Released November 30, 2010
On March 2, 1975, the idea of what is now the Atlantic 10 Conference was conceived. What started as an eight-school, men's basketball-only affiliation has grown into a 14-university, 21-sport league that is universally hailed as one of the best conferences in the country. |
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Released December 6, 2010
Only three years after its creation, the eight-team men's basketball conference landed its first team--Villanova--in the Elite 8 in 1978. The following year, the Eastern 8 solidified its place among college basketball's elite when more than 50,000 fans flocked to the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, Pa., to watch Eastern 8 teams battle for a bid to compete in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament.
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Released December 13, 2010
When Bertovich took over, he inherited a league on the rise. During the 1986-87 season, A-10 men's basketball teams appeared on major television networks such as ESPN, CBS and NBC. Those appearances, combined with numerous regional and local television packages, meant that A-10 teams were featured in some of the country's biggest media markets, and the number of major network appearances grew steadily in the following years. |
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Released December 20, 2010
In addition to the league's postseason accomplishments, one of the most notable achievements that came out of the first few years of A-10 Women's Basketball and has stood as a building block for the sport itself, came in the form of Georgeann Wells. Wells, a 6-7 center at West Virginia - then a member of the A-10 - became the first woman to register a dunk in an official NCAA intercollegiate basketball game. Her feat occurred on December 21, 1984, against the University of Charleston (WV) at the Randolph County Armory in Elkins, W.Va. Yet the two-time All-American's historic accomplishment went questioned for nearly 25 years, until recently when the Wall Street Journal uncovered the elusive footage following the passing of Charleston head coach Bud Francis. |
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Released December 27, 2010
The late 1980s brought about great success for the A-10, especially during the 1987-88 academic year. The Temple Men's Basketball team was ranked No. 1 in the Country; Former A-10 member, Rutgers' Sue Wicks was named National Women's Basketball Player of the Year; Temple's Mark Macon received All-America recognition. Fans the power is in your hands, vote for your favorite A-10 moment from the 1987-88 season. Results from the poll will be revealed on Jan. 3 in conjunction with the sixth highlight in the 35th anniversary series. |
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Released January 3, 2011
Through its first 15 years, the Atlantic 10 Conference had established itself as a national contender. Men's and women's basketball teams were garnering their share of the spotlight and individual student-athletes were being acknowledged for their achievements with a plethora of national awards, including All-America honors and National Player of the Year citations. That momentum carried on into the early 1990's as well. |
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Released January 10, 2011
Stronger than ever, the Atlantic 10 Conference continued to gain stature in the mid-1990s, while maintaining its commitment to enhancing the academic and athletic integrity of the league as a whole. During the 1995-96 school year, the A-10 expanded its national footprint and broadened its competitive scope, extending membership to five schools that exemplified A-10 institutions on and off the field of play - Dayton, Fordham, La Salle, Virginia Tech and Xavier. In addition, Massachusetts and Saint Joseph's men's basketball programs reveled in the national spotlight, while Marcus Camby of UMass received the John Wooden Award and George Washington volleyball standout Svetlana Vtyurina graduated with an NCAA record that still stands today. |
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Released January 18, 2011
Massachusetts' softball pitcher Danielle Henderson, one of the most dominant strikeout pitchers in NCAA history, was awarded the 1999 Honda Award as the nation's best player after leading her team to the College World Series in 1998. |
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Released January 24, 2011
After achieving great success in the 1990's and making the transition into the upper echelon of NCAA Division I conferences, the Atlantic 10 ushered in the new century in style. The early 2000's saw additional growth for the league, adding the University of Richmond to the A-10's already thriving line-up, while garnering even more national attention with Xavier women's basketball's trip to the Elite Eight, a pair of stellar men's hoopsters in Jameer Nelson and David West and John Chaney's induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The Atlantic 10 saw a significant increase in individual and teams honors during this time period, a sign of what was sure to be another prosperous era for the league. |
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Released January 31, 2011
The success of the Atlantic 10 carried into the new Millennium exemplified during 2003-04 academic year. Dayton Volleyball player Erin Treadway earned three of the top A-10 individual honors in the same season; Saint Joseph's Jameer Nelson earned National Player of the Year and graduated as the most decorated student-athlete in A-10 history; Saint Joseph's Phil Martelli was named National Coach of the Year and the Hawks entered the NCAA tournament as a No. 1 seed. |
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Released February 7, 2011
As we continue to travel down memory lane and examine the 2004-09 academic years, we are reminded of a time of growth, development and overwhelming success among the A-10's Olympic sports. |
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Released February 14, 2011
Throughout the Atlantic 10's 35 years of existence, the Conference has had numerous successes on the field and on the court, and many teams, athletes and coaches have been honored for their athletic performances. Academic achievements have been equally important to the Conference and its member institutions, and the dedication of A-10 student-athletes has led to many victories in the classroom as well. |
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Released February 21, 2011
The Atlantic 10 Conference ushered in a new era when Bernadette V. McGlade was named the league's fifth full-time commissioner on June 2, 2008. Following a standout career as a student-athlete, McGlade has dedicated nearly 30 years as both a coach and administrator to the enhancement of the student-athlete experience. She has aggressively embarked upon new challenges and possibilities in an effort to preserve and promote the excellence and integrity of collegiate athletics. Her visionary leadership has had an immediate impact on the A-10, its 14 member institutions and its more than 3,000 student-athletes. |
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Released February 28, 2011
The modern era of the Atlantic 10 Conference has seen great success in Olympic sports, with outstanding performances from A-10 teams and student-athletes. Conference members have fared very well in league, regional and national competition, and a look through the recent past shows an impressive array of team and individual honors. |
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Released March 9, 2011
To say the Atlantic 10 Conference's first 35 years were "successful" would be understating the outstanding accomplishments of its member institutions, coaches and student-athletes. The three and a half decades since that historic day in 1975 set the foundation for what now stands as one of the best, most prominent collegiate athletic conferences in the Country - The Atlantic 10. |
