Patriot League

thumb|right|Patriot League football officials and referee

The Patriot League is a collegiate athletic conference comprising primarily leading private institutions of higher education and two United States service academies based in the Northeastern United States. Except for the Ivy League, it is the most selective group of higher education institutions in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I and has a very high student-athlete graduation rate for both the NCAA graduation success rate and the federal graduation rate.

The Patriot League has 10 core members: American University, the United States Military Academy (Army), Boston University, Bucknell University, Colgate University, College of the Holy Cross, Lafayette College, Lehigh University, Loyola University Maryland, and the United States Naval Academy (Navy). All 10 core members participate in the NCAA Division I for all Patriot League sports that they offer. Since the conference does not offer every available NCAA sport, most schools are affiliated with other collegiate conferences for sports such as ice hockey and wrestling, and five other schools whose home conferences do not sponsor sports that they offer are associate members of the Patriot League for those sports.

Only half of the conference's core members compete in the Patriot League for football, as part of the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS): Bucknell, Colgate, Holy Cross, Lafayette, and Lehigh. Of the five other conference members, American, Boston University, and Loyola Maryland do not sponsor football, while Army and Navy play in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision as football-only members of the American Athletic Conference (The American).

Five other institutions are Patriot League members only for specific sports, and are referred to as associate members. Fordham University, Georgetown University, and the University of Richmond are associate members in football, while Georgetown and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) are associate members in women's rowing. Two more schools will join as associate members for football in 2026—Villanova University and the College of William & Mary.

About

Patriot League members are schools with very strong academic reputations that adhere strongly to the ideal of the "scholar-athlete", with the emphasis on "scholar". An academic index ensures that athletes are truly representative of and integrated with the rest of the student body. Out-of-league play for Patriot League schools is often with members of the Ivy League, which follow similar philosophies regarding academics and athletics.

Patriot League members have some of the oldest collegiate athletic programs in the country. In particular, "The Rivalry" between Lehigh University and Lafayette College is both the nation's most-played and longest-uninterrupted college football series.

The winner of the Patriot League basketball tournament receives an automatic invitation to the NCAA Division I basketball tournament every March. In recent years, Bucknell (twice) and Lehigh have both won NCAA tournament games. The Patriot League champions in a number of other sports also receive an automatic invitation to their respective NCAA tournaments.

History

left|thumb|250px|Locations of current Patriot League full member institutions.

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.

thumb|180px|[[Carl F. Ullrich]]

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

{| class="wikitable"

!Name

!Years

!Current

|Alan Childs

|Lafayette College Professor of Psychology

|Carl F. Ullrich

|League's first full-time Executive Director; retired

|Connie Hurlbut

|Western Athletic Conference Deputy Commissioner and SWA

|Carolyn Schlie Femovich

|The PICTOR Group Senior Partner

|Jennifer Heppel

|Previously Big Ten Conference Associate Commissioner for Governance

Member schools

Full members

There are ten "full" member schools:

{|class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"

! Institution

! Location

! Founded

! Type

! Undergraduate enrollment

! Endowment

! Nickname

! Joined

! class="unsortable" | Colors

| American University

| Washington, D.C.

| 1893

| United Methodist

| 8,463

| $1,120

| Eagles

| 2001

|

| West Point, New York

| 1802

| Federal

| 4,594

| N/A

| Black Knights

| 1990

| Boston University

| Boston, Massachusetts

| 1839

| Nonsectarian

| 18,229

| $3,350

| Terriers

| 2013

| Bucknell University

| Lewisburg, Pennsylvania

| 1846

| Nonsectarian

| 3,724

| $1,260

| Bison

| 1986

| Colgate University

| Hamilton, New York

| 1819

| Nonsectarian

| 3,164

| $1,202

| Raiders

| 1986

| Worcester, Massachusetts

| 1843

| Catholic

| 3,138

| $1,230

| Crusaders

| 1986

| Lafayette College

| Easton, Pennsylvania

| 1826

| Nonsectarian

| 2,725

| $1,125

| Leopards

| 1986

| Lehigh University

| Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

| 1865

| Nonsectarian

| 5,451

| $1,400

| Mountain Hawks

| 1986

| Loyola University Maryland

| Baltimore, Maryland

| 1852

| Catholic

| 3,787

| $308

| Greyhounds

| 2013

|

| Annapolis, Maryland

| 1845

| Federal

| 4,528

| N/A

| Midshipmen

| 1991

;Notes:

