UpDate - Vol. 16, No. 13
December 5, 1996
Yankee football becomes Atlantic 10 in 1997

     Beginning with the 1997 season, the Yankee Conference, a
Division 1-AA football league for 50 years, will become the
Atlantic 10 Football Conference, under the Atlantic 10 umbrella.
The move will become official on July 1.
     In addition to the University of Delaware, the conference
includes Boston, James Madison, Northeastern and Villanova
universities, the universitities of Connecticut, Maine,
Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Richmond and the
College of William and Mary.
     With the exception of the universities of Massachusetts and
Rhode Island which are full-fledged members, the schools will not
participate in other sports offered by Atlantic 10.
     The Atlantic 10 Football Conference will be a separate
entity, with its own constitution, bylaws and budget.
     Edgar Johnson, director of intercollegiate athletics, said,
"We are happy to have the 12 Yankee Conference member
institutions still together and to have greater representation
within the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association). We
are pleased to be associated with the Atlantic 10 Conference.
     "The Atlantic 10 Conference not only gives us greater
resources in the area of compliance and other services, it gives
us the potential for regional television exposure which is so
important for our football program and the University of
Delaware," he said.
     Five Yankee Conference teams, including Delaware, are
currently ranked in the top 25 of NCAA Division 1-AA, and
Delaware has participated in NCAA playoffs. Yankee Conference
members have garnered 35 postseason bids since 1978, more than
any other Division 1-AA conference.