December 13, 2011

For Immediate Release:  

For Information, Contact:
Jay Gardiner, SAA Interim Commissioner
404.364.8414 or jgardiner@oglethorpe.edu  

Southern Athletic Association Adds University of Chicago, Washington University in St. Louis as Affiliate Football Members

(ATLANTA) – The Southern Athletic Association (SAA) has announced the addition of the University of Chicago and Washington University in St. Louis as affiliate football members of the recently formed conference.

Berry College in Rome, Ga., joined with seven other schools to form the SAA in June 2011. The association spans six states and also includes Birmingham-Southern College in Alabama, Centre College in Kentucky, Hendrix College in Arkansas, Millsaps College in Mississippi, Oglethorpe University in Georgia, Rhodes College and Sewanee: The University of the South in Tennessee.

Washington University and the University of Chicago’s affiliate membership begins in the fall of 2015 and includes all the rights and privileges provided to other football participating institutions in the SAA.  

“We are thrilled to add two schools held in such high regard as the University Chicago and Washington University as affiliate football members of the Southern Athletic Association,” said chair of the council of presidents for the SAA and current Oglethorpe University president Lawrence M. Schall. “Their commitment to fostering athletic competition and cooperation among academically selective liberal arts colleges is a perfect fit for our league’s mission.”

Located in the heart of the city, the University of Chicago has an undergraduate enrollment of 4,500 and was recently selected as the No. 5 ranked school in the National Universities category by the U.S. News and World Report. Washington University in St. Louis enrolls over 6,200 undergraduates and was ranked No. 13 overall in the same National University rankings.

Berry College President Steve Briggs said, “This is exactly the kind of opportunity we hoped for when we made the decision to add football at Berry. We look forward to hosting the University of Chicago and Washington University on campus here in Rome.”

Both the University of Chicago and Washington University in St. Louis have storied football traditions dating back over a century. The Maroons began play in 1892 and were originally members of the Big 10 Conference while the Bears first kicked off the sport in 1890.

Berry College is an independent, coeducational college recognized nationally for the quality and value of its educational experience. Located on a magnificent campus encompassing more than 26,000 acres near Rome, Ga., Berry challenges its student body, consisting of more than 2,000 undergraduate and graduate students, to embrace a firsthand education that unites strong academic programs with opportunities for meaningful work experience, spiritual and moral growth, and significant service to others.