Associate members

There are four associate member schools:

{|class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"

! Institution

! Location

! Founded

! Type

! Undergraduate enrollment

! Nickname

! Joined

! class="unsortable" | Colors

! PL sport(s)

! Primary conference

| Fordham University

| The Bronx, New York

| 1841

| Catholic

| 9,904

| Rams

| 1995

| Football

| Atlantic 10 (A-10)

| rowspan="2" | Georgetown University

| rowspan="2" | Washington, D.C.

| rowspan="2" | 1789

| rowspan="2" | Catholic

| rowspan="2" | 7,598

| rowspan="2" | Hoyas

| 2001

| rowspan="2" |

| Football

| rowspan="2" | Big East

| 2013

| Women's rowing

| Massachusetts Institute of Technology

| Cambridge, Massachusetts

| 1861

| Nonsectarian

| 4,638

| Engineers

| 2009

| Women's rowing

| New England (NEWMAC)

| University of Richmond

| Richmond, Virginia

| 1830

| Nonsectarian

| 3,164

| Spiders

| 2025

| Football

| Atlantic 10 (A-10)

;Notes:

<!--===Future full members===

{|class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"

! Institution

! Location

! Founded

! Type

! Undergraduate enrollment

! Nickname

! Joined

! class="unsortable" | Colors

! Current conference

;Notes:

-->

Future associate members

{|class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"

! Institution

! Location

! Founded

! Type

! Undergraduate enrollment

! Nickname

! Joining

! class="unsortable" | Colors

! PL sport(s)

! Primary conference

! Current conference in PL sport(s)

| Villanova University

| Villanova, Pennsylvania

| 1842

| Catholic

| 11,023

| Wildcats

| 2026

| Football

| Big East

| CAA Football

| Williamsburg, Virginia

| 1693

| Public

| 7,063

| Tribe

| 2026

| Football

| Coastal (CAA)

| CAA Football

;Notes:

Former full members

{|class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"

! Institution

! Location

! Founded

! Type

! Undergraduate enrollment

! Nickname

! Joined

! Left

! Current conference

| Fordham University

| Bronx, New York

| 1841

| Catholic

| 8,220

| Rams

| 1990

| 1995

| Atlantic 10 (A-10)

;Notes:

Former associate members

{|class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"

! Institution

! Location

! Founded

! Type

! Nickname

! Joined

! Left

! class="unsortable" | Colors

! PL sport(s)

! Primary conference

! Current conference in former PL sport(s)

| Davidson College

| Davidson, North Carolina

| 1837

| Presbyterian

| Wildcats

| 1986

| 1989

| Football

| Atlantic 10 (A-10)

| Pioneer (PFL)

| Fairfield University

| Fairfield, Connecticut

| 1942

| Catholic

| Stags

| 1996

| 2004

| Field hockey

| Metro Atlantic (MAAC)

| Northeast (NEC)

| Hobart College

| Geneva, New York

| 1822

| Nonsectarian

| Statesmen

| 1999

| 2004

| Men's lacrosse

| Liberty (LL)

| Atlantic 10 (A-10)

| University of Richmond

| Richmond, Virginia

| 1830

| Nonsectarian

| Spiders

| 2014

| 2024

| Women's golf

| colspan="2" | Atlantic 10 (A-10)

| Towson University

| Towson, Maryland

| 1866

| Public

| Tigers

| 1997

| 2004

| Football

| Coastal (CAA)

| CAA Football

| Ursinus College

| Collegeville, Pennsylvania

| 1869

| Nonsectarian

| Bears

| 1996

| 2002

| Field hockey

| colspan="2" | Centennial

| Villanova University

| Villanova, Pennsylvania

| 1842

| Catholic

| Wildcats

| 1998

| 2006

| Women's lacrosse

| colspan="2" | Big East

;Notes:

