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{{Short description|Former collegiate sports conference in the eastern United States}}
{{Infobox sports league
| name         = Yankee Conference
| logo         = YankeeConferencelogo1988.png
| logo_size    = 150
| founded      = 1946
| dissolved    = 1997
| association  = [[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA]]
| division     = [[NCAA College Division|College Division]] (1946–1972)<br/>[[NCAA Division II|Division II]] (1973–1977)<br/>[[NCAA Division I|Division I]] (1978–1997)
| subdivision  = [[NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision|Division I-AA]] (1978–1997)
| region       = [[New England]]; after 1986, [[Mid-Atlantic (United States)|Mid-Atlantic states]]
| map_size     = 250
}}
The '''Yankee Conference''' was a collegiate sports conference in the eastern United States. From 1947 to 1976, it sponsored competition in many sports, but was a [[American football|football]]-only league from mid-1976 until its dissolution in 1996. It is essentially the ancestor of today's [[Coastal Athletic Association Football Conference|CAA Football]], the legally separate football league operated by the [[Coastal Athletic Association]] (CAA), and the continuation of the [[New England Conference]], though all three leagues were founded under different charters and are considered separate conferences by the NCAA. Also, CAA Football does not recognize the New England Conference as one of its predecessors, though it does recognize the Yankee Conference as such. 2024 marked a return of The Yankee Conference when in August of 2024 it was announced that Merrimack College and Sacred Heart University would play for The Yankee Conference Championship presented by LEONA.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://caasports.com/sports/2014/5/16/caabio.aspx |title=The CAA & CAA Football |publisher=Coastal Athletic Association |access-date=July 25, 2023 |quote=The conference celebrated 75 years in 2022, with its roots tracing back to the Yankee Conference (1947-1996) and the Atlantic 10 Football Conference (1997-2006) before CAA Football begin (''sic'') in 2007.}}</ref>

For the first half of its history, the Yankee Conference consisted of the flagship public universities of the six [[New England]] states. Conference expansion in the 1980s and 1990s added several colleges and universities from the [[Mid-Atlantic (United States)|Mid-Atlantic region]].

==Formation==
In 1945, [[Northeastern University]], the only private school in the [[New England Conference]], announced its departure.{{citation needed|date=December 2019}} A committee formed by the remaining four members, [[land-grant university|land-grant]] colleges and universities representing [[Connecticut]], [[Maine]], [[New Hampshire]] and [[Rhode Island]], recommended that they join with the other two New England land-grant institutions, [[University of Massachusetts Amherst|Massachusetts State College]] (which had also been a founding member of the NEC in 1923, but left in the 1930s) and the [[University of Vermont]], in a new athletics league. This led to the formation of the Yankee Conference in December 1946,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/39936385/ne_conference_formed_among_six/ |title=N.E. Conference Formed Among Six Colleges |agency=[[Associated Press]] |page=20 |newspaper=[[The Berkshire Eagle]] |location=Pittsfield, Mass. |date=December 18, 1946 |access-date=December 1, 2019 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> with athletic competition beginning in the 1947–48 school year.

===Charter members===
For its first 24 years, the conference consisted of the six charter members, each of which was the flagship public university of its state:
* [[University of Connecticut]]
* [[University of Maine]]
* [[University of Massachusetts Amherst]] (new name adopted in 1947)
* [[University of New Hampshire]]
* [[University of Rhode Island]] (known as Rhode Island State College until 1951)
* [[University of Vermont]]
During this time, Yankee Conference football teams competed in the [[NCAA College Division|College Division]] of the NCAA, the lower of two tiers of varsity competition. The conference also sponsored several other sports, such as basketball and baseball. Conference bylaws required all members to field teams in all conference-sponsored sports.

