Does anyone remember the post that listed the years when schools made the leap to the highest level of Divison I football?

I can't find the thread it was in, but it was interesting to me ... If anyone can help me out, I'd appreciate it ...

TIA.

(07-18-2015 11:24 AM)Pervis_Griffith Wrote:  Does anyone remember the post that listed the years when schools made the leap to the highest level of Divison I football?

I can't find the thread it was in, but it was interesting to me ... If anyone can help me out, I'd appreciate it ...

TIA.

post WWII (UAB was 1996)
1948 Cincinnati
1949 Houston
1950 San Jose State
1955 Florida State
1957 Air Force
1959 New Mexico State
1960 Memphis
1961 Ohio
1961 Miami U.
1961 Bowling Green
1962 Louisville
1962 Toledo
1962 Kent
1962 Western Michigan
1963 Southern Mississippi
1966 East Carolina
1969 Northern Illinois
1969 San Diego State
1971 Temple
1973 Fresno State
1974 Hawaii
1974 Louisiana-Lafayette
1975 Ball State
1975 Central Michigan
1976 Eastern Michigan
1978 UNLV
1987 Akron
1989 Louisiana Tech
1992 Nevada
1992 Arkansas State
1994 Louisiana-Monroe
1995 North Texas
1996 Central Florida
1996 Boise State
1997 Idaho
1998 Marshall
1999 Buffalo
1999 Middle Tennessee
2001 South Florida
2002 Connecticut
2002 Troy State
2006 Florida Atlantic
2006 Florida International
2009 Western Kentucky
2012 Massachusetts
2012 South Alabama
2012 Texas State
2012 Texas-San Antonio
2013 Georgia State
2014 Old Dominion
2014 Georgia Southern
2014 Appalachian State
2015 Charlotte

Thanks bullet ... appreciate that ...

Over half of the fifteen who moved up after 2000 were start up programs.
Most of them had a ready made stadium and a big market.

Were there separate divisions back in the 50s?

(07-18-2015 07:57 PM)Marge Schott Wrote:  Were there separate divisions back in the 50s?

roughly 1978 they split division I between I-A (FBS) and I-AA (FCS)
roughly 1969 they switched to Division I, II, III (edit-see Arkstfan's post-it was 1973)
Before that there was "College" and "University." And a lot more schools were NAIA at that time. Looking at the NAIA basketball champs from 1946-1963, there were only 4 that aren't currently Division I NCAA now, including Louisville, Texas St., SIU, Marshall, McNeese, TN St., Missouri St., Prairie View, Grambling, Indiana St. and UT-RGV (Pan-Am).

Marshall moved up in 1997, not 1998. 1996 was the last year playing at I-AA (15-0, national championship), next year in 1997 went 10-3, won the MAC, lost in the bowl to Ole Miss. Not a big deal, but there may be other inaccuracies in that list.

(07-18-2015 12:39 PM)bullet Wrote:  

(07-18-2015 11:24 AM)Pervis_Griffith Wrote:  Does anyone remember the post that listed the years when schools made the leap to the highest level of Divison I football?

I can't find the thread it was in, but it was interesting to me ... If anyone can help me out, I'd appreciate it ...

TIA.

post WWII (UAB was 1996)
1948 Cincinnati
1949 Houston
1950 San Jose State
1955 Florida State
1957 Air Force
1959 New Mexico State
1960 Memphis
1961 Ohio
1961 Miami U.
1961 Bowling Green
1962 Louisville
1962 Toledo
1962 Kent
1962 Western Michigan
1963 Southern Mississippi
1966 East Carolina
1969 Northern Illinois
1969 San Diego State
1971 Temple
1973 Fresno State
1974 Hawaii
1974 Louisiana-Lafayette
1975 Ball State
1975 Central Michigan
1976 Eastern Michigan
1978 UNLV
1987 Akron
1989 Louisiana Tech
1992 Nevada
1992 Arkansas State
1994 Louisiana-Monroe
1995 North Texas
1996 Central Florida
1996 Boise State
1997 Idaho
1998 Marshall
1999 Buffalo
1999 Middle Tennessee
2001 South Florida
2002 Connecticut
2002 Troy State
2006 Florida Atlantic
2006 Florida International
2009 Western Kentucky
2012 Massachusetts
2012 South Alabama
2012 Texas State
2012 Texas-San Antonio
2013 Georgia State
2014 Old Dominion
2014 Georgia Southern
2014 Appalachian State
2015 Charlotte

So, FSU and Louisville, are the only ones that are considered P5 by today's standards. I am assuming the Miami U is the Ohio version...

