National Junior College Athletic Association

The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), founded in 1938, is the governing association of community college, state college and junior college athletics throughout the United States. Currently the NJCAA holds 24 separate regions across 24 states and is divided into 3 divisions.

National Junior College Athletic Association
AbbreviationNJCAA
FormationMay 14, 1938 (May 14, 1938) (as "Intercollegiate Athletic Association")
Legal statusAssociation
HeadquartersCharlotte, North Carolina
Region served
United States
Membership
525 schools in 24 regions
Official language
English
Executive Director
Christopher Parker
Main organ
Board of Regents
Websitenjcaa.org

History

The idea for the NJCAA was conceived in 1937 at Fresno, California. A handful of junior college representatives met to organize an association that would promote and supervise a national program of junior college sports and activities consistent with the educational objectives of junior colleges.

A constitution was presented and adopted at the charter meeting in Fresno on May 14, 1938.

In 1949, the NJCAA was reorganized by dividing the nation into sixteen regions. The officers of the association were the president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, public relations director, and the sixteen regional vice presidents. Although the NJCAA was founded in California, it no longer operates there, having been supplanted by the unaffiliated California Community College Athletic Association.

The NJCAA only allowed male competitors until 1975, when it established a women's division following the enactment of Title IX.

Based out of Hutchinson, Kansas since 1968, the national office relocated to Colorado Springs, Colorado in 1985. Headquarters moved to Charlotte, North Carolina in 2018.

Division history

Each institution belonging to the NJCAA chooses to compete on the Division I, II or III level. Division I colleges may offer full athletic scholarships, totaling a maximum of tuition, fees, room and board, course-related books, up to $250 in course-required supplies, and transportation costs one time per academic year to and from the college by direct route. Division II colleges are limited to awarding tuition, fees, course related books, and up to $250 in course required supplies. Division III institutions may provide no athletically related financial assistance. However, NJCAA colleges that do not offer athletic aid may choose to participate at the Division I or II level if they so desire.[1]

YearsDivision
1938–1945None
1945–1986Division I
1986–1991Division I, Division II
1991–Division I, Division II, Division III

Awards
  • Academic Student-Athlete Awards by sport[2]
  • "NJCAA Academic Team of the Year" by sport[3]
  • "Betty Jo Graber Female Student-Athlete of the Year" by sport[4]
  • "David Rowlands Male Student-Athlete of the Year" by sport[5]
  • "Lea Plarski Award" by sport[6]
  • NJCAA sponsors by sport[7]
  • Service Awards by sport[8]

Halls of fame
  • NJCAA Hall of Fame[9]
  • NJCAA Hall of Fame (Region XVI)[10]
  • NJCAA Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame[11][12]
  • NJCAA Basketball Hall of Fame[13]
  • NJCAA Men's Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame[14]
  • NJCAA Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame[15]
  • NJCAA Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame[16]

Conferences and regions

The NJCAA is divided into 24 different regions:[17]

Current NJCAA map of regions.
Notes
  1. Part of the Pennsylvania Collegiate Athletic Association (PCAA).

Sports
Men's and women's Division III basketball championship trophies from 2003 at Suffolk County Community College

Baseball
See also: Suplizio Field and Baseball awards § U.S. college baseball

Basketball Championships

Football
See also: NJCAA National Football Championship

Due to the relatively small number of schools fielding teams, some football-only conferences exist. They may be home to teams from multiple regions.

