Western Athletic Conference

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Use American English Template:Infobox sports league

The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) is an NCAA Division I conference founded in 1962, which will rebrand in 2026. A total of 43 institutions have been full members of the WAC, in locations spanning 15 states in the western United States. For its final year of competition under its current identity (2025–26), the conference includes three members in Texas, three in Utah, and one in California.

For the first 41 years of its existence, the WAC competed at the highest level of college athletics across all sports. The conference expanded from its original six members to a peak of 16 in 1996, before seven of its institutions (including the four remaining charter members) seceded in 1998 to form the Mountain West Conference. Thereafter the WAC struggled to maintain a top-level football conference and ultimately discontinued the sport after the 2012–13 season, leaving the NCAA's Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly known as Division I-A) to become a Division I non-football conference.<ref name="WAC drops football after 2012 season">Template:Cite news</ref> After a major expansion in 2021, the WAC reinstated football, competing in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).<ref name="WAC 2022">Template:Cite press release</ref><ref name=Martinez>Template:Cite news</ref> Further membership losses soon foiled plans to someday return to the FBS level, and in 2023 the WAC again became a non-football conference, with its football-playing members joining the football schools of the Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN) to form the football-only United Athletic Conference (UAC).

The WAC will officially rebrand as the United Athletic Conference (UAC) on July 1, 2026, and become an all-sports conference including the three remaining members of the WAC (Abilene Christian University, Tarleton State University, and non-football University of Texas at Arlington), the five football-playing members of the ASUN (Austin Peay State University, University of Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky University, University of North Alabama, and University of West Georgia),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (athletically known as Little Rock) from the Ohio Valley Conference.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>

Members

Existing full members

These seven institutions are the full members of the Western Athletic Conference for its final year of competition (2025–26).

Template:Color box Members departing for the Big West Conference on July 1, 2026.
Template:Color box Members departing for the Big Sky Conference on July 1, 2026.
Template:Color box Members merging into the United Athletic Conference after July 1, 2026.

Institution	Location	Founded	Joined	Type	Enrollment	Endowment (Millions)	Nickname	Colors
Abilene Christian University	Abilene, Texas	1906	2021	Private (Churches of Christ)	6,730<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	$824	Wildcats	Template:College color boxes
California Baptist University	Riverside, California	1950	2018	Private (Baptist)	Template:Nts<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	$119.1	Lancers	Template:College color boxes
Southern Utah University	Cedar City, Utah	1897	2022	Public	15,000<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	$29.9<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	Thunderbirds	Template:College color boxes
Tarleton State University (Tarleton)	Stephenville, Texas	1899	2020	Public (TAMUS)	Template:Nts<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	$42	Texans	Template:College color boxes
Template:Sort (UT Arlington)	Arlington, Texas	1895	2012; 2022Template:Efn	Public (UTS)	Template:Nts<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	$218<ref name="UTIMCO">Template:Cite web</ref>	Mavericks	Template:College color boxes
Utah Tech UniversityTemplate:Efn	Template:Sort	1911	2020	Public	Template:Nts	$16.3	Trailblazers	Template:College color boxes
Utah Valley University	Orem, Utah	1941	2013	Public	Template:Nts	$100<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	Wolverines	Template:College color boxes

Notes

Template:Notelist

Future UAC members

Institution	Location	Founded	Joining	Type	Enrollment	Nickname	Colors	Current conference
Austin Peay State University	Clarksville, Tennessee	1927	2026	Public	9,609	Governors	Template:College color boxes	ASUN (UAC in 2026)
University of Central Arkansas	Conway, Arkansas	1907			10,123	Bears	Template:College color boxes
Eastern Kentucky University	Richmond, Kentucky	1874			13,984	Colonels	Template:College color boxes
Template:Sort	Little Rock, Arkansas	1927			8,026	Trojans	Template:College color boxes	OVC
University of North Alabama	Florence, Alabama	1830			11,056	Lions	Template:College color boxes	ASUN (UAC in 2026)
University of West Georgia	Carrollton, Georgia	1906			14,394	Wolves	Template:College color boxes	ASUN (UAC in 2026)

Affiliate members

These nine schools field programs in the WAC for sports not sponsored by their primary conferences:

Institution	Location	Founded	Type	Enrollment	Nickname	Primary conference	WAC sport(s)	Joined	Former full member
Template:Sort (Air Force)Template:Efn Template:Efn Template:Efn	USAF Academy, Colorado Template:Efn	1955	Federal	4,413	Falcons	Mountain West	Template:Sortname	2013–14	Template:Yes
Template:Sort (Sacramento State)Template:Efn	Sacramento, California	1947	Public	27,972	Hornets	Big Sky Template:Small	Baseball	2005–06	Template:No
Grand Canyon University	Phoenix, Arizona	1949	Private For-ProfitTemplate:Efn (Non-denominational)	Template:Nts	Antelopes	Mountain West	Template:Sortname	2025-26	Template:Yes
Template:Sort (UNLV)Template:Efn Template:Efn Template:Efn	Las Vegas, Nevada Template:Efn	1957	Public	29,069	Rebels	Mountain West	Template:Sortname	2013–14	Template:Yes
San Diego State University	San Diego, California	1897	Public	28,789	Aztecs	Mountain West Template:Small	Template:Sortname	2024–25	Template:Yes
San Jose State UniversityTemplate:Efn	San Jose, California	1857	Public	30,448	Spartans	Mountain West	Template:Sortname	2013–14	Template:Yes

Notes

Template:Notelist

Former full members

The WAC has 36 former full members:

