D1 Schools are seriously considering reclassifying out of D1 | Matt Brown

[DFW HOYA]

Only schools I can think of that did it in the last 30 years or so that actually did it:

Hartford - dropped to D3 in 2021
St. Francis of Brooklyn - dropped athletics after 22-23 season
Northeastern Illinois - dropped athletics in the late 1990's
Birmingham-Southern - dropped to D3 in the early 2000's; closed its doors last summer but was a captivating sports story where the baseball team made the CWS AFTER the school had officially ceased operations and the coaches/staff were working for free
Morris Brown - dropped athletics in the early 2000's, school had some major money laundering issues but I think still exists as a university
Savannah State - dropped to D2 about 5 years ago
Winston-Salem State - moved up to DI in mid-2000's and joined the MEAC but dropped back down to D2 within 5 years
U. of New Orleans - dropped to D3 in the wake of Hurricane Katrina but moved back up to DI within few years. I actually went to a UNO-LSU baseball game in New Orleans in spring 2009.

Wayne State had DI hockey, not sure if they dropped the program or moved down. Don't remember them as a DI school otherwise. Didn't know West Chester was ever DI -- maybe DI basketball but DII in football. Of course, if you go pre-Dayton Rule you had a bunch of schools that were DI in basketball only into the 1970's and 1980's -- Catholic, NYU, CCNY are the 3 I can think of. I'm sure there were more. How long ago did the Carlisle Indians shut down athletics

Also add Centenary, though that was a less a competitive decision than an an institutional one--it only has 523 students.

Catholic was Division I for three seasons (1978-81) but was never "basketball only". Same with Baltimore. Both played in what is now the CAA.

NYU dropped out of Division I in 1971 when it ended all sports, ostensibly when it sold its Bronx campus which housed most of its sports. It returned in Div. III in 1985.

[aceinthehole]

I posted this a while back. You can add Hartford and St. Francis Brooklyn to the list.

Actually there are a lot of (basketball) schools that have reclassified out of D-I:

- Northeastern Illinois University played 8 seasons as D-I member, in the ECC and Mid-Con, from 1991-1998. They dropped all intercollegiate athletics.

- Brooklyn College (CUNY) was also a D-I member (1934-39 and 1983-92) and reclassified to D-III.

- Utica College played 6 seasons in Division I (1982-87) and reclassified to D-III.

- Alliant University (1982-1991) - formerly known as U.S. International University in San Diego. They have dropped athletics.

- Armstrong State University (1987) - The Pirates from Savannah, Georgia played just one season at the highest level and now compete in Division II.

- Cal State Los Angeles (1971-75) - The Golden Eagles currently play in D-II.

- Gettysburg played from 1954 through the 1974 season in the D-I Mid-Atlantic Conference.


Other former D-I basketball programs that dropped athletics/reclassified since 1978:

- Birmingham-Southern College (2006)
- Morris Brown College (2003)
- Augusta State University (1991)
- Hardin-Simmons University (1990)
- West Texas A&M University (1986)
- Oklahoma City University (1985)
- University of Baltimore (1983)
- West Chester University (1982)
- Catholic University (1981)

[aceinthehole]

Here is the most recent and complete list.

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

[Laker]

Just saw this: D2 Azusa Pacific, who used to be a good football program before dropping it a few years ago, is dropping to D3 but restarting football.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Here is the most recent and complete list.

I am near-certain West Chester (PA) was always considered Division II in football, because the PSAC was always considered D-II as a conference, and the Golden Rams were always were a member of the PSAC (in fact a founding member). They would have been "Small College" along with Delaware throughout the 1970s, would have stayed in the same Division as Delaware in football during the late 1970s (because they were sort-of rivals) and when Delaware chose to compete in Division I and I-AA football in 1980, West Chester simply remained in the PSAC.

Your list is also missing Winston-Salem State, which was briefly with the MEAC before abandoning a D-I move.

[aceinthehole]

I am near-certain West Chester (PA) was always considered Division II in football, because the PSAC was always considered D-II as a conference, and the Golden Rams were always were a member of the PSAC (in fact a founding member). They would have been "Small College" along with Delaware throughout the 1970s, would have stayed in the same Division as Delaware in football during the late 1970s (because they were sort-of rivals) and when Delaware chose to compete in Division I and I-AA football in 1980, West Chester simply remained in the PSAC.

Your list is also missing Winston-Salem State, which was briefly with the MEAC before abandoning a D-I move.

Correct. This list is regarding D-I athletics, not football specifically. Pre-1993 "Dayton Rule" WCU was D-I in basketball and other sporst, but remain D-II in football.

Technically, Winston-Salem was never D-I despite playing in the MEAC for 2 seasons (2008-10). They were a "transitional" member of D-I and never completed the reclassification.

[NY Crusader 2010]

Correct. This list is regarding D-I athletics, not football specifically. Pre-1993 "Dayton Rule" WCU was D-I in basketball and other sporst, but remain D-II in football.

Technically, Winston-Salem was never D-I despite playing in the MEAC for 2 seasons (2008-10). They were a "transitional" member of D-I and never completed the reclassification.

Most of the Yankee Conference schools were like this. DII in football but DI in basketball. Then moved up to I-AA in football when the division was created.

Holy Cross-UConn was a pretty big basketball rivalry in the 1960's and 70's, with the two sometimes meeting in the ECAC New England tournament with NCAA bid on the line. However, in football, they were sort of little brother to us. We were the DI power playing the Division II foe. And then when the football series resumed with games in 2017 and 2021, the roles were reversed.