Big Eight Conference

This article concerns the dissolved NCAA Division I-A conference. For other uses, see Big Eight Conference (disambiguation).
Big Eight Conference
Established 1907
Dissolved 1996
Association NCAA
Division Division I
Members 8 (final), 12 (total)
Region Midwestern United States, Mountain States, West South Central States
Former names Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association (1907–1964)
Big Six Conference (1928–1948, unofficial)
Big Seven Conference (1948–1957, unofficial)
Big Eight Conference (1957–1964, unofficial)
Headquarters Kansas City, Missouri
Locations

The Big Eight Conference, a former NCAA-affiliated Division I-A college athletic association that sponsored football, was formed in January 1907 as the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MVIAA)[1] by its charter member schools: the University of Kansas, University of Missouri,[1] University of Nebraska, and Washington University in St. Louis. Additionally, the University of Iowa was a joint member of the newly formed MVIAA and the older Western Conference (now the Big Ten Conference).

The Big Eight dissolved in 1996, when its members joined the newly formed Big 12 Conference. The Big Eight's headquarters were in Kansas City, Missouri. Although Kansas City wanted to be the home for the headquarters of the new conference, the member schools voted, 7–5, to establish the conference headquarters in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. (The four Texas schools plus Colorado, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State voted for Irving, while Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, and Nebraska voted for Kansas City.[2])

Contents

History

In 1908 Drake University and Iowa State College (now Iowa State University) joined the MVIAA , increasing the conference membership to seven. Iowa departed in 1911 but Kansas State University joined the conference in 1913. Nebraska left in 1919 to play two seasons as an independent. Also in 1919, the University of Oklahoma and Saint Louis University applied for membership, but both schools were disapproved due to deficient management of their athletic programs.[3] The conference added Grinnell College in 1919, with the University of Oklahoma following suit in 1920. Oklahoma A&M joined in 1925.[4]

The year 1928 proved to be a pivotal one as the conference split up. The larger state schools of Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma remained together as the MVIAA, which became known informally to fans and the media as the Big Six Conference,[1] while the smaller schools of Drake, Grinnel, and Washington University joined with Oklahoma A&M to form a new conference, the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC).[5] The similarity of the two conferences' official names, as well as the competing claims of the two conferences, has led to considerable debate over which conference was the original and which was the spin-off. For the remainder of the Big Eight's run, both conferences claimed 1907 as their founding date, as well as the same history through 1927. To this day, it has never been definitively established which conference was the original.

The conference membership remained unchanged until the addition of the University of Colorado on December 1, 1947, from the Mountain States Conference (a forerunner of the Western Athletic Conference).[6] The conference's unofficial name became the Big Seven Conference, coincidentally, the former unofficial name of the MSC. Oklahoma A&M, which by this time had changed its name to Oklahoma State, rejoined the conference on June 1, 1957,[7] and the conference became known as the Big Eight.

In 1964 the conference legally assumed the name "Big Eight Conference." In 1968 the conference began its long association with the Orange Bowl, sending its champion annually to play in the prestigious bowl game in Miami, Florida.

The conference remained unchanged until 1996, when four former members of the now-defunct Southwest Conference (Baylor, Texas, Texas A&M and Texas Tech) joined the eight member schools to form the Big 12 Conference. Prior to Nebraska and Colorado's departure in 2011, the Big 12 was the old Big Eight plus the four Texas schools. However, it considers itself a new conference and does not claim the Big Eight's history as its own.[8] Nonetheless, some college football history sources list both conferences as a continuous operation from 1907 onward.

When the Big 8 folded all of the records were moved to Kansas State's Vanier Complex and are now on exhibit in the Big 8 room which also serves host to post game interviews after football games.

