Tennessee Collegiate Athletic Conference

The Tennessee Collegiate Athletic Conference (TCAC) was a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA); which was predominantly for smaller, private colleges in Western and Middle Tennessee.

History

The TCAC was created in 1985 from the western division of the old Volunteer State Athletic Conference. The charter members were Belmont University, Bethel College, Christian Brothers University, Cumberland University, David Lipscomb University, Freed–Hardeman University, Lambuth University, Martin Methodist College, Trevecca Nazarene University, and Union University. The TCAC survived in that form until 1995 when both Belmont and Christian Brothers announced their intentions to go to the NCAA. The remaining teams formed a new conference, the TranSouth Athletic Conference which existed until the 2012–13 school year.

Chronological timeline

• 1985 – The Tennessee Collegiate Athletic Conference (TCAC) was founded. Charter members included Belmont University, Bethel College, Christian Brothers University, Cumberland University, David Lipscomb University, Freed–Hardeman University, Lambuth University, Trevecca Nazarene University and Union University, beginning the 1985–86 academic year.
• 1994 – Martin Methodist College (now the University of Tennessee Southern) joined the TCAC in the 1994–95 academic year.
• 1996 - The TCAC would cease operations as an athletic conference after the 1995–96 academic year; as many schools left to join their respective new home primary conferences, beginning the 1996–97 academic year: Bethel (Tenn.), David Lipscomb, Freed–Hardeman, Martin Methodist (now UT Southern), Trevecca Nazarene and Union (Tenn.) to form the TranSouth Athletic Conference (TranSouth or TSAC); with Cumberland (Tenn.) and Lambuth to the Mid-South Conference (MSC); Belmont to the Division I ranks of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as an NCAA D-I Independent (which would later join the Atlantic Sun Conference, beginning the 2001–02 school year); and Christian Brothers to the NCAA Division II ranks and the Gulf South Conference (GSC).

Member schools

Final members

Membership timeline

Sponsored sports

The TCAC sponsored 9 sports for men and women including baseball, basketball, golf, tennis, softball, and volleyball. Bethel and Cumberland play football in the Mid-South Conference.

Defunct Lambuth also played football.

References