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The Western Athletic Conference (commonly referred to as the WAC, pronounced "whack") was formed in 1962, making it the sixth oldest of the 11 College Athletic Conferences currently affiliated with the NCAA’s Division I-A. The WAC covers a broad expanse of the western United States, with member institutions located in California, Hawaii, Idaho, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah.
Charter members included Arizona, Arizona State, Brigham Young, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming.
Current members (and year joined)
| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Year Joined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boise State University | Boise, Idaho | 1932 | Public | 25,906 | 2001 |
| California State University, Fresno | Fresno, California | 1911 | Public | 21,000 | 1992 |
| University of Hawaii | Honolulu, Hawaii | 1907 | Public | 20,549 | 1979 |
| University of Idaho | Moscow, Idaho | 1889 | Public | 12,824 | 2005 |
| Louisiana Tech University | Ruston, Louisiana | 1894 | Public | 11,710 | 2001 |
| University of Nevada, Reno | Reno, Nevada | 1874 | Public | 15,588 | 2000 |
| New Mexico State University | Las Cruces, New Mexico | 1888 | Public | 26,200 | 2005 |
| San José State University | San Jose, California | 1862 | Public | 28,932 | 1996 |
| Utah State University | Logan, Utah | 1888 | Public | 23,128 | 2005 |
Full members
Associate members
Sports
The WAC crowns team and individual champions in 19 sports – 8 men’s and 11 women’s.
Men's sports
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Cross country
- Football
- Golf
- Tennis
- Indoor track and field
- Outdoor track and field
Women's sports
- Basketball
- Cross country
- Golf
- Gymnastics
- Soccer
- Softball
- Swimming and diving
- Tennis
- Indoor track and field
- Outdoor track and field
- Volleyball
Former members
- Air Force (1980-1999)
- Arizona (1962-1978)
- Arizona State (1962-1978)
- BYU (1962-1999)
- Colorado State (1967-1999)
- New Mexico (1962-1999)
- Rice (1996-2005)
- San Diego State (1978-1999)
- SMU (1996-2005)
- TCU (1996-2001)
- Tulsa (1996-2005)
- UNLV (1996-1999)
- UTEP (1967-2005)
- Utah (1962-1999)
- Wyoming (1962-1999)
Of the former members:
- Two (Arizona and Arizona State) are currently members of the Pacific Ten Conference.
- Four (Rice, SMU, Tulsa, UTEP) are in Conference USA.
- The remaining nine make up the current membership of the Mountain West Conference.
Conference facilities
| School | Football stadium | Stadium capacity | Basketball arena | Arena capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boise State | Bronco Stadium | 30,000 | Taco Bell Arena | 12,820 |
| Fresno State | Bulldog Stadium | 41,131 | Save Mart Center | 16,116 |
| Hawaii | Aloha Stadium | 50,000 | Stan Sheriff Center | 10,300 |
| Idaho | Kibbie Dome | 16,000 | Cowan Spectrum | 7,000 |
| Louisiana Tech | Joe Aillet Stadium | 30,600 | Thomas Assembly Center | 8,000 |
| Nevada | Mackay Stadium | 31,900 | Lawlor Events Center | 11,200 |
| New Mexico State | Aggie Memorial Stadium | 30,343 | Pan American Center | 13,071 |
| San Jose State | Spartan Stadium | 30,456 | The Event Center | 5,000 |
| Utah State | Romney Stadium | 30,257 | Dee Glen Smith Spectrum | 10,270 |
Note:
- Idaho uses the same structure for both its home football and basketball games, although it uses a different name for the venue's basketball configuration. Also, Idaho will occasionally use Martin Stadium at Washington State University, only 8 miles (13 km) away, for a home football game. In 1999, while a member of the Big West Conference, Idaho played all of their home games at Martin Stadium and did not play a single game in the state of Idaho.
