Big West Conference
| Big West Conference | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Established | 1969 |
| Association | NCAA |
| Division | Division I non-football |
| Members | 9 |
| Sports fielded | 16 (men's: 7; women's: 9) |
| Region | West Coast |
| Former names | Pacific Coast Athletic Association |
| Headquarters | Irvine, California |
| Commissioner | Dennis Farrell (since 1992) |
| Website | bigwest.org |
| Locations | |
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The Big West Conference (BWC) is a mid-major collegiate athletic conference that is classified with NCAA Division I. When the conference began in 1969, its name was the Pacific Coast Athletic Association (PCAA). After nineteen years, in 1988, its name was changed to the Big West Conference. The conference stopped sponsoring college football after the 2000 season.
History
Creation of the Pacific Coast Athletic Association
The Big West Conference was formed on July 1, 1969, as the Pacific Coast Athletic Association. The charter all-sports members of the PCAA were Cal State Los Angeles, Fresno State, Long Beach State, San Diego State, San Jose State, and UC Santa Barbara. The University of the Pacific joined only for football, becoming an all-sports member two years later.[1]
Four of these charter members (Cal State Los Angeles, Fresno State, Long Beach State, and San Diego State) had previously been members of the nation's premier Division II conference, the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). After capturing multiple national championships, the members sought a higher level of play, which could be found within the university ranks. Charter football member Pacific and charter all-sports members San Jose State and UC Santa Barbara had also been CCAA members in the past, but had moved to the West Coast Athletic Conference (now West Coast Conference) before joining the PCAA.
The seven schools formally met in May 1969 and finalized the creation of the PCAA less than two months later.
Evolution
Since its inception as the Pacific Coast Athletic Association, the conference has seen many changes throughout the years. Utah State was the first institution outside of California to join the conference in 1978. This opened the floodgates for many other schools to affiliate with the PCAA; notable schools include UNLV, Nevada, Louisiana Tech, and Boise State, among others.
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In 1983, the PCAA became the first western conference to introduce women's athletic programs, giving the opportunity for all its members to have their women student-athletes compete at the same level as their male counterparts. This proved vital for Hawaiʻi as their only participation in the conference was for their women's sports.
However, turnover of universities started to take its toll. Many left to join conferences that were perceived as more well-known, such as the Western Athletic Conference or the Mountain West Conference, while others did not see the benefit of travel since historically many of the teams have been California-based. From the departures of Idaho and Utah State in 2005 until the arrival of Hawaiʻi in 2012, all members were based in California, reducing both the cost and travel time between the universities. When Hawaiʻi joined, it agreed to help defray a portion of travel costs to that state for the league's California members. Between full and associate members, there have been no fewer than 25 members in the conference's history, while only two of the original seven charter members remain (Long Beach State and UC Santa Barbara).
The change to the Big West
To mark its 20th year as an athletic conference, in 1988 the Pacific Coast Athletic Association decided to change its name to the Big West Conference.[2] The move signaled the changing landscape within the conference. With such schools as Utah State, UNLV, Nevada, New Mexico State, and Hawaii now in the fold, the name change was more representative of the population. In addition, the conference had signed a contract with ESPN to have its men's basketball games telecast as the third game of a triple header known as "Big Monday" - the other conferences being featured were the Big East and the Big 12 so the name Big West fit the "big" theme. Despite the eventual departure of all non-California based teams, the widely known "Big West Conference" name has remained constant.
Member schools
Current members
Full members
- Notes
* - Cal Poly competed in women's volleyball as an affiliate member from 1984-85 to 1989-90
Affiliate members
| Institution | Nickname | Location (California) |
Founded | Joined | Type | Enrollment | Primary Conference |
Big West Sport(s) |
NCAA Team Championships |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California State University, Sacramento (Sacramento State) |
Hornets | Sacramento | 1947 | 2012 | Public (Cal State system) | 24,388 | Big Sky | men's soccer | 0 |
Former members
Many of the former members of the Big West are now members of either the Western Athletic Conference or the Mountain West Conference. Of the nine schools that were in the WAC before the 2010–13 conference realignment, only Hawaii has not spent some time in the Big West as a football participant – it was a Big West member only in women's sports. Of all the former members, Cal State Los Angeles is the only team that reverted to Division II level.
School names and nicknames reflect those used by the institutions when they were Big West members. One school has changed its name (Southwestern Louisiana, now Louisiana–Lafayette) and one its nickname (Arkansas State, from Indians to Red Wolves).