Institution	Nickname	Location	Founded	Type	Enrollment	Joined	Left	Current primary conference
Template:Sort (Air Force)	Falcons	USAF Academy, Colorado Template:Efn	1954	Federal	4,413	1980	1999	Mountain West
Template:Sort	Wildcats	Tucson, Arizona	1885	Public	39,236	1962	1978	Big 12
Arizona State University	Sun Devils	Tempe, Arizona	1885	Public	59,794	1962	1978	Big 12
Boise State University	Broncos	Boise, Idaho	1932	Public	22,678	2001	2011	Mountain West (Pac-12 in 2026)
Brigham Young University (BYU)	Cougars	Provo, Utah	1875	Private (LDS)	34,130	1962	1999	Big 12
California State University, Bakersfield	Roadrunners	Bakersfield, California	1965	Public	10,500	2013	2020	Big West
Template:Sort (Fresno State)	Bulldogs	Fresno, California	1911	Public	22,565	1992	2012	Mountain West (Pac-12 in 2026)
Chicago State University	Cougars	Chicago, Illinois	1867	Public (TMCF)	Template:Nts<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	2013	2022	NEC
Colorado State University	Rams	Fort Collins, Colorado	1870	Public	28,417	1968Template:Efn	1999	Mountain West (Pac-12 in 2026)
Template:Sort	Pioneers	Denver, Colorado	1864	Private	11,476	2012	2013	Summit
Grand Canyon University	Antelopes	Phoenix, Arizona	1949	Private For-ProfitTemplate:Efn (Non-denominational)	Template:Nts	2013	2025	Mountain West
Template:Sort	Rainbow Warriors & Rainbow Wahine	Honolulu, Hawaii	1907	Public	20,435	1979	2012	Big West Mountain West (football only; full member in 2026)
Template:Sort	Vandals	Moscow, Idaho	1889	Public	12,312	2005	2014	Big Sky
Template:Sort (Kansas City)	Roos	Kansas City, Missouri	1933	Public	16,944	2013	2020	Summit
Lamar University	Cardinals/ Lady Cardinals	Beaumont, Texas	1923	Public	Template:Nts<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	2021	2022	SLC
Louisiana Tech University	Bulldogs (men's) Lady Techsters (women's)	Ruston, Louisiana	1894	Public	11,581	2001	2013	CUSA (Sun Belt by 2027)
Template:Sort (UNLV)	Rebels	Las Vegas, Nevada Template:Efn	1957	Public	28,203	1996	1999	Mountain West
Template:Sort	Wolf Pack	Reno, Nevada	1874	Public	18,227	2000	2012	Mountain West
Template:Sort	Lobos	Albuquerque, New Mexico	1889	Public	35,211	1962	1999	Mountain West
New Mexico State University	Aggies	Las Cruces, New Mexico	1888	Public	21,694	2005	2023	CUSA
Rice University	Owls	Houston, Texas	1912	Private	6,082	1996	2005	The American
San Diego State University	Aztecs	San Diego, California	1897	Public	28,789	1978	1999	Mountain West (Pac-12 in 2026)
Sam Houston State University	Bearkats	Huntsville, Texas	1879	Public	21,679	2021	2023	CUSA
San Jose State University	Spartans	San Jose, California	1857	Public	30,448	1996	2013	Mountain West
Seattle University	Redhawks	Seattle, Washington	1891	Private (Jesuit)	7,755	2012	2025	WCC
Southern Methodist University (SMU)	Mustangs	Dallas, Texas Template:Efn	1911	Private (United Methodist Church)	12,000	1996	2005	ACC
Stephen F. Austin State University	Lumberjacks & Ladyjacks	Nacogdoches, Texas	1923	Public (UTS)	Template:Nts<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	2021	2024	SLC
Texas Christian University (TCU)	Horned Frogs	Fort Worth, Texas	1873	Private (Disciples of Christ)	9,725	1996	2001	Big 12
Template:Sort (UTEP)	Miners	El Paso, Texas	1914	Public	21,011	1968Template:Efn	2005	CUSA (Mountain West in 2026)
Template:Sort (UTRGV)	Vaqueros	Edinburg, Texas	2013Template:Efn	Public (UTS)	Template:Nts<ref name="UTRGV Student Media"/>	2013	2024	SLC
Template:Sort (UTSA)	Roadrunners	San Antonio, Texas	1969	Public	30,474	2012	2013	The American
Texas State University	Bobcats	San Marcos, Texas	1899	Public	34,229	2012	2013	Sun Belt (Pac-12 in 2026)
Template:Sort	Golden Hurricane	Tulsa, Oklahoma	1894	Private	4,352	1996	2005	The American
Template:Sort	Utes	Salt Lake City, Utah	1850	Public	32,388	1962	1999	Big 12
Utah State University	Aggies	Logan, Utah	1888	Public	28,796	2005	2013	Mountain West (Pac-12 in 2026)
Template:Sort	Cowboys & Cowgirls	Laramie, Wyoming	1866	Public	12,496	1962	1999	Mountain West

Notes

Template:Notelist

Former affiliate members

Institution	Location	Founded	Type	Enrollment	Nickname	Primary conference	WAC sport(s)	Joined	Left
Template:Sort (Air Force)Template:Efn Template:Efn	USAF Academy, Colorado Template:Efn	1955	Federal	4,413	Falcons	Mountain West	Template:Sortname	2013	2025
Boise State University	Boise, Idaho	1932	Public	22,678	Broncos	Mountain West Template:Small	Template:Sortname	1990	1993
Boise State University	Boise, Idaho	1932	Public	22,678	Broncos	Mountain West Template:Small	Template:Sortname	2012	2013
California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly)	San Luis Obispo, California	1901	Public	20,186	Mustangs	Big West	Baseball	1994	1996
California State University, Bakersfield (Cal State Bakersfield)	Bakersfield, California	1965	Public	8,720	Roadrunners	Big West Template:Efn	Baseball	2012	2013
	Bakersfield, California	1965	Public	8,720	Roadrunners	Big West Template:Efn	Template:Sortname	2012	2013
California State University, Fullerton (Cal State Fullerton)	Fullerton, California	1959	Public	38,128	Titans	Big West Template:Efn	Template:Sortname	2005	2011
California State University, Northridge (Cal State Northridge)	Northridge, California	1958	Public	38,310	Matadors	Big West	Baseball	1992	1996
Template:Sort (Sacramento State)	Sacramento, California	1947	Public	27,972	Hornets	Big Sky Template:Small Template:Efn	Template:Sortname	2005	2013
Dallas Baptist University	Dallas, Texas	1898	Private	5,422	Patriots	Lone Star Template:Efn Template:Efn	Baseball	2012	2013
Template:Sort	Denver, Colorado	1864	Private	11,476	Pioneers	Summit Template:Efn Template:Efn	Template:Sortname	2011	2012
Drury University	Springfield, Missouri	1873	Private	5,474	Panthers	Great Lakes Valley Template:Efn	Template:Sortname	1999	2000
Grand Canyon University	Phoenix, Arizona	1949	Private, For-profitTemplate:Efn	17,650	Antelopes	Mountain West Template:Efn	Baseball	1994	1998
Template:Sort (Hawaii–Hilo)	Hilo, Hawaii	1901	Public	20,186	Vulcans	Pacific West Template:Efn	Baseball	1999	2001
Houston Christian UniversityTemplate:Efn	Houston, Texas	1960	Private	2,567	Huskies	Southland Template:Efn	Template:Sortname	2013	2024
Template:Sort Template:Efn	Moscow, Idaho	1889	Public	12,312	Vandals	Big Sky	Template:Sortname	2014	2025
Template:Sort	San Antonio, Texas	1881	Private	8,455	Cardinals	Southland Template:Efn	Template:Sortname	2014	2023
Template:Sort (UNLV)Template:Efn Template:Efn	Las Vegas, Nevada Template:Efn	1957	Public	29,069	Rebels	Mountain West	Template:Sortname	2013	2025
New Mexico State UniversityTemplate:Efn	Las Cruces, New Mexico	1888	Public	Template:Nts	Aggies	Conference USA	Template:Sortname	2023<ref name=NMSUWSwim>Template:Cite press release</ref>	2025
Northern Arizona UniversityTemplate:Efn	Flagstaff, Arizona	1899	Public	18,824	Lumberjacks	Big Sky	Template:Sortname	2004	2025
Template:Sort Template:Efn	Greeley, Colorado	1889	Public	10,097	Bears	Big Sky Template:Efn	Template:Sortname	2012	2025
Template:Sort Template:Efn	Greeley, Colorado	1889	Public	10,097	Bears	Big Sky Template:Efn	Baseball	2013	2021
Template:Sort Template:Efn	Grand Forks, North Dakota	1883	Public	15,250	Fighting Hawks	Summit Template:Efn	Baseball	2013	2016
							Template:Sortname	2013	2017
							Template:Sortname	2011	2017
Template:Sort	San Diego, California	1949	Private	8,105	Toreros	West Coast Template:Efn	Template:Sortname	2004	2010
Southern Utah University	Cedar City, Utah	1897	Public	8,297	Thunderbirds	WACTemplate:Efn Template:Efn Template:Small	Template:Sortname	1990	1993
Southern Utah University	Cedar City, Utah	1897	Public	8,297	Thunderbirds	WACTemplate:Efn Template:Efn Template:Small	Template:Sortname	2005	2013
University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV)	Edinburg, Texas	2013Template:Efn	Public (UTS)	32,419<ref name="UTRGV Student Media">Template:Cite web</ref>	Vaqueros	Southland	Template:Sortname Template:Efn	2024	2025
University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV)	Edinburg, Texas	2013Template:Efn	Public (UTS)		Vaqueros	Southland	Template:Sortname	2024	2025
Template:Sort Template:Efn Template:Efn	Laramie, Wyoming	1886	Public	12,496	Cowboys	Mountain West	Template:Sortname	2013	2025