Rivalries
- Conference
- Idaho-Boise State
- Boise State-Fresno State (highly emphasized in football)
- San Jose State-Fresno State
- Hawaii-Fresno State
- Non-Conference
- Idaho-Washington State (Pac 10)
- Nevada-UNLV (Mountain West)
- Hawaii-BYU (Mountain West)
- Utah State-BYU (Mountain West)
- Utah State-Utah (Mountain West)
- New Mexico State-New Mexico (Mountain West)
- New Mexico State-UTEP (Conference USA)
- Louisiana Tech-Tulane (Conference USA)
Past commissioners
- Paul Brechler (1962-1968)
- Wiles Hallock (1968-1971)
- Stan Bates (1971-1980)
- Dr. Joe Kearney (1980-1994)
- Karl Benson (1994-present)
National championships
The following teams have won NCAA national championships while being a member of the WAC:
- Arizona - baseball (1976)
- Arizona State - baseball (1965, 1967, 1969, 1977)
- BYU - women's cross country (1997)
- Fresno State - softball (1998)
- Rice - baseball (2003)
- UNLV - men's golf (1998)
The WAC has also produced one AP national champion in football:
- BYU (1985)
The Western Athletic Conference staged a conference title football game during the three years the league consisted of sixteen members. During this time, the league was split into two divisions, Pacific and Mountain, with eight teams in each division. The top finisher in each division played for the championship, which was help at Sam Boyd Stadium on the campus of UNLV. When conference membership was cut in half in 1999 with the formation of the Mountain West Conference, the title game was discontinued and the league did away with the two-division format.
Past WAC Football Title Game results
| Year | Winner | Score | Opponent | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | BYU | 28-25 (OT) | Wyoming | Sam Boyd Stadium (Las Vegas, Nevada) |
| 1997 | Colorado State | 41-13 | New Mexico | Sam Boyd Stadium (Las Vegas, Nevada) |
| 1998 | Air Force | 20-13 | BYU | Sam Boyd Stadium (Las Vegas, Nevada) |
Past WAC football champions
| Season | Champion | Conference Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1962 | New Mexico | 2-1-1 |
| 1963 | New Mexico | 3-1-0 |
| 1964 | Arizona | 3-1-0 |
| New Mexico | 3-1-0 | |
| Utah | 3-1-0 | |
| 1965 | BYU | 4-1-0 |
| 1966 | Wyoming | 5-0-0 |
| 1967 | Wyoming | 5-0-0 |
| 1968 | Wyoming | 6-1-0 |
| 1969 | Arizona State | 6-1-0 |
| 1970 | Arizona State | 7-0-0 |
| 1971 | Arizona State | 7-0-0 |
| 1972 | Arizona State | 5-1-0 |
| 1973 | Arizona | 6-1-0 |
| Arizona State | 6-1-0 | |
| 1974 | BYU | 6-0-1 |
| 1975 | Arizona State | 7-0-0 |
| 1976 | BYU | 6-1-0 |
| Wyoming | 6-1-0 | |
| 1977 | Arizona State | 6-1-0 |
| BYU | 6-1-0 | |
| 1978 | BYU | 5-1-0 |
| 1979 | BYU | 7-0-0 |
| 1980 | BYU | 6-1-0 |
| 1981 | BYU | 7-1-0 |
| 1982 | BYU | 7-1-0 |
| 1983 | BYU | 7-0-0 |
| 1984 | BYU | 8-0-0 |
| 1985 | Air Force | 7-1-0 |
| BYU | 7-1-0 | |
| 1986 | San Diego State | 7-1-0 |
| 1987 | Wyoming | 8-0-0 |
| 1988 | Wyoming | 8-0-0 |
| 1989 | BYU | 7-1-0 |
| 1990 | BYU | 7-1-0 |
| 1991 | BYU | 7-0-1 |
| 1992 | BYU | 6-2-0 |
| Fresno State | 6-2-0 | |
| Hawaii | 6-2-0 | |
| 1993 | BYU | 6-2-0 |
| Fresno State | 6-2-0 | |
| Wyoming | 6-2-0 | |
| 1994 | Colorado State | 7-1-0 |
| 1995 | Air Force | 6-2-0 |
| BYU | 6-2-0 | |
| Colorado State | 6-2-0 | |
| Utah | 6-2-0 | |
| 1996 | BYU | 8-0 |
| 1997 | Colorado State | 7-1 |
| 1998 | Air Force | 7-1 |
| 1999 | Hawaii | 5-2 |
| Fresno State | 5-2 | |
| TCU | 5-2 | |
| 2000 | TCU | 7-1 |
| UTEP | 7-1 | |
| 2001 | Louisiana Tech | 7-1 |
| 2002 | Boise State | 8-0 |
| 2003 | Boise State | 8-0 |
| 2004 | Boise State | 8-0 |
| 2005 | Boise State | 7-1 |
| Nevada | 7-1 |
Division Alignments for football (1996-1998)
Pacific Division
Mountain Division
The Western Athletic Conference has held a postseason tournament to crown a men's basketball champion every year since 1984. At first the regular season champion hosted it but at its height, the tournament was held at larger urban venues. Since the departure of the Mountain West Conference teams, the tournaments have returned to campus. The winner of the WAC Basketball Tournament is guaranteed a spot in the NCAA Basketball Tournament every year.
"Western Athletic Conference"