D-II to FCS again?

[MR. CHICKEN]

I don’t think Navy considers themselves G5 - nor do most in the AAC. They actively promoted P6 flags, may still do. Not to say they aren’t technically G5 but the Navy people I know do not consider - or don’t want to consider - MAC, Sunbelt or Laughably CUSA as peers.

.....THERE YOU GO AGAIN.........BRAWK!

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

The academies aren't P4. But he is 100% incorrect in saying K State is the smallest.

Yeah I prefaced it a bit incorrectly, or at the very least in a muddled fashion. The academies place in college football is nonetheless unique as displayed by other's posts in this thread.

Institutionally, K-State is similar in profile to NDSU, Missouri State, & Southern Illinois than the average P4 institution. And to me, that's a wonderful thing....

[NY Crusader 2010]

Meanwhile... MEAC can and should raid the CIAA and other fellow HBCUs in D-II... what do you think?

https://theanalyst.com/na/2024/09/co...ision-ii-hbcus

The only schools that have moved up to DI/FCS from DII and moved BACK to DII this century seem to be HCBU's, so perhaps that's why we haven't seen much more movement.

I got invited to the Howard-Morehouse game Saturday at MetLife. Don't think I'm going to make it though unfortunately.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

The only schools that have moved up to DI/FCS from DII and moved BACK to DII this century seem to be HCBU's, so perhaps that's why we haven't seen much more movement.

I got invited to the Howard-Morehouse game tomorrow at MetLife. Don't think I'm going to make it though unfortunately.

Savannah State is the most well known. Who else? I'm racking my brain....

[aceinthehole]

Savannah State is the most well known. Who else? I'm racking my brain....

Winston-Salem (technically not D-I, they dropped during transition)

Morris Brown

Northeastern Illinois (No football - technically not a HBCU)

[NY Crusader 2010]

Morris Brown I think dropped athletics due to financial struggles -- the school may have either temporarily closed or been at risk of closing down at one point. I don't think they've had varsity athletics since 2003 or 2004.

Northeastern Illinois I believe cut all varsity athletics as well. They didn't have football but were in the Horizon League IIRC until the late 90's. I THINK the school still exists.

Birmingham-Southern => dropped to D3 and eventually closed down after this past academic year. They were a big ESPN story as their baseball team played deep into the DIII CWS even while their school didn't officially exist and their coaches and support staff were no longer on official payroll, working for free.

U. of New Orleans => dropped from DI to DII during post-Katrina financial struggles but only for a few years. I actually went to an LSU - UNO baseball game in 2009 in New Orleans. Can't remember if that was before or after they dropped down and moved back up.

St. Francis of Brooklyn cut all varsity athletics effective this year.

University of Hartford dropped from DI to DIII a couple years back.

These aren't HBCU's but just my recollection of recent schools moving down from DI to DII/DIII or dropping sports. The 2 HBCUs I remember were Savannah and Winston-Salem dropping down.

[aceinthehole]

Since the NCAA established the current Divisional structure for the 1973-74 season, a total of 19 schools have reclassified out of Division I or have dropped athletics entirely.

School	Affiliation	Last Year	D-I Seasons	Status
St. Francis (NY)	Private	2023	104	Dropped Athletics
Hartford	Private	2023	39	D-III
Savannah State	Public-HBCU	2019	17	D-II
Centenary (La.)	Private	2011	52	D-III
Birmingham-Southern	Private	2006	5	D-III
Morris Brown	Private-HBCU	2003	2	Dropped Athletics
Northeastern Illinois	Public	1998	8	Dropped Athletics
Brooklyn College	Public	1992	25	D-III
Augusta State	Public	1991	7	D-II
U.S. International	Private	1991	10	Dropped Athletics
Hardin-Simmons	Private	1990	45	D-III
Armstrong State	Public	1987	1	D-II
Utica	Private	1987	6	D-III
West Texas A&M	Public	1986	54	D-II
Oklahoma City	Private	1985	35	NAIA
Baltimore	Public	1983	5	Dropped Athletics
West Chester	Public	1982	10	D-II
Catholic	Private	1981	13	D-III
Cal State Los Angeles	Public	1975	5	D-II

[NY Crusader 2010]

Yeah I prefaced it a bit incorrectly, or at the very least in a muddled fashion. The academies place in college football is nonetheless unique as displayed by other's posts in this thread.

Institutionally, K-State is similar in profile to NDSU, Missouri State, & Southern Illinois than the average P4 institution. And to me, that's a wonderful thing....

Very cool, schools like that and others you talked about prior like Fort Hays State...just goes to show a school doesn't need to have the national academic clout of a Harvard, Vanderbilt, Villanova or NYU to be a real bedrock institution for a local community or region. I've had the pleasure of visiting South Dakota State and would say same about that school.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

I recall New Orleans reclassifying for a period of time. There were questions if the institution would even exist following Katrina. The Privateers have had some good men's basketball teams over the years. I remember them randomly showing up in the Top 25 for a week or two in the 1990s. Baseball also has a solid tradition.

Hartford made national news iirc when their men's basketball coach went on a lengthy rant following the administration's decision to leave D1 iirc.

Did any of these have football? Maybe Morris Brown?

West Chester University moved from D1 to D2 in the early to mid 1980s....I think? They might have been one of the first?.....

[aceinthehole]

Northeastern Illinois I believe cut all varsity athletics as well. They didn't have football but were in the Horizon League IIRC until the late 90's. I THINK the school still exists.

St. Francis of Brooklyn cut all varsity athletics effective this year.

Northeastern Illinois (NEIU) was last a member of the Mid-Continent Conference (now Summit League) in 1997-98. CCSU left the Mid-Con for the NEC that season.

CCSU also shared conference membership 2 other schools that dropped out of D-I --- St. Francis Brooklyn in the NEC and Brooklyn College in the old East Coast Conference.