Membership timeline

DateFormat = yyyy

ImageSize = width:1000 height:auto barincrement:20

Period = from:1986 till:2036

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PlotArea = right:5 left:5 bottom:40 top:5

Colors =

id:line value:black

id:bg value:white

id:Full value:rgb(0.7,0.9,0.8) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports

id:FullxF value:rgb(0.9,0.8,0.7) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports except for football

id:AssocF value:rgb(0.9,0.7,0.8) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member for football only

id:AssocOS value:rgb(0.8,0.9,0.7) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member for another sport only

id:OtherC1 value:rgb(0.996,0.996,0.699) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved in another conference

id:OtherC2 value:rgb(0.988,0.703,0.383) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved in another conference when the other color has already been used

PlotData=

width:15 textcolor:black shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:s

bar:1 color:AssocF from:1986 till:1989 text:Davidson (1986–1989)

bar:2 color:AssocF from:1986 till:1990 text:Bucknell (1986–present)

bar:2 color:Full from:1990 till:end

bar:3 color:AssocF from:1986 till:1990 text:Colgate (1986–present)

bar:3 color:Full from:1990 till:end

bar:4 color:AssocF from:1986 till:1990 text:Holy Cross (1986–present)

bar:4 color:Full from:1990 till:end

bar:5 color:AssocF from:1986 till:1990 text:Lafayette (1986–present)

bar:5 color:Full from:1990 till:end

bar:6 color:AssocF from:1986 till:1990 text:Lehigh (1986–present)

bar:6 color:Full from:1990 till:end

bar:7 color:OtherC1 from:1986 till:1989 text:MAAC

bar:7 color:AssocF from:1989 till:1990

bar:7 color:Full from:1990 till:1995 text:Fordham (1990–1995)

bar:7 shift:(20) color:AssocF from:1995 till:end text:A-10 (PL fb.-only, 1995–present)

bar:8 color:OtherC1 from:1986 till:1990 text:MAAC

bar:8 color:FullXF from:1990 till:end text:Army (1990–present)

bar:9 color:OtherC1 from:1986 till:1991 text:CAA

bar:9 color:FullXF from:1991 till:end text:Navy (1991–present)

bar:10 color:AssocOS from:1996 till:2004 text:Fairfield (f.h., 1996–2004)

bar:11 color:AssocOS from:1996 till:2002 text:Ursinus (f.h., 1996–2002)

bar:12 color:AssocF from:1997 till:2004 text:Towson (1997–2004)

bar:13 color:AssocOS from:1998 till:2006 text:Villanova (w.lax., 1998–2006)

bar:13 color:AssocF from:2026 till:end text:(fb., 2026–future)

bar:14 color:AssocOS from:1999 till:2004 text:Hobart (m.lax., 1999–2004)

bar:15 color:OtherC1 from:1986 till:2001 text:CAA

bar:15 color:FullXF from:2001 till:end text:American (2001–present)

bar:16 color:AssocF from:2001 till:end text:Georgetown (fb., 2001–present; w.row., 2013–present)

bar:17 color:AssocOS from:2009 till:end text:MIT (w.row., 2009–present)

bar:18 color:OtherC1 from:1986 till:1988 text:ECAC-N

bar:18 shift:(10) color:OtherC1 from:1988 till:1996 text:NAC

bar:18 shift:(20) color:OtherC1 from:1996 till:2013 text:America East

bar:18 color:FullXF from:2013 till:end text:Boston University (2013–present)

bar:19 color:OtherC1 from:1986 till:1988 text:ECAC-M

bar:19 shift:(10) color:OtherC1 from:1988 till:1989 text:NEC

bar:19 shift:(20) color:OtherC2 from:1989 till:2013 text:MAAC

bar:19 color:FullXF from:2013 till:end text:Loyola (Md.) (2013–present)

bar:20 color:AssocOS from:2014 till:2024 text:Richmond (w.gf., 2014–2024)

bar:20 color:AssocF from:2025 till:end text:(fb., 2025–present)

bar:21 color:AssocF from:2026 till:end text:William & Mary (2026–future)

bar:N color:red from:1986 till:1990 text:Colonial League

bar:N color:blue from:1990 till:end text:Patriot League

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> If the chart uses more than one bar color, add a legend by selecting the appropriate fields from the following three options (use only the colors that are used in the graphic.) Leave a blank line after the end of the timeline, then add a line with the selected values from the list, separated by a space.