Notes

Template:Notelist

Membership timeline

DateFormat = yyyy

ImageSize = width:1000 height:auto barincrement:20

Period = from:1962 till:2032

TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal

PlotArea = right:20 left:0 bottom:50 top:5 #> to display a count on left side of graph, use "left:20" to suppress the count, use "left:20"<#

Colors = id:barcolor value:rgb(0.99,0.7,0.7)

         id:line     value:black

         id:bg       value:white
         id:Full    value:rgb(0.742,0.727,0.852) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports
         id:FullxF  value:rgb(0.551,0.824,0.777) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports except for football
         id:AssocF  value:rgb(0.98,0.5,0.445)    # Use this color to denote a team that is a member for football only
         id:AssocOS value:rgb(0.5,0.691,0.824) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in some sports, but not all (consider identifying in legend or a footnote)
         id:OtherC1 value:rgb(0.996,0.996,0.699) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved to another conference
         id:OtherC2 value:rgb(0.988,0.703,0.383) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved to another conference where OtherC1 has already been used, to distinguish the two

PlotData=

  width:15 textcolor:black shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:s

  bar:1  color:Full from:1962 till:1978 text:Arizona (1962–1978)
  bar:1  color:OtherC1 from:1978 till:2011 text:Pac-10
  bar:1  color:OtherC1 from:2011 till:2024 text:Pac-12
  bar:1  color:OtherC2 from:2024 till:end text:Big 12

  bar:2 color:Full from:1962 till:1978 text:Arizona State (1962–1978)
  bar:2 color:OtherC1 from:1978 till:2011 text:Pac-10
  bar:2 color:OtherC1 from:2011 till:2024 text:Pac-12
  bar:2 color:OtherC2 from:2024 till:end text:Big 12

  bar:3 color:Full from:1962 till:1999 text:BYU (1962–1999)
  bar:3 color:OtherC1 from:1999 till:2011 text:Mountain West
  bar:3 color:OtherC2 from:2011 till:2023 text:WCC
  bar:3 color:OtherC1 from:2023 till:end text:Big 12

  bar:4 color:Full from:1962 till:1999 text:Utah  (1962–1999)
  bar:4 color:OtherC1 from:1999 till:2011 text:Mountain West
  bar:4 color:OtherC2 from:2011 till:2024 text:Pac-12
  bar:4 color:OtherC1 from:2024 till:end text:Big 12

  bar:5 color:Full from:1962 till:1999 text:Wyoming (1962–1999)
  bar:5 color:OtherC1 from:1999 till:end text:Mountain West

  bar:6 color:Full from:1962 till:1999 text:New Mexico (1962–1999)
  bar:6 color:OtherC1 from:1999 till:end text:Mountain West

  bar:7 color:Full from:1968 till:1999 text:Colorado State (1968–1999)
  bar:7 color:OtherC1 from:1999 till:2026 text:Mountain West
  bar:7 color:OtherC2 from:2026 till:end text:Pac-12

  bar:8 color:Full from:1968 till:2005 text:UTEP (1968–2005)
  bar:8 color:OtherC1 from:2005 till:2026 text:CUSA
  bar:8 color:OtherC2 from:2026 till:end text:Mountain West

  bar:9  color:Full    from:1978 till:1999 text:San Diego State (1978–1999)
  bar:9  color:OtherC1 from:1999 till:2024  text:Mountain West
  bar:9 color:AssocOS from:2024 till:end text:(Assoc 2024–present)

  bar:10 color:Full    from:1979 till:2012 text:Hawaiʻi (1979–2012)
  bar:10 color:OtherC1 from:2012 till:2026  text:Big West
  bar:10 color:OtherC2 from:2026 till:end  text:Mountain West

  bar:11 color:Full    from:1980 till:1999 text:Air Force (1980–1999)
  bar:11 color:OtherC1 from:1999 till:2013 text:Mountain West
  bar:11 color:AssocOS from:2013 till:end text:(Assoc 2013–present)

  bar:12 shift:(-50) color:AssocOS from:1990 till:1993 text:(Assoc 1990–1993)
  bar:12 color:OtherC1 from:1993 till:2001 text:Big West
  bar:12 color:Full from:2001 till:2011 text:Boise State (2001–2011)
  bar:12 color:OtherC1 from:2011 till:2026  text:Mountain West
  bar:12 color:OtherC2 from:2026 till:end text:Pac-12