===1970s: In and out in New England===
In 1971, the conference announced its first expansion, the addition of [[Boston University]] and the [[College of the Holy Cross]].<ref name=Boston>{{cite news |title=Boston U., Holy Cross Join Yankee Conference |date=May 26, 1971 |agency=[[United Press International]] |page=35 |newspaper=[[Hartford Courant]] |location=Hartford, Conn.| via=[[Newspapers.com]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/59588476/1971-hc-yankee/ }}</ref> Both are private institutions ([[nonsectarian]] and [[Roman Catholic]], respectively), and fit within the conference's existing geographic footprint, giving it a presence in Massachusetts' largest ([[Boston]]) and second-largest ([[Worcester, Massachusetts|Worcester]]) cities. 

Both had previously competed as independents, and had a long tradition of meeting Yankee Conference members in non-league games. Because their seasons were scheduled years in advance, neither BU nor HC were able to begin league play in football immediately.<ref name=Boston/> Though it officially joined the conference in 1971, Boston University did not start competing for the football championship until 1973; Holy Cross never did.

Holy Cross had made another decision in the early 1970s that profoundly affected its athletics teams: the formerly all-male college began admitting women. Holy Cross already had by far the smallest enrollment in the conference, and administrators reached the conclusion that its shrinking male population would not be able to field competitive teams in all Yankee Conference sports. Accordingly, Holy Cross announced in November 1972 that it would quit the conference immediately.<ref>{{cite news |title=Holy Cross Quits Yankee Conference |agency=[[United Press International]] |date=November 15, 1972 |page=30 |newspaper=[[Bangor Daily News]] |location=Bangor, Maine|via=[[Newspapers.com]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/59588408/1972-hc-yankee/ }}</ref>  

The conference rule that all members must compete in all sports was tested again in 1974, when Vermont announced it would drop its football program at the end of that season. In 1975, the conference allowed its members to choose conference participation on a sport-by-sport basis.<ref>{{cite news|title=YanCon Schools Gets Free Rein|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=oQ40AAAAIBAJ&pg=3629,4768609&dq=yankee+conference&hl=en|access-date=June 16, 2013|newspaper=Bangor Daily News|date=July 31, 1975|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151223114702/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=oQ40AAAAIBAJ&sjid=SyMIAAAAIBAJ&pg=3629,4768609&dq=yankee+conference&hl=en|archive-date=December 23, 2015|url-status=live|page=24}}</ref> Later in the year, however, it opted to drop sponsorship of all sports except football at the conclusion of the 1975–76 season, effectively ending Vermont's association with the conference. 

The 1970s also brought a change in how the NCAA classified football programs. In 1973, the old College Division was replaced by [[NCAA Division II]], for "minor" programs that offer [[athletic scholarship]]s, and [[NCAA Division III]], for those without scholarships. The Yankee Conference programs were all placed in Division II. In 1978, the NCAA introduced [[NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision|Division I-AA]], a subdivision that allowed universities competing in Division I in other sports to field football teams in that division without having to match up with the major football powers.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Underwood |first=John |date=January 23, 1978 |title=The NCAA splits its decision |url=https://vault.si.com/vault/1978/01/23/the-ncaa-splits-its-decision |access-date=2024-04-17 |website=Sports Illustrated Vault {{!}} SI.com |language=en-us}}</ref> From that point, all Yankee Conference members have been members of Division I-AA,<ref>{{Cite web |title=History of FCS Conferences |url=https://fearthefcs.com/former-fcs-conferences/ |access-date=2024-04-17 |website=Fear The FCS |language=en-US}}</ref> later renamed the Football Championship Subdivision.

===1980s–90s: Expansion in the South===
Through the late 1970s and early 1980s, the football-only Yankee Conference included six members: Boston University, UConn, Maine, UMass, UNH and URI. Starting in the mid-1980s, the conference began to admit members from outside New England, forming a second cluster of universities in the Mid-Atlantic region:
* [[University of Delaware]] in 1986 (in [[Delaware]])
* [[University of Richmond]] in 1986 (in [[Virginia]])
* [[Villanova University]] in 1988 (in [[Pennsylvania]])
* [[James Madison University]] in 1993 (in Virginia)
* [[College of William & Mary]] in 1993 (in Virginia)
Also in 1993, [[Northeastern University]] in Boston joined the Yankee Conference.