</timeline>

Sports

The Patriot League sponsors championship competition in 12 men's and 13 women's NCAA-sanctioned sports. Fordham, Georgetown, and Richmond are associate members for football, and Georgetown and MIT are associate members for rowing.

Men's sponsored sports by school

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center; width:80%;"

! scope="col" | School || Baseball || Basketball || Cross Country || FCS Football || Golf || Lacrosse || Soccer || Swimming & Diving || Tennis || Track & Field (Indoor) || Track & Field (Outdoor) || Total

| American || || || || || || || || || || || || 6

| Army || || || || || || || || || || || || 10

| Boston || || || || || || || || || || || || 8

| Bucknell || || || || || || || || || || || || 11

| Colgate || || || || || || || || || || || || 10

| Holy Cross || || || || || || || || || || || || 11

| Lafayette || || || || || || || || || || || || 11

| Lehigh || || || || || || || || || || || || 11

| Loyola || || || || || || || || || || || || 7

| Navy || || || || || || || || || || || || 10

! Totals || 6 || 10 || 10 || 5+3 || 8 || 9 || 10 || 10 || 9 || 9 || 9 || 95+3

! colspan="13" | Associate Members

| Fordham || || || || || || || || || || || || 1

| Georgetown || || || || || || || || || || || || 1

| Richmond || || || || || || || || || || || || 1

! colspan="13" | Future Associate Members

| Villanova || || || || || || || || || || || || 1

| William & Mary || || || || || || || || || || || || 1

Men's varsity sports not sponsored by the Patriot League which are played by Patriot League schools

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center; width:80%;"

! scope="col" | School || Fencing || FBS Football || Sprint Football || Gymnastics || Ice Hockey || Rifle || Rowing || Rugby || Sailing || Squash || Water Polo || Wrestling

| American || – || – || – || – || – || – || – || – || – || – || – || EIWA

| Army || – || American || CSFL || EIGL || AHA || GARC || – || Rugby East || – || – || – || EIWA

| Boston || – || – || – || – || Hockey East || – || EARC || – || – || – || – || –

| Bucknell || – || – || – || – || – || – || – || – || – || – || CWPA || EIWA

| Colgate || – || – || – || – || ECAC Hockey || – || Independent || – || – || – || – || –

| Holy Cross || – || – || – || – || AHA || – || EARC || – || – || – || – || –

| Lafayette || MACFA || – || – || – || – || – || – || – || – || – || – || –

| Lehigh || – || – || – || – || – || – || MARC || – || – || – || – || EIWA

| Loyola || – || – || – || – || – || – || Independent || – || – || – || – || –

| Navy || – || American || – || EIGL || – || GARC || EARC || – || ISA || MASC || CWPA || EIWA

Women's sponsored sports by school

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center; width:80%;"

! scope="col" | School || Basketball || Cross Country || Field Hockey || Golf || Lacrosse || Rowing || Soccer || Softball || Swimming & Diving || Tennis || Track & Field (Indoor) || Track & Field (Outdoor) || Volleyball || Total

| American || || || || || || || || || || || || || || 9

| Army || || || || || || || || || || || || || || 10

| Boston || || || || || || || || || || || || || || 12

| Bucknell || || || || || || || || || || || || || || 13

| Colgate || || || || || || || || || || || || || || 12

| Holy Cross || || || || || || || || || || || || || || 13

| Lafayette || || || || || || || || || || || || || || 11

| Lehigh || || || || || || || || || || || || || || 13

| Loyola || || || || || || || || || || || || || || 10

| Navy || || || || || || || || || || || || || || 11

! Totals || 10 || 10 || 7 || 5 || 10 || 7+2 || 10 || 7 || 10 || 9 || 10 || 10 || 9 || 113+2

