Binghamton’s Division I TIMELINE

April, 1993 - Intercollegiate Athletics Board begins discussing elevating to Division I.

April, 1995 - IAB votes to initially endorse and study a proposal to upgrade program from Division III to II.

May, 1995 - BU completes year with overall win percentage of 70%, six NCAA tournament teams and 15 All-Americans.

March, 1996 - President Lois B. DeFleur accepts IAB’s proposal and announces that BU will move from NCAA Division III to II in fall 1998.

May, 1996 - BU completes school year with two national champions, 17 All-Americans and six NCAA teams. The program places 12th among 395 schools in the Sears Directors’ Cup for overall excellence.

September, 1996 - BU announces it will depart the SUNYAC after spring 1997 and compete as an independent Division III program during the 1997-98 year.

February, 199 - The New England Collegiate Conference accepts BU as its 10th member beginning in the 1998-99 year.

May, 1997 - BU crowns one national champion, 10 All-Americans and places 13th in the nation in the Directors’ Cup.

May, 1998 - BU crowns three national champions, two runners-up and 12 All-Americans; places 32nd among 395 in the Directors’ Cup. In the school’s final Division III event, BU crowns two track national champions.

September, 1998 - BU begins competition as a Division II institution.

April, 1999 - IAB votes 11-1 in favor of upgrading athletics program to Division I.

May, 1999 - In its very first year of Division II, BU wins NECC Presidents’ Cup for overall excellence in the 10-member conference, beating out fellow SUNY centers Albany and Stony Brook.

May 6, 1999 - DeFleur makes announcement that BU will begin complying with NCAA rules for Division I athletics.

August 27, 1999 - BU unveils its new nickname and logo, "Bearcats."

May, 2000 - BU teams complete year with 11 conference championships.

June 7, 2000 - BU breaks ground on a $38.3 million multi-purpose athletics field house which will seat 6,000 for basketball and feature a 200-meter track, and three tennis courts.

January 10, 2001 - BU men’s basketball defeats Army, 72-55, for the program’s first-ever win over a Division I program. The game was seen by 1,357 fans in the West Gym.

February 17, 2001 - BU women’s basketball defeats Lehigh in front of 1,121 fans in the West Gym for the team’s 10th win in 13 games against Division I teams.

February 22, 2001 - BU men’s basketball plays No. 25 Providence in front of 8,742 fans. It is the largest crowd to watch any BU athletics event, and is the first time the men’s basketball program faces a nationally-ranked Division I team.

April 18, 2001 - America East accepts Binghamton beginning in fall of 2001.