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| Horizon League | |
|---|---|
| Data | |
| Established | 1979 |
| Members | 9 |
| Sports fielded | 19 (9 men's, 10 women's) |
| Country | United States |
| Region | Midwest |
| States | 5 - Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin |
| Past names | Midwestern City Conference (MCC) 1979-1985, Midwestern Collegiate Conference (MCC) 1985-2001 |
| Headquarters | Indianapolis, Indiana |
The Horizon League is a nine school, NCAA Division I college athletic conference, whose members are located in five midwestern states of the U.S. Although the league does not sponsor football, two members have Division I-AA teams: Youngstown State in the Gateway Football Conference, and Butler in the Pioneer League. Men's volleyball is also not sponsored, although Loyola competes in the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association.
The Horizon League has been one of the top performing NCAA Division I conferences in men's college basketball. In just the last 12 years it has sent 17 teams to the NCAA Tournament, producing eight wins, including two "Sweet 16" appearances. The Horizon League has had a team win at least one game in three of the last four, and six of the last nine NCAA Tournaments, as well as having five wins in the last four years. These recent accomplishments by the Horizon League's teams are in addition to several other Sweet 16, Elite Eight, and Final Four appearances by current league members, including a National Championship (Loyola in 1963). The Horizon League is also one of only two non-BCS conferences with Sweet 16 finalists in at least two of the last four NCAA Tournaments (the other being Conference USA). The Horizon League has been a multiple-bid NCAA conference seven times, including a best of three NCAA Tournament berths in 1998. The Horizon League has gained men's basketball national notoriety in other ways as well, as it has hosted the men's Final Four in 1991, 1997, 2000 and 2006, and will host in 2009 and 2010. It also hosted the women's Final Four in 2005 and will host again in 2007. Horizon League commissioner Jonathan B. LeCrone, who is in his 14th year as league commissioner, is also in the middle of a five-year term on the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Committee.
Member Schools
- On May 17 2006, Valparaiso University announced it will leave the Mid-Continent Conference and join the Horizon League beginning July 1, 2007 for the 2007-2008 academic year. Valpo press release Horizon League press release
There are currently nine member schools of the Horizon League:
| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Year Joined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butler University | Indianapolis, Indiana | 1855 | Private/Non-sectarian | 4,415 | 1979 |
| Cleveland State University | Cleveland, Ohio | 1870 | Public | 16,245 | 1994 |
| University of Detroit Mercy | Detroit, Michigan | 1877 | Private/Catholic | 6,000 | 1980 |
| University of Illinois at Chicago | Chicago, Illinois | 1896 | Public | 24,541 | 1994 |
| Loyola University Chicago | Chicago, Illinois | 1870 | Private/Catholic | 14,764 | 1979 |
| University of Wisconsin-Green Bay | Green Bay, Wisconsin | 1965 | Public | 5,800 | 1994 |
| University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | 1885 | Public | 28,000 | 1994 |
| Wright State University | Dayton, Ohio | 1964 | Public | 16,729 | 1994 |
| Youngstown State University | Youngstown, Ohio | 1908 | Public | 13,101 | 2001 |
Athletics Logos
Former Conference Members
- University of Dayton (Atlantic 10) - 1987-1993 (88-93 for men's basketball)
- Duquesne University (Atlantic 10) - 1992-1993
- University of Evansville (Missouri Valley) - 1979-1994
- La Salle University (Atlantic 10) - 1992-1995
- Marquette University (Big East) - 1988-1991 (89-91 for men's basketball)
- Northern Illinois University (MAC) - 1994-1997
- University of Notre Dame (Big East) - 1982-1986 and 1987-1995 (all sports except men's basketball (Independent))
- Notre Dame withdrew from the league for the 1986-87 academic year in protest of the new MCC requirement to place women's teams under league sponsorship.
- Oklahoma City University (NAIA) - 1979-1985
- Oral Roberts University (Mid-Continent) - 1979-1987
- Saint Louis University (Atlantic 10) - 1981-1991 (82-91 for men's basketball)
- Xavier University (Atlantic 10) - 1979-1995
History
The Horizon League was formed in 1979 by six NCAA Division I schools that originally dubbed themselves the Midwestern City 6, and officially the Midwestern City Conference (or MCC) soon thereafter. The name was changed slightly to Midwestern Collegiate Conference in 1985. The conference changed its name again on June 4, 2001, in part to avoid being confused with the Mid-Continent Conference, another Division I conference which also used the acronym MCC. For most of its existence it has generally been considered one of the top mid-major conferences in the country, particularly in men's basketball. Charter members included Butler, Evansville, Loyola, Oklahoma City, Oral Roberts and Xavier.
Recent Accomplishments
In 2004-2005, the Horizon League enjoyed a breakthrough season in athletics at the national level, highlighted by Milwaukee's advancement to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. Beginning in the fall, Milwaukee defeated 16th-ranked San Francisco in men's soccer while Detroit upset Michigan in women's soccer in their respective NCAA tournaments, and Butler's men's cross country team finished fourth in the nation at the NCAA Cross-Country Championships. In the spring, UW-Green Bay upset 6th-ranked Oregon State in the opening round of the NCAA softball tournament, and Butler's Victoria Mitchell became the first Horizon League athlete to win an individual national title when she captured the 3,000 Meter Steeplechase at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. In the men's 2005 NCAA Basketball Tournament, the Horizon League enjoyed one of its best showings ever as 12th seeded Milwaukee marched to the Sweet 16 with victories over #19 Alabama and #7 Boston College before falling to then-#1 and eventual tournament runner-up Illinois.
