{{Short description|US intercollegiate athletic conference}} The '''Chesapeake Conference''' was an intercollegiate athletic conference composed of member schools located in the state of Virginia and Washington, D.C. The league existed from 1933 to 1937.<ref name=champs>[http://cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/conference_champs/champions.php?conid=36 Chesapeake Conference] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111211131733/http://cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/conference_champs/champions.php?conid=36 |date=2011-12-11 }}, College Football Data Warehouse, retrieved June 9, 2011.</ref>
==History== The Chesapeake Conference was formed on January 12, 1933, by American University, Bridgewater College, Lynchburg College, Hampden–Sydney College and Randolph–Macon College.<ref name=time>[http://www.aueagles.com/fan_central/history American University Athletics Timeline] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131118004949/http://aueagles.com/fan_central/history |date=2013-11-18 }}, American University, retrieved June 9, 2011.</ref> The latter two defected from the Virginia Conference over a freshman eligibility rule.<ref name=fatal>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ufJNAAAAIBAJ&sjid=oYoDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4778,5105801&dq=virginia-conference+randolph+-church&hl=en Split Seen Fatal in Va. Conference], ''The Free Lance-Star'', December 7, 1935.</ref> By 1935, both Hampden–Sydney and Randolph–Macon were dissatisfied and considered returning to the Virginia Conference.<ref name=fatal/> At that time, however, that league had dwindled to only four members, and the following year disbanded after two left for the Southern Conference.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=UIosAAAAIBAJ&sjid=xsoEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4506,734853&dq=william+richmond+southern-conference&hl=en Fletcher Would End Subsidization Rule], ''Herald-Journal'', November 8, 1936.</ref> In January 1937, Hampden–Sydney and Randolph–Macon were invited to join a potential new conference centered upon the state of Virginia and the Carolinas alongside Catawba, Lenoir-Rhyne, Elon, Presbyterian, Wofford, Erskine, Newberry, and Emory and Henry, but declined admission.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=fUssAAAAIBAJ&sjid=0MoEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5887,1724715&dq=chesapeake-conference+-church&hl=en Snyder is on Committee], ''Herald-Journal'', January 23, 1937.</ref> The Chesapeake Conference continued to exist through the 1937 spring sports season,<ref name=time/> but had disbanded before the football season.<ref name=champs/>
==Members== The following colleges held membership in the Chesapeake Conference: *American (1933–1937)<ref name=upsets>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=5MNGAAAAIBAJ&sjid=mDMNAAAAIBAJ&pg=1649,3971815&dq=virginia-conference+-west-virginia-conference&hl=en Several Upsets Seen On Gridiron's Front], ''The Palm Beach Post'', September 24, 1933.</ref><ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ofJNAAAAIBAJ&sjid=oYoDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6877,3541008&dq=chesapeake-conference+-church&hl=en Catholic Hard Hit On Eve Of Battle With Bobcat Pack], ''The Free Lance-Star'', November 8, 1935.</ref><ref name=time/> *Bridgewater (1933–1935?)<ref name=upsets/><ref>[https://archive.today/20120723072921/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/baltsun/access/1793303012.html?FMT=CITE&FMTS=CITE:AI&type=historic&date=Sep+29,+1935&author=&pub=The+Sun+(1837-1985)&desc=American+University+Trims+Bridgewater&pqatl=google American University Trims Bridgewater], ''The Sun'' (Baltimore), September 29, 1935.</ref> *Hampden-Sydney (1933–1937)<ref name=upsets/><ref name=fatal/><ref>{{Cite web | url=https://archive.org/stream/kaleidoscope1938hamp#page/139/mode/1up/search/conference | title=Kaleidoscope | year=1938 | publisher=Hampden-Sydney College }}</ref> *Lynchburg (1933–1935?)<ref name=time/><ref>[http://athletics.lynchburg.edu/sports/mbkb/teamhistory Men's Basketball – Team History], Lynchburg College, retrieved June 9, 2011.</ref> *Randolph–Macon (1933–1936)<ref name=upsets/><ref name=champs/>
==Football champions== {{col-begin}} {{col-break}} *1933 – Randolph-Macon *1934 – Hampden-Sydney and Randolph-Macon *1935 – Randolph-Macon *1936 – Randolph-Macon {{col-end}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
Category:Defunct college sports conferences in the United States Category:1933 establishments in Virginia Category:1933 establishments in Washington, D.C. Category:1937 disestablishments