Western Athletic Conference
The Western Athletic Conference ( WAC) is a regional scale in high school sports in the United States. It is one of the Conferences of the Division I, the top division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA). In college football, the WAC is one of the eleven seasons of the Bowl Subdivision, one to 2006 known as Division IA, part breakdown of Division I. It was founded on July 27, 1962, includes with the exception of Louisiana Tech University colleges particularly in the western United States (California, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah). The headquarters of the WAC is located in Greenwood Village, Colorado. Among the sports in which the Western Athletic Conference organized competitions, baseball, basketball, American football, golf, tennis and athletics are for men and basketball, football (soccer ), volleyball, softball, golf, tennis, swimming, diving, gymnastics among women.
History
The Western Athletic Conference was founded in 1962 after about three years of negotiations between universities, which until then were organized in the Border Intercollegiate Athletic Association, the Skyline Conference and the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC ). After the PCC had been discontinued because of scandals in 1959, led the establishment of the WAC to the liquidation of the Border Intercollegiate Athletic Association and the Skyline Conference. Of the six founding colleges - University of Arizona, Arizona State University, Brigham Young University, University of New Mexico, University of Utah and University of Wyoming - today is, however, no longer represented in the WAC.
The establishment of the WAC had initially positive financial and competitive impact on the sports activities of the participating universities, which came into corresponding successes in national competitions for expression. Two of the founding members left the Conference, however, to join the Pacific -10 Conference (Pac -10). Nevertheless, the WAC expanded in the following years by the inclusion of other universities, including due to the decline in the number of so-called independent schools, so colleges that did not belong Conference. In 1990 came the merger with the High Country Athletic Conference, which had existed up to that point parallel to the WAC and had been responsible for the area of women's sports.
After the dissolution of the Southwest Conference (SWC ) in 1996 so that the WAC from 1996 to 1998 in two divisions (Pacific Division and Mountain Division ), the number of universities increased in the Western Athletic Conference by the reception of former SWC members to 16, was organized. With this development, but not all previous members were happy, as they believe that sank the sporting quality, while the travel costs rose. Eight universities, including the four remaining founding members, left the WAC in 1999 and founded the Mountain West Conference ( MWC).
From 2000, the composition of the WAC was characterized by frequent changes, because both universities have been added as well as other universities left the Conference. In particular, 2005, the membership changed significantly by three admissions and four exits. The Boise State University left the Western Athletic Conference with the beginning of season 2011/2012 and moved to the MWC. In August 2010, the California State University, Fresno and the University of Nevada, Reno announced her move to the Mountain West Conference. The University of Hawaii at Manoa in 2012 but only be a football member of the Big West Conference to join otherwise. But in 2012, five new Unitersitäten the WAC to join.
Current Members
The Western Athletic Conference is currently composed of the following universities as full members:
- California State University, Fresno, California (since 1992)
- University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada ( since 2000)
- Louisiana Tech University, Louisiana (since 2001)
- New Mexico State University, New Mexico ( since 2005)
- San Jose State University, California (since 1996)
- University of Idaho, Idaho (since 2005)
- Utah State University, Utah ( since 2005)
Six other universities are also not participate as associate members in all sports.
Former members
The following universities were among the WAC in the course of its history, the Conference, however, have left:
- United States Air Force Academy (1980-1999; exchange in the Mountain West Conference)
- University of Arizona (1962-1978, change in the Pacific -10 Conference)
- Arizona State University (1962-1978; exchange in the Pacific -10 Conference)
- Boise State University, (2001-2011; exchange in the Mountain West Conference)
- Brigham Young University (1962-1999; exchange in the Mountain West Conference)
- Colorado State University (1967-1999; exchange in the Mountain West Conference)
- University of New Mexico (1962-1999; exchange in the Mountain West Conference)
- Rice University (1996-2005; exchange in the Conference USA )
- San Diego State University (1978-1999; exchange in the Mountain West Conference)
- Southern Methodist University (1996-2005; exchange in the Conference USA )
- Texas Christian University (1996-2001; exchange in the Mountain West Conference)
- University of Tulsa (1996-2005; exchange in the Conference USA )
- University of Nevada, Las Vegas (1996-1999; exchange in the Mountain West Conference)
- University of Utah (1962-1999; exchange in the Mountain West Conference)
- University of Wyoming (1962-1999; exchange in the Mountain West Conference)