288 pgs. color, b&w photos. 2002. Upper elementary, middle school, high school.

Seven colleges, like-minded in academic philosophy and athletic endeavors, gathered in 1953 at an inn in Greensboro, NC, to create a new alliance. Clemson, Duke, Maryland, North Carolina, North Carolina State, South Carolina and Wake Forest sought to form a league in which each member prospered financially and competitively within the greater structure of intercollegiate sports.

The founders of the Atlantic Coast Conference wanted it to be different than the larger, unwieldy league they were leaving behind. They designed this new affiliation to be a “playing conference,” a league in which each school competed against all other members for championships. They also built in revenue sharing, which ensured the economic health of each athletic department without allowing money to be the ultimate goal for any single competitor.

The conflicts born of balancing academics and athletics nearly tore the ACC apart in the 1970s. The University of South Carolina eventually seceded from the league. As the conference's very existence teetered during those heated days, academic leaders in the ACC stood firm on their principles. This stand served to strengthen the bond between the remaining members and cement the ACC's ultimate mission. Since then, the conference has added two members, Georgia Tech and Florida State.

Today the league's achievements on the playing fields rank among the best and most consistent of any athletic conference in the National Collegiate Athletic Association, and its reputation as a leader in the marriage of academics and athletics remains second to none.

Curriculum Applications: 4th & 8th Grade Social Studies; Middle and Upper Grades Language Arts and PE

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