The Atlantic 10 celebrated its golden anniversary in 2025-26, commemorating its 50^th season of intercollegiate athletics. Over the course of the year, the conference honored five decades of academic excellence, athletic achievement, and unforgettable moments that shaped the A10.
 
Conceived as a basketball conference on March 2, 1975, the A10 received approval from the NCAA on October 15, and began play in 1976 with eight schools, including founding and current members Duquesne and George Washington. One year after the idea of a basketball-centric league was imagined, the A-10 held its first men’s basketball regular season and tournament with Duquesne claiming the first-ever championship.
 
Originally known as the Eastern Eight, the conference grew with the addition of new members before adopting the Atlantic 10 name in 1982. Since then, the league has evolved into a 14-institution, 23-sport organization that is universally hailed as one of the best conferences in the country.
 
The Atlantic 10 unveiled a 50^th anniversary logo, featuring the primary A-10 mark in a lockup with a golden 50, utilized across the 14 member institutions during the 2025-26 year.
 
The league launched a 50^th anniversary feature website, producing new content throughout the year. The site highlighted key figures and moments that helped shape the conference over the last five decades. The Atlantic 10 also produced several long-form historic vignettes, published to the league’s YouTube channel and displayed in-venue throughout the league’s conference championships. The 50^th anniversary celebration took center stage at Atlantic 10 Men’s and Women’s Basketball Media Day at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh. National and local media gathered to preview the season, while prominent 50^th anniversary branding served as a reminder of the conference’s landmark year.


 
Amid the day’s festivities, commissioners, athletic directors, student-athletes, coaches, and media members partook in the 50^th Anniversary Celebration Luncheon. The program included special guests and video montages highlighting key moments in the league’s 50-year history. Attendees received a 50^th anniversary challenge coin, a symbolic token to honor service, achievement, or dedication – originating from historic military traditions.


Championship venues for all Atlantic 10 Championships during the 2025-26 season featured 50^th anniversary branding, promoting the logo on banners, signage, and on playing surfaces. The celebration extended beyond competition venues, with the logo displayed throughout downtown Pittsburgh – home to the league’s first offices decades ago – and at the Pittsburgh International Airport welcoming fans for the 2026 Betterment Atlantic 10 Men’s Basketball Championship. The league also debuted a commemorative spirit, available for purchase now.


 
All 14 schools competing at both the men’s and women’s basketball championships donned commemorative 50^th anniversary patches.
 
After 18 years leading the Atlantic 10, Bernadette V. McGlade concluded a distinguished career as the A10’s fifth commissioner in the league’s 50-year history. McGlade’s leadership steered the league through conference realignment, welcoming VCU, George Mason, Davidson, and Loyola Chicago to the A10 while negotiating breakthrough media rights packages that expanded the league’s national exposure.


 
As the 2025-26 academic year concludes, the league encourages fans to continue using the #A10FIFTY hashtag to share photos, videos, and stories celebrating five decades of Atlantic 10 history. The memories will continue to shape the conference for generations to come.
 

Here’s to the next 50 years of excellence.