A track championship bearing the conference's name continued for several years after the demise of the all-sports league.
Its members were predominantly from states bordering the eponymous Mason–Dixon line.
Originally for track and field only, it was established in 1936 by Waldo Hamilton and Dorsey Griffith who both coached the sport at Johns Hopkins University and The Catholic University of America respectively.
Its main purpose was to provide an annual championship meet for smaller colleges.
[4] The Mason–Dixon Conference sought to "solidify small college athletics and to stimulate a competitive spirit.