A Large East Conference occurs as collegial athletics conference consisting of 16 universities in the northeastern, southeastern & midwestern United States. Based within 1979, a conference recently went across the restructuring which saw many teams leave for more conferences & more teams join the Large East. Schools in the conference effectual July 2005 include:

University of Cincinnati University of Connecticut DePaul University (non-football school) Georgetown University (Plays Division I personally-AA football in the Patriot League) University of Louisville Marquette University (non-football school) University of Notre Dame (Plays Division We-The football as an Independent) University of Pittsburgh Providence College (non-football school) Rutgers University St. John's University (non-football school) Seton Hall University (non-football school) University of South Florida Syracuse University Villanova University (Plays Division I personally-AA football in the Atlantic Ten Conference through 2006, and in the Colonial Athletic Association starting in 2007) West Virginia University

About The League

A Heavy East was founded inside 1979 when Providence, St. John's, Georgetown, & Syracuse invited Seton Hall, Connecticut, & Boston College to form the conference. A league is fairly old in comparison virtually all of the 30-odd NCAA Division I conferences, but not in comparison a 100-month old Big Ten or Ivy League. 5 of the innovation heptad schools come Catholic schools (Providence, St. John's, Georgetown, Seton Hall, & Boston College). Using a additions of Notre Dame & Villanova earliest in the conference's history, & a 2005 additions of Marquette & DePaul (& loss of Boston College), a big East is a majority of the large, athletically competitory Catholic schools. A Heavy East is likewise arguably one of a academically strongest of a athletically competitory conferences according to the reputations of Georgetown, Notre Dame, DePaul & Marquette. Penn State applied for admission into a Heavy East around 1982, however was rejected by of these vote. This vote led Penn State to cancel its competition game using Syracuse & as well forced a conference to turn to Miami within 1991 to begin higher a football conference (Penn State experienced already committed to joining the Large Ten for the 1993 year).

Completely of its schools compete around Section We within basketball & Olympic sports. The divide between Section I personally personally-A & I-AA is lone within football. Completely football members of the conference participate around Section I personally-The. Notre Dame maintains its status as The Section We-A independent around football, when Georgetown & Villanova use at times Section We-AA football computer software.

Member schools participate inside baseball, men's and women's basketball, cross country, field hockey, football, golf, lacrosse, women's rowing, men's and women's soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, indoor and outdoor track, and volleyball.

Basketball

A septenary innovation schools (Providence, St. John's, Georgetown, Syracuse, Seton Hall, UConn, & Boston College) brought a conference to reality around 1979, in which it existed primarily as a basketball conference. Villanova joined a below month, followed by Pittsburgh around 1982. 1985 was a conference's high-water system mark by using respect to basketball, when trine teams (Villanova, St. John's, & Georgetown) tons advanced to the Final Four, culminating in Villanova's stunning triumph across a Patrick Ewing-led Hoyas, considered one of the greatest upsets inside college basketball history. Until a retirement of coach John Thompson, Georgetown was one of the primary powers in the conference, led by Ewing, Alonzo Mourning, Dikembe Mutombo, and Allen Iverson. Jim Boeheim has coached Syracuse to three Final Fours, winning a national championship inside 2003 sustaining a assist of first-year sensation Carmelo Anthony.

Additional recently, basketball in the Heavy East has been dominated by UConn. A men's program, coached by Jim Calhoun and led by such stars as Khalid El-Amin, Rip Hamilton, Donyell Marshall, and Emeka Okafor has averaged nearly Twenty-six wins a year all over a endure 15 seasons & won championships within 1999 & 2004.

Sustaining a additions of a Cardinals & a Binturong to the Heavy East, the conference okay, has Sevener of the historically elect basketball computer program - Cincinnati, Connecticut, Georgetown, Louisville, St. John's, Syracuse, & Villanova.

& a women's hoops can prove to exist as even as expert. UConn coach Geno Auriemma has led the women's team to 5 national championships (including iv between 2000 & 2004) & deuce undefeated seasons (1995 & 2002). 3 of the foremost 5 players taken in the 2003 WNBA draft were from UConn, when was top 2004 pick Diana Taurasi. Under a nature & severity of a UConn program, & less Boston College, Rutgers, and 2001 national champion Notre Dame, a Large East hwhen emerged as one of the great power around women's college basketball.