Following the 1993 additions, the Yankee Conference had 12 members, and split into two six-team divisions, a "New England Division" consisting of the five remaining charter members plus Boston University, and a "Mid-Atlantic Division" consisting of the colleges that joined the conference in the 1980s and 1990s. Northeastern competed in the Mid-Atlantic despite being geographically located in New England.

===1996: Merger with A-10===
The 12-member, two-division arrangement continued until 1996, when the [[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA]] adopted rules limiting the influence of single-sport conferences over policy. Facing extinction, the conference merged with the [[Atlantic 10 Conference]] (A-10), which did not previously sponsor football, on November 13, 1996.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1996/11/14/sports/results-plus-294799.html "Results Plus," ''The Associated Press'', Thursday, November 14, 1996.] Retrieved December 30, 2017</ref> UMass and URI were already members of the A-10 in other sports; the other 10 Yankee members became associate members in football only. For the 1997 season, the A-10 football league had the exact same members and division structure as the 1996 Yankee Conference.

After membership changes in the Colonial Athletic Association (now the Coastal Athletic Association) over the following 10 years, management of the A-10 football conference, which continued to include most of the former Yankee Conference teams, passed to the CAA in 2007. At that time, the separate entity of [[Coastal Athletic Association Football Conference|CAA Football]] was established.

==Member institutions==
[[Image:Yankee_Conference_All-Time_Members_Map.png|thumb|500 px|The all-time members of the Yankee Conference.]]

