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BamaDude
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Many people are aware that the Southern Conference was the mother conference of the SEC - and 20 years later - the ACC; but few people are aware that former SoCon members hold current memberships in 4 of the 5 Power-5 conferences and 3 of the 5 Group of 5 leagues.
The Southeastern Conference was formed in 1933 when the 13 teams lying west & south of the Virginias & Carolinas broke off to form their own league. These teams also happened to be the most prominent football-playing schools in the old SoCon. 10 of the original 13 SEC members are still in the league: Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Ole Miss, LSU, and Mississippi St. They were joined by another SoCon alum, South Carolina, in 1992. The Gamecocks were one of the teams that helped form the original ACC, but left later to become an independent. They are one of 4 former SoCon members to also have membership in the Metro Conference at one time.
The ACC - which was made up of most of the Southern Conference's most prominent basketball teams at the time - followed the SEC out the door in 1953 when 7 teams departed the league & were joined by former SoCon member, Virginia, which had gone independent in 1937. They later lost South Carolina, then picked up former SEC member Georgia Tech in 1979, which spent some time as an independent and as a member of the Metro Conference before hooking up with the ACC. Former SoCon members in the current ACC are the aforementioned Virginia & Ga. Tech, along with charter members Clemson, Duke, North Carolina, North Carolina St. & Wake Forest. Virginia Tech, which left the SoCon in 1965 for independent status, later enjoyed membership in the Metro Conference, the Atlantic-10 and the Big East before finding a spot in the ACC in 2004.
West Virginia joined the Big 12 in 2012. They left the SoCon to become an independent in 1968, and later spent time in the A-10 and the Big East.
Maryland, which was one of the founding members of the ACC in 1953 & a former SoCon member, left for the Big 10 in 2014.
Group of 5 leagues with SoCon alums include the American Athletic, with Tulane (founding SEC member, then later an independent before landing in the Metro & Conference-USA); and East Carolina (became independent in 1964, joined the Colonial later, then CUSA); the Sun Belt, which gained Appalachian St. & Georgia Southern in 2014; and Conference-USA, with Marshall. The Thundering Herd also spent time in the MAC before moving to CUSA.
Other D-1 leagues with former SoCon members are the Atlantic-10 with George Washington (an independent from 1070-76), Richmond (left SoCon for indy status in 1976, was later a member of the ECAC-South & the Colonial - in which it still has football membership), Davidson (moved over from SoCon in 2014, plays football in the Pioneer League); the Colonial with William & Mary (followed Richmond into the ECAC-South in 1977, then the CAA), College of Charleston (moved straight from the Southern in 2013), and Elon, which followed one year later.
The Southeastern Conference was formed in 1933 when the 13 teams lying west & south of the Virginias & Carolinas broke off to form their own league. These teams also happened to be the most prominent football-playing schools in the old SoCon. 10 of the original 13 SEC members are still in the league: Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Ole Miss, LSU, and Mississippi St. They were joined by another SoCon alum, South Carolina, in 1992. The Gamecocks were one of the teams that helped form the original ACC, but left later to become an independent. They are one of 4 former SoCon members to also have membership in the Metro Conference at one time.
The ACC - which was made up of most of the Southern Conference's most prominent basketball teams at the time - followed the SEC out the door in 1953 when 7 teams departed the league & were joined by former SoCon member, Virginia, which had gone independent in 1937. They later lost South Carolina, then picked up former SEC member Georgia Tech in 1979, which spent some time as an independent and as a member of the Metro Conference before hooking up with the ACC. Former SoCon members in the current ACC are the aforementioned Virginia & Ga. Tech, along with charter members Clemson, Duke, North Carolina, North Carolina St. & Wake Forest. Virginia Tech, which left the SoCon in 1965 for independent status, later enjoyed membership in the Metro Conference, the Atlantic-10 and the Big East before finding a spot in the ACC in 2004.
West Virginia joined the Big 12 in 2012. They left the SoCon to become an independent in 1968, and later spent time in the A-10 and the Big East.
Maryland, which was one of the founding members of the ACC in 1953 & a former SoCon member, left for the Big 10 in 2014.
Group of 5 leagues with SoCon alums include the American Athletic, with Tulane (founding SEC member, then later an independent before landing in the Metro & Conference-USA); and East Carolina (became independent in 1964, joined the Colonial later, then CUSA); the Sun Belt, which gained Appalachian St. & Georgia Southern in 2014; and Conference-USA, with Marshall. The Thundering Herd also spent time in the MAC before moving to CUSA.
Other D-1 leagues with former SoCon members are the Atlantic-10 with George Washington (an independent from 1070-76), Richmond (left SoCon for indy status in 1976, was later a member of the ECAC-South & the Colonial - in which it still has football membership), Davidson (moved over from SoCon in 2014, plays football in the Pioneer League); the Colonial with William & Mary (followed Richmond into the ECAC-South in 1977, then the CAA), College of Charleston (moved straight from the Southern in 2013), and Elon, which followed one year later.