! colspan="15" | Associate Members

| Georgetown || || || || || || || || || || || || || || 1

| MIT || || || || || || || || || || || || || || 1

Women's varsity sports not sponsored by the Patriot League which are played by Patriot League schools

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center; width:80%;"

! scope="col" | School || Fencing || Ice Hockey || Rifle || Lightweight Rowing || Rugby || Sailing || Water Polo || Wrestling

| Army || – || – || GARC || – || NIRA || – || – || –

| Boston || – || Hockey East || – || EARC || – || – || – || –

| Bucknell || – || – || – || – || – || – || CWPA || –

| Colgate || – || ECAC Hockey || – || – || – || – || – || –

| Holy Cross || – || Hockey East || – || – || – || – || – || –

| Lafayette || MACFA || – || – || – || – || – || – || –

| Lehigh || – || – || – || – || – || – || – || Independent

| Navy || – || – || GARC || – || – || ISA || – || –

President's Cup

The Patriot League Presidents' Cup is awarded to the member institution with the highest cumulative sports point total for their Patriot League standings in sponsored men's and women's sports. Points are awarded based upon a combination of an institution's regular-season and tournament finishes in each sport.

President's Cup Winners (combined men and women):

1991 - Bucknell
1992 - Bucknell
1993 - Bucknell
1994 - Army
1995 - Army
1996 - Bucknell
1997 - Army
1998 - Bucknell
1999 - Bucknell
2000 - Bucknell
2001 - Bucknell
2002 - Bucknell
2003 - Bucknell
2004 - Bucknell
2005 - Army
2006 - Bucknell
2007 - Bucknell
2008 - Bucknell
2009 - Bucknell
2010 - Bucknell
2011 - Bucknell
2012 - Navy
2013 - Bucknell
2014 - Navy
2015 - Navy
2016 - Navy
2017 - Navy
2018 - Navy
2019 - Navy
2020 - (COVID-19 pandemic)
2021 - Navy
2022 - Navy
2023 - Navy
2024 - Navy
2025 - Army

thumb|[[Bryan Cohen]]

Baseball

;Tournament champion and MVP

:See: Patriot League baseball tournament

Basketball

;Men's tournament champion, runner-up, and MVP

:See: Patriot League men's basketball tournament

;Women's tournament champion

:See: Patriot League women's basketball tournament

;NCAA

In NCAA basketball, Boston, Bucknell, Navy, Lehigh, and Holy Cross are the only teams in the conference ever to have recorded NCAA Tournament victories. Bucknell won tournament games in 2005 over Kansas and in 2006 over Arkansas. Lehigh won over Duke in the first round in the 2012 tournament.

The Bison, Mountain Hawks, and Crusaders are the only teams to win in the NCAA tournament while actually representing the Patriot League. A Navy team—then representing the Colonial Athletic Association—led by future Hall of Famer David Robinson won three tournament games while advancing to the regional finals in 1986, while BU won two games in the 1959 tournament before falling in the regional finals. Holy Cross was among the best teams in the country in the late 1940s and early 1950s, and won the 1947 national championship with a team that included future Hall of Famer Bob Cousy. Its combined record in the NCAA tournament is 8–12. After a 63-year drought, Holy Cross defeated Southern University in the 2016 NCAA Tournament. Bryan Cohen of Bucknell was named Patriot League Defensive Player of Year in 2010, 2011, and 2012; he was the only player in league history to win the award three times.

