Texas Conference

The Texas Conference was a NAIA/NCAA-affiliated college athletic conference in the United States that existed from 1926 to 1956. It was composed mostly of schools from Texas, but also one from New Mexico.

History

The conference was created by a split within the Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association (TIAA) between members who wanted to allow freshmen and transfers to play and schools that did not. This fault line also separated the teachers colleges that had joined over the years and the church-sponsored schools that had been founders. In May 1925, Southwestern University, Trinity University, Howard Payne University, Simmons University and Austin College voted to leave the TIAA, but agreed to play out the fall 1925 football season within the TIAA. Play within the Texas Conference began with the 1926 basketball season. The five departing schools were all church supported and agreed to ally themselves "along denominational lines."[1]

Trinity University would leave the Texas Conference in 1932 to join other former members of the TIAA in the Lone Star Conference, but then returned in 1933.[1] Abilene Christian and McMurry College joined in 1933. Trinity University left for good in 1946. In the early 1950s the conference began to have trouble holding together. Southwestern quit playing football after the 1950 season. Later Eastern New Mexico became the only school from outside of Texas to join the conference, with participation to start in the 1954 track season. But before they could start, in December 1953, the conference was cut from six members to three. Abilene Christian announced it would leave after the 1954 season and later that year to become and independent, Texas A&I left to join the Lone Star Conference, and Austin College, because of an eligibility feud with other members, also left to become and independent.[2][3] The conference of three members disbanded after the 1956 season.

Football champions
  • 1936 – Howard Payne
  • 1937 – Howard Payne
  • 1938 – Howard Payne
  • 1939 – Abilene Christian and St. Edward's
  • 1940 – Abilene Christian, Howard Payne, and Texas Wesleyan
  • 1941 – Howard Payne
  • 1942 – Howard Payne
  • 1943 – No champion
  • 1944 – No champion
  • 1945 – No champion
  • 1946 – Abilene Christian and Southwestern
  • 1947 – Hardin–Simmons and McMurry
  • 1948 – McMurry
  • 1949 – McMurry
  • 1950 – Abilene Christian
  • 1951 – Abilene Christian, Howard Payne, and Texas A&I
  • 1952 – Abilene Christian
  • 1953 – Abilene Christian, McMurry, Texas A&I
  • 1954 – Howard Payne
  • 1955 – McMurry

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Rogers, James Lloyd (2002). The Story of North Texas: From Texas Normal College, 1890, to the University of North Texas System, 2001. University of North Texas Press. pp. 197–200. ISBN 1574411284.
  2. ↑ "A&I Announces TC Withdrawal".
  3. ↑ "Texas Conference Cut to 3 Members". The Chieftain (5). January 1954. Retrieved 13 March 2015.

External links


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