Members

Final members

Institution Location
(Population)		 Founded Type Enrollment Endowment Nickname Mascot Varsity Sports National Titles[9][10]*
Iowa State University Ames, Iowa
(47,198)		 1858 Public 28,682[11] $452,200,000[12] Cyclones Cy the Cardinal 16 19
University of Kansas Lawrence, Kansas
(65,608)		 1865 Public 30,004[13] $1,005,000,000[14] Jayhawks Big Jay / Baby Jay 16 12
Kansas State University Manhattan, Kansas
(37,712)		 1863 Public 23,588[15] $277,600,000[16] Wildcats Willie the Wildcat 14 0
University of Missouri Columbia, Missouri
(69,101)		 1839 Public 33,318[17] $974,900,000[18] Tigers Truman the Tiger 18 3
University of Oklahoma Norman, Oklahoma
(80,071)		 1890 Public 29,721 $968,400,000[19] Sooners Sooner Schooner / Boomer and Sooner 19 25
Oklahoma State University Stillwater, Oklahoma
(36,676)		 1890 Public 23,307 $239,000,000[20] Cowboys Pistol Pete / Bullet 16 50
University of Colorado Boulder, Colorado
(83,312)		 1876 Public 30,128 $665,000,000[21] Buffaloes Ralphie the Buffalo / Chip 14 24
University of Nebraska Lincoln, Nebraska
(191,972)		 1869 Public 24,100[22] $1,140,000,000[23] Cornhuskers Herbie Husker / Lil' Red 21 23

Previous members

Institution Location
(Population)		 Founded Type Enrollment Endowment Nickname Mascot Varsity Sports National Titles[9][10]*
Drake University Des Moines, Iowa
(193,187)		 1881 Private 3,164 $135,000,000[24] Bulldogs Spike 17 ??
Grinnell College Grinnell, Iowa
(8,902)		 1846 Private 1,688 $1,260,000,000[25] Pioneers 20 ??
University of Iowa Iowa City, Iowa
(59,735)		 1847 Public 30,825 $791,231,000[26] Hawkeyes Herky the Hawk 24 26
Washington University in St. Louis St. Louis, Missouri
(396,685)		 1853 Private 13,995 $4,600,000,000[27] Bears[28] 17 ??

Membership timeline


Subsequent conference affiliations

Team Left for Current home
Colorado Big 12 Conference Pacific-12 Conference1
Drake Missouri Valley Conference Pioneer Football League
Missouri Valley Conference2
Grinnell Independent Midwest Conference3
Iowa Big Ten Conference
Iowa State Big 12 Conference
Kansas
Kansas State
Missouri Big 12 Conference Southeastern Conference4
Nebraska Big 12 Conference Big Ten Conference5
Oklahoma Big 12 Conference
Oklahoma State
Washington-St. Louis Missouri Valley Conference University Athletic Association6
  1. ^ Colorado left the Big 12 for the Pac-12 beginning with the 2011-12 season.
  2. ^ Drake briefly withdrew from the Missouri Valley Conference from 1951-1956. The MVC stopped sponsoring football in 1985; Drake remains a member for all non-football sports. The football program was was independent until the football-only Pioneer League began play with the 1993-94 season.
  3. ^ Grinnell joined the Midwest Collegiate Athletic Conference beginning with the 1939-40 season; their affiliation from 1928-1939 is unclear.[29] The MCAC merged with the Midwest Athletic Conference for Women to form the Midwest Conference beginning with the 1994-95 season.
  4. ^ Missouri will leave the Big 12 for the SEC beginning with the 2012-13 season.
  5. ^ Nebraska left the Big 12 for the Big Ten beginning with the 2011-12 season.
  6. ^ Washington-St. Louis left the MVC in 1946; it joined the College Athletic Conference from 1971 through 1986, and became a charter member of the University Athletic Association, which began play with the 1986-87 season. It was independent in all other years.[30]

Commissioners

Commissioners of the Big Eight Conference

Conference champions

[35] [36]

Men's basketball

Following are the MVIAA/Big Eight conference championships from 1907 to 1996.

Regular season champions

This includes titles in the MVIAA and the Big 6 and Big 7 conferences, with records in parentheses.

MVIAA

* In 1912 and 1914, KU and NU were divisional winners and declared conference co–champions since no playoffs were staged either year.

Big 6 Conference

Big 7 Conference

Big 8 Conference

Tournament champions

All Big Eight men's basketball tournaments were held at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri

Football

Main article: Big Eight Conference football

Following are the MVIAA/Big Eight conference championships from 1907 to 1995.

Wrestling

Following are the MVIAA/Big Eight conference championships from 1907 to 1995.

Oklahoma State did not accept the trophy in 1992 in order to lessen any consequences stemming from an NCAA investigation of improper payments made to its student athletes.[40][41] They are still listed as champions in the Big Eight record book.

