FCS conference belt
The Coastal Athletic Belt
A companion lineage restricted to Coastal Athletic: the belt passes to whoever beats the holder, exactly like the real belt, but only games between two Coastal Athletic members COUNT — and only for the seasons both sides were actually in Coastal Athletic at the time. Caught it by beating UAlbany on September 19, 2026. Defended it 1 more time since. The conference has also been recorded as Atlantic 10, CAA, Yankee; those seasons count here too.
Next Coastal Athletic gameMonmouth at New Hampshire · October 17, 2026 · FloSports — New Hampshire takes it with a win.
63Reigns
188Belt Games
16Programs
Longest Reign
James Madison — 1 yr, 356 days
October 15, 2016 – October 6, 2018
Most Defenses, One Reign
James Madison — 16
starting October 15, 2016
Most Reigns, All-Time
William & Mary — 7 separate reigns
16 Coastal Athletic programs have held it
| # | Team | Reign | Length | Def. | Won it | Lost it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | UConn | October 6, 1979 – November 17, 1979 | 42 days | 3 | Established it (first game on record) | — belt retired — |
| 2 | Maine | September 6, 2003 – September 20, 2003 | 14 days | 0 | Re-established it (no Coastal Athletic games on record between 1979 and 2003) | lost to Massachusetts |
| 3 | Massachusetts | September 20, 2003 – November 15, 2003 | 56 days | 7 | beat Maine 24–16 | lost to Delaware |
| 4 | Delaware | November 15, 2003 – September 2, 2004 | 292 days | 1 | beat Massachusetts 51–45 | lost to New Hampshire |
| 5 | New Hampshire | September 2, 2004 – September 18, 2004 | 16 days | 0 | beat Delaware 24–21 | lost to William & Mary |
| 6 | William & Mary | September 18, 2004 – October 23, 2004 | 35 days | 2 | beat New Hampshire 9–7 | lost to Delaware |
| 7 | Delaware | October 23, 2004 – November 6, 2004 | 14 days | 0 | beat William & Mary 31–28 | lost to James Madison |
| 8 | James Madison | November 6, 2004 – November 13, 2004 | 7 days | 0 | beat Delaware 20–13 | lost to William & Mary |
| 9 | William & Mary | November 13, 2004 – September 17, 2005 | 308 days | 1 | beat James Madison 27–24 | lost to Rhode Island |
| 10 | Rhode Island | September 17, 2005 – October 8, 2005 | 21 days | 0 | beat William & Mary 48–29 | lost to Towson |
| 11 | Towson | October 8, 2005 – October 22, 2005 | 14 days | 0 | beat Rhode Island 23–14 | lost to William & Mary |
| 12 | William & Mary | October 22, 2005 – October 29, 2005 | 7 days | 0 | beat Towson 44–13 | lost to Villanova |
| 13 | Villanova | October 29, 2005 – November 5, 2005 | 7 days | 0 | beat William & Mary 35–21 | lost to Towson |
| 14 | Towson | November 5, 2005 – November 12, 2005 | 7 days | 0 | beat Villanova 40–19 | lost to Richmond |
| 15 | Richmond | November 12, 2005 – October 7, 2006 | 329 days | 2 | beat Towson 48–21 | lost to New Hampshire |
| 16 | New Hampshire | October 7, 2006 – October 14, 2006 | 7 days | 0 | beat Richmond 27–17 | lost to James Madison |
| 17 | James Madison | October 14, 2006 – November 11, 2006 | 28 days | 3 | beat New Hampshire 42–23 | lost to Villanova |
| 18 | Villanova | November 11, 2006 – September 29, 2007 | 322 days | 2 | beat James Madison 21–20 | lost to James Madison |
| 19 | James Madison | September 29, 2007 – October 27, 2007 | 28 days | 2 | beat Villanova 35–7 | lost to Richmond |
| 20 | Richmond | October 27, 2007 – September 27, 2008 | 336 days | 5 | beat James Madison 17–16 | lost to Villanova |
| 21 | Villanova | September 27, 2008 – October 25, 2008 | 28 days | 2 | beat Richmond 26–20 | lost to James Madison |
| 22 | James Madison | October 25, 2008 – October 3, 2009 | 343 days | 3 | beat Villanova 23–19 | lost to Hofstra |
| 23 | Hofstra | October 3, 2009 – October 10, 2009 | 7 days | 0 | beat James Madison 24–17 | lost to Maine |
| 24 | Maine | October 10, 2009 – October 17, 2009 | 7 days | 0 | beat Hofstra 16–14 | lost to Richmond |
| 25 | Richmond | October 17, 2009 – November 7, 2009 | 21 days | 2 | beat Maine 38–21 | lost to Villanova |
| 26 | Villanova | November 7, 2009 – October 2, 2010 | 329 days | 3 | beat Richmond 21–20 | lost to William & Mary |
| 27 | William & Mary | October 2, 2010 – November 13, 2010 | 42 days | 2 | beat Villanova 31–24 | lost to James Madison |
| 28 | James Madison | November 13, 2010 – October 8, 2011 | 329 days | 3 | beat William & Mary 30–24 | lost to Maine |
| 29 | Maine | October 8, 2011 – November 5, 2011 | 28 days | 3 | beat James Madison 25–24 | lost to Towson |