  bar:13 shift:(-50) color:AssocOS from:1990 till:1993 text:(Assoc 1990–1993)
  bar:13 color:OtherC1 from:1993 till:2005 text:Ind (1996–2003) / Great West
  bar:13 color:AssocOS from:2005 till:2013 text:(Assoc 2005–2013)
  bar:13 color:OtherC1 from:2013 till:2022 text:Big Sky
  bar:13 shift:(-72) color:Full from:2022 till:2023 text:Southern Utah (2022–2026)
  bar:13 color:FullXF from:2023 till:2026
  bar:13 color:OtherC1 from:2026 till:end text:Big Sky

  bar:14 color:Full    from:1992 till:2012 text:Fresno State (1992–2012)
  bar:14 color:OtherC1 from:2012 till:2026  text:Mountain West
  bar:14 color:OtherC2 from:2026 till:end text:Pac-12

  bar:18 color:AssocOS from:1995 till:1998 text:(Assoc 1995–1998)
  bar:18 color:FullxF from:2013 till:2025 text:Grand Canyon (2013–2025)
  bar:18 color:AssocOS from:2025 till:end text:(Assoc 2025–present)

  bar:19 color:Full from:1996 till:1999 text:UNLV (1996–1999)
  bar:19 shift:(60) color:OtherC1 from:1999 till:2013 text:Mountain West
  bar:19 color:AssocOS from:2013 till:end text:(Assoc 2013–present)

  bar:20 color:Full from:1996 till:2001 text:TCU (1996–2001)
  bar:20 shift:(20) color:OtherC1 from:2001 till:2005 text:CUSA
  bar:20 color:OtherC2 from:2005 till:2012 text:Mountain West
  bar:20 color:OtherC1 from:2012 till:end text:Big 12

  bar:21 color:Full from:1996 till:2005 text:Rice (1996–2005)
  bar:21 color:OtherC1 from:2005 till:2023 text:CUSA
  bar:21 color:OtherC2 from:2023 till:end text:American

  bar:22 color:Full from:1996 till:2005 text:SMU (1996–2005)
  bar:22 color:OtherC1 from:2005 till:2013 text:CUSA
  bar:22 color:OtherC2 from:2013 till:2024 text:American
  bar:22 color:OtherC1 from:2024 till:end text:ACC

  bar:23 color:Full from:1996 till:2005 text:Tulsa (1996–2005)
  bar:23 color:OtherC1 from:2005 till:2014 text:CUSA
  bar:23 color:OtherC2 from:2014 till:end text:American

  bar:24 color:Full from:1996 till:2013 text:San Jose State (1996–2013)
  bar:24 color:AssocOS from:2013 till:end text:(Assoc 2013–present)

  bar:27 color:Full from:2000 till:2012 text:Nevada (2000–2012)
  bar:27 color:OtherC1 from:2012 till:end text:Mountain West

  bar:28 color:Full from:2001 till:end text:Louisiana Tech (2001–2013)
  bar:28 color:OtherC1 from:2013 till:2027 text:CUSA
  bar:28 color:OtherC2 from:2027 till:end text:Sun Belt

  bar:31 color:Full from:2005 till:end text:Utah State (2005–2013)
  bar:31 color:OtherC1 from:2013 till:2026 text:Mountain West
  bar:31 color:OtherC2 from:2026 till:end text:Pac-12

  bar:32 color:Full from:2005 till:2013 text:Idaho (2005–2014)
  bar:32 color:FullxF from:2013 till:2014 text: 
  bar:32 color:OtherC1 from:2014 till:end text:Big Sky

  bar:33 color:Full from:2005 till:2013 text:New Mexico State (2005–2023)
  bar:33 color:FullxF from:2013 till:2023
  bar:33 color:AssocOS from:2023 till:2025 text:(Assoc 2023–2025)
  bar:33 color:OtherC1 from:2025 till:end text:CUSA

  bar:34 color:AssocOS from:2005 till:2026 text:Sacramento State, baseball (2005–2026)

  bar:35 color:AssocOS from:2005 till:2025 text:Northern Arizona, women's swimming (2005–2025)

  bar:36 color:AssocOS from:2012 till:2025 text:Northern Colorado, women's swimming (2012–2025)

  bar:37 color:AssocOS from:2011 till:2012
  bar:37 shift:(-80) color:FullxF from:2012 till:2013 text:Denver (2012–2013)
  bar:37 color:OtherC1 from:2013 till:end text:Summit

  bar:38 shift:(-120) color:Full from:2012 till:end text:UTSA (2012–2013)
  bar:38 color:OtherC1 from:2013 till:2023 text:CUSA
  bar:38 color:OtherC2 from:2023 till:end text:American

  bar:39 shift:(-120) color:Full from:2012 till:end text:Texas State (2012–2013)
  bar:39 color:OtherC1 from:2013 till:2026 text:Sun Belt
  bar:39 color:OtherC2 from:2026 till:end text:Pac-12

  bar:40 shift:(-120) color:FullxF from:2012 till:2013 text:UT Arlington (2012–2013)
  bar:40 color:OtherC1 from:2013 till:2022 text:Sun Belt
  bar:40 color:FullXF from:2022 till:2026 text:(2022–2026)
  bar:40 color:OtherC1 from:2026 till:end text:UAC

  bar:41 color:FullxF from:2012 till:2025 text:Seattle (2012–2025)
  bar:41 color:OtherC1 from:2025 till:end text:WCC

  bar:42 color:AssocOS from:2012 till:2013
  bar:42 shift:(-60) color:FullxF from:2013 till:2020 text:Cal State Bakersfield (2013–2020)
  bar:42 color:OtherC1 from:2020 till:end  text:Big West

  bar:44 color:FullxF from:2013 till:2022 text:Chicago State (2013–2022)
  bar:44 color:OtherC1 from:2022 till:2024 text:Ind.
  bar:44 color:OtherC2 from:2024 till:end text:NEC

  bar:45 shift:(-115) color:FullxF from:2013 till:2015 text:UT–Pan American (2013–2015)
  bar:45 color:FullxF from:2015 till:2024 text:UTRGV (2015–2024)
  bar:45 color:AssocOS from:2024 till:2025 text:(Assoc 2024–2025)
  bar:45 color:OtherC1 from:2025 till:end text:SLC

  bar:46 color:FullxF from:2013 till:2020 text:UMKC (2013–2020)
  bar:46 color:OtherC1 from:2020 till:end  text:Summit

