CAA Changes Name to Coastal Athletic Association

The CAA changes the conference's name to Coastal Athletic Association on July 20.

Jul 20, 2023 by FloFootball Staff

CAA Changes Name to Coastal Athletic Association

There’s a new era beginning for the CAA and it starts with a name change.

The CAA announced it change the association’s name on July 20, 2023 to the Coastal Athletic Association. The league will still be referred to as the “CAA” moving forward as the name change comes at a time when the league welcomes two new institutions, Campbell and North Carolina A&T State.

The CAA now boasts teams from Massachusetts to South Carolina.

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“The CAA’s Board of Directors, institutional administrators and Conference staff have worked collaboratively over the past three years to best position the league for future success both athletically and academically,” said CAA BOD Chair and College of Charleston President Andrew Hsu in a statement.

“The addition of Campbell, Hampton, Monmouth, North Carolina A&T and Stony Brook have not only solidified the CAA’s membership, but through the CAA Academic Alliance have provided enhanced opportunities for academic collaboration and civil engagement amongst the Conference’s members. Consistent with our Conference’s longstanding tradition, the schools of our expanded footprint along the Atlantic Coast are renowned for their pursuit of academic excellence.

“Our new Conference name is symbolic of the unified academic framework in which each institution prioritizes student-athlete academic engagement and achievement.”

The name change will carry over to the league’s football conference, which will be officially recognized as the Coastal Athletic Association Football Conference but continue to be referred to as the CAA Football Conference.

CAA Football has established itself as one of the nation’s premier FCS power conferences. Twelve of the CAA’s current 15 members have made the playoffs since 2015, and the league has had multiple teams in the FCS playoffs for the past 31 years.

Why Did The CAA Change Its Name?

The CAA, formerly known as the Colonial Athletic Association, said in a statement that the name change represents the geographic changes and the vision of the conference.

“The Conference’s new name represents a culmination of its efforts over the past three years to expand its membership, solidify its geographic footprint and affirm its long-standing mission through a new vision statement which emphasizes that CAA institutions work together to advance nationally competitive college athletic programs – coupled with outstanding academic programs – that empower student athletes as whole persons who strive at the highest level in every aspect of their lives,” said CAA Commissioner Joe D’Antonio. “Our new name is reflective of the Conference’s continuity and unity, as well as each institutions’ commitment to be United in Excellence.”

Conference Expansion Comes To CAA In 2023 With Campbell, N.C. A&T

On July 1, the CAA added new members to give the league 14 across nine states. The two new members are Campbell University located in Buies Creek, N.C. and North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, N.C.

Who Is In The CAA?

Full members now include:

Campbell University (Buies Creek, N.C.)
College of Charleston (Charleston, S.C.)
University of Delaware (Newark, Del.)
Drexel University (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Elon University (Elon, N.C.)
Hampton University (Hampton, Va.)
Hofstra University (Hempstead, N.Y.)
Monmouth University (West Long Branch, N.J.)
University of North Carolina Wilmington (Wilmington, N.C.)
Northeastern University (Boston, Mass.)
Stony Brook University (Stony Brook, N.Y.)
Towson University (Towson, Md.) and
William & Mary (Williamsburg, Va.)

About the CAA

The CAA has established itself as one of the nation’s top collegiate conferences both athletically and academically for nearly four decades.

The conference has produced 18 national team champions in five different sports, 33 individual national champions, 15 national players of the year, 15 national coaches of the year and 13 Honda Award winners.

Just as impressive, however, are the honors accumulated away from competition, which include five Rhodes Scholars and 25 NCAA post-graduate scholars. In 2022-23, more than 3,400 of the league’s student-athletes received the Commissioner’s Academic Award after posting at least a 3.0 grade point average while lettering in a varsity sport.