The Little Three
Williams • Amherst • Wesleyan
There are at least two athletic seasons for each Williams
varsity team, the regular season and the Little Three.
The three schools first formally banded together in 1899 as the
Triangular League. The Triangular League broke up over an argument
concerning the eligibility of college baseball players who received
pay during summer league play. As a result of the ill feelings,
Williams and Amherst did not play from 1902 to 1904.
In 1905 the Williams Athletic Council voted to consider the games
against Amherst and Wesleyan as championship contests. When Amherst
and Wesleyan resumed competition in 1910 the Little Three as we
know it today began in earnest. Once referred to as "The
Triumvirate," the exact origin of the term "Little Three" is not
known. One of the earliest references appeared in John
Hallahan’s Football in New England Colleges in 1923. Said
Hallahan, "Williams College again won the championship of the
"Little Three" which includes Wesleyan and Amherst..."
The Little Three is believed to be America’s oldest,
continuous intercollegiate athletic conference without a membership
change. Little Three championships are contested in 24 sports
throughout the academic year.
From 1985-86 to 2009-10 Williams had great success in Little Three
competitions, winning the most Little Three titles each year and
frequently winning more in one year than Amherst and Wesleyan
combined! In the 1990s the Ephs averaged 19 Little Three titles per
year.
Williams won 17 outright Little Three titles and tied for two more
in 2009-10 to top the Little Three competition with Amherst and
Wesleyan for the 25th consecutive year.
In 2010-11 Amherst stopped the Eph streak of most Little Three titles won in a year by claiming 12 to the Ephs's 10.
Summary of 2010-11 Little Three Championships courtesy of Brian Katten at Wesleyan University.
