Great West Conference
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| Full name | Great West Conference of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division One |
| sport | Juniors: 5; Juniors: 9 |
| abbreviation | GWC / GWFC |
| Association | NCAA |
| League foundation | 2004 |
| Country countries | United States |
The Great West Conference ( GWC ) was a season in university sports in the United States from 2004 to 2013 within the NCAA Division I. It was originally founded as an American football league under the Great West Football Conference ( GWFC ) with six teams, among others of newcomers to Division I who played in other sports, for example in the then Mid-Continent Conference .
After a change of membership in 2008, the number of members increased to ten teams, after the GWFC expanded to other sports and also joined various universities that did not have American football in their program. In particular, universities temporarily joined universities from across the Great Plains to membership of the New Jersey Institute of Technology on the east coast in the northeastern United States . In addition, there were associated members who took part in the GWC competitions in individual sports.
The GWC resided in Illinois in the Chicago metropolitan area . In the course of the conference realignments from 2010 onwards, almost all members were recruited from other conferences. The football teams switched to the Missouri Valley Football Conference or the Big Sky Conference .
If the changing university did not become a full member of Big Sky, it was accepted in other sports, in particular in the Summit League and the Big West . The three remaining members Chicago State University , the University of Texas-Pan American and Utah Valley University joined the more traditional Western Athletic Conference in 2013, which was also badly shaken by the realignments .
Members
- Founding members are marked in italics. The founding members only played American football among themselves until 2008 and were therefore members of other conferences in other sports.
| university | place | founded | Sponsorship | Team name | since | from | to | to |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UC Davis | Davis ( CA ) | 1905 | state | Aggies | 2004 | Division II | 2012 | Big West * |
| Cal Poly San Luis Obispo | San Luis Obispo (CA) | 1901 | state | Mustangs | 2004 | Big West | 2012 | Big West * |
| Chicago State University | Chicago ( IL ) | 1867 | state | Cougars | 2008 | Mid-C / Ind. | 2013 | WAC |
| Houston Baptist University | Houston ( TX ) | 1960 | Private | Huskies | 2008 | NAIA | 2013 | Southland |
| New Jersey Institute of Technology | Newark ( NJ ) | 1881 | state | Highlanders | 2008 | Division II | 2013 | Ind. / A-Sun |
| University of Northern Colorado | Greeley ( CO ) | 1889 | state | Bears | 2004 | Division II | 2006 | Big Sky |
| University of North Dakota | Grand Forks ( ND ) | 1883 | state | Fighting Sioux 1st | 2008 | Division II | 2012 | Big Sky |
| North Dakota State University | Fargo (ND) | 1883 | state | bison | 2004 | Division II | 2008 | The Summit ** |
| University of South Dakota | Vermillion ( SD ) | 1862 | state | Coyotes | 2008 | Division II | 2012 | The Summit ** |
| South Dakota State University | Brookings (SD) | 1881 | state | Jackrabbits | 2004 | Division II | 2008 | The Summit ** |
| Southern Utah University | Cedar City ( UT ) | 1897 | state | Thunderbirds | 2004 | The Summit | 2012 | Big Sky |
| University of Texas – Pan American | Edinburgh (TX) | 1927 | state | Broncs | 2008 | Independent | 2013 | WAC |
| Utah Valley University | Orem (UT) | 1941 | state | Wolverines | 2008 | Independent | 2013 | WAC |
* In American football, the team took part in the Big Sky Conference competition from this point on .
** In American football, the team took part in the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) competition.
1 In a referendum in 2012, the university was prohibited from further using the nickname.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Dave Kolpack: ND nickname voters dump Fighting Sioux. Minnesota Public Radio , June 13, 2012, accessed July 26, 2015 .