Former full members
Former affiliate members
| Institution | Nickname | Location (California) |
Founded | Joined | Left | Type | Enrollment | Primary Conference |
Big West Sport(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (Cal Poly Pomona) |
Broncos | Pomona | 1938 | 1984 | 1990 | Public | 22,501 | CCAA (NCAA Division II) |
softball |
| California State University, Sacramento (Sacramento State) |
Hornets | Sacramento | 1947 | 1996 | 2002 | Public | 24,388 | Big Sky | baseball |
| San Diego State University | Aztecs | San Diego | 1897 | 2012 | 2013 | Public | 33,790 | Mountain West | women's water polo |
Former football-only members
| Institution | Nickname | Location | Founded | Joined | Left | Type | Enrollment | Primary Conference at the time of joining Big West football |
Current Conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas State University[4] | Indians1 | Jonesboro, Arkansas | 1909 | 1993, 1999 |
1996, 2001 |
Public | 13,438 | Sun Belt | |
| Louisiana Tech University | Bulldogs | Ruston, Louisiana | 1894 | 1993 | 1996 | Public | 11,581 | Sun Belt | C-USA |
| Northern Illinois University | Huskies | DeKalb, Illinois | 1895 | 1993 | 1996 | Public | 25,313 | Summit | MAC |
| University of Southwestern Louisiana2 | Ragin' Cajuns | Lafayette, Louisiana | 1898 | 1993 | 1996 | Public | 16,885 | Sun Belt | |
- Note
- - Currently known as the Arkansas State Red Wolves
- - Currently known as the University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Membership timeline
Full members Full members (non-football) Assoc. members (football only) Assoc. member (list sports) Other Conference Other Conference
Notes
- UC Santa Barbara was an independent from 1974–75 to 1975–76.
- San Diego State played football as an independent for the 1976 and 1977 seasons prior to joining the WAC for all sports in 1978.
- Cal State Fullerton played football as an independent for the 1992 season and dropped football entirely the following year.
- Louisiana Tech, Northern Illinois, Southwestern Louisiana, and Arkansas State joined the Big West for a short-lived football consortium from 1993 to 1995.
- Arkansas State played football as an independent from 1996–98 and the rejoined the Big West for football during the 1999 and 2000 seasons.
Sports
The Big West Conference sponsors championship competition in seven men's and nine women's NCAA sanctioned sports:[5]
The conference is strong in several sports. In baseball, Cal State Fullerton has won four College World Series titles with national championships in 1979, 1984, 1995, and 2004. In addition, Long Beach State and UC Irvine both have made multiple appearances in the College World Series. Fullerton also has a national championship in softball, winning in 1984. Long Beach State has won three NCAA women's volleyball titles, with national championships in 1989, 1993, and 1998. Misty May-Treanor led the 49ers to a 36-0 record en route to the program's most recent title. UC Santa Barbara was NCAA men's soccer runner-up in 2004, losing the national championship match to Indiana on penalty kicks. The Gauchos returned to the College Cup in 2006 and won the national championship.
Former Big West members UNLV and Pacific won national championships while they were part of the conference. The UNLV Runnin' Rebels men's basketball team won the 1990 NCAA tournament championship after routing Duke 103-73 in the national title game. UNLV was undefeated during the 1991 NCAA men's basketball season before falling to Duke in the final four. The 1990-1991 Runnin' Rebels are widely considered one of the best college basketball teams of all time. The Pacific Tigers women's volleyball team won back-to-back national championships in 1985 and 1986.
The Big West does not sponsor men's volleyball or men's water polo, but it is the primary conference affiliation of several schools that compete in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation for these sports, respectively. In NCAA men's volleyball, UC Irvine has established itself as one of the nation's most elite programs, winning four national championships in 2007, 2009, 2012, and 2013. Long Beach State also won a men's volleyball title in 1991. In NCAA men's water polo, UC Irvine won three national championships in 1970, 1982, and 1989. UC Santa Barbara also won a men's water polo title in 1979.
| Sport | Men's | Women's |
|---|---|---|
| Baseball | ||
| Basketball | ||
| Cross Country | ||
| Golf | ||
| Soccer | ||
| Softball | ||
| Tennis | ||
| Track and Field (Outdoor) | ||
| Volleyball | ||
| Water polo |
Men's sponsored sports by school
| School | Baseball | Basketball | Cross Country | Golf | Soccer | Tennis | Track & Field (Outdoor) | Total Sports |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cal Poly |  | | | | | | | |
| Cal State Fullerton | | | | | |  | | |
| Cal State Northridge | | | | | | | | |
| Hawaiʻi | | | | | | | | |
| Long Beach State | | | | | | | | |
| UC Davis | | | | | | | | |
| UC Irvine | | | | | | | | |
| UC Riverside | | | | | | | | |
| UC Santa Barbara | | | | | | | | |
| Totals | | | | | | | | |
- *=affiliate member Sacramento State.
