Metro Conference


The Metropolitan Collegiate Athletic Conference, popularly known as the Metro Conference, was an NCAA Division I athletics conference, so named because its six charter members were all in urban metropolitan areas, though its later members did not follow that pattern. The conference was centered in the Upper South with some strength in the Deep South. The conference never sponsored football, although most of its members throughout its history had Division I-A football programs. In 1995, it merged with the Great Midwest Conference to form Conference USA. The merger was driven mainly by football, as several Metro Conference members had been successfully lured to larger conferences that sponsored the sport.
The conference was popularly known as the "Metro 6" during its first season, then as the "Metro 7" during the rest of the 1970s and early 1980s. For most of its existence, it was considered a "major" conference.

History

The Metro Conference was founded in 1975 with institutions that were located in urban metropolitan areas. The charter members were the University of Cincinnati, Georgia Institute of Technology, the University of Louisville, Memphis State University, Saint Louis University and Tulane University. Florida State University joined in 1976, while the University of South Carolina turned down an invitation in hopes of rejoining the Atlantic Coast Conference.
In 1978, Georgia Tech left the Metro for the Atlantic Coast Conference, effective on July 1, 1979; and Virginia Tech replaced its spot in 1979. In 1982, Saint Louis left to join the Midwestern Collegiate Conference, now known as the Horizon League; while the University of Southern Mississippi replaced its spot in that same year. The University of South Carolina later joined in 1983. In 1985, West Virginia University was in talks to replace Tulane, which had suspended their men’s basketball program due to a points shaving scandal. Ultimately, West Virginia officials decided to remain in the Atlantic 10 Conference.
In 1991, Florida State joined the ACC, and then South Carolina joined the Southeastern Conference. However, South Carolina re-joined the Metro for 1993 and 1994 men's soccer seasons in that sport only, because the SEC did not offer the sport for men. Charter members Cincinnati and Memphis State also left the Metro in 1991 to become charter members of the Great Midwest. To replace them, three of the stronger non-football schools from the Sun Belt Conference shifted to the Metro.
In 1993, the Metro and Great Midwest conferences began reunification talks that led to the creation of C-USA. However, the Virginia schools filed a lawsuit in order to prevent the merger from happening, which ultimately failed. VCU joined the Colonial Athletic Association. Virginia Tech was left out of Conference USA, and joined the Atlantic 10 Conference. It was joined by Great Midwest member Dayton, who was intrigued by the prospect of playing against regional rival Xavier.
Initially, South Carolina was not permitted to participate in Conference USA for men's soccer, although it was admitted ten years later, also bringing along Kentucky, the only other men's soccer school in the SEC.

Proposed super conference

The Metro Conference also had studies into a new "Super conference" in 1990. The study was conducted by Raycom Sports. The conference would have included members of the Metro, Atlantic 10, and Big East conferences, but it was not clear if the conference would become a football-sponsoring conference as many of its members did in fact sponsor football but were either independents or belonged to other conferences. The original study plan also included Penn State.
North DivisionSouth Division
Boston CollegeEast Carolina
CincinnatiFlorida State
PittsburghLouisville
RutgersMemphis State
SyracuseMiami
TempleSouth Carolina
Virginia TechSouthern Mississippi
West VirginiaTulane

Membership

Charter members

Later members

;Notes:
NF - Non-football school at the time but has since added football, first year of play listed.
* - Southern Mississippi remains in the reunified Conference USA for all sports.
** - School was charter member of Conference USA, but has since left for another conference. South Florida and Memphis are now members of the American Athletic Conference.
*** - School left Conference USA, but has since returned. Charlotte was one of C-USA's charter members but left in 2005 to join Saint Louis in the Atlantic 10 Conference. After announcing football to begin play in 2013, Charlotte rejoined C-USA in all sports except football, which underwent a two-year transitional membership. The school began football play in 2015 but was only conditionally eligible for postseason play that year.
1 - Prior to adopting its current name in 1994, the University of Memphis was previously known as Memphis State University.
2 - From 1985 through 1989, Tulane dropped its men's basketball program after a point shaving scandal and was expelled from the conference. It was re-admitted in 1989 when it re-instated men's basketball.
3 - After leaving the Metro Conference in 1991, South Carolina played two seasons as an independent in men's soccer, as the Southeastern Conference does not sponsor men's soccer. They rejoined the Metro for the sport only in 1993, but was not invited as part of reunification. When the program rejoined C-USA in 2005, Kentucky, the other remaining SEC school with men's soccer, left the Mid-American Conference to follow their SEC brethren.

Membership timeline


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id:line value:black
id:bg value:white
id:Full value:rgb # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports
id:FullxF value:rgb # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports except for football plus merger
id:AssocF value:rgb # Use this color to denote a team that is a member for football only
id:AssocOS value:rgb # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in some sports, but not all
id:OtherC1 value:rgb # Use this color to denote a team that has moved to another conference
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bar:1 color:FullxF from:1975 till:1979 text:Georgia Tech
bar:1 color:OtherC1 from:1979 till:end text:ACC
bar:3 color:FullxF from:1975 till:1991 text:Cincinnati
bar:3 color:OtherC1 from:1991 till:1995 text:Great Midwest
bar:4 color:FullxF from:1975 till:1991 text:Memphis
bar:4 color:OtherC1 from:1991 till:1995 text:Great Midwest
bar:5 color:FullxF from:1975 till:1995 text:Louisville
bar:6 color:FullxF from:1975 till:1985 text:Tulane
bar:6 color:AssocOS from:1985 till:1989 text:
bar:6 color:FullxF from:1989 till:1995 text:
bar:7 color:FullxF from:1976 till:1991 text:Florida State
bar:7 color:OtherC1 from:1991 till:end text:ACC
bar:8 color:FullxF from:1979 till:1995 text:Virginia Tech
bar:9 color:FullxF from:1982 till:1995 text:Southern Miss
bar:10 color:FullxF from:1983 till:1991 text:South Carolina
bar:10 color:OtherC1 from:1991 till:1993 text:SEC
bar:10 color:AssocOS from:1993 till:1994 text: Men's SC
bar:10 color:OtherC1 from:1994 till:end
bar:11 color:FullxF from:1991 till:1995 text:Charlotte
bar:12 color:FullxF from:1991 till:1995 text:South Florida
bar:13 color:FullxF from:1991 till:1995 text:VCU
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text:"Metro Conference Membership History"

NOTES

Subsequent conference affiliations

Championships