The Smoky Mountain Conference – officially the Smoky Mountain Athletic Conference – was an intercollegiate athletic conference that existed from December 1926 to October 1966. Most teams in the league were located in Tennessee, and there were at times teams from Virginia and North Carolina. The first commissioner of the league was W. O. "Chink" Lowe, who had played college football for the Tennessee Volunteers; he served as commissioner until September 1941.
Members The following is an incomplete list of the membership of the Smoky Mountain Conference.
Charter members of the conference when it was formed were; Carson–Newman, Emory & Henry, King, Maryville, Milligan, and Tusculum.
InstitutionLocationFoundedNicknameFirstseasonLastseasonCurrentconferenceCurrentdivisionRefBoone, North Carolina1899Mountaineers19351937Sun BeltDI FBSJefferson City, Tennessee1851Eagles19271951South AtlanticDIILebanon, Tennessee1842Bulldogs19321941Mid-SouthNAIAJohnson City, Tennessee1911Buccaneers19301951SouthernDI FCSEmory, Virginia1836Wasps1927South AtlanticDIIBristol, Tennessee1867Tornados19271939CarolinasDIIHarrogate, Tennessee1897Railsplitters19301931South AtlanticDIIMaryville, Tennessee1819Scots1927USA SouthDIIIMilligan College, Tennessee1866Buffaloes1927AppalachianNAIAAthens, Tennessee1857Bulldogs1956AppalachianNAIATusculum, Tennessee1794Pioneers1927South AtlanticDIICullowhee, North Carolina1889Catamounts1934SouthernDI FCS School does not currently have an active football program. Cumberland's team is now nicknamed the Phoenix.
Football champions The conference did not operate from late 1941 until mid-1946, due to World War II. After the 1950 season, rarely were there more than two teams competing in football. Typically, those two teams were Carson-Newman and Emory & Henry. Usually, the winner of that game was "declared" the conference title holder.
1927: No champion 1928: Emory and Henry 1929: Milligan 1930: Carson–Newman 1931: 1932: King 1933: 1934: 1935: 1936: 1937: 1938: 1939:
1940: Milligan 1941: King 1942: N/A 1943: N/A 1944: N/A 1945: N/A 1946: 1947: 1948: No champion 1949: Emory and Henry 1950: Emory and Henry 1951: Emory and Henry 1952:
1953: 1954: and 1955: 1956: 1957: 1958: 1959: 1960: 1961: 1962: 1963: 1964: 1965:
School media guide inconsistent with contemporary newspaper reports.
Basketball champions Regular season 1929: Milligan 1930: Milligan 1931: Milligan 1932: Milligan 1933: Milligan 1934: Milligan 1935: Maryville 1936: Maryville 1937: Carson–Newman 1938: Milligan 1939: Milligan 1940: Lincoln Memorial 1941: Lincoln Memorial 1942: Carson–Newman 1951 – Lincoln Memorial 1956 – Lincoln Memorial
Tournament 1929: Emory & Henry 1930: Milligan 1931: Milligan 1946: East Tennessee State; tourney played on February 21-23, 1946, as officials worked to reform conference after WWII, which was finalized on March 30, 1946, in Greeneville, TN. 1947: Lincoln Memorial 1948: Milligan 1949: Lincoln Memorial 1950: Union (KY) 1951: East Tennessee State 1952: East Tennessee State 1953: Tusculum 1954: Emory & Henry 1955: Lincoln Memorial 1956: Tusculum 1957: Lincoln Memorial 1958: Lincoln Memorial 1959: No postseason tournament 1960: Lincoln Memorial 1961: Milligan 1962: No postseason tournament
See also List of defunct college football conferences
References