Field hockey

;Tournament champion

1994 – Lehigh
2021 – American
2022 – Lehigh
2023 – American
2024 – Lafayette
2025 – Boston

Football

;League champions:

1986 – Holy Cross
1987 – Holy Cross
1988 – Lafayette
1989 – Holy Cross
1990 – Holy Cross
1991 – Holy Cross
1992 – Lafayette
1993 – Lehigh
1994 – Lafayette
1995 – Lehigh
1996 – Bucknell
1997 – Colgate
1998 – Lehigh
1999 – Colgate and Lehigh
2000 – Lehigh
2001 – Lehigh
2002 – Colgate and Fordham
2003 – Colgate
2004 – Lafayette and Lehigh
2005 – Colgate and Lafayette
2006 – Lafayette and Lehigh
2007 – Fordham
2008 – Colgate
2009 – Holy Cross
2010 – Lehigh
2011 – Lehigh
2012 – Colgate
2013 – Lafayette
2014 – Fordham
2015 – Colgate
2016 – Lehigh
2017 – Colgate and Lehigh
2018 – Colgate
2019 – Holy Cross
2020 – Holy Cross
2021 – Holy Cross
2022 – Holy Cross
2023 – Lafayette and Holy Cross
2024 – Lehigh and Holy Cross
2025 – Lehigh

thumb|340px|Fordham vs. Navy at [[Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, 2016]]

The Patriot League prohibited athletic scholarships for football from its founding (as the Colonial League) until the league presidents voted to approve football scholarships starting with the 2013 recruiting class. Since then, each school has been allowed no more than the equivalent of 15 scholarships to incoming football players in any given season. With the transition to scholarship football having been completed in 2016, each school is now allowed a maximum of 60 scholarship equivalents per season, three short of the NCAA FCS maximum. However, Georgetown does not offer scholarships.

Until 1997, Patriot League teams did not participate in the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs. This practice was in step with the Ivy League's policy of not participating in the playoffs, since the Patriot League was founded with the Ivy League's athletics philosophy. Since 1997, the league champion receives an automatic playoff berth. If there are co-champions, a tie-breaker determines the playoff participant, though the other co-champion is eligible to be selected with an at-large invitation.

Colgate was the first team to receive the league's automatic berth, in 1997. The following year, Lehigh won the league's first playoff game. This was also the first year in which a Patriot League team, Colgate, received a playoff invitation without being a league co-champion. Fordham has since repeated that feat in 2013, 2015 and 2022.

Because the Georgetown Hoyas opted out of the 2020-21 NCAA Division I FCS football season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Patriot League split into a north and south division for the first time. This led to the first ever Patriot League Football Championship Game

Lacrosse

;Men's league champions:

1991 – Army
1992 – Army
1993 – Army
1994 – Army
1995 – Army
1996 – Bucknell
1997 – Army
1998 – Army
1999 – Army and Lehigh
2000 – Hobart and Lehigh
2001 – Bucknell
2002 – Army, Bucknell and Hobart
2003 – Army and Bucknell
2004 – Navy
2005 – Navy
2006 – Navy
2007 – Navy
2008 – Colgate
2009 – Navy
2010 – Army
2011 – Bucknell
2012 – Lehigh
2013 – Lehigh
2014 – Loyola
2015 – Colgate
2016 – Loyola
2017 – Loyola
2018 – Loyola
2019 – Army
2020 - (COVID-19 pandemic)
2021 - Lehigh
2022 - Boston
2023 - Army
2024 - Lehigh
2025 – Colgate
2026 – Army

, the Army Black Knights men's lacrosse team have fourteen conference championships, the most of any school in the conference. Prior to the 2004 season, no conference tournament was held to determine a single winner.

;Women's league champions:

1991 – Lafayette
1992 – Lafayette
1993 – Lafayette
1994 – Lehigh
1995 – Lafayette
1996 – Lafayette
1997 – Lafayette
1998 – Lafayette
1999 – Colgate
2000 – Lafayette
2001 – Lafayette
2002 – Lafayette
2003 – American
2004 – Colgate
2005 – Colgate
2006 – Holy Cross
2007 – Holy Cross
2008 – Colgate
2009 – Colgate
2010 – Navy
2011 – Navy
2012 – Navy
2013 – Navy
2014 – Loyola
2015 – Loyola
2016 – Loyola
2017 – Navy
2018 – Navy
2019 – Loyola
2020 – (COVID-19 pandemic)
2021 – Loyola
2022 – Loyola
2023 – Loyola
2024 – Loyola
2025 – Navy