  bar:47 color:FullxF from:2013 till:2026 text:Utah Valley (2013–2026)
  bar:47 color:OtherC1 from:2026 till:end  text:Big West

  bar:50 shift:) color:FullxF from:2018 till:2026 text:Cal Baptist (2018–2026)
  bar:50 color:OtherC1 from:2026 till:end  text:Big West

  bar:51 shift:(-100,-5) color:FullXF from:2020 till:2021 text:Dixie State (2020–present)
  bar:51 color:Full from:2021 till:2022
  bar:51 color:Full from:2022 till:2023 text:Utah Tech
  bar:51 color:FullXF from:2023 till:2026
  bar:51 color:OtherC1 from:2026 till:end text:Big Sky

  bar:52 shift:(-100,-5) color:FullXF from:2020 till:2021 text:Tarleton (2020–2026)
  bar:52 color:Full from:2021 till:2023
  bar:52 color:FullXF from:2023 till:2026
  bar:52 color:OtherC1 from:2026 till:end text:UAC

  bar:53 shift:(-80) color:Full from:2021 till:2023 text:Abilene Christian (2021–2026)
  bar:53 color:FullXF from:2023 till:2026
  bar:53 color:OtherC1 from:2026 till:end text:UAC

  bar:54 shift:(-80) color:Full from:2021 till:2022 text:Lamar (2021–2022)
  bar:54 color:OtherC1 from:2022 till:end text:Southland

  bar:55 shift:(-120) color:Full from:2021 till:2023 text:Sam Houston (2021–2023)
  bar:55 color:OtherC1 from:2023 till:end text:CUSA

  bar:56 shift:(-120) color:Full from:2021 till:2023 text:Stephen F. Austin (2021–2024)
  bar:56 color:FullXF from:2023 till:2024
  bar:56 color:OtherC1 from:2024 till:end text:Southland

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   text:^"WAC Membership History"

> If the chart uses more than one bar color, add a legend by selecting the appropriate fields from the following six options (use only the colors that are used in the graphic.) Leave a blank line after the end of the timeline, then add a line with the selected values from the list, separated by a space. Template:Font color Template:Font color Template:Font color Template:Font color Template:Font color Template:Font color <# </timeline>

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Prior to the 1996–97 season, both Air Force and Hawaii had most to all of their women's sports competing in other conferences before joining the WAC full-time with their men's sports counterparts. At that time, Air Force was in the Colorado Athletic Conference, and Hawaii was in the Big West Conference.
Since the 2021–22 season, the WAC has played football at the FCS level.

Map of the members

Template:OSM Location map

History

1960s: Formation

Template:Location map+ The WAC formed out of a series of talks between Brigham Young University athletic director Eddie Kimball and other university administrators from 1958 to 1961 to form a new athletic conference that would better fit the needs and situations of certain universities which were at the time members of the Border, Skyline, and Pacific Coast Conferences. Potential member universities who were represented at the meetings included BYU, Washington State, Oregon, Oregon State, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, Arizona State, and Wyoming. While the three Washington and Oregon schools elected to stay in a revamped Pac-8 Conference that replaced the scandal-plagued PCC, the remaining six schools formed the WAC. The Border and Skyline conferences, having each lost three of their stronger members, dissolved at the end of the 1961–62 season. The charter members of the WAC were Arizona, Arizona State, BYU, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. New Mexico State and Utah State applied for charter membership and were turned down; they would eventually become WAC members 43 years later.

The conference proved to be an almost perfect fit for the six schools from both a competitive and financial standpoint. Arizona and Arizona State, in particular, experienced success in baseball with Arizona garnering the 1963 College World Series (CWS) runner-up trophy and ASU winning the CWS in 1965, 1967, and 1969. Colorado State and Texas–El Paso (UTEP), at that time just renamed from Texas Western College, were accepted in September 1967 (joined in July 1968) to bring membership up Template:Nowrap

1970s and 1980s: Success and first expansion

With massive growth in the state of Arizona, the balance of WAC play in the 1970s became increasingly skewed in favor of the Arizona schools, who won or tied for all but two WAC football titles from 1969 onward. In the summer of 1978, the two schools left the WAC for the Pac-8, which became the Pac-10, and were replaced in the WAC by San Diego State and, one year later, Hawaii. The WAC further expanded by adding Air Force in the summer of 1980. A college football national championship won by Brigham Young in 1984 added to the WAC's reputation. This nine-team line-up of the WAC defined the conference for nearly 15 years.

1990s: Second wave of expansion

Fresno State expanded its athletic program in the early 1990s and was granted membership in 1992 as the nationwide trend against major college programs independent of conferences accelerated. The WAC merged with the High Country Athletic Conference, a parallel organization to the WAC for women's athletics, in 1990 to unify both men's and women's athletics under one administrative structure.

Template:Location map+ In 1996, the WAC expanded again, adding six schools to its ranks for a total of sixteen. Rice, TCU, and SMU joined the league from the Southwest Conference, which had disbanded. Big West Conference members San Jose State and UNLV were also admitted, as well as Tulsa from the Missouri Valley Conference.<ref name="wac16teams">Template:Cite news</ref> Also, two WAC members for men's sports at the time, Air Force and HawaiTemplate:Okinai, brought their women's sports into the WAC. With the expansion, the WAC was divided into two divisions, the Mountain and the Pacific.

To help in organizing schedules and travel for the far-flung league, the members were divided into four quadrants of four teams each, as follows:<ref name=wac16teams/>

Quadrant 1	Quadrant 2	Quadrant 3	Quadrant 4
HawaiTemplate:Okinai	UNLV	BYU	Tulsa
Fresno State	Air Force	Utah	TCU
San Diego State	Colorado State	New Mexico	SMU
San Jose State	Wyoming	UTEP	Rice

Quadrant one was always part of the Pacific Division, and quadrant four was always part of the Mountain Division. Quadrant two was part of the Pacific Division for 1996 and 1997 before switching to the Mountain Division in 1998, while the reverse was true for quadrant three. The scheduled fourth year of the alignment was abandoned after eight schools left to form the Mountain West Conference.Template:Citation needed

The division champions in football met from 1996 to 1998 in the WAC Championship Game, held at Sam Boyd Stadium (also known as the Silver Bowl) in the Las Vegas Valley.

