# Southern States Conference

The Southern States Conference (SSC) was an affiliate of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics that included member institutions in the U.S. states of Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, and Florida. The league existed from 1938 to 1997.

## History

The league was established in December 1938 as the Alabama Intercollegiate Conference (AIC), comprising schools from just that state. The six charter members were: Jacksonville State Teachers College, Saint Bernard College, Troy State Teachers College, Snead Junior College, Livingston State Teachers College, and Marion Military Institute. The league ceased operations in 1942 because of World War II and because several member schools dropped their intercollegiate athletics programs. The AIC was reformed again in January 1948 after a five year lapse. In 1959 it was renamed the Alabama Collegiate Conference (ACC), and then in May 1972, the league was rebranded as Southern States Conference.
At the conclusion of the 1994–95 school year, two schools left the SSC, causing league membership to dip below the six required to have an NAIA championship in every sport except basketball. The SSC then existed in 1995–96 as a basketball-only conference. It returned to an all-sports conference for 1996–97 before dissolving.

## Members

| Institution | Location | Founded | Nickname | Joined | Left | Current conference | Ref. |
| Alabama Christian College / Faulkner University | Montgomery, Alabama | 1942 | Eagles | 1981 | 1997 | Southern States Athletic | |
| Alabama College / University of Montevallo | Montevallo, Alabama | 1896 | Falcons | 1960 | 1995 | Gulf South | |
| University of Alabama in Huntsville | Huntsville, Alabama | 1950 | Chargers | 1973 | 1993 | Gulf South | |
| Athens College | Athens, Alabama | 1822 | Bears | 1948 | 1997 | N/A | |
| Auburn University at Montgomery | Montgomery, Alabama | 1967 | Warhawks | 1975 | 1997 | Gulf South | |
| Belhaven College | Jackson, Mississippi | 1883 | Blazers | 1974 | 1981 | Collegiate Conference of the South | |
| Birmingham–Southern College | Birmingham, Alabama | 1856 | Panthers | 1977 | 1996 | N/A | |
| Columbus College | Columbus, Georgia | 1958 | Cougars | 1972 | 1973 | Peach Belt | |
| Eldridge Baptist Academy / Eldridge Junior College | Eldridge, Alabama | 1890 | | 1939 | 1940 | N/A | [18][19] [20][21] |
| Florence State Teachers College / University of North Alabama | Florence, Alabama | 1830 | Lions | 1949 | 1971 | ASUN | |
| Huntingdon College | Montgomery, Alabama | 1854 | Hawks | 1960 | 1995 | Collegiate Conference of the South | |
| Jacksonville State Teachers College / Jacksonville State College / Jacksonville State University | Jacksonville, Alabama | 1883 | Gamecocks | 1938 | 1970 | Conference USA | |
| Life College | Marietta, Georgia | 1974 | Running Eagles | 1996 | 1997 | Southern States Athletic | |
| Livingston State Teachers College / Livingston State College | Livingston, Alabama | 1835 | Tigers | 1938 | 1970 | Gulf South | |
| Marion Military Institute | Marion, Alabama | 1842 | Tigers | 1938 | 1956 | ACCC | |
| Saint Bernard College / Southern Benedictine College | Cullman, Alabama | 1929 | Saints | 1938 | 1979 | N/A | |
| Selma University | Selma, Alabama | 1878 | Bulldogs | | 1997 | N/A | |
| Snead State Junior College | Boaz, Alabama | 1898 | Parsons | 1938 | 1956 | ACCC | |
| Southern Union Junior College | Wadley, Alabama | 1922 | Bison | 1940 | 1956 | ACCC | |
| Spring Hill College | Mobile, Alabama | 1830 | Badgers | 1942 | 1981 | SIAC | |
| Talladega College | Talladega, Alabama | 1867 | Tornadoes | c. 1982 | 1997 | Continental Athletic Conference | |
| Thomas College | Thomasville, Georgia | 1950 | Night Hawks | 1996 | 1997 | Southern States Athletic | |
| Troy State Teachers College / Troy State College / Troy State University | Troy, Alabama | 1887 | Trojans | 1938 | 1972 | Sun Belt | |
| William Carey College | Hattiesburg, Mississippi | 1892 | Crusaders | 1972 | 1981 | Southern States Athletic | |
| University of West Florida | Pensacola, Florida | 1963 | Argonauts | 1975 | 1994 | Gulf South | |