| School | Football | Swimming & Diving | Track & Field (Indoor) | Volleyball | Water Polo | Wrestling |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cal Poly | Big Sky | MPSF | Independent | No | No | Pac-12 |
| Cal State Northridge | No | No | MPSF | MPSF | No | No |
| Hawai'i | Mountain West | MPSF | No | MPSF | No | No |
| Long Beach State | No | No | MPSF | MPSF | MPSF | No |
| UC Davis | Big Sky | No | Independent | No | WWPA | No |
| UC Irvine | No | No | No | MPSF | MPSF | No |
| UC Riverside | No | No | Independent | No | No | No |
| UC Santa Barbara | No | MPSF | Independent | MPSF | MPSF | No |
Women's sponsored sports by school
| School | Basketball | Cross Country | Golf | Soccer | Softball | Tennis | Track & Field (Outdoor) | Volleyball | Water polo | Total Sports |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cal Poly | | | | | | | | | | |
| Cal State Fullerton | | | | | | | | | | |
| Cal State Northridge | | | | | | | | | | |
| Hawaiʻi | | | | | | | | | | |
| Long Beach State | | | | | | | | | | |
| UC Davis | | | | | | | | | | |
| UC Irvine | | | | | | | | | | |
| UC Riverside | | | | | | | | | | |
| UC Santa Barbara | | | | | | | | | | |
| Totals | | | | | | | | | | |
| School | Field Hockey | Gymnastics | Lacrosse | Sailing | Sand Volleyball | Swimming & Diving | Track & Field (Indoor) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cal Poly | No | No | No | No | Independent | MPSF | Independent |
| Cal State Fullerton | No | No | No | No | No | No | MPSF |
| Cal State Northridge | No | No | No | No | Independent | No | MPSF |
| Hawai'i | No | No | No | PCCSC | Independent | MPSF | MPSF |
| Long Beach State | No | No | No | No | Independent | No | MPSF |
| UC Davis | America East | MPSF | MPSF | No | No | MPSF | Independent |
| UC Irvine | No | No | No | No | No | No | MPSF |
| UC Santa Barbara | No | No | No | No | No | MPSF | Independent |
Facilities
| School | Basketball Arena | Capacity | Baseball Stadium | Capacity | Soccer Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cal Poly | Mott Gym | 3,032 | Robin Baggett Stadium | 1,734 | Alex G. Spanos Stadium | 11,075 |
| Cal State Fullerton | Titan Gym | 4,000 | Goodwin Field | 3,500 | Titan Stadium | 10,000 |
| Cal State Northridge | Matadome | 1,600 | Matador Field | 1,000 | Matador Soccer Field | 1,550 |
| Hawaiʻi | Stan Sheriff Center | 10,300 | Les Murakami Stadium | 4,312 | Waipio Soccer Stadium | 4,500 |
| Long Beach State | Walter Pyramid | 5,000[6] | Blair Field | 3,238 | George Allen Field | 1,000 |
| Sacramento State | Men's Soccer Member Only | Hornet Field | 1,500 | |||
| UC Davis | The Pavilion | 7,600 | Dobbins Baseball Complex | 3,500 | Aggie Field | 1,000 |
| UC Irvine | Bren Events Center | 4,984 | Cicerone Field | 2,900 | Anteater Stadium | 2,500 |
| UC Riverside | Student Recreation Center | 3,168 | Riverside Sports Complex | 2,500 | UCR Soccer Stadium | 900 |
| UC Santa Barbara | The Thunderdome | 5,600 | Caesar Uyesaka Stadium | 1,000 | Harder Stadium | 17,000 |
Champions
Baseball
Men's Basketball
The most recent winner of the Big West Conference Tournament is UC Irvine (2015), who won the tournament for the first time, as the number 3 seed.
Women's Basketball
Football
An asterisk denotes the participant in the bowls that invited the Big West champion:
Pasadena (1969–70), California (1981–91), Las Vegas (1992–96), and Humanitarian (1997–2000)[7]
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The Big West Conference discontinued football following the 2000 season.[8]
See also
References
- ↑ Dhillon, Jagdip (March 29, 2012). "Tigers back 'home'". The Record (Stockton, California). Retrieved March 31, 2012.
- ↑ http://www.bigwest.org/history/
- ↑ UC Santa Barbara joined the conference when it was founded in 1969, left to become an independent after the 1973–74 season, then re-joined in the 1976-77 season.
- ↑ Arkansas State joined the conference for football in 1993, left to become an independent after the 1995–1996 season, then re-joined in 1999, only to leave again after the 2000–2001 season.
- ↑ http://www.bigwest.org/
- ↑ "The Mike and Arlene Walter Pyramid". California State University, Long Beach. Retrieved February 12, 2012.
- ↑ Big West Football. Web.archive.org. Retrieved on 2013-07-17.
- ↑ Big West Conference. Web.archive.org. Retrieved on 2013-07-17.