2000s: Turbulence

Increasingly, most of the older, pre-1996 members—particularly Air Force, BYU, Colorado State, Utah, and Wyoming—felt chagrin at this new arrangement. Additional concerns centered around finances, as the expanded league stretched approximately Template:Convert from Hawaii to Oklahoma and covered nine states and four time zones. With such a far-flung league, travel costs became a concern. The presidents of Air Force, BYU, Colorado State, Utah, and Wyoming met in 1998 at Denver International Airport and agreed to split off to form a new league. The breakaway group invited old-line WAC schools New Mexico and San Diego State, and newcomer UNLV to join them in the new Mountain West Conference, which began competition in 1999.<ref name=wac16teams/>

A USA Today article summed up the reasons behind the split. "With Hawaii and the Texas schools separated by about 3,900 miles and four time zones, travel costs were a tremendous burden for WAC teams. The costs, coupled with lagging revenue and a proposed realignment that would have separated rivals such as Colorado State and Air Force, created unrest among the eight defecting schools."<ref>WAC disbanding? – rec.sport.softball | Google Groups. Groups.google.com.</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

BYU and Utah would later leave the MWC for the West Coast Conference and Pac-12 Conference, respectively; BYU joined the Big 12 Conference in 2023 while Utah followed in 2024.

Template:Location map+ In 2000, the University of Nevada, Reno (Nevada) of the Big West joined as part of its plan to upgrade its athletic program.

TCU left for Conference USA in 2001 (it would later leave C-USA to become the ninth member of the Mountain West in 2005, and joined the Big 12 in 2012).

The Big West announced that it would drop football after the 2000 season, but four of its football-playing members (Boise State, Idaho, New Mexico State, and Utah State) were unwilling to drop football. Boise State was invited to join the WAC and promptly departed the Big West, while New Mexico State and Idaho joined the Sun Belt Conference (NMSU as a full member, Idaho as a "football only" member) and Utah State operated as an independent D-IA program. At the same time, Louisiana Tech (LA Tech) ended its independent Div. I-A status and also accepted an invitation to join the WAC with Boise State.

In 2005, Conference USA sought new members to replenish its ranks after losing members to the Big East, which had lost members to the ACC. Four WAC schools, former SWC schools Rice and SMU, as well as Tulsa and UTEP, joined Conference USA. In response, the WAC added Idaho, New Mexico State, and Utah State—all former Big West schools which left the conference in 2000 along with Boise State when that conference dropped football. The three new schools were all land grant universities, bringing the conference total to five (Nevada and Hawaii).

2010s: Membership changes and the elimination of football

Template:Main Template:See also The decade of the 2010s began with a series of conference realignment moves that would have trickle-down effects throughout Division I football, and profoundly change the membership of the WAC. Boise State decided to move to the Mountain West Conference (MWC) for the 2011–12 season,<ref name="BSU to MWC">Template:Cite news</ref> and to replace departing BYU, the MWC also recruited WAC members Fresno State and Nevada for 2012–13.<ref name=ESPN>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> WAC commissioner Karl Benson courted several schools to replace those leaving, including the University of Montana, which declined,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> as well as the University of Denver, University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), and Texas State University-San Marcos, which all accepted effective 2012–13.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

But the resulting eastward shift of the conference's geographic center led Hawaii to reduce travel expenses by becoming a football-only member of the MWC and joining the California-based Big West Conference for all other sports.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Further invitations were then issued by the WAC to Seattle University<ref>WAC Announces Addition of Seattle Template:Webarchive. WACSports.com (June 14, 2011).</ref> and the University of Texas at Arlington.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> These changes meant that the conference would have 10 members for 2012–13,<ref>The Salt Lake Tribune Template:Webarchive. Sltrib.com.</ref> seven of which sponsored football, and Benson announced that the WAC planned to add two additional football-playing members to begin competition in 2013.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> A further boost came when Boise State decided to join the Big East in football, and return to the WAC in most other sports, as of the 2013–14 academic year.<ref name=broncosports1>Template:Cite news</ref> So by the end of 2011, the WAC seemed to have weathered the latest round of conference changes, and once again reinvented itself for the future.

Template:Location map+

But from this seemingly strong position, early 2012 brought forth a series of moves that shook the conference to its very core, beginning with Utah State and San Jose State accepting offers to join the MWC.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Four similar announcements followed with UTSA and Louisiana Tech jumping to Conference USA, plus Texas State and UT Arlington heading to the Sun Belt Conference, all as of 2013–14.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news Template:Dead link Template:Dead link Template:Cbignore</ref><ref>Template:Cite press release</ref><ref name="5 to C-USA">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite press release</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Boise State also canceled plans to rejoin the WAC, instead opting to place its non-football sports in the Big West Conference, before eventually deciding to simply remain in the MWC.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> These changes left the WAC's viability as a Division I football conference in grave doubt. The two remaining football-playing members, New Mexico State and Idaho, began making plans to compete in future seasons as FBS Independents;<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> they ultimately spent only the 2013 season as independents, rejoining their one-time football home of the Sun Belt as football-only members in 2014.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In order to rebuild, as well as forestall further defections, the conference was forced to add two schools—Utah Valley University and CSU Bakersfield—which were invited in October 2012 to join the WAC in 2013–14,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> but this did not prevent two more members from leaving. Denver decided to take most of its athletic teams to The Summit League as of the 2013–14 season,<ref name="Denver to Summit">Template:Cite press release</ref> shortly after Idaho opted to return all of its non-football sports to the Big Sky Conference in 2014–15.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The conference responded over the next two months by adding Grand Canyon University,<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> Chicago State University,<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> and the University of Texas-Pan American.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Then, in February 2013, the WAC announced the University of Missouri–Kansas City would join in the summer of 2013 as well.<ref name="UMKC to WAC">Template:Cite web</ref> These changes would put the conference's membership at eight members by 2014 with only one, New Mexico State, having been in the WAC just three years earlier. Due to losing the majority of its football-playing members, the WAC would stop sponsoring the sport after the 2012–13 season, thereby becoming a non-football conference.<ref name="WAC drops football after 2012 season"/>

In 2013, the University of Texas System announced that Texas–Pan American would merge with the University of Texas at Brownsville; the new institution, the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV), began operation for the 2015–16 school year. UTRGV inherited UTPA's athletic program and WAC membership.

In January 2017, California Baptist University announced it would transition from NCAA Division II and join the WAC in 2018.<ref name=CBU>Template:Cite press release</ref>

In November 2017, Cal State Bakersfield announced it would accept an invitation to the Big West and join its new conference in 2020.

In January 2019, Dixie State University, now known as Utah Tech University, announced it would move its athletics to Division I and join the WAC in 2020.

