About Division II

The Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference is a NCAA Division II Conference. Division II is a dynamic and engaging group of colleges, institutions and conferences of varying sizes and educational missions. Its members are committed to balancing the overall educational experience and academic success of student-athletes with high-level competition.

[2014 NCAA Division II Quick Facts Document]

Division II Quick Facts

- The Division II membership is focused on an "academic first" philosophy and the division's commitment to academic excellence supports the primary mission for NCAA schools.

- Division II student-athletes consistently graduate at a higher rate than the total student body at Division II schools. This past year, Division II student-athletes on average graduated at a 10-percent higher rate than the total Division II student population.

- Division II has 315 member schools - 289 are Active, eight are Provisional and 18 are Candidacy members. Of the 315 schools, 49% are private institutions and 51% are public institutions.

- Division II has 24 active member conferences to which most of the Division II institutions belong; ten of the active Division II member institutions have no conference affiliation and compete as independents.

- Division II has two active member institutions in Alaska, four in Hawaii, and is the only division that has member institutions in Puerto Rico. In addition, the division has one Canadian institution.

- A regionalization philosophy is used to select teams for Division II national championships brackets from four, six or eight geographic regions of the country. The emphasis on being the best team in your geographic area helps schools prioratize scheduling or regional opponents, limit missed class time and manage travel expenses.

- Division II has an average of 403 student-athletes per football playing institutions; for those without football, the average is 249 student-athletes.

- Division II has six schools with enrollments over 15,000 and 133 with enrollments below 2,500. The smallest member has a little over 400 students.

- Division II has 12 NCAA-sponsored championships for men and 13 for women.

Division II provided approximately $11,000,000 in 2012-13 to member schools to assist with transportation and per diem for coaches and student-athletes participating in its national championships.

- Division II provided approximately $400,000 in Degree-Completion Scholarships to Division II student-athletes in 2012-13.

Division II Athletic Programs are Unique Because....

- Traditional rivalries with regional institutions dominate schedules of many Division II athletics programs.

- Division II teams usually feature a number of local or in-state student-athletes.

- Many Division II coaches perform other jobs or functions at their institutions, including teaching.

- Many Division II student-athletes pay for school through a combination of scholarship money, grants, student loans and employment earnings.

- Most Division II athletics programs are fully integrated into the institution's operations and budget, like other academic departments.

Other Interesting Facts about Division II

- There is one Division II Institution that is male only; there are two Division II institutions that are female only.

- There are two historically black conferences affiliated with Division II (CIAA and SIAC).

Division II Student-Athlete Alumni

- Rick Barnes, University of Texas men's basketball coach, graduated from Lenoir-Rhyne College.

- Ed Bradley, CBS News journalist, graduated from Cheyney University of Pennsylvania. (Deceased)

- Tom Izzo, Michigan State men's basketball coach, graduated from Northern Michigan University.

- Phil Jackson, former head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, graduated from North Dakota.

- Billie Jean King, Hall of Fame tennis player, graduated from California State University-Los Angeles.

- Johnny Mathis, entertainer, graduated from San Francisco State University.

- Jeanne Shaheen, former governor of New Hampshire, graduated from Shippensburg University.

- Tim Wakefield, former Boston Red Sox pitcher, graduated from Florida Tech.

- Ben Wallace,former Detroit Pistons forward, graduated from Virginia Union University.

- Jackie White, first female Harlem Globetrotter, graduated from California Polytechnic-Pomona.