{| class=" sortable wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
!Institution
!Location
!Founded
!Type
!Joined
!Nickname
!Colors
|-
|[[Boston University]]
|[[Boston|Boston, MA]]
|1839
|Private
|1971†
|[[Boston University Terriers|Terriers]]
|Scarlet & white<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bu.edu/timeline/1930/02/28/university-colors-become-official/|title=University Colors Become Official|website=Boston University}}</ref><br>{{color box|#CC0000|border=silver}} {{color box|#FFFFFF|border=silver}}
|-
|[[University of Connecticut]]
|[[Storrs, Connecticut|Storrs, CT]]
|1881
|Public
|1946
|[[UConn Huskies|Huskies]]
|Navy Blue, white, & grey<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://brand.uconn.edu/guidelines-usage/color-palette/|title=UConn Color Palette|website=www.uconn.edu}}</ref><br>{{color box|#000E2F|border=silver}} {{color box|#FFFFFF|border=silver}} {{color box|#7C878E|border=silver}}
|-
|[[University of Delaware]]
|[[Newark, Delaware|Newark, DE]]
|1743
|Private and Public
|1986
|[[Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football|Fightin' Blue Hens]]
|Blue & yellow-gold<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.udel.edu/home/ocm/brand/|title=The UD Brand|website=www.udel.edu}}</ref><br>{{color box|#00539F|border=silver}} {{color box|#FFD200|border=silver}}
|-
|[[College of the Holy Cross]]
|[[Worcester, Massachusetts|Worcester, MA]]
|1843
|Private
|1971‡
|[[Holy Cross Crusaders football|Crusaders]]
|Purple & white<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.holycross.edu/college-marketing-and-communications/identity-style-guidelines/visual-identity-toolkit|title=Visual Identity Toolkit|website=www.holycross.edu}}</ref><br>{{color box|#602d89|border=silver}} {{color box|#FFFFFF|border=silver}}
|-
|[[James Madison University]]
|[[Harrisonburg, Virginia|Harrisonburg, VA]]
|1908
|Public
|1993
|[[James Madison Dukes football|Dukes]]
|Purple & gold<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.jmu.edu/identity/our-style/color.shtml|title=JMU Identity Colors|website=www.jmu.edu}}</ref><br>{{color box|#450084|border=silver}} {{color box|#cbb677|border=silver}}
|-
|[[University of Maine]]
|[[Orono, Maine|Orono, ME]]
|1865
|Public
|1946
|[[Maine Black Bears|Black Bears]]
|Dark blue, light blue & white<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://umaine.edu/brand/graphics/colors/|title=Branding Toolbox|website=www.umaine.edu}}</ref><br>{{color box|#003263|border=silver}} {{color box|#B0D7FF|border=silver}} {{color box|white|border=silver}}
|-
|[[University of Massachusetts Amherst]]
|[[Amherst, Massachusetts|Amherst, MA]]
|1863
|Public
|1946
|[[UMass Minutemen|Aggies/Redmen/Minutemen]]
|UMass Maroon & white<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.umass.edu/brand/elements/color|title=Official UMass Colors|website=www.umass.edu}}</ref><br>{{color box|#881c1c|border=silver}} {{color box|#FFFFFF|border=silver}}
|-
|[[University of New Hampshire]]
|[[Durham, New Hampshire|Durham, NH]]
|1866
|Public
|1946
|[[New Hampshire Wildcats|Wildcats]]
|UNH Blue & white<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.unh.edu/digital/visual-identity-branding|title=Visual Identity & Branding|website=www.unh.edu}}</ref><br>{{color box|#003591|border=silver}} {{color box|#FFFFFF|border=silver}}
|-
|[[Northeastern University]]
|[[Boston|Boston, MA]]
|1898
|Private
|1993
|[[Northeastern Huskies|Huskies]]
|Black & red<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://brand.northeastern.edu/guide/design-elements/colors/|title=Colors|website=www.northeastern.edu}}</ref><br>{{color box|#000000|border=silver}} {{color box|#D41B2C|border=silver}}
|-
|[[University of Rhode Island]]
|[[Kingston, Rhode Island|Kingston, RI]]
|1892
|Public
|1946
|[[Rhode Island Rams|Rams]]
|Keaney blue, white & navy blue<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://web.uri.edu/gso/administration/public-engagement/branding-and-identity-toolkit/branding-and-identity-toolkit-color/|title=URI Branding and Identity Toolkit — Color|website=www.uri.edu}}</ref><br>{{color box|#75B2DD|border=silver}} {{color box|#FFFFFF|border=silver}} {{color box|#002147|border=silver}}
|-
|[[University of Richmond]]
|[[Richmond, Virginia|Richmond, VA]]
|1830
|Private
|1986
|[[Richmond Spiders football|Spiders]]
|UR Blue & UR Red<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://brand.richmond.edu/elements/color/palettes.html|title=University of Richmond Palettes|website=www.richmond.edu}}</ref><br>{{color box|#000066|border=silver}} {{color box|#990000|border=silver}}
|-
|[[University of Vermont]]
|[[Burlington, Vermont|Burlington, VT]]
|1791
|Public
|1946‡
|[[Vermont Catamounts|Catamounts]]
|Green & gold<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.uvm.edu/sites/default/files/University-of-Vermont-Creative-Style-Guide/UVM_Style_Guide_CLC_11_19.pdf|title=Primary Athletic Marks|website=www.uvm.edu}}</ref><br>{{color box|#005837|border=silver}} {{color box|#FDB927|border=silver}}
|-
|[[Villanova University]]
|[[Villanova, Pennsylvania|Villanova, PA]]
|1842
|Private
|1988
|[[Villanova Wildcats football|Wildcats]]
|Blue & white<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www1.villanova.edu/villanova/unicommunication/brandguidelines/VisualIdentityGuidelines.html|title=Visual Identity Guidelines|website=www.villanova.edu}}</ref><br>{{color box|#231f20|border=silver}} {{color box|#FFFFFF|border=silver}}
|-
|[[The College of William & Mary]]
|[[Williamsburg, Virginia|Williamsburg, VA]]
|1693
|Public
|1993
|[[William & Mary Tribe football|Tribe]]
|Green & gold<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://brand.wm.edu/index.php/university-colors/|title=University Colors|website=www.wm.edu}}</ref><br>{{color box|#115740|border=silver}} {{color box|#B9975B|border=silver}}
|}
† Boston University joined the conference in 1971, but did not compete for the football championship until 1973.<br/>
‡ Holy Cross and Vermont ended their Yankee Conference affiliation in 1972 and 1976, respectively. Holy Cross never competed in the football championship, and Vermont ended its football program after 1974. All other conference members remained until 1996, when the league was absorbed by the Atlantic 10.

