The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA) was one of the earliest collegiate athletic conferences, formed in December 1894. Though many of its earliest schools departed in the 1920s to form the Southern Conference, and later the Southeastern Conference and Atlantic Coast Conference, it existed until 1942.
The first post-season college conference basketball tournament was staged in 1921 by the SIAA. In 1922 and 1923, the SIAA and Southern Conference shared a common tournament. Western Kentucky under Edgar Diddle won the last six tournaments, with three led by center Carlisle Towery. In 1947 there was an attempt, led by Western Kentucky, to revive the SIAA. Western Kentucky hosted an SIAA basketball tournament that turned out to be little more than an invitational tournament because most former SIAA members declined to participate.SIAA having trouble filling basketball tournament, , The Paducah Sun-Democrat 02 Mar 1947 Page 16, retrieved April 30, 2019.
Basketball was invented by James Naismith in 1891. It seemed to take off in the South in 1906, when Yale's basketball team traveled throughout the South. In 1909, continuous dribbling and shots off the dribble were allowed.
Champions by year This is an incomplete list of champions of the SIAA. Year Team1906Auburn or Nashville1907Auburn1908Auburn1909Georgia or Vanderbilt1910Central 1911Central1912Mercer1913Mississippi A&MMiss State Media Guide1914Georgia or Kentucky or Mississippi A&M1915LSU 1916Georgia and Tennessee1917 Georgia and LSUPlanas, J. F. (1979). The History of LSU Basketball. United States: Moran. p. 61918Georgia 1919Centre 1920 Vanderbilt 1921 Kentucky
Post-Southern Conference
Year Team1922Mercer1923Chattanooga1924Mercer1925Mercer1926 Mississippi College1927The Citadel1928Mississippi College1929Mississippi College1930Louisiana-Lafayette1931Centenary1932Chattanooga and Mississippi College1933?1934Western Kentucky1935Millsaps1936Murray State1937Western Kentucky1938Western Kentucky1939Western Kentucky1940Western Kentucky1941Western Kentucky1942Western Kentucky
Revival
Year Team1947Western Kentucky
References