NCAA National championships won by MVIAA/Big Eight Members (1907 to 1996)

Baseball

Men's Basketball

Oklahoma State won its national titles while a member of the Missouri Valley Conference, when it was known as Oklahoma A&M. Kansas was awarded two Helms Foundation national titles in 1922 and 1923 in the MIVAA.

KU won the Men's National Basketball title in 2008.

Men's Cross Country

Oklahoma State won its national title while a member of the Missouri Valley Conference, when it was known as Oklahoma A&M.

Men's Golf

Men's Gymnastics

Football

Skiing

Before 1983, the championship was for men's skiing.

Men's Indoor Track and Field

Men's Outdoor Track and Field

Women's Indoor Track and Field

Women's Volleyball

Wrestling

Conference facilities

This is a listing of the conference facilities as of the last year of the conference 1995-1996.

School Football stadium Capacity Basketball arena Capacity Baseball Stadium Capacity
Colorado Folsom Field 51,655 Coors Events Center 11,065 Hasn't sponsored since 1980 N/A
Iowa State Jack Trice Stadium 43,000 Hilton Coliseum 14,356 Cap Timm Field 3,500
Kansas Memorial Stadium 50,250 Allen Fieldhouse 16,300 Hoglund Ballpark 2,500
Kansas State KSU Stadium 43,000 Bramlage Coliseum 12,528 Frank Myers Field 2,000
Missouri Faurot Field 62,023 Hearnes Center 13,611 Simmons Field 2,000
Nebraska Memorial Stadium 81,067 Bob Devaney Sports Center 13,595 Buck Beltzer Field 1,500
Oklahoma Owen Field 75,004 Lloyd Noble Center 11,528 L. Dale Mitchell Baseball Park 2,700
Oklahoma State Lewis Field 50,614 Gallagher-Iba Arena 6,381 Allie P. Reynolds Stadium 3,821

