The Creation of the SCAC

Calgaard also oversaw the transition of Trinity University as it joined the College Athletic Conference in 1988, which has now become the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference. When Trinity joined the conference, the other schools were: Centre College, Rhodes College, Sewanee, Washington & Lee, Washington University in St. Louis, and Millsaps College (History of the SCAC, 2018).

In the beginning, this conference was created for the same reason as many of the others: to regulate athletic competition and help protect traditional values (Swanson, 2015). This new conference allowed for Trinity to compete with schools from all across the Southern United States, opening the doors to national competition and new experiences for the student-athletes. It also allowed for student-athletes to compete in regulated sporting events that could further the team’s standing and the school’s standing in the eyes of the other teams in the conference, the NCAA, and society as a whole. As current Athletic Director at Trinity University Bob King said, “The conference gives you guaranteed games every year and a championship to play for” (King, 2018).