Joe D’Antonio, the man who brought two HBCUs into the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA), is getting an extension.
D’Antonio recently completed his eighth year as Commissioner of the CAA and is only the second person to serve in the role during the league’s 39-year history. A five-year contract extension was approved by the conference’s presidents and chancellors.
“Joe has done an outstanding job of guiding the CAA through a challenging period in collegiate athletics,” said College of Charleston President Andrew Hsu, chair of the CAA Board of Directors. “His success in navigating a global pandemic, fortifying the conference’s membership and enhancing the league’s broadcast and streaming platforms has allowed the CAA to thrive and maintain its excellence both athletically and academically. We look forward to his continued leadership.”
D’Antonio came to the then-Colonial Athletic Association from the Big East, where he served as the Senior Associate Commissioner for Administration and NCAA Relations.
“I am extremely humbled and deeply appreciative of the opportunity to continue to serve the CAA and its member institutions,” D’Antonio said in a statement. “Collectively, and in collaboration with the CAA Board of Directors, Athletic Directors, SWAs and a dedicated Conference staff, we have worked diligently to put the Conference in a position to meet the challenges of an ever-changing NCAA Division I landscape. I am excited for the opportunity to continue to grow the sustainable and competitive model we have created in the CAA, while also continuing to provide our student-athletes with exceptional athletic and academic experiences.”
He has re-shaped the CAA, which has lost programs such as Old Dominion and James Madison over the past 15 years and is set to lose Delaware after this one, as well as Richmond. However, the league has added five new schools since 2022 – including HBCUs Hampton University and North Carolina A&T.
Under D’Antonio’s leadership, the CAA entered a four-year, seven-figure annual partnership with FloSports to provide live and on-demand coverage for the league’s 24 sports. More than 1,500 live events were broadcast on FloSports during the 2023-24 season. The CAA also expanded its relationship with CBS Sports Network that resulted in 24 regular-season men’s basketball games being televised last season in addition to the semifinals and finals of the CAA Men’s Basketball Championship. CBS Sports Network also carried the finals of the CAA Women’s Basketball Championship for the second year in a row.
CAA institutions have excelled in the classroom as well, ranking sixth among the nation’s 32 Division I conferences in the latest Academic Progress Rate report for the 2022-23 academic year. The CAA ranked third nationally among women’s basketball programs and fourth in men’s basketball and football.