Beginning in 1866 , Rutgers was unaffiliated with any formal athletic conference and thus classified as " independent " for eighty years . From 1946 to 1951 , the university was a member of the Middle Three Conference , and from 1958 to 1961 , was a member of the Middle Atlantic Conference . In 1978 , the Rutgers Scarlet Knights became a member of the Atlantic 10 conference . In 1991 , it joined the Big East Conference for football . All sports programs at Rutgers New Brunswick subsequently became affiliated with the Big East in 1995
Big East Conference
Big East Conference (1979–2013)
Rutgers University