Atlantic Coast Conference

 

The Atlantic Coast Conference was founded on May 8, 1953, at the Sedgefield Inn near Greensboro, North Carolina, with seven charter members – Clemson, Duke, Maryland, North Carolina, North Carolina State, South Carolina and Wake Forest – drawing up the conference bylaws.

The withdrawal of seven schools from the Southern Conference came early on the morning of May 8, 1953, during the Southern Conference’s annual spring meeting. On June 14, 1953, the seven members met in Raleigh, North Carolina, where a set of bylaws was adopted, and the name became officially the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Suggestions from fans for the name of the new conference appeared in the region’s newspapers prior to the meeting in Raleigh. Some of the names suggested were Dixie, Mid-South, Mid-Atlantic, East Coast, Seaboard, Colonial, Tobacco, Blue-Gray, Piedmont, Southern Seven and the Shoreline.

Duke’s Eddie Cameron recommended that the name of the conference be the Atlantic Coast Conference, and the motion was passed unanimously. The meeting concluded with each member institution assessed $200.00 to pay for conference expenses.

On December 4, 1953, conference officials met again at Sedgefield and officially admitted Virginia as the league’s eighth member. The first withdrawal of a school from the ACC came on June 30, 1971, when South Carolina tendered its resignation. The ACC operated with seven members until April 3, 1978, when Georgia Tech was admitted. The Atlanta school had withdrawn from the Southeastern Conference in January of 1964.

The ACC expanded to nine members on July 1, 1991, with the addition of Florida State.

The conference expanded to 11 members on July 1, 2004, with the addition of Miami and Virginia Tech. On October 17, 2003, Boston College accepted an invitation to become the league’s 12th member starting July 1, 2005.

The ACC added its 13th and 14th members on September 18, 2011, when Pittsburgh and Syracuse accepted invitations to join the conference. The two schools officially joined the ACC on July 1, 2013. Notre Dame also officially joined the ACC on July 1, 2013, after announcing on September 12, 2012, its intention to enter the league for competition in all sports but football, bringing the membership of the conference to 15. The Fighting Irish will play five games with ACC schools each year in football.

On July 1, 2014, Louisville entered the ACC on the same day Maryland withdrew, keeping the conference’s membership at 15 institutions.

In September 2023, the ACC Board of Directors voted to formally admit the University of California, Berkeley (Cal), Southern Methodist University (SMU) and Stanford University to the Atlantic Coast Conference. SMU officially joined the ACC on July 1, 2024, while Cal and Stanford became members on August 2, 2024.

 

The Tradition of Excellence

Consistency. It is the mark of true excellence in any endeavor.

In today’s intercollegiate athletics, competition is so balanced and so competitive that it is virtually impossible to maintain a high level of consistency. Yet the Atlantic Coast Conference has defied the odds.

Established in 1953, the ACC has long enjoyed a reputation as one of the strongest and most competitive intercollegiate conferences in the nation. And that is not mere conjecture; the numbers support it.

Through 72 years of competition, ACC schools have claimed a total of 196 NCAA team championships — including 103 in women’s sports, 87 in men’s sports, and six in coed fencing. In addition, ACC student-athletes have earned 460 individual NCAA titles, with 217 in men’s competition and 243 in women’s events, further showcasing the depth of talent and excellence across the conference.

Over the last four years (2021-22, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25), the ACC has achieved unparalleled national success as the league has won six or more national titles in each of the last four years, marking the best run in ACC history.

ACC teams captured a league-record nine NCAA championships in 2022–23. Combined with seven national titles in both 2021–22 and 2023–24, and six more in 2024–25, the ACC has won 29 NCAA team championships in league-sponsored sports over the past four years — the most of any conference during that span.

For 18 straight years, the ACC has led the way among Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) conferences in the “Best Colleges” rankings released by U.S. News & World Report.

In August 2019, the ACC and ESPN partnered to launch ACC Network (ACCN) — a 24/7 national platform dedicated to ACC sports and original programming highlighting the conference’s schools, student-athletes, and traditions. In August 2024, ACCN celebrated its five-year anniversary with a special broadcast honoring the ACC’s most memorable teams, coaches, student-athletes, and moments since its launch on August 22, 2019.

Now in its 73rd year, the Atlantic Coast Conference has grown to 18 member institutions and remains one of the most respected and competitive intercollegiate conferences in the nation. From coast to coast, the ACC represents a remarkable blend of academic distinction, elite athletic performance, and unwavering integrity — the very cornerstones on which the league was founded in 1953.

The conference’s membership includes: Boston College, California, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina, NC State, Notre Dame, Pitt, SMU, Stanford, Syracuse, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest. Each institution brings a rich tradition and a shared commitment to developing student-athletes who excel in both the classroom and in competition.

Today, more than 12,200 student-athletes across these 18 universities compete at the highest level of NCAA athletics, showcasing the ACC’s unparalleled depth, national reach and continued impact on the collegiate landscape.

*updated July 2025

 

ACC Membership Chronology May 8, 1953 The ACC is formed with Clemson College, Duke University, University of Maryland, University of North Carolina, North Carolina State College, University of South Carolina and Wake Forest College as charter members. December 4, 1953 University of Virginia admitted as the league’s eighth member. June 30, 1971 University of South Carolina tenders resignation from league membership. April 3, 1978 Georgia Institute of Technology admitted as the league’s eighth member. July 1, 1991 Florida State University admitted as the league’s ninth member. July 1, 2004 The conference expands to 11 members with the addition of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and the University of Miami. July 1, 2005 Boston College admitted as the league’s 12th member. July 1, 2013 The conference expands to 15 members with the addition of the University of Notre Dame, the University of Pittsburgh and Syracuse University. June 30, 2014 University of Maryland tenders resignation from league membership. July 1, 2014 University of Louisville admitted as the league’s 15th member. July 1, 2024 Southern Methodist University admitted as the league’s 16th member. August 2, 2024 University of California, Berkeley and Stanford University join to expand the league to a conference-high 18 members.