Akron was the first school to move up to Division 1-A from 1-AA, all the schools before that have been playing 1-A or FBS since it has been around (1978). That's what I have been trying to tell people the schools from UNLV and back have been around a long time and have always played at the FBS level and have more history with the P5 then they do the recent move ups.

Of course you have some that were I-A who got caught by the 1981 shift moved to I-AA and returned later AState, App, La Tech, ULM, UNT off the top of my head.

Dates were close.
1981 was the forced move to I-AA
1978 was first year of I-AA
1973 first year of I, II, III
Prior to that there was University Division, College Division I, College Division II. That was a very different era. There was no scholarship maximum or minimum in football for College Division I or University Division, wasn't unusual for College Division I schools to award as many rides as some University Division schools (even ignoring the Ivy).

Arkansas State won the College Division I title in 1970 and defeated two University Division schools (Wichita State and The Citadel) and similar scholarship numbers to both.

(07-18-2015 08:52 PM)TitanTopper Wrote:  So, FSU and Louisville, are the only ones that are considered P5 by today's standards. I am assuming the Miami U is the Ohio version...

Miami U is in Ohio.
U Miami is in Florida.

(07-18-2015 09:10 PM)Carolina_Low_Country Wrote:  Akron was the first school to move up to Division 1-A from 1-AA, all the schools before that have been playing 1-A or FBS since it has been around (1978). That's what I have been trying to tell people the schools from UNLV and back have been around a long time and have always played at the FBS level and have more history with the P5 then they do the recent move ups.

Idaho and Montana both were in the PCAA with the original PAC schools.

Seventy three years at the top level for Idaho.

(07-18-2015 08:21 PM)bullet Wrote:  

(07-18-2015 07:57 PM)Marge Schott Wrote:  Were there separate divisions back in the 50s?

roughly 1978 they split division I between I-A (FBS) and I-AA (FCS)
roughly 1969 they switched to Division I, II, III
Before that there was "College" and "University." And a lot more schools were NAIA at that time. Looking at the NAIA champs from 1946-1963, there were only 4 that aren't currently Division I NCAA now, including Louisville, Texas St., SIU, Marshall, McNeese, TN St., Missouri St., Prairie View, Grambling, Indiana St. and UT-RGV (Pan-Am).

Where are you finding this info? The wikipedia page only shows championships after 1956 and even if you look at both teams in the championship from 1956 to 1963, only PVAM, Northern Arizona and Montana St are now NCAA DI (and all FCS). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NAIA_Footb...ampionship


Regardless, it would seem Louisville had the perfect situation: relatively large market with interest in (college) football (being in the "south"), no pro team and only one public flagship in the state and it didn't have a lot of history winning in football.

There probably wasn't any other situation in the entire country that was as equally conducive to growth of a college football program.


I'm sure Kentucky fans can't stand how much Louisville has grown in only a couple generations.

Let's get it right, In August 1945, the University of Houston announced that the school would field a football team for the first time. Following the announcement, the Lone Star Conference, spearheaded by Theron J. Fouts of North Texas and Puny Wilson of Sam Houston State, extended an invitation for Houston to join on October 25, 1945. Houston start playing football (before there was anything known as a FBS level in CFB) in the Lone Star Conference on September 21, 1946, (not 1949) the Cougars played their first official game against Southwestern Louisiana Institute (later known as the University of Louisiana at Lafayette).

The Cincinnati Bearcat football program is one of the nation's oldest, having fielded a team as early as 1885. In 1888, Cincinnati played Miami University in the first intercollegiate football game held within the state of Ohio

ECU has been playing football since 1933. This list is a little weird because before the split in late 70s there were a lot of different divisions and games were played between divisions ECU hosted Wake in 1963 in football yet this list would make it seem we weren't playing at a high level of football back then. A lot of teams back in the dayy were NAIA or Small College or University football level but a lot of games were played between divisions. That was the reason why there was a split to really even out things and to see where everyone stands on attendance, scholarships, etc. Then it took nearly 40 years later to even get to a four team playoff to figure out a nation champ. Maybe in 40 more years we will have a true playoff for the national championship.

Southern Conference, MVC and RMAC were known as FBS conferences back in the old days.

Schools that were part of the conferences with what are known as FBS today.

Phillips University in Oklahoma. Closed now. Was a member of the SWC with Texas at one time.

Southwestern, Texas, was in the SWC, dropped football, then just readded the sport a couple years back. Now at D3 level.

Sewannee, School of the South, was a former member of Southern Conference and a former founding member of the SEC. Now they are D3.

