Completed Event: Baseball at Old Dominion on May 15, 2026 , Loss , 0, to, 10 , (8 innings)
BASE
Final
James Madison
0
at Old Dominion
(8 innings)
10
James Madison University | Official Athletics Site
CAA Commissioner Tom Yeager to Retire Next Year
6/12/2015 12:45:00 PM | Administration
RICHMOND, Va. – After a 40-year career in collegiate athletics, including more than three decades as the only commissioner in the history of the Colonial Athletic Association, Tom Yeager announced on Thursday that he will retire at the conclusion of the 2015-16 season (June 30, 2016).
"It has been my privilege and honor to represent the outstanding institutions in the CAA for what will be 31 years," said Yeager, who is the longest-tenured commissioner of a NCAA Division I conference. "At the conference's core is our institutions' unwavering commitment to conduct their athletic programs as a vital component of their students' educational experience. I am very proud that this commitment has enabled us to create programs and a competitive environment that has enhanced each student's experience."
During an era of unprecedented change in collegiate athletics, Yeager established the CAA as one of the nation's most successful conferences athletically and academically. He transformed what was once a Virginia/North Carolina conference into a league with a presence in many of the major metropolitan areas on the East Coast. The current CAA footprint, which runs from Boston to Charleston, S.C., encompasses four of the nation's top nine media markets.
"Tom has provided exemplary leadership to the conference since day one," JMU Director of Athletics Jeff Bourne said. "He has guided the CAA through huge triumphs and memorable moments while also navigating multiple challenges. Through it all, he has always championed student-athlete welfare and the collegiate experience. He built this league into one of the pre-eminent conferences at the mid-major level in all of Division I. We at JMU are grateful for his service."
In his tenure, the conference has produced 19 national team champions in five different sports, 33 individual national champions, 16 national coaches of the year and 17 national players of the year. The league also boasts five Rhodes Scholar student-athletes, 24 NCAA post-graduate scholars and 13 Honda Award winners.
The conference garnered national attention with its success in basketball as George Mason (2006) and VCU (2011) advanced to the Men's Final Four and Old Dominion (1997) reached the Women's Final Four. National championships have been won in football by Delaware in 2003, James Madison in 2004, Richmond in 2008 and Villanova in 2009.
The Colonial Academic Alliance was established in 2002 with a goal of expanding partnerships to all aspects of university education and life outside of intercollegiate athletics. It has enabled hundreds of students to showcase their research, facilitated leadership exchanges to promote professional development and developed an academic resource sharing program to support student-athletes.
"Tom Yeager has led our conference as the sole commissioner since its formation in 1985," said James Madison University President Jonathan Alger. "Under his leadership, many CAA teams have seen great success, including Final Four finishes for our men's basketball programs, a runner-up finish in the women's national basketball championship, national FCS championships for our football teams, and national championships in women's soccer and field hockey. Tom's steadfast commitment to the development and well-being of our student-athletes is what has formed his true legacy. Thousands of CAA student-athletes have matriculated under his reign and will be forever grateful, as we are, for his deep commitment, dedication and tireless effort to support their development."
Under the direction of Director of Athletics Dean Ehlers and President Ronald Carrier, JMU was a founding member of the CAA in 1985 and has been integral to the league's beginning and growth under Yeager's watch. The Dean Ehlers Award is presented annually as the league's highest honor recognizing achievement in all aspects of the student-athlete experience.
In addition to his longstanding ties to JMU due to the institution's status as a founding member of the league, both of Yeager's children, Kyle ('03) and Hallie ('05, '06), also graduated from JMU.
"It has been my privilege and honor to represent the outstanding institutions in the CAA for what will be 31 years," said Yeager, who is the longest-tenured commissioner of a NCAA Division I conference. "At the conference's core is our institutions' unwavering commitment to conduct their athletic programs as a vital component of their students' educational experience. I am very proud that this commitment has enabled us to create programs and a competitive environment that has enhanced each student's experience."
During an era of unprecedented change in collegiate athletics, Yeager established the CAA as one of the nation's most successful conferences athletically and academically. He transformed what was once a Virginia/North Carolina conference into a league with a presence in many of the major metropolitan areas on the East Coast. The current CAA footprint, which runs from Boston to Charleston, S.C., encompasses four of the nation's top nine media markets.
"Tom has provided exemplary leadership to the conference since day one," JMU Director of Athletics Jeff Bourne said. "He has guided the CAA through huge triumphs and memorable moments while also navigating multiple challenges. Through it all, he has always championed student-athlete welfare and the collegiate experience. He built this league into one of the pre-eminent conferences at the mid-major level in all of Division I. We at JMU are grateful for his service."
In his tenure, the conference has produced 19 national team champions in five different sports, 33 individual national champions, 16 national coaches of the year and 17 national players of the year. The league also boasts five Rhodes Scholar student-athletes, 24 NCAA post-graduate scholars and 13 Honda Award winners.
The conference garnered national attention with its success in basketball as George Mason (2006) and VCU (2011) advanced to the Men's Final Four and Old Dominion (1997) reached the Women's Final Four. National championships have been won in football by Delaware in 2003, James Madison in 2004, Richmond in 2008 and Villanova in 2009.
The Colonial Academic Alliance was established in 2002 with a goal of expanding partnerships to all aspects of university education and life outside of intercollegiate athletics. It has enabled hundreds of students to showcase their research, facilitated leadership exchanges to promote professional development and developed an academic resource sharing program to support student-athletes.
"Tom Yeager has led our conference as the sole commissioner since its formation in 1985," said James Madison University President Jonathan Alger. "Under his leadership, many CAA teams have seen great success, including Final Four finishes for our men's basketball programs, a runner-up finish in the women's national basketball championship, national FCS championships for our football teams, and national championships in women's soccer and field hockey. Tom's steadfast commitment to the development and well-being of our student-athletes is what has formed his true legacy. Thousands of CAA student-athletes have matriculated under his reign and will be forever grateful, as we are, for his deep commitment, dedication and tireless effort to support their development."
Under the direction of Director of Athletics Dean Ehlers and President Ronald Carrier, JMU was a founding member of the CAA in 1985 and has been integral to the league's beginning and growth under Yeager's watch. The Dean Ehlers Award is presented annually as the league's highest honor recognizing achievement in all aspects of the student-athlete experience.
In addition to his longstanding ties to JMU due to the institution's status as a founding member of the league, both of Yeager's children, Kyle ('03) and Hallie ('05, '06), also graduated from JMU.
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