1 (9–2) , - , 2006 , Coastal Carolina , 4–0 (9–3) , - , 2007 , Liberty , 4–0 (8–3) , - , 2008 , Liberty , 5–0 (10–2) , - , rowspan=2, 2009 , Stony Brook , 5–1 (6–5) , - , Liberty , 5–1 (8–3) , - , rowspan=3, 2010 , Coastal Carolina , 5–1 (6–5) , - , Stony Brook , 5–1 (6–5) , - , Liberty , 5–1 (8–3) , - , 2011 , Stony Brook , 6–0 (8–3) , - , rowspan=3, 2012 , Coastal Carolina , 5–1 (7–4) , - , Stony Brook , 5–1 (9–2) , - , Liberty , 5–1 (6–5) , - , rowspan=2, 2013 , Coastal Carolina , 4–1 (10–2) , - , Liberty , 4–1 (8–4) , - , rowspan=2, 2014 , Liberty , 4–1 (8–4) , - , Coastal Carolina , 4–1 (11–1) , - , 2015 , Charleston Southern , 6–0 (9–2) , - , rowspan=2, 2016 , Charleston Southern , 4–1 (7–4) , - , Liberty , 4–1 (6–5) , - , 2017 , Kennesaw State , 5–0 (12–2) , - , 2018 , Kennesaw State , 5–0 (11–2) , - , 2019 , Monmouth , 6–0 (11–3) , - , 2020 , Monmouth , 3–0 (3–1) , - , 2021 , Kennesaw State , 7–0 (11–2) , - , 2022 , Gardner–Webb , 5–0 (7–6) , - , 2023 , Gardner–Webb , 5–1 (7–4) , -

Women's basketball

{, class="wikitable" , - ! Season ! Regular Season Champion ! Tournament Champion ! Tournament Runner-up , - , 1986–87 , Radford , Radford , Campbell , - , 1987–88 , Radford & Campbell , Radford , Campbell , - , 1988–89 , Radford , Campbell , Radford , - , 1989–90 , Radford , Radford , Campbell , - , 1990–91 , Campbell , Radford , Campbell , - , 1991–92 , Radford , Radford , Campbell , - , 1992–93 , UNC Greensboro , Radford , UNC Greensboro , - , 1993–94 , UNC Greensboro , Radford , UNC Greensboro , - , 1994–95 , UNC Greensboro , Radford , UNC Greensboro , - , 1995–96 , UNC Greensboro , Radford , Winthrop , - , 1996–97 , UNC Greensboro , Liberty , UNC Greensboro , - , 1997–98 , Liberty , Liberty , UNC Asheville , - , 1998–99 , Liberty , Liberty , Coastal Carolina , - , 1999-00 , Liberty , Liberty , Coastal Carolina , - , 2000–01 , Liberty , Liberty , Elon , - , 2001–02 , Liberty , Liberty , Coastal Carolina , - , 2002–03 , Liberty , Liberty , High Point , - , 2003–04 , Liberty , Liberty , Birmingham-Southern , - , 2004–05 , Liberty , Liberty , UNC Asheville , - , 2005–06 , Liberty , Liberty , High Point , - , 2006–07 , High Point , UNC Asheville , Radford , - , 2007–08 , Liberty , Liberty , Radford , - , 2008–09 , Liberty , Liberty , Gardner-Webb , - , 2009–10 , Gardner-Webb , Liberty , Gardner-Webb , - , 2010–11 , Liberty , Gardner-Webb , Liberty , - , 2011–12 , Liberty , Liberty , High Point , - , 2012–13 , Liberty , Liberty , Longwood , - , 2013–14 , High Point , Winthrop , High Point , - , 2014–15 , Liberty , Liberty , High Point , - , 2015–16 , UNC Asheville , UNC Asheville , Liberty , - , 2016–17 , Radford , UNC Asheville , Radford , - , 2017–18 ,

, Liberty , UNC Asheville , - , 2018–19 , Radford , Radford , Campbell , - , 2020–21 , High Point , High Point , Campbell , - , 2021–22 , Campbell , Longwood , Campbell , - , 2022–23 , Gardner-Webb , Gardner-Webb , High Point , - , 2023–24 , High Point ,

, Radford , - , 2024–25 , High Point , High Point , Longwood

Men's Soccer

Broadcasters (Big South Network)

In addition to basketball games being broadcast on regional and national television, member schools of the Big South Conference are required to provide a live stream of all home games for all sports when playing teams both within and outside the conference. These streams are run by the university hosting the event. All streams are featured on the conference website and are available for free. The football games broadcast on the web are branded as part of a Big South Network.

National champions

{, class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" !School !Sport !Coach !Year !Opponent !Opponent's Conference , - , Coastal Carolina , , Baseball , , , , 2016 , ,

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

, , Pac-12

Facilities

{, class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: center;" , - , - , style="text-align:center; ", , Buccaneer Field , 4,000 , CSU Field House
North Charleston Coliseum , 790
11,475 , Buccaneer Ballpark , 1,500 , Buccaneer Field , 4,000 , - , style="text-align:center; ", , Ernest W. Spangler Stadium , 7,800 , Paul Porter Arena , 3,500 , John Henry Moss Stadium , 700 , Greene–Harbison Stadium , , - , style="text-align:center; ", , colspan=2 align=center , ''Non-football school'' , Qubein Center , 4,200 , George S. Erath Field at Coy O. Williard Baseball Stadium , 700 , Vert Track and Soccer Stadium , 1,100 , - , style="text-align:center; ", , colspan=2 align=center , ''Non-football school'' , Joan Perry Brock Center , 3,000 , Bolding Stadium , 500 , Longwood University Athletics Complex , , - , style="text-align:center; ", , colspan=2 align=center , ''Plays in the Pioneer Football League'' , Templeton Physical Education Center , 2,300 , Presbyterian College Baseball Complex , , Martin Stadium at Edens Field , 400 , - , style="text-align:center; ", , colspan=2 align=center , ''Non-football school'' , Dedmon Center , 3,205 , Carter Memorial Stadium , 700 , Patrick D. Cupp Stadium , 5,000 , - , style="text-align:center; ", , colspan=2 align=center , ''Non-football school'' , Kimmel Arena , 3,200 , Greenwood Baseball Field,
McCormick Field , 300,
4,000 , Greenwood Field , 1,000 , - , style="text-align:center; ", , colspan=2 align=center , ''Non-football school'' , G. B. Hodge Center , 878 , Cleveland S. Harley Baseball Park , 500 , County University Soccer Stadium , 3,000 , - , style="text-align:center; ", , colspan=2 align=center , ''Non-football school'' , Winthrop Coliseum , 6,100 , Winthrop Ballpark , 1,989 , Eagle Field , 1,500 ;Notes

References

External links

* {{NCAA Division I FCS conference navbox Organizations based in Charlotte, North Carolina Sports in the Eastern United States Sports in the Southern United States Sports organizations established in 1983 Articles which contain graphical timelines 1983 establishments in the United States