The origins of the Patriot League began after the eight Ivy League schools expanded their football schedules to ten games starting in 1980. Needing opponents with a similar competitive level on a regular basis for each team's three nonconference games, the league contacted two university presidents, the
Reverend John E. Brooks,
S.J., of
Holy Cross, and
Peter Likins of Lehigh, about forming a new conference that also prohibited
athletic scholarships. The result was the
Colonial League, a football-only circuit that began competition in 1986. Its six charter members were Holy Cross, Lehigh,
Bucknell,
Colgate, Lafayette, and
Davidson. Davidson dropped out after the 1988 season for reasons related to geography, lack of competitiveness, and a reluctance to relinquish its basketball scholarships in case the conference expanded into other sports. In 1990, the league changed its name to the Patriot League at the suggestion of
Carl F. Ullrich,) In 1997,
Towson joined as an associate member in football. (Towson left after the 2003 fall season to join the
Atlantic 10 Conference, whose
football conference would be absorbed by the Colonial Athletic Association, now the
Coastal Athletic Association, in 2007.) In 1999,
Hobart joined as an associate member in men's lacrosse and
Villanova joined as an associate member in women's lacrosse. (Hobart left after the 2004 spring season, to join the
ECAC Lacrosse League, while Villanova left after the 2006 spring season.) In 2001,
American University joined as the eighth full member and
Georgetown University joined as an associate member in football. and
Loyola University Maryland doing so on August 29. In May 2024, the
University of Richmond, who at the time was already an associate member of the league for women's golf, announced that they would also move their football program to the Patriot League for the 2025 season, becoming the Patriot League's first new football-playing member in over 20 years. On April 25, 2025, the
College of William & Mary announced that it would be joining the Patriot League as a football-only associate member, starting in the 2026 season.
Athletic scholarships While Patriot League colleges have always offered need-based financial aid, league members have only been allowed to give athletic scholarships in recent years. Basketball scholarships were first allowed beginning with freshmen entering the league in the fall of 1998. In 2001, when the league admitted American, which gave scholarships in all its sports (AU does not play football), the league began allowing all schools to do so in sports other than football. Lafayette, the last holdout with no athletic scholarships, began granting full rides in basketball and other sports with freshmen entering the school in the fall of 2006. Most Patriot League schools do not give athletic scholarships in a number of sports, and Bucknell only granted them in basketball prior to the addition of football scholarships in 2013. In the spring of 2009, Fordham University announced that it would start offering football scholarships in the fall of 2010. This action made Fordham ineligible for the league championship in that sport, but it also prompted a league-wide discussion on football scholarships. On February 13, 2012, the Patriot League announced its members could begin offering football scholarships starting with the 2013–14 academic year. Since then, each school has been allowed no more than the equivalent of 15 scholarships to incoming football players. Presidents from six of the seven football schools indicated they would award scholarships in the fall of 2012.
Georgetown University did not commit to offering scholarships. Since the transition to scholarship football was completed for the 2016–17 academic year, each football member has been allowed up to 60 scholarship equivalents per season, a total only slightly lower than the NCAA limit of 63 scholarship equivalents for FCS programs. Currently, Patriot League schools are permitted to offer up to the NCAA maximum of 63 scholarships for its football programs.
Chronological timeline • 1986 — The Patriot League was founded as a football-only league known as the Colonial League. Charter members included
Bucknell University,
Colgate University,
Davidson College, the
College of the Holy Cross,
Lafayette College and
Lehigh University, beginning the 1986 fall season (1986–87 academic year). • 1989: • Davidson left the Colonial League after the 1988 fall season (1988–89 academic year). •
Fordham University joined the Colonial League in the 1989 fall season (1989–90 academic year). • 1990: • The Colonial League renamed itself as the Patriot League, while rebranding itself as a multi-sport conference (with Bucknell, Colgate, Fordham, Holy Cross, Lafayette and Lehigh as charter members while upgrading for all sports), beginning the 1990–91 academic year. • The
United States Military Academy (Army) joined the Patriot League in the 1990–91 academic year. • 1991 – The
United States Naval Academy (Navy) joined the Patriot League in the 1991–92 academic year. • 1995 – Fordham left the Patriot League to join the
Atlantic 10 Conference (A10) after the 1994–95 academic year; while remaining in the conference as an associate member for football, beginning the 1995 fall season (1995–96 academic year). • 1996 –
Fairfield University and
Ursinus College joined the Patriot League as associate members for field hockey in the 1996 fall season (1996–97 academic year). • 1997 –
Towson University (formerly Towson State University) joined the Patriot League as an associate member for football in the 1997 fall season (1997–98 academic year). • 1998 –
Villanova University joined the Patriot League as an associate member for women's lacrosse in the 1999 spring season (1998–99 academic year). • 1999 –
Hobart College joined the Patriot League as an associate member for men's lacrosse in the 2000 spring season (1999–2000 academic year). • 2001: •
American University joined the Patriot League in the 2001–02 academic year. •
Georgetown University joined the Patriot League as an associate member for football in the 2001 fall season (2001–02 academic year). • 2002 – Ursinus left the Patriot League as an associate member for women's lacrosse after the 2002 spring season (2001–02 academic year). • 2004 – Two institutions left the Patriot League as associate members, both effective after the 2004 spring season (2003–04 academic year): • Fairfield for field hockey • and Hobart for men's lacrosse • 2009 – The
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) joined the Patriot League as an associate member for women's rowing in the 2010 spring season (2009–10 academic year). • 2013: •
Boston University and
Loyola University of Maryland joined the Patriot League in the 2013–14 academic year. • Georgetown added women's rowing into its Patriot League associate membership in the 2014 spring season (2013–14 academic year). • 2014 – The
University of Richmond joined the Patriot League as an associate member for women's golf in the 2015 spring season (2014–15 academic year). • 2024 – Richmond left the Patriot League as an associate member for women's golf after the 2024 spring season (2023–24 academic year). • 2025 – Richmond rejoined the Patriot League as an associate member, this time for football, in the 2025 fall season (2025–26 academic year). • 2026 – The
College of William and Mary and
Villanova University will join the Patriot League as associate members for football, beginning the 2026 fall season (2026–27 academic year). ==Executive directors==