Mid-South Conference Commissioner Eric Ward announced today that Keiser (Fla.) University will join the conference as an affiliate member in football in 2017-18.

The Mid-South Conference Council of Presidents unanimously approved Keiser as the MSC's 21st affiliate member and the 21st institution in the Mid-South to sponsor football.

"We are always excited to welcome like-minded institutions into the Mid-South Conference," Ward said. "Keiser has an excellent athletic and academic history and we know that they will only strengthen what we consider the best football conference in the NAIA.

"We look forward to working with their student-athletes, coaches and administrators."

Keiser joins the largest football conference at any level of collegiate athletics. The Seahawks will join Ave Maria (Fla.), Edward Waters (Fla.), Faulkner (Ala.), Southeastern (Fla.), Warner (Fla.) and Webber International (Fla.) in the seven-team MSC Sun Division.

"We are excited to be joining the Mid-South Conference as a football member in 2018, and we appreciate the help that Commissioner Ward provided during this process," Keiser athletics director Kris Swogger said. "The conference has a long and storied football tradition, and as a new program we look forward to the high level of competition that we will face each week." 

Keiser announced the addition of football to its 22-sport athletics department on Oct. 24, 2016. The Seahawks named Doug Socha the program's first head coach on Jan. 17, 2017.

"We are thrilled to be joining such a competitive football conference in 2018, and hope to add to the competitiveness in the near-future," Socha said. "We appreciate the support of Commissioner Ward as we begin the process of building a competitive program."

The Mid-South Conference just completed the first year of its 20-team, three-division football conference in 2017. The expansion to 20 teams occurred last summer. Four Mid-South Conference teams reached the NAIA Football Championship Series -- the NAIA playoffs -- in 2017. Three Mid-South teams reached the national quarterfinals and one team finished national runner-up.

Keiser opens Mid-South Conference play on August 25, 2018, as the Seahawks face Pikeville (Ky.) at home. Keiser's first Sun Division game is scheduled for Sept. 29 against Edward Waters (Fla.).