Mid-American Conference
Since its inception in 1946, the Mid-American Conference has progressively grown and developed into one of the most aggressive Division I conferences in the country. One of only 11 football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) conferences, the MAC named Dr. Jon Steinbrecher as its eighth commissioner in the 63-year history of the league this past March. Steinbrecher came to the MAC after serving for six years as the commissioner of the Ohio Valley Conference.
The league has grown its commitment to championships by expanding to six its number of neutral site post season events – football (Detroit’s Ford Field), volleyball (Toledo’s Sea Gate Centre), men’s and women’s basketball (Cleveland’s Quicken Loans Arena), softball (Akron’s Firestone Stadium) and most recently baseball (Chillicothe’s VA Memorial Stadium).
Based in Cleveland since July 1999 following a 15-year stay in Toledo, Ohio, the MAC has established historic measurements in both football and men’s and women’s basketball since moving to Northeast Ohio.
Founded in 1946, the Mid-American Conference is an NCAA Division I, 12 full-member conference that sponsors 23 championships and is one of 11 members of the Football Bowl Subdivison (FBS). With total enrollment of nearly 300,000 students, the league represents institutions of higher learning in seven (7) states - Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, New York, and Ohio. The University of Massachusetts in Amherst, Ma. is a football participant only.
Current MAC schools that hold full membership and the year they joined are -- East Division: University of Akron (1992), Bowling Green State University (1952), University at Buffalo (1998), Kent State University (1951), Miami University (1947), Ohio University (1946). West Division: Ball State University (1973), Central Michigan University (1971), Eastern Michigan University (1971), Northern Illinois University (1975-86, rejoined in 1997), University of Toledo (1950), Western Michigan University (1947).