  • The Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference includes only schools in Kansas (Region 6). All are members of the conference in other sports.
  • The Midwest Football Conference which features schools from Iowa (Region 11), once included programs in northern Illinois (Region 4), Michigan (part of Region 12), and North Dakota (part of Region 13) before several of its schools dropped football prior to the 2015 season. The three Iowa schools (Ellsworth, Iowa Central and Iowa Western) play each other and also have a scheduling alliance with the KJCCC. The College of DuPage (Region 4), the only Illinois school that still has football, plays as an independent. Harper, Joliet and Grand Rapids all disbanded their football programs. North Dakota State School of Science joined the MCAC (see below).
  • The Minnesota College Athletic Conference, includes schools in Minnesota and North Dakota (part of Region 13). All of the Minnesota schools participate in the conference in other sports. North Dakota State School of Science and Dakota College only participate in football.
  • The Mississippi Association of Community & Junior Colleges only includes schools in that state, which is a part of Region 23. None of the Louisiana members of Region 23 field a football team.
  • The Northeast JC Football Conference includes schools from regions 15 (Lower New York, New York City and Long Island), and 19 (Lackawanna, Pa.). Lackawanna is the only football-playing school in Region 19.
  • The Southwest Junior College Football Conference includes teams from both regions in Texas (5 and 14), Northeastern Oklahoma A&M (Region 2) and New Mexico Military (Region 5).
  • Western States Football League, now defunct, once included teams from Arizona (Region 1) and Utah and Idaho (Region 18). Snow College, Utah, is now the only college sponsoring football in Region 1 and Region 18.

There are also independent schools in regions 2 (Arkansas Baptist), 3 (upstate New York), 8 (ASA-Miami), 10 (Louisburg, N.C.), 12 (Hocking College), and 17 (Georgia Military). Onondaga Community College's football program does not compete in the NJCAA but instead competes at the club football level.

Regions 7, 9, 16, 20, 21, 22 and 24 do not have any football programs.[21]

See also

References
  1. "Frequently Asked Questions". NJCAA.
  2. "NJCAA". NJCAA.
  3. "NJCAA". NJCAA.
  4. "Betty Jo Graber Award - Female Student-Athlete of the Year". NJCAA.
  5. "David Rowlands Award - Male Student-Athlete of the Year". NJCAA.
  6. "Lea Plarski Award". NJCAA.
  7. "Official Sponsors and Partners of the NJCAA". NJCAA.
  8. "NJCAA Honors". NJCAA.
  9. "Blinn's Rehr Inducted into NJCAA Hall of Fame". KBTX-TV.com. Gray Television, Inc. November 17, 2011. Retrieved 2011-11-25.
  10. "Hall of Fame / NJCAA Region XVI". Retrieved 2011-11-25.
  11. For list of inductees, see "JUCO Coaches Hall of Fame". JUCO World Series website. COBB & Associates, Inc. Retrieved 2011-11-25.
  12. "2011 NJCAA Baseball Hall of Fame Class Announced". NJCAA. January 24, 2011. Archived from the original on April 4, 2012. Retrieved 2011-11-25.
  13. "NJCAA Basketball Hall of Fame". Archived from the original on 2011-09-30. Retrieved 2011-11-25.
  14. "NJCAA Men's Basketball Coaches Association Announces 2010 Hall of Fame Class". NJCAA. December 17, 2009. Archived from the original on September 10, 2012. Retrieved 2011-11-25.
  15. Shoot, Jason (January 25, 2011). "Scovel named to 2011 NJCAA Hall of Fame Class". News Herald.com. Freedom Communications, Inc. Retrieved 2011-11-25.
  16. "NJCAA Football Hall of Fame Releases Inductees of 2011 Class". iHigh.com, Inc. October 11, 2011. Archived from the original on December 22, 2011. Retrieved 2011-11-25.
  17. "Organization of NJCAA Regions".
  18. "Home page". JUCO World Series website. COBB & Associates, Inc. Retrieved 2011-11-25.
  19. For All-Tournament teams, World Series records (including champions and MVPs), and JUCO Coaches Hall of Fame, see "History". JUCO World Series website. COBB & Associates, Inc. Retrieved 2011-11-25.
  20. "JUCO Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame". JUCO World Series website. COBB & Associates, Inc. Retrieved 2014-07-11.
  21. "NJCAA Football Teams". NJCAA. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
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