==Membership timeline==
<timeline>
DateFormat = yyyy
ImageSize  = width:1000 height:auto barincrement:25
Period     = from:1947 till:2002
TimeAxis   = orientation:horizontal
PlotArea   = right:30 left:0 bottom:50 top:5

Colors = id:barcolor 
         id:line     value:black
         id:bg       value:white
         id:Full    value:rgb(0.742,0.727,0.852) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports
         id:FullxF value:rgb(0.551,0.824,0.777) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports except for football
         id:AssocF value:rgb(0.98,0.5,0.445) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member for football only

PlotData=
  width:20 textcolor:black shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:m

  bar:1  color:Full from:1947 till:1976 text:Connecticut (1947–1996)
  bar:1  color:AssocF from:1976 till:1996

  bar:2  color:Full from:1947 till:1976 text:Maine (1947–1996)
  bar:2  color:AssocF from:1976 till:1996

  bar:3  color:Full from:1947 till:1976 text:Massachusetts (1947–1996)
  bar:3  color:AssocF from:1976 till:1996

  bar:4  color:Full from:1947 till:1976 text:New Hampshire (1947–1996)
  bar:4  color:AssocF from:1976 till:1996

  bar:5  color:Full from:1947 till:1976 text:Rhode Island (1947–1996)
  bar:5  color:AssocF from:1976 till:1996

  bar:6  color:Full from:1947 till:1974 text:Vermont (1947–1976)
  bar:6  color:FullxF  from:1974 till:1976 text:

  bar:7  color:FullxF from:1971 till:1972 text:Holy Cross (1971–1972)

  bar:8  color:FullxF from:1971 till:1973 text:Boston (1971–1996)
  bar:8  color:Full  from:1973 till:1976 text:
  bar:8  color:AssocF from:1976 till:1996

  bar:9  color:AssocF from:1986 till:1996 text:Delaware (1986–1996)

  bar:10 color:AssocF from:1986 till:1996 text:Richmond (1986–1996)

  bar:11 color:AssocF from:1988 till:1996 text:Villanova (1988–1996)

  bar:12 color:AssocF from:1993 till:1996 text:James Madison (1993–1996)

  bar:13 color:AssocF from:1993 till:1996 text:Northeastern (1993–1996)

  bar:14 color:AssocF from:1993 till:1996 text:William & Mary (1993–1996)

ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:10 start:1947

TextData =
   fontsize:L
   textcolor:black
   pos:(370,30) # tabs:(0-center)
   text:"Yankee Conference membership history"
</timeline>

{{Font color||{{RGB|190|186|218}}|Full members (all-sports)}} {{Font color||{{RGB|141|211|199}}|Full members (non-football)}} {{Font color||{{RGB|251|128|114}}|Assoc. members (football only)}}

== Overtime rule ==
The Yankee Conference was the first college football conference to implement college football's current overtime rules.  The overtime rules known as the "[[Kansas Playoff]]" or "Kansas Plan", where each team is given a possession at the 25 yard line, was used by the Yankee Conference to determine the end to tie games well before it was adopted by the rest of the [[NCAA]] in 1996.{{Citation needed|date=September 2018}}