Annually, a Big East Men's Basketball Player of the Year award is given out. Within 2005, Hakim Warrick of Syracuse won it.

Men's Basketball Tournament Champions By Year
1980 Georgetown 1981 Syracuse 1982 Georgetown 1983 St. John's 1984 Georgetown 1985 Georgetown 1986 St. John's 1987 Georgetown 1988 Syracuse 1989 Georgetown 1990 Connecticut 1991 Seton Hall 1992 Syracuse 1993 Seton Hall 1994 Providence 1995 Villanova 1996 Connecticut 1997 Boston College 1998 Connecticut 1999 Connecticut 2000 St. John's 2001 Boston College 2002 Connecticut 2003 Pittsburgh 2004 Connecticut 2005 Syracuse

Football

Starting by using a 1991-1992 academic season, a Large East began swimming football, & found quick legitimacy as a football conference by owning a addition of the powerhouse Miami program. A equivalent eight teams competed in the league from either its origination until Miami & Virginia Tech joined the ACC and UConn joined the Large East football league, bushed 2004. Major realignment occurred within July 2005 when Boston College joined Miami and Virginia Tech in the ACC, football-single member Temple once agaaround became an independent (Temple joins the Mackintosh for football simply in 2007), & Louisville, Cincinnati, and South Florida completely formally joined the conference when all-sports members including football. DePaul and Marquette also joined at this time when non-football members.

A Heavy East has got deuce teams play for national championships when you took its short being. Miami won seven of the league's number one thirteen championships (though 1991 & 1992 were selected by polls, when spherical-robaround play did non start until 1993) & won national championships in 1991 & 2001, dominating a league at a beginning & prevent of its process & suffering from either NCAA sanctions in the middle years. Virginia Tech can use at times benefited a virtually all of any team from either Heavy East affiliation; head coach Frank Beamer developed that program from a perennial independent as well-loser into the 1995 & 1996 conference champion, so led the team to an undefeated regular year around 1999 using first-year quarterback Michael Vick. Tech appeared in the 2000 Sugar Bowl BCS championship game, where it were disappointed 46-29 by Florida State.

Of the quaternary charter members continuing within the conference, triplet of the children keep close at hand finished foremost in the league, although one of the two did non part in the league title until 2004. Syracuse's Donovan McNabb led a team to consecutive-to-back titles around 1997 & 1998, & West Virginia took the crown sustaining an 1One-1 record within 1993. Inside 2004, there was a 4-way tie for a league title between Pittsburgh, WVU, Syracuse, & departing Boston College; Pittsburgh won the tiebreaker to earn the league's BCS bid. BC saw its program collapse when the play scandal, however won bowl games inside its previous 5 years in the Heavy East & has been dubbed O-Line-U for its propensity to send offensive linemen to the NFL. Since 1993, neither Temple nor Rutgers has finished up than sixth, which along sustaining moo attendance led to the Heavy East's guide to expel Temple from either a conference within 2005.

Football Champions By Year
1991 Miami (FL) (2-0) & Syracuse (5-0) 1992 Miami (FL) (4-0) 1993 West Virginia (7-0) 1994 Miami (FL) (7-0) 1995 Virginia Tech (6-1) & Miami (FL) (6-1) 1996 Virginia Tech (6-One), Miami (FL) (6-1) & Syracuse (6-1) 1997 Syracuse (6-1) 1998 Syracuse (6-1) 1999 Virginia Tech (7-0) 2000 Miami (FL) (7-0) 2001 Miami (FL) (7-0) 2002 Miami (FL) (7-0) 2003 West Virginia (6-1) & Miami (FL) (6-1) 2004 Pittsburgh (earned BCS bid), Boston College, West Virginia, & Syracuse (all 4-2)

Rivalries
A Heavy East features numerous unique contention amongst its diverse members. These contention include: Syracuse - Georgetown DePaul - Marquette Seton Hall - St. John's Georgetown - St. John's Syracuse - Connecticut West Virginia - Pittsburgh (The Backyard Brawl in football) Rutgers - Seton Hall Louisville - Cincinnati Villanova - Georgetown Louisville - West Virginia Notre Dame - DePaul Notre Dame - Marquette Georgetown - DePaul