Big 8 Conference and MVC both split from Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association. Drake and Grinnell were members. Washington, Mo.

Chattanooga, The Citadel, Furman, VMI, Washington and Lee, George Washington (dropped football), Richmond, William and Mary, Davidson,

Hardin Simmons, Northern Arizona, West Texas A&M Border Conference with Texas Tech, Utep, New Mexico, New Mexioc State, Arizona and Arizona State.

Dixie Conference with Florida State: Birmingham Southern, Samford (was Howard), Stetson, Tampa, Lambuth (now closed), Mercer, Oglethorpe, Millsaps and Mississippi College. Only FSU, Birmingham Southern, Samford, Stetson, Millsaps, Miss. College, Tampa played football. Birmingham Southern wound up dropping mot lomg.

Mountain States had Denver with football, Montana,

Big 10 University of Chicago D3 now.

MAC, Butler, Wayne State Michigan and Case Western Reserves

Washburn, Illinois State, Indiana State, Missouri State, Southern Illinois and Wichita State.

Colorado College, Northern Colorado, Colorado Mines, Montana State, Western State,


Washington and Jefferson, Saint Mary's, Johns Hopkins, Carnegie Mellon and some other D3 schools made Bowl Game appearances back then as well.

(07-19-2015 09:20 AM)MplsBison Wrote:  

(07-18-2015 08:21 PM)bullet Wrote:  

(07-18-2015 07:57 PM)Marge Schott Wrote:  Were there separate divisions back in the 50s?

roughly 1978 they split division I between I-A (FBS) and I-AA (FCS)
roughly 1969 they switched to Division I, II, III
Before that there was "College" and "University." And a lot more schools were NAIA at that time. Looking at the NAIA champs from 1946-1963, there were only 4 that aren't currently Division I NCAA now, including Louisville, Texas St., SIU, Marshall, McNeese, TN St., Missouri St., Prairie View, Grambling, Indiana St. and UT-RGV (Pan-Am).

Where are you finding this info? The wikipedia page only shows championships after 1956 and even if you look at both teams in the championship from 1956 to 1963, only PVAM, Northern Arizona and Montana St are now NCAA DI (and all FCS). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NAIA_Footb...ampionship


Regardless, it would seem Louisville had the perfect situation: relatively large market with interest in (college) football (being in the "south"), no pro team and only one public flagship in the state and it didn't have a lot of history winning in football.

There probably wasn't any other situation in the entire country that was as equally conducive to growth of a college football program.


I'm sure Kentucky fans can't stand how much Louisville has grown in only a couple generations.

Yeah -- you'd have that right, and it only adds to the fire Denny Crum started in the 1970's, taking a decent basketball tradition to the top of the NCAAs, winning 2 titles, and forcing a yearly series in basketball, that UK felt was beneath them for decades prior.

The football program in Lexington has fallen behind, and now they can't even use conference affiliation against the Cards.

(07-19-2015 02:02 PM)BIgCatonProwl Wrote:  The Cincinnati Bearcat football program is one of the nation's oldest, having fielded a team as early as 1885. In 1888, Cincinnati played Miami University in the first intercollegiate football game held within the state of Ohio

And ... what's crazy is, I found this "history of college realignment" thread on a rivals main board ... In it I discovered that Cincinnati was a member of the ACC for a couple of years in the 1950's.

How nutty is that?? Anyway ... it's an interesting thread, and I've linked it below.

http://forums.rivals.com/threads/history...st-3686865

Anyone aware of any other programs moving up in the future. Charlotte is next year. Any others planning for years after that?

(07-19-2015 05:45 PM)Pervis_Griffith Wrote:  

(07-19-2015 02:02 PM)BIgCatonProwl Wrote:  The Cincinnati Bearcat football program is one of the nation's oldest, having fielded a team as early as 1885. In 1888, Cincinnati played Miami University in the first intercollegiate football game held within the state of Ohio

And ... what's crazy is, I found this "history of college realignment" thread on a rivals main board ... In it I discovered that Cincinnati was a member of the ACC for a couple of years in the 1950's.

How nutty is that?? Anyway ... it's an interesting thread, and I've linked it below.

http://forums.rivals.com/threads/history...st-3686865

Pervis,

I wish it were the case, but I think you are reading the post wrong. The poster in your link is saying in 1954 Virginia left the Indy ranks to join the ACC while UC and Florida State both joined the Independent ranks.

However, if you are right and I am wrong I would appreciate it if the ACC would re-invite their former member asap. LOL!