References

  1. ^ a b c Murphy, Austin (November 28, 2011). "Bordering On Hatred: Rivalry Week will once again deliver must-see matchups, but this year's Kansas-Missouri showdown is like no other: It may very well be the last". Sports Illustrated. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1192444/index.htm. Retrieved 2011-11-25. 
  2. ^ "Big 12 Conference offices to be located in Dallas". Associated Press. Fort Scott, Kansas: The Fort Scott Tribune. Febraury 3, 1996. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=mf0fAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Pf4EAAAAIBAJ&pg=3727,1635375&dq=big-12+dallas+headquarters&hl=en. 
  3. ^ "Oklahoma Refused". Lawrence, Kansas: Lawrence Journal-World, via Google News. May 31, 1919. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ePBiAAAAIBAJ&sjid=9ngNAAAAIBAJ&pg=3169,4233565&dq=missouri-valley+nebraska&hl=en. 
  4. ^ "Oklahoma Aggies in Valley Group". Lawrence Journal-World, via Google News. December 6, 1924. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=hPFiAAAAIBAJ&sjid=AnkNAAAAIBAJ&pg=7087,5183475&dq=oklahoma+aggies+conference&hl=en. 
  5. ^ "Big Six Grid Squads Take Field Tomorrow". Associated Press. The Milwaukee Sentinel, via Google News. September 16, 1928. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=KlNQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=yA4EAAAAIBAJ&pg=2423,2457251&dq=missouri-valley-intercollegiate-athletic-association&hl=en. 
  6. ^ Fullerton, Jr., Hugh (May 27, 1947). "Sports Roundup". Associated Press. Sarasota Herald-Tribune, via Google News. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=S7YqAAAAIBAJ&sjid=mGQEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5086,5348696&dq=big-six+colorado&hl=en. 
  7. ^ a b "Group To Ask NCAA Opinion". Associated Press. St. Petersburg Times, via Google News. May 19, 1957. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=bwlSAAAAIBAJ&sjid=L3YDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6722,1539787&dq=missouri-valley-intercollegiate-athletic-association&hl=en. 
  8. ^ Moran, Malcolm (August 25, 1996). "Despite Complications, Big 12 Is Instant Commerical Hit". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/1996/08/25/sports/despite-complications-big-12-is-instant-commercial-hit.html. 
  9. ^ a b "NCAA Men's Championships" (pdf). http://web1.ncaa.org/web_files/stats/champs_records_book/summaries/Men.pdf. Retrieved 2009-06-03. 
  10. ^ a b "NCAA Women's Championships" (pdf). http://web1.ncaa.org/web_files/stats/champs_records_book/summaries/Women.pdf. Retrieved 2009-06-03. 
  11. ^ "Iowa State University fall enrollment soars to a record 28,682 students". Iowa State University. http://www.news.iastate.edu/news/2010/sep/2010enrollment. Retrieved 14 August 2011. 
  12. ^ http://www.nacubo.org/Documents/research/2009_NCSE_Public_Tables_Endowment_Market_Values.pdf
  13. ^ KU Fall 2009 Enrollment
  14. ^ http://www.nacubo.org/Documents/research/2010NCSE_Public_Tables_Endowment_Market_Values_Final.pdf
  15. ^ "Kansas State University Fact Book 2010" (English). http://www.k-state.edu/pa/statinfo/factbook/student/totdemo.pdf. Retrieved 2011-08-15. 
  16. ^ http://www.nacubo.org/Documents/research/2010NCSE_Public_Tables_Endowment_Market_Values_Final.pdf
  17. ^ "New Semester Sets Records". http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/2011/aug/22/new-semester-sets-records/. Retrieved 22 August 2011. 
  18. ^ http://www.nacubo.org/Documents/research/2010NCSE_Public_Tables_Endowment_Market_Values_Final.pdf
  19. ^ http://www.nacubo.org/Documents/research/2010NCSE_Public_Tables_Endowment_Market_Values_Final.pdf
  20. ^ http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/oklahoma-state-3170
  21. ^ http://www.nacubo.org/Documents/research/2010NCSE_Public_Tables_Endowment_Market_Values_Final.pdf
  22. ^ "NU enrollment highest in 13 years; up for 5th consecutive year". nebraska.edu. http://nebraska.edu/media-resource-center/news-releases/1454-nu-enrollment-highest-in-13-years-up-for-5th-consecutive-year.html. Retrieved 14 August 2011. 
  23. ^ http://www.nacubo.org/Documents/research/2010NCSE_Public_Tables_Endowment_Market_Values_Final.pdf
  24. ^ http://www.nacubo.org/Documents/research/2010NCSE_Public_Tables_Endowment_Market_Values_Final.pdf
  25. ^ http://chronicle.com/article/Colleges-Endowments-Earned-12/126071/
  26. ^ http://www.nacubo.org/Documents/research/2010NCSE_Public_Tables_Endowment_Market_Values_Final.pdf
  27. ^ http://news.wustl.edu/news/Pages/21267.aspx
  28. ^ http://library.wustl.edu/units/spec/archives/facts/mascot.html
  29. ^ http://www.grinnell.edu/files/downloads/Grinnell%20College%20Football%20Season-by-Season%20Records_0.pdf
  30. ^ http://bearsports.wustl.edu/about/Pages/default.aspx
  31. ^ http://www.bigten.org/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/022410aaa.html
  32. ^ http://www.neinassports.com/bio.html
  33. ^ http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=220764
  34. ^ http://www.big12sports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=10410&ATCLID=1519866
  35. ^ Big 8 Football Standings
  36. ^ Big 8 Basketball Standings
  37. ^ http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/okla/sports/m-wrestl/auto_pdf/2008_09_wr_guide_section6.pdf
  38. ^ http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/okla/sports/m-wrestl/auto_pdf/2008_09_wr_guide_section6.pdf
  39. ^ http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/okla/sports/m-wrestl/auto_pdf/2008_09_wr_guide_section6.pdf
  40. ^ "Cowboys grab title, not trophy". Associated Press. Dubuque, Iowa: The Telegraph Herald, via Google News. March 7, 1992. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=nWBFAAAAIBAJ&sjid=KrwMAAAAIBAJ&pg=5845,1318025&dq=oklahoma-state+wrestling&hl=en. 
  41. ^ "O-State wrestling under investigation". Associated Press. Junction City, Kansas: Daily Union, via Google News. June 22, 1992. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=M5hEAAAAIBAJ&sjid=tbUMAAAAIBAJ&pg=2113,5832784&dq=oklahoma-state+wrestling&hl=en. 
  42. ^ http://www.soonersports.com/auto_pdf/p_hotos/s_chools/okla/sports/m-basebl/auto_pdf/2008_guide_section8
  43. ^ http://www.cyclones.com//pdf8/763895.pdf
  44. ^ http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/okst/sports/m-wrestl/auto_pdf/WR-0910-MEDIAGUIDE.pdf