Contention that come potential to blossom in the realigned Large East come:

Louisville - West Virginia Rutgers - Cincinnati Cincinnati - Pittsburgh Connecticut - Rutgers Syracuse- Rutgers Syracuse - Louisville Pittsburgh - Louisville South Florida - Louisville

Contention away from conference that feature Heavy East members include: Rutgers - Princeton (Ivy League) Rivalry active since 1860s, presently active all told sports except football. Syracuse - Boston College (ACC) Syracuse - Penn State (Big Ten) Dormant for over the decade however is renewed 2008, 2009 West Virginia - Maryland (ACC) West Virginia - Virginia Tech (ACC) Louisville - Kentucky (SEC) West Virginia - East Carolina (Conference USA) Pittsburgh - Penn State (Big Ten) This rivalry presently lies dormant. Pittsburgh - Notre Dame (Football Independent) West Virginia - Penn State (Big Ten) This rivalry presently lies dormant. West Virginia - Marshall (Conference USA) This rivalry, held annually withinside basketball, might resume within 2006 in football. Louisville - Memphis (Conference USA) Cincinnati - Memphis (Conference USA) Cincinnati - Miami (OH) (Mid-American Conference) The eighth-oldest & 11th-longest running off contention within NCAA Section I personally football. Marquette - Wisconsin (Big Ten)

Additionally to a used away from conference competition, Villanova is one of a participants in the heated 5-way contention that has developed away from the Philadelphia Big 5 basketball series. This around-robin series is played yearly between Penn, Temple, Saint Joseph's, La Salle, and Villanova.

Realignment

Within 2003 a Large East wwhen sham keep an eye on as a ACC announced plans to expand from nine teams to dozen. Miami, Syracuse, & Boston College were rumored to exist as a 3 schools in question, & 100% leash met by owning officials from either a ACC on membership. Around response, a "remaining" football schools in a Heavy East (UConn, Virginia Tech, Rutgers, Pittsburgh, & West Virginia) filed lawsuit against a ACC, Miami, & Boston College for conspiring to soften the conference. Syracuse was non known as as a suspect around a share because it never manufactured public comments just about a on-going situation.

Withwitharound an unexpected turn, due in big measure to important political wrangle in Virginia, a ACC extended invitations exclusively to Miami & Virginia Tech. Virginia Tech immediately dropped their causa & accepted a invitation. A unexpended quadruplet plantiffs flushed Boston College from either a listings of suspect & asked each B.C. & Syracuse to join their lawsuit. Boston College & Syracuse declined.

Many months late, around section because a NCAA denied their asking to hang on to a conference title game within football forswearing a needful Xii teams, a ACC extended an invitation for Boston College to turn into the 12th team in the ACC. Once B.C. accepted, it were immediately sued by many member schools from either a Heavy East, virtually all notably UConn, & reciprocally countersued to stay away from paying a "exit fee" that got been amended to the Heavy East's constitution. Boston College won each decisions & joined a ACC inside 2005.

Inside response to losing their 2 marquee football computer software & one of their Heavy markets, a Big East extended invitations to 5 schools from either Conference USA in order to replenish their football ranks & to produce the 16-team basketball superconference. A schools that left Conference United states in July One, 2005 for the Heavy East come:

University of Cincinnati DePaul University (non-football school) University of Louisville Marquette University (non-football school) University of South Florida

a fallout from either a Conference America realignment instigated a chain reaction of conference realignments that affected the WAC, MAC, Sun Belt, Mountain West, and Atlantic Ten Conferences. At The equivalent period, the UConn Huskies completed their leap to Section I personally-A football & became a fully member of the conference within 2004, ensuant in their foremost-ever bowl bid.

Systematically since a realignment has been announced, several rumour just about new expansion & realignment involving a Large East & less Conference USA persist. Numbers of of the hearsay include schools like Memphis, East Carolina, the University of Central Florida (UCF), Penn State, Notre Dame, Maryland, and even recently departed Boston College and Temple.