==Conference champions==
{{col-begin}}
{{col-break}}

===Football===
{| cellpadding="1" border="1" cellspacing="0"
!bgcolor="#57068c"| <span style="color:white;">Year</span>
!bgcolor="#57068c"| <span style="color:white;">Champion</span>
|-
|'''1947'''{{nbsp}}
|New Hampshire
|-
|'''1948'''
|New Hampshire
|-
|'''1949'''
|Connecticut, Maine
|-
|'''1950'''
|New Hampshire
|-
|'''1951'''
|Maine
|-
|'''1952'''
|Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire
|-
|'''1953'''
|New Hampshire, Rhode Island
|-
|'''1954'''
|New Hampshire
|-
|'''1955'''
|Rhode Island
|-
|'''1956'''
|Connecticut
|-
|'''1957'''
|Connecticut, Rhode Island
|-
|'''1958'''
|Connecticut
|-
|'''1959'''
|Connecticut
|-
|'''1960'''
|Connecticut, Massachusetts
|-
|'''1961'''
|Maine
|-
|'''1962'''
|New Hampshire
|-
|'''1963'''
|Massachusetts
|-
|'''1964'''
|Massachusetts
|-
|'''1965'''
|Maine
|-
|'''1966'''
|Massachusetts
|-
|'''1967'''
|Massachusetts
|-
|'''1968'''
|Connecticut, New Hampshire
|-
|'''1969'''
|Massachusetts
|-
|'''1970'''
|Connecticut
|-
|'''1971'''
|Connecticut, Massachusetts
|-
|'''1972'''
|Massachusetts
|-
|'''1973'''
|Connecticut
|-
|'''1974'''
|Maine, Massachusetts
|-
|'''1975'''
|New Hampshire
|-
|'''1976'''
|New Hampshire
|-
|'''1977'''
|Massachusetts
|-
|'''1978'''
|Massachusetts
|-
|'''1979'''
|Massachusetts
|-
|'''1980'''
|Boston University
|-
|'''1981'''
|Rhode Island, Massachusetts
|-
|'''1982'''
|Boston U., Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts
|-
|'''1983'''
|Boston U., Connecticut
|-
|'''1984'''
|Boston U., Rhode Island
|-
|'''1985'''
|Rhode Island
|-
|'''1986'''
|Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts
|-
|'''1987'''
|Maine, Richmond
|-
|'''1988'''
|Delaware, Massachusetts
|-
|'''1989'''
|Connecticut, Maine, Villanova
|-
|'''1990'''
|Massachusetts
|-
|'''1991'''
|Delaware, New Hampshire, Villanova
|-
|'''1992'''
|Delaware
|-
|'''1993'''
|Boston U.
|-
|'''1994'''
|New Hampshire
|-
|'''1995'''
|Delaware
|-
|'''1996'''
|William & Mary
|}
{{col-break}}

