Get to Know the FCS, 2023: Patriot League
Established: 1986
Headquarters: Center Valley, Pennsylvania
Commissioner: Jennifer Heppel
History
Chartered originally as the Colonial League, the conference began as a response to the Ivy League expanding its football schedule to ten games a piece in 1980. With that shift, the Ivies desired to have a consistent source of out-of-conference opponents that would similarly not offer athletic scholarships. After discussion, six members–Holy Cross, Lehigh, Bucknell, Colgate, Lafayette, and Davidson–all agreed to prohibit scholarships and began their venture in I-AA as a football only conference in 1986.
Davidson would only remain in the conference for two years, leaving in 1988 citing geography, lack of competitiveness, and a reluctance to relinquish its basketball scholarships in case the conference expanded into other sports.
In 1990 the conference decided to become an all-sport conference, and in doing so expanded their ranks with the addition of Fordham (initially as a full member, although in 1995 they’d leave the conference for all sports except football), along with Army and Navy (although the military academies would not play in the football league, instead competing in the higher D-IA). With these additions also came a name change, and at the suggestion of Army’s athletic director renamed themselves to the Patriot League.
Towson would join the conference in 1996 as an associate football member, remaining until their move to the Atlantic 10 in 2013 (where they’d go on to join the CAA). Football membership’s last addition would be Georgetown, who joined as a football associate member in 2001.
The offering of athletic scholarships, on which prohibition was the justification for the conference’s formation, was first relaxed in the conference for non-football sports back in 1998 as a means of remaining competitive in basketball. In 2009, Fordham announced they’d begin offering football scholarships the following year, which meant they would be disqualified from competing for the conference championship.
Fordham’s decision brought about discussion in the league, and in 2012 the conference announced they’d begin allowing football scholarships starting the following year. The league now allows a total 60 scholarship equivalents (3 lower than the allowed FCS maximum). The lone exception to offering scholarships is Georgetown, who has still not committed to offering them (partially due to football funding).
With this came a change in the number of players a team could keep on their roster, initially being limited to 95 before being dropped to 90 in 2016. However, as of the 2023 season this restriction has been limited. That said, the Patriot League also does not allow redshirting except in some medical exceptions, a practice that continues through today.
Despite what you might think given their scholarship and roster limitations throughout the years, members of the Patriot League have been deceptively competitive withing the subdivision throughout the years. In fact, as of the start of the 2023 season they’re one of only six conferences (along with the Big Sky, CAA, MVFC, SoCon, and the UAC) to have multiple teams currently in their ranks who have made the I-AA/FCS national championship game.
Membership
Current Members
The Patriot League currently has 7 football members, of which two (Fordham and Georgetown) are football associates only.
Former Members
Conference Success and Strength
Conference Championships
FCS National Championships
No Patriot League team has won an FCS/I-AA National Championship, although Colgate did make it to the finals as a member of the conference in 2003.
Posted Jul 20, 2023, 12:30 PM UTC