This also marks the 11th time in MAC history to have five or more programs receive a bowl invitation (2004, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 20) in a single-season. The MAC single-season record for bowl invitations is seven which occurred in both the 20 bowl seasons. 2, 2017 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.ĭuring the 2018 season, the MAC witnessed six members accept bowl invitations. Through this ESPN partnership, the MAC and CBS Sports Network announced another four-year sublicensing agreement to expand its national coverage of football and basketball through the 2022-23 season.įor the second time in Mid-American Conference history a member institution played in one of the prestigious New Year’s Six Bowl Games, as 2016 MAC Champion Western Michigan faced Wisconsin in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic on Jan. This has opened up nearly 92 million households from ESPN platforms for exposure to MAC sports for the first time in Conference history. The MAC and ESPN have established on-campus production capabilities that provide a significant increase in the national coverage of baseball, softball, soccer, volleyball, wrestling and Olympic sports on ESPN platforms. This is the largest and most extensive agreement in the history of the Conference and brings long-term security for the MAC through the 2026-27 academic year.ĮSPN has exclusive television and digital distribution rights for all MAC sporting events, and guarantees coverage of every football game, men’s and women’s basketball games and select Olympic sporting events. In the summer of 2014, the MAC and ESPN announced a historic 13-year rights extension deal through the 2026-27 season for expanded national television and digital distribution. A comprehensive Diversity & Inclusion Program was created to accelerate the growth of minority candidates for collegiate job opportunities in coaching and administration, and the development of the MAC Academic Consortium to integrate across membership the next generation of leaders in higher education, providing leadership development opportunities among faculty and administration. Several key MAC initiatives include the development of the first of its kind Conference-wide Mental Health Program, which includes a bi-annual Mental Health Summit to focus on student well-being, along with grassroots efforts with a Mental Health Awareness Week on each member campus. The MAC has previously hosted both the 2012, 2014 and the 2019 NCAA Women’s Bowling Championships under Steinbrecher’s direction. The MAC will also be hosting the 2020 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament First and Second Rounds, and the 2024 Women’s Final Four also at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. The MAC served as the host for the 2015 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Midwest Regional in Cleveland and the 2018 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, which set NCAA Wrestling three-day Championship total attendance and single-session attendance records. Steinbrecher has been aggressive in pursuing NCAA Championship events. The MAC secured a two-year contract extension with Ford Field to host the MAC Football Championship Game through the 2021 football season, anchored a six-year contract extension for the MAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse through the 2023 season, and stabilized a five-year contract extension through the 2020 season for the MAC Baseball Tournament at Sprenger Stadium in Avon, Ohio. The league hosts championships in 23 sports, including neutral site events at some of the finest facilities in the nation – football (Ford Field, Detroit), men’s and women’s basketball (Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, Cleveland), softball (Firestone Stadium, Akron) and baseball (Sprenger Stadium, Avon, Ohio). Steinbrecher as its eighth commissioner in March of 2009. One of only 10 football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) conferences, the MAC named Dr. Since its inception in 1946, the Mid-American Conference has progressively grown and developed into one of the most aggressive Division I conferences in the country. Providing leadership in education and diversity, in 2019 the Mid-American Conference moves into its 74th year of service to our students.
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