| Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) |
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|---|---|
| Established | 1890 |
| Association | NAIA |
| Members | 10 |
| Sports fielded | 19 (men's: 9; women's: 10) |
| Region | Kansas Region IV of the NAIA |
| Headquarters | Wichita, Kansas |
| Commissioner | Scott Crawford (since 2007) |
| Website | http://www.kcacsports.com |
| Locations | |
The Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) is an intercollegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NAIA. It is commonly called "The Kansas Conference", and as the name implies, all members are located in Kansas. The KCAC ranks among the oldest conferences in the United States, tracing its history to 1890.
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On February 15, 1890, the Kansas Intercollegiate Athletic Association was formed; it was the first successful attempt to organize Kansas colleges for the purposes of promoting and regulating amateur intercollegiate athletics. In addition to the private universities and colleges, the conference also included Kansas State Agriculture College (now Kansas State University), the University of Kansas, and Washburn University.
About 1902 the association allied with the Kansas College Athletic Conference, the first group to adopt a definite set of rules and regulations. By the 1920s the conference had changed its name to Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference and had grown to include 17 regular members and 2 allied members (no longer including the University of Kansas or Kansas State). In 1923 seven colleges withdrew to form the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
On December 1, 1928, the Kansas Intercollegiate Athletic Conference was formally disbanded and replaced by a new Kansas College Athletic Conference which included 6 members and formed the present legal entity. It was commonly referred to as the "Little Six", in contrast to the Big Six Conference that eventually became the current Big 12. By 1968 the conference grew to include 12 members. It was organized into Northern and Southern divisions until 1970 when three colleges withdrew to join Missouri-based conferences. In the mid-1970s the name was changed to its current form.[1]
The conference is currently composed of ten independent or private institutions of higher learning from within Kansas. The members (and year admitted):
| Institution | Location | Founded | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bethany College | Lindsborg, Kansas | 1881 | 500 | Swedes | 1928 |
| Bethel College | North Newton, Kansas | 1887 | 500 | Threshers | 1939 |
| Friends University | Wichita, Kansas | 1898 | 3,000 | Falcons | 1953 |
| Kansas Wesleyan University | Salina, Kansas | 1886 | 1,000 | Coyotes | 1928 |
| McPherson College | McPherson, Kansas | 1887 | 600 | Bulldogs | 1928 |
| Ottawa University | Ottawa, Kansas | 1865 | 726 | Braves | 1928* |
| University of Saint Mary | Leavenworth, Kansas | 1859 | 750 | Spires | 1999 |
| Southwestern College | Winfield, Kansas | 1885 | 1,650 | Moundbuilders | 1958 |
| Sterling College | Sterling, Kansas | 1887 | 750 | Warriors | 1958 |
| Tabor College | Hillsboro, Kansas | 1908 | 600 | Bluejays | 1968 |
The KCAC sponsors athletic competition in men’s baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s football, men's and women’s golf, men’s and women’s soccer, women’s softball, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s track and field, and women’s volleyball.
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