===Men's basketball===
{| cellpadding="1" border="1" cellspacing="0"
!bgcolor="#CC0000"| <span style="color:white;">Year</span>
!bgcolor="#CC0000"| <span style="color:white;">Regular season champion</span>
|-
|'''1946–47'''
|Vermont
|-
|'''1947–48'''
|[[1947–48 Connecticut Huskies men's basketball team|Connecticut]]
|-
|'''1948–49'''
|[[1948–49 Connecticut Huskies men's basketball team|Connecticut]]
|-
|'''1949–50'''
|Rhode Island
|-
|'''1950–51'''
|[[1950–51 Connecticut Huskies men's basketball team|Connecticut]]
|-
|'''1951–52'''
|[[1951–52 Connecticut Huskies men's basketball team|Connecticut]]
|-
|'''1952–53'''
|[[1952–53 Connecticut Huskies men's basketball team|Connecticut]]
|-
|'''1953–54'''
|[[1953–54 Connecticut Huskies men's basketball team|Connecticut]]
|-
|'''1954–55'''
|[[1954–55 Connecticut Huskies men's basketball team|Connecticut]]
|-
|'''1955–56'''
|[[1955–56 Connecticut Huskies men's basketball team|Connecticut]]
|-
|'''1956–57'''
|[[1956–57 Connecticut Huskies men's basketball team|Connecticut]]
|-
|'''1957–58'''
|[[1957–58 Connecticut Huskies men's basketball team|Connecticut]]
|-
|'''1958–59'''
|[[1958–59 Connecticut Huskies men's basketball team|Connecticut]]
|-
|'''1959–60'''
|[[1959–60 Connecticut Huskies men's basketball team|Connecticut]]
|-
|'''1960–61'''
|Rhode Island
|-
|'''1961–62'''
|Massachusetts
|-
|'''1962–63'''
|[[1962–63 Connecticut Huskies men's basketball team|Connecticut]]
|-
|'''1963/64'''
|[[1963–64 Connecticut Huskies men's basketball team|Connecticut]]<br>Rhode Island
|-
|'''1964/65'''
|[[1964–65 Connecticut Huskies men's basketball team|Connecticut]]
|-
|'''1965–66'''
|[[1965–66 Connecticut Huskies men's basketball team|Connecticut]]<br>Rhode Island
|-
|'''1966–67'''
|[[1966–67 Connecticut Huskies men's basketball team|Connecticut]]
|-
|'''1967–68'''
|Massachusetts<br>Rhode Island
|-
|'''1968–69'''
|Massachusetts
|-
|'''1969–70'''
|[[1969–70 Connecticut Huskies men's basketball team|Connecticut]]<br>Massachusetts
|-
|'''1970–71'''
|Massachusetts
|-
|'''1971–72'''
|Rhode Island
|-
|'''1972–73'''
|Massachusetts
|-
|'''1973–74'''
|Massachusetts
|-
|'''1974–75'''
|Massachusetts
|-
|'''1975–76'''
|Massachusetts
|}
{{col-end}}

=== Men's soccer ===
* 1965: Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut
* 1966: Vermont
* 1967: Vermont
* 1968: Vermont, Rhode Island
* 1969: Vermont
* 1970: Massachusetts
* 1971: Rhode Island, Vermont
* 1972: Rhode Island
* 1973: Connecticut
* 1974: Connecticut
* 1975: Vermont
* 1976: Connecticut
* 1977: Rhode Island
* 1978: Connecticut
* 1979: New Hampshire

==Modern club football conference==
The phrase "Yankee Conference" is alluded to in the 21st-century [http://yankeecollegiatefootballconference.webs.com/ Yankee Collegiate Football Conference], which fields teams at the [[club football]] level. 

Three of the schools in the original Yankee Conference, [[Boston University Terriers football|Boston University]], Maine and [[Vermont Catamounts football|Vermont]], fielded teams in the modern Yankee Conference: since neither Boston nor Vermont currently has a varsity team, the club football team was the highest ranking football team representing the school in both cases. 

The other two schools in the modern Yankee Conference were [[Clarkson University]] and [[Onondaga Community College]]. The conference also allowed an independent team, the Southwestern Connecticut Grizzlies, to play in the league and contest for the championship, even though it was not associated with any college or university. The modern conference last played in 2016.

==See also==
*[[List of defunct college football conferences]]
*[[Hockey East]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Coastal Athletic Association Football Conference navbox}}
{{NCAA Division I FCS conference navbox}}

[[Category:Yankee Conference| ]]
[[Category:Sports leagues established in 1946]]
[[Category:Sports leagues disestablished in 1997]]
[[Category:1946 establishments in the United States]]
[[Category:1997 disestablishments in the United States]]
[[Category:Defunct NCAA Division I conferences]]
[[Category:Defunct NCAA Division II conferences]]
[[Category:NCAA Division II]]