33 Schools•Division I•Est. 1946
The MAC was founded in Columbus, Ohio in February 1946, when five charter institutions agreed to compete under a shared set of standards. Headquartered in Cleveland since 1999, it competes in NCAA Division I and plays football at the Bowl Subdivision level, on a footprint centered on the Great Lakes. A Council of Presidents governs the league.
Football made its national name. Miami University earned the title Cradle of Coaches through Paul Brown, Weeb Ewbank, Sid Gillman, Ara Parseghian and Bo Schembechler. Toledo quarterback Chuck Ealey finished his college career at 35 and 0, never losing a game he started. Ben Roethlisberger threw for Miami, Jason Taylor rushed the passer at Akron, Greg Jennings caught passes at Western Michigan, and Kent State sent both Jack Lambert and Nick Saban into the game. November weeknights belong to the conference on national television, a tradition fans named MACtion, and the upsets born there are part of the sport's folklore: Toledo over Michigan in 2008, Eastern Michigan over Illinois in 2019, Bowling Green over Minnesota in 2021.
The talent runs well past football. Mike Schmidt played at Ohio, Thurman Munson at Kent State, Orel Hershiser at Bowling Green. Wayne Embry came out of Miami, Dan Majerle out of Central Michigan, Antonio Gates out of Kent State. Bowling Green's Dave Wottle won Olympic gold at 800 meters and Eastern Michigan's Hasely Crawford won the 100 meters for Trinidad and Tobago.
Proximity supplies the rest. Rivalry here is a neighborhood matter, and the trophies are worth keeping. Akron and Kent State sit ten miles apart and have played for the Wagon Wheel since 1946, a buggy wheel painted in the colors both schools share. Add the Battle of I75, the Victory Cannon, and the Michigan MAC Trophy, one of the few prizes in college sports decided among three teams at once.
Official Website
The MAC was founded in Columbus, Ohio in February 1946, when five charter institutions agreed to compete under a shared set of standards. Headquartered in Cleveland since 1999, it competes in NCAA Division I and plays football at the Bowl Subdivision level, on a footprint centered on the Great Lakes. A Council of Presidents governs the league.
Football made its national name. Miami University earned the title Cradle of Coaches through Paul Brown, Weeb Ewbank, Sid Gillman, Ara Parseghian and Bo Schembechler. Toledo quarterback Chuck Ealey finished his college career at 35 and 0, never losing a game he started. Ben Roethlisberger threw for Miami, Jason Taylor rushed the passer at Akron, Greg Jennings caught passes at Western Michigan, and Kent State sent both Jack Lambert and Nick Saban into the game. November weeknights belong to the conference on national television, a tradition fans named MACtion, and the upsets born there are part of the sport's folklore: Toledo over Michigan in 2008, Eastern Michigan over Illinois in 2019, Bowling Green over Minnesota in 2021.
The talent runs well past football. Mike Schmidt played at Ohio, Thurman Munson at Kent State, Orel Hershiser at Bowling Green. Wayne Embry came out of Miami, Dan Majerle out of Central Michigan, Antonio Gates out of Kent State. Bowling Green's Dave Wottle won Olympic gold at 800 meters and Eastern Michigan's Hasely Crawford won the 100 meters for Trinidad and Tobago.
Proximity supplies the rest. Rivalry here is a neighborhood matter, and the trophies are worth keeping. Akron and Kent State sit ten miles apart and have played for the Wagon Wheel since 1946, a buggy wheel painted in the colors both schools share. Add the Battle of I75, the Victory Cannon, and the Michigan MAC Trophy, one of the few prizes in college sports decided among three teams at once.
Official Website