In 2005-2006, Milwaukee once again advanced to the men's basketball "Big Dance" with the Horizon League's automatic bid, and was awarded an 11 seed, opposite the sixth-seeded, 20th-ranked Oklahoma Sooners from the Big 12 Conference. For the second straight year and third time in the last four years, the league had a team advance past the first round as UWM downed OU, 82-74. Milwaukee fell to the eventual national champion Florida Gators in the second round of the tournament.
A Horizon League school has now won at least one game in six of the last nine NCAA Tournaments, including five wins in the last four years. In addition to previous Sweet 16 qualifiers Detroit (1977), Loyola (1985), and Cleveland St. (1986), two other current Horizon League schools (Butler in 2003 and Milwaukee in 2005) have advanced to the Sweet 16 in just the last four years, making the Horizon League one of only eight conferences to have had a team in the Sweet 16 in at least two of the last four NCAA Tournaments. The addition of Valparaiso (1998) to the league next year will give it six members who have been to at least the Sweet 16. Milwaukee’s success in the tourney over the last two seasons is unprecedented for any current league member; until Milwaukee added a win this season to its two NCAA Tournament wins a season ago, no current Horizon League school had ever won three NCAA tourney games in a two-year span. Among all-time members, only Xavier has ever accomplished the feat, winning two games in the 1990 and one win in the 1991 tournament. As stated on their official website, the recent success of Horizon League athletic teams on the national stage has heightened the visibility of the league and its member schools, and has quickly moved it closer toward its stated goal of becoming one of the nation's top 10 athletics conferences.
Men's Basketball Champions
| Season- | -Reg. Season Champ- | -Tournament Champ- | -# NCAA Bids--(Seed)/Team/Rnd Advanced- | -#NIT bids--Teams |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Loyola | Oral Roberts | 0 | 1 -- LU |
| 1981 | Xavier | Oklahoma City | 0 | 0 |
| 1982 | Evansville | Evansville | 1 -- (10)UE | 1 -- ORU |
| 1983 | Loyola | Xavier | 1 -- (12*)XU (*Opening Round game loss) | 0 |
| 1984 | Oral Roberts | Oral Roberts | 1 -- (11)ORU | 1 -- XU |
| 1985 | Loyola | Loyola | 1 -- (4)LU (SWEET 16) | 1 -- BU |
| 1986 | Xavier | Xavier | 1 -- (12)XU, (14)CSU (SWEET 16) | 0 |
| 1987 | Evansville/Loyola | Xavier | 1 -- (13)XU (2ND RND) | 1 -- SLU |
| 1988 | Xavier | Xavier | 1 -- (11)XU | 1 -- UE |
| 1989 | Evansville | Xavier | 2 -- (14)XU, (11)UE (2ND RND) | 1 -- SLU (Champ. game) |
| 1990 | Xavier | Dayton | 2 -- (12)UD (2ND RND), (6)XU (SWEET 16) | 2 -- MU, SLU (Champ. game) |
| 1991 | Xavier | Xavier | 1 -- (14)XU (2ND RND) | 1 -- BU |
| 1992 | Evansville | Evansville | 1 -- (8)UE | 1 -- BU |
| 1993 | Evansville | Evansville | 2 -- (14)UE, (9)XU (2ND RND) | 0 |
| 1994 | Xavier | Detroit | 0 | 2 -- XU, UE |
| 1995 | Xavier | UWGB | 2 -- (11)UWGB, (14)XU | 0 |
| 1996 | UWGB | Northern Illinois | 2 -- (8)UWGB, (14)NIU | 0 |
| 1997 | Butler | Butler | 1 -- (14)BU | 0 |
| 1998 | Detroit/UIC | Butler | 3 -- (9)UIC, (13)BU, (10)UDM (2ND RND) | 0 |
| 1999 | Detroit | Detroit | 1 -- (12)UDM (2ND RND) | 1 - BU (Quarterfinals) |
| 2000 | Butler | Butler | 1 -- (12)BU | 0 |
| 2001 | Butler | Butler | 1 -- (10)BU (2ND RND) | 1 - UDM (Semifinals) |
| 2002 | Butler | UIC | 1 -- (15)UIC | 2 - BU, UDM |
| 2003 | Butler | Milwaukee | 2 -- (12)UWM, (12)BU (SWEET 16) | 1 - UIC |
| 2004 | Milwaukee | UIC | 1 -- (13)UIC | 1 - UWM |
| 2005 | Milwaukee | Milwaukee | 1 -- (12)UWM (SWEET 16) | 0 |
| 2006 | Milwaukee | Milwaukee | 1 -- (11)UWM (2ND RND) | 1 - BU |
Conference Arenas
| School | Arena | Arena capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Butler | Hinkle Fieldhouse | 11,043 |
| Cleveland State | Wolstein Center | 13,610 |
| Detroit | Calihan Hall | 8,837 |
| Loyola | Joseph J. Gentile Center | 5,200 |
| Milwaukee | U.S. Cellular Arena (men) J. Martin Klotsche Center(women) | 10,783 5,000 |
| UIC | UIC Pavilion | 8,000 |
| Wisconsin-Green Bay | Resch Center | 9,729 |
| Wright State | Nutter Center | 11,019 |
| Youngstown State | Beeghly Center | 6,500 |
External links
"Horizon League"