| 30 | Towson | November 5, 2011 – October 6, 2012 | 336 days | 2 | beat Maine 40–30 | lost to James Madison |
| 31 | James Madison | October 6, 2012 – October 20, 2012 | 14 days | 1 | beat Towson 13–10 | lost to Richmond |
| 32 | Richmond | October 20, 2012 – September 28, 2013 | 343 days | 3 | beat James Madison 35–29 | lost to Maine |
| 33 | Maine | September 28, 2013 – November 23, 2013 | 56 days | 6 | beat Richmond 28–21 | lost to New Hampshire |
| 34 | New Hampshire | November 23, 2013 – September 19, 2015 | 1 yr, 300 days | 8 | beat Maine 24–3 | lost to Stony Brook |
| 35 | Stony Brook | September 19, 2015 – September 26, 2015 | 7 days | 0 | beat New Hampshire 31–6 | lost to William & Mary |
| 36 | William & Mary | September 26, 2015 – October 3, 2015 | 7 days | 0 | beat Stony Brook 21–0 | lost to Delaware |
| 37 | Delaware | October 3, 2015 – October 10, 2015 | 7 days | 0 | beat William & Mary 24–23 | lost to Rhode Island |
| 38 | Rhode Island | October 10, 2015 – October 17, 2015 | 7 days | 0 | beat Delaware 20–0 | lost to Richmond |
| 39 | Richmond | October 17, 2015 – November 7, 2015 | 21 days | 2 | beat Rhode Island 37–12 | lost to New Hampshire |
| 40 | New Hampshire | November 7, 2015 – October 15, 2016 | 343 days | 5 | beat Richmond 30–25 | lost to James Madison |
| 41 | James Madison | October 15, 2016 – October 6, 2018 | 1 yr, 356 days | 16 | beat New Hampshire 42–39 | lost to Elon |
| 42 | Elon | October 6, 2018 – October 13, 2018 | 7 days | 0 | beat James Madison 27–24 | lost to Delaware |
| 43 | Delaware | October 13, 2018 – November 10, 2018 | 28 days | 3 | beat Elon 28–16 | lost to Stony Brook |
| 44 | Stony Brook | November 10, 2018 – November 17, 2018 | 7 days | 0 | beat Delaware 17–3 | lost to UAlbany |
| 45 | UAlbany | November 17, 2018 – October 5, 2019 | 322 days | 1 | beat Stony Brook 25–23 | lost to Richmond |
| 46 | Richmond | October 5, 2019 – November 9, 2019 | 35 days | 3 | beat UAlbany 23–20 | lost to Villanova |
| 47 | Villanova | November 9, 2019 – October 30, 2021 | 1 yr, 355 days | 5 | beat Richmond 35–28 | lost to William & Mary |
| 48 | William & Mary | October 30, 2021 – November 6, 2021 | 7 days | 0 | beat Villanova 31–18 | lost to Delaware |
| 49 | Delaware | November 6, 2021 – November 13, 2021 | 7 days | 0 | beat William & Mary 24–3 | lost to Richmond |
| 50 | Richmond | November 13, 2021 – October 1, 2022 | 322 days | 2 | beat Delaware 51–27 | lost to Elon |
| 51 | Elon | October 1, 2022 – October 15, 2022 | 14 days | 1 | beat Richmond 30–27 | lost to Rhode Island |
| 52 | Rhode Island | October 15, 2022 – October 29, 2022 | 14 days | 1 | beat Elon 17–10 | lost to William & Mary |
| 53 | William & Mary | October 29, 2022 – September 30, 2023 | 336 days | 5 | beat Rhode Island 31–30 | lost to Elon |
| 54 | Elon | September 30, 2023 – October 14, 2023 | 14 days | 0 | beat William & Mary 14–6 | lost to Villanova |
| 55 | Villanova | October 14, 2023 – October 19, 2024 | 1 yr, 5 days | 6 | beat Elon 21–0 | lost to Maine |
| 56 | Maine | October 19, 2024 – October 26, 2024 | 7 days | 0 | beat Villanova 35–7 | lost to Rhode Island |
| 57 | Rhode Island | October 26, 2024 – November 9, 2024 | 14 days | 1 | beat Maine 24–14 | lost to Delaware |
| 58 | Delaware | November 9, 2024 – November 23, 2024 | 14 days | 1 | beat Rhode Island 24–21 | lost to Villanova |
| 59 | Villanova | November 23, 2024 – September 20, 2025 | 301 days | 0 | beat Delaware 38–28 | lost to Monmouth |
| 60 | Monmouth | September 20, 2025 – November 8, 2025 | 49 days | 4 | beat Villanova 51–33 | lost to New Hampshire |
| 61 | New Hampshire | November 8, 2025 – August 28, 2026 | 293 days | 2 | beat Monmouth 34–13 | lost to UAlbany |
| 62 | UAlbany | August 28, 2026 – September 19, 2026 | 22 days | 0 | beat New Hampshire 28–14 | lost to Monmouth |
| 63 | Monmouth | September 19, 2026 – Present | 22 days | 1 | beat UAlbany 28–20 | — present — |
No reigns match “.”
Membership is judged season by season from every game a team played, so realignment moves a team’s games with it. A holder that stays in Coastal Athletic keeps the belt through any stretch without a game against another member; a holder that leaves vacates the belt on its last game as a member, and it reverts to the most recent earlier holder that is a member of the season it left for. If no one is left to inherit it, the belt retires with its last holder. Days count the offseason; switch to games to measure a reign by belt games only.