MIAA to be honored in NCAA Hall of Fame

INDIANAPOLIS — The NCAA Hall of Champions will celebrate the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association’s (MIAA) 125th anniversary with a special exhibit in the facility.

The exhibit, which will include awards, memorabilia and historical information, will be on display in the Hall’s Membership Showcase area now through Sept. 30 in downtown Indianapolis.

The MIAA began March 24, 1888 and is touted as America’s oldest collegiate athletic conference. The conference has always conducted full-season championships in multiple sports, though there have been additions and removals of some athletic events over the course of the league’s history. Bicycle racing and club juggling are no longer in existence, however the league currently offers 20 sports for men and women.

Albion College and Olivet College were charter members who joined the league in 1888, and are now joined by Adrian College, Alma College, Calvin College, Hope College, Kalamazoo College, Saint Mary’s College and Trine University, which was the last to join the conference in 2004. The MIAA display will include reference to key athletics officials who attended schools within the conference, a timeline dedicated to the addition of women’s sports, historic photographs, articles and awards dating back to 1937-38, along with general facts about the league and how it has developed into one of the most successful and notable conferences in NCAA Division III.

According to its web site, MIAA member colleges have won 20 NCAA Division III championships. NCAA Division III history was made in 1991-92 when the MIAA claimed two national championships in basketball — Calvin College earned the men’s title and Alma College claimed the women’s title. The league also has had 97 individual NCAA national championship performances since 1978. The MIAA is headquartered in Royal Oak, Michigan.

“The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association is celebrating a milestone in its history and the NCAA Hall of Champions wants to take this opportunity to share the story of the league’s successes and to put a spotlight on its member school and student-athlete accomplishments in Division III and the NCAA,” said Kelly Dodds, associate director of the NCAA Hall of Champions. “The Hall of Champions is dedicated to telling the story of the NCAA, its members, and its student-athletes and we welcome this opportunity to celebrate with the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association.”

 

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