In June 2019, the University of Missouri–Kansas City announced it would leave the WAC to join the Summit League in 2020;<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> this announcement came shortly before the rebranding of its athletic program as the Kansas City Roos.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>

In September 2019, Tarleton State University of Division II announced that it would move to Division I and join the WAC in 2020.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>

2020s: More membership changes, reinstatement of football

Template:See also

Template:Location map+

On January 14, 2021, the Western Athletic Conference announced its intention to reinstate football as a conference-sponsored sport at the FCS level, as well as the addition of five new members to the conference in all sports, including football, at a press conference held at the NRG Center in Houston, Texas.<ref name="WAC 2022"/> The new members announced included four Southland Conference members from Texas in Abilene Christian University, Lamar University, Sam Houston State University, and Stephen F. Austin State University, which would soon be dubbed the "Texas Four", plus Southern Utah University from the Big Sky Conference. The conference also announced that it would most likely add another member that fielded a football team at a later date. While the WAC originally announced that all new members would join on July 1, 2022, commissioner Jeff Hurd later said that the arrival of the Texas Four "was expedited" to July 1, 2021.<ref name=Martinez/> The conference officially confirmed this on January 21, 2021, adding that the relaunch of football was moved forward to fall 2021. The conference also confirmed media reports that the Southland had expelled the Texas Four after they announced their departure.<ref name=Blum>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> Southern Utah entered as scheduled in 2022.<ref name=Martinez/> During the aforementioned press conference, Hurd also announced that the WAC would split into two divisions for all sports except football and men's and women's basketball. One division will consist of the six Texas schools (the Texas Four plus existing members Tarleton and UTRGV).<ref name="WAC 2022"/> Also on January 14, 2021, news broke that UTRGV, a non-football playing member of the conference, had committed to create an FCS football program by 2024,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> plans that ultimately were postponed to 2025.

The WAC's planned reestablishment of a football conference at the FCS level was accompanied by speculation that the conference intended to eventually move its football league back up to the FBS level in the future, possibly by 2030.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Later in January 2021, the WAC moved the start of its sponsorship of FCS football to Fall 2021, with media reports indicating that the University of Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky University, and Jacksonville State University would be added as football affiliates for 2021. The three schools were set to join the ASUN Conference in July 2021; that league planned to add FCS football, but not until at least 2022.<ref name="WAC Adding Associate members">Template:Cite tweet</ref><ref>Template:Cite tweet</ref> The entry of the three incoming ASUN members into the new football league was officially confirmed at a February 23, 2021, ASUN press conference. These schools joined the Texas Four in a round-robin schedule officially branded interchangeably as the "ASUN–WAC Challenge" and "WAC–ASUN Challenge"; the two conferences proposed an amendment to NCAA bylaws that would allow their partnership (and presumably any others of its kind) to receive an immediate FCS playoff berth. Utah Tech (formerly Dixie State) and Tarleton State were included in alliance members' schedules, but were not eligible for the FCS playoffs until completing their Division I transitions in 2024; at least for 2021, games involving those two schools did not count in alliance standings, although both were included in the separate WAC league table.<ref name=ASUNWACFB>Template:Cite press release</ref><ref name=ASUNWACupdate>Template:Cite press release</ref>

On the same day as the WAC's initial FCS football announcement, Chicago State University announced it would leave the WAC in June 2022.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Chicago State was originally added in 2013 along with the University of Missouri–Kansas City, originally with an intention for both institutions to serve as anchors for a midwestern-centered division for the conference.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> No other universities in the region were added to the WAC, and UMKC (now known for athletic purposes as Kansas City) departed the conference in 2020 for its former home of the Summit League. This left Chicago State, which does not sponsor football, as the only WAC member east of Texas. Chicago State's departure rendered Seattle University as the only WAC member institution not geographically located in the southwestern United States.

On November 5, 2021, it was reported that New Mexico State and Sam Houston would be leaving the WAC for Conference USA in 2023.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The WAC responded by adding Incarnate Word from the Southland Conference and UT Arlington from the Sun Belt Conference; however, UIW later reversed course and decided to stay with the SLC only days before the 2022-23 athletic season officially began.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref><ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> Lamar also announced that it too would return to its former home of the Southland Conference in 2023 roughly three months prior to UIW's announcement, on April 8, 2022; however, three months later, it was announced that the SLC and Lamar would be accelerating the rejoining process so that Lamar could return for the 2022 athletic season instead.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Jacksonville State and Sam Houston both started FBS transitions in the 2022 season, rendering both ineligible for the FCS playoffs and also dropping both the ASUN and WAC to 5 playoff-eligible football members, one short of the six required for an automatic playoff berth. This led the WAC and ASUN to renew their football partnership for the 2022 season.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> Both conferences would keep their own 2022 football standings, including the ineligible teams, while the eligible teams also competed as an alliance to determine their joint AQ.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>

ESPN reported on December 9, 2022, that the WAC and ASUN had agreed to form a new football-only conference to start play in 2024. The initial membership would consist of Abilene Christian, Southern Utah, Stephen F. Austin, Tarleton, and Utah Tech from the WAC, plus Austin Peay, Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky, and North Alabama from the ASUN. UTRGV would become the 10th member upon its planned addition of football in 2025. The new football conference also reportedly planned to move "from what is currently known as FCS football to what is currently known as FBS football at the earliest practicable date."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On December 20, the two conferences announced that their joint football league would start a year earlier, in 2023, under the tentative name of "ASUN–WAC Football Conference,” playing a six-game schedule in 2023 before starting full round-robin conference play in 2024. Neither conference's official announcement mentioned any plans to move to FBS.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref><ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> On April 17, 2023, the football league announced its permanent name of United Athletic Conference.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>

Near Demise and Rebranding

Within a year of abandoning hope of operating its own football league, the WAC began to come unraveled. In March 2024, UTRGV announced it would be departing for the Southland Conference, and two months later, Stephen F. Austin announced the same move. Both changes took effect that summer, leaving the WAC with nine members for the 2024-25 academic year.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref><ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> In May 2024, both Grand Canyon and Seattle announced they had accepted invitations to join the West Coast Conference, beginning in the 2025–26 academic year.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> Grand Canyon subsequently declined the invitation to join the WCC after receiving an invite to join the Mountain West Conference. After the change in destinations, GCU planned to transition from the WAC to the Mountain West on July 1, 2026, but ultimately made the move a year earlier,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> leaving the WAC with seven members for 2025–26.

In February 2025, rumors began circulating about California Baptist and Utah Valley departing the WAC for the Big West Conference,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> California Baptist made the move official on March 5, followed by Utah Valley on June 4, in both cases to take effect July 1, 2026.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Three weeks later, on June 25, Southern Utah and Utah Tech accepted offers to join the Big Sky Conference,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> with the same effective date, leaving the WAC with just three members to continue beyond 2025–26.