Soccer

;Men's tournament champion, runner-up, and MVP

:See: Patriot League Men's Soccer Tournament

;Women's league champions:

1990 - Colgate
1991 – Colgate
1992 – Colgate
1993 – Army West Point
1994 – Colgate
1995 – Colgate
1996 – Colgate
1997 – Colgate
1998 – Colgate
1999 – Colgate
2000 – Holy Cross
2001 – Bucknell
2002 – American
2003 – Navy
2004 – Colgate
2005 – Bucknell
2006 – Navy
2007 – Navy
2008 – Army West Point
2009 – Colgate
2010 – Lehigh
2011 – Army West Point
2012 – Colgate
2013 – Boston
2014 – Boston
2015 – Boston
2016 – Bucknell
2017 – Bucknell
2018 – Boston
2019 – Navy
2020–21 – Navy
2021 – Bucknell
2022 – Bucknell
2023 – Bucknell
2024 – Boston
2025 – Army West Point

Facilities

Future members in green.

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"

| style="text-align:center; "| American Eagles|

|colspan=2

|Bender Arena

|3,044

|colspan=2

|Reeves Field

|700

| style="text-align:center; "|

|colspan=2

|Christl Arena

|5,043

|Johnson Stadium at Doubleday Field

|880

|Clinton Field

|2,000

| style="text-align:center; "| Boston University Terriers|

|colspan=2

|Agganis Arena Case Gym

|7,200 1,800

|colspan=2

|Nickerson Field

|10,412

| style="text-align:center; "| Bucknell Bison|

|Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium

|13,100

|Sojka Pavilion

|4,000

|Eugene B. Depew Field

|500

|Emmitt Field at Holmes Stadium

|1,250

| style="text-align:center; "| Colgate Raiders|

|Crown Field at Andy Kerr Stadium

|10,221

|Cotterell Court

|3,000

|colspan=2

|Beyer-Small '76 Field

|2,000

| style="text-align:center; "| Holy Cross Crusaders|

|Fitton Field

|23,500

|Hart Center

|3,600

|Hanover Insurance Park at Fitton Field

|3,000

|Linda Johnson Smith Soccer Stadium

|1,320

| style="text-align:center; "| Lafayette Leopards|

|Fisher Stadium

|13,132

|Kirby Sports Center

|2,644

|Kamine Stadium

|500

|Oaks Stadium

|1,000

| style="text-align:center; "| Lehigh Mountain Hawks|

|Goodman Stadium

|16,000

|Stabler Arena

|5,600

|J. David Walker Field at Legacy Park

|370

|Ulrich Sports Complex

|2,400

| style="text-align:center; "|

|colspan=2

|Reitz Arena

|2,100

|colspan=2

|Ridley Athletic Complex

|6,000

| style="text-align:center; "|

|colspan=2

|Alumni Hall

|5,710

|Max Bishop Stadium

|1,500

|Glenn Warner Soccer Facility

|2,500

{| class="wikitable sortable"

| style="text-align:center; "|

|Coffey Field

|7,000

| style="text-align:center; "|

|Cooper Field

|4,418

| style="text-align:center; "| Richmond Spiders|

|E. Claiborne Robins Stadium

|8,217

|-bgcolor=lightgreen

| style="text-align:center; "|

|Villanova Stadium

|12,500

|-bgcolor=lightgreen

| style="text-align:center; "|

|Walter J. Zable Stadium

|12,672

;Notes

Media

The Patriot League Network (PLN) was created in collaboration with Campus Insiders on 29 July 2013. The league had previously offered live events via streaming media since the autumn of 2006. The network was absorbed into ESPN+ on 16 September 2020.

Literature

The Patriot League was profiled in the John Feinstein book The Last Amateurs (2000). The title is derived from the belief that the Patriot League was the last Division I basketball league that plays a conference tournament (the Ivy League, which operates under the same model, albeit with no scholarships, did not hold a conference tournament until the 2016–17 season) and functions as a place for student-athletes rather than a de facto minor professional circuit with players not representative of their student bodies. The book is Feinstein's chronicle of all seven of the league's men's basketball teams at the time during the 1999–2000 season.