The following day, June 26, the WAC and the ASUN issued a joint statement announcing that the five football-playing members of the ASUN in the Football only United Athletic Conference would join the WAC's three remaining members–Abilene Christian, Tarleton State, and UT Arlington–and have the conference rebrand as an all-sports United Athletic Conference as of July 1, 2026. This will be done through a "strategic alliance" of the WAC with the ASUN, under which the WAC will rebrand as the UAC and become the all-sports home for the football-playing members of both conferences (plus UT Arlington) while the non-football playing members of the ASUN will continue to operate after July 1, 2026 as a non-football conference under the Atlantic Sun name. The rebranding of the WAC into an all-sports UAC enabled the conference to maintain it's automatic qualifiers to NCAA championships, avoiding the customary waiting period for a new conference. Plans called for the UAC and ASUN to operate as a "consortium" under ASUN commissioner Jeff Bacon.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Commissioners

Years	Commissioners
1962–1968	Paul Brechler
1968–1971	Wiles Hallock
1971–1980	Stan Bates
1980–1994	Joseph Kearney
1994–2012	Karl Benson
2012–2021	Jeff Hurd
2021–2024	Brian Thornton
2025–2026	Rebekah Ray

Sports

The Western Athletic Conference currently sponsors championship competition in 7 men's and 9 women's NCAA-sanctioned sports. Nine other schools are currently associate members in four sports.

**Teams in Western Athletic Conference competition**
Sport	Men's	Women's
Baseball	check\|unknown=\|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"\|ignoreblank=y\| 1 \| style }}	check\|unknown=\|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"\|ignoreblank=y\| 1 \| style }}
Basketball	check\|unknown=\|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"\|ignoreblank=y\| 1 \| style }}	check\|unknown=\|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"\|ignoreblank=y\| 1 \| style }}
Cross country	check\|unknown=\|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"\|ignoreblank=y\| 1 \| style }}	check\|unknown=\|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"\|ignoreblank=y\| 1 \| style }}
Golf	check\|unknown=\|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"\|ignoreblank=y\| 1 \| style }}	check\|unknown=\|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"\|ignoreblank=y\| 1 \| style }}
Soccer	check\|unknown=\|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"\|ignoreblank=y\| 1 \| style }}	check\|unknown=\|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"\|ignoreblank=y\| 1 \| style }}
Softball	check\|unknown=\|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"\|ignoreblank=y\| 1 \| style }}	check\|unknown=\|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"\|ignoreblank=y\| 1 \| style }}
Tennis	check\|unknown=\|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"\|ignoreblank=y\| 1 \| style }}	check\|unknown=\|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"\|ignoreblank=y\| 1 \| style }}
Track and field (indoor)	check\|unknown=\|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"\|ignoreblank=y\| 1 \| style }}	check\|unknown=\|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"\|ignoreblank=y\| 1 \| style }}
Track and field (outdoor)	check\|unknown=\|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"\|ignoreblank=y\| 1 \| style }}	check\|unknown=\|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"\|ignoreblank=y\| 1 \| style }}
Volleyball	check\|unknown=\|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"\|ignoreblank=y\| 1 \| style }}	check\|unknown=\|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"\|ignoreblank=y\| 1 \| style }}

Template:Notelist

Men's sponsored sports by school

School	Baseball	Basketball	Cross Country	Golf	Soccer	Track & Field (Indoor)	Track & Field (Outdoor)	Total WAC Sports
Abilene Christian	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:No	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	7
California Baptist	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:No	Template:Yes	6
Southern Utah	Template:No	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:No	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	5
Tarleton	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:No	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	5
UT Arlington	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:No	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	7
Utah Tech	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:No	Template:No	5
Utah Valley	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	7
Associate Members
Air Force					Template:Yes			1
Grand Canyon					Template:Yes			1
Sacramento State	Template:Yes							1
San Diego State					Template:Yes			1
San Jose State					Template:Yes			1
UNLV					Template:Yes			1
Totals	6+1	7	7	7	3+5	5	6	37+6

Template:Notelist

Men's varsity sports not sponsored by the Western Athletic Conference which are played by WAC schools

School	Football	Swimming and Diving	Tennis	Water Polo	Wrestling
Abilene Christian	UAC	No	Independent	No	No
California Baptist	No	MPSF Template:Efn	No	WCC Template:Efn	Big 12
Southern Utah	UAC	No	No	No	No
Tarleton	UAC	No	No	No	No
UT Arlington	No	No	Independent	No	No
Utah Tech	UAC	No	No	No	No
Utah Valley	No	No	No	No	Big 12

Template:Notelist

Women's sponsored sports by school

School	Basketball	Cross Country	Golf	Soccer	Softball	Tennis	Track & Field (Indoor)	Track & Field (Outdoor)	Volleyball	Total WAC Sports
Abilene Christian	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	9
California Baptist	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:No	Template:No	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	7
Southern Utah	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:No	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	8
Tarleton	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	9
UT Arlington	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:No	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	8
Utah Tech	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	9
Utah Valley	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:No	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	8
Totals	7	7	7	6	7	4	6	7	7	58

Template:Notelist

Women's varsity sports not sponsored by the Western Athletic Conference which are played by WAC schools

School	Beach Volleyball	Gymnastics	StuntTemplate:Efn	Swimming and Diving	Water Polo
California Baptist	No	No	Independent<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	MPSF Template:Efn	GCC Template:Efn
Southern Utah	No	MPSF	No	No	No
Tarleton	CUSA	No	No	No	No
Utah Tech	No	No	No	MPSF	No

Template:Notelist

Football

Template:Main The WAC sponsored football from its founding in 1962 through the 2012 season. However, the defection of all but two football-playing schools to other conferences caused the conference to drop sponsorship after fifty-one years.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Reinstatement

On January 14, 2021, the WAC announced its intention to reinstate football as a conference-sponsored sport at the FCS level, as well as the addition of five new members to the conference in all sports, including football.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> The new members announced include the "Texas Four" of Abilene Christian University, Lamar University, Sam Houston State University, and Stephen F. Austin State University, then members of the Southland Conference, along with Southern Utah University, currently of the Big Sky Conference. Originally, all schools were planned to join in July 2022, but the entry of the Texas Four was moved to July 2021 after the Southland expelled its departing members.<ref name=Blum/> The WAC also announced that it would most likely add another football-playing institution at a later date.

On the same day, news broke that the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, a non-football playing WAC member, had committed to create an FCS football program by 2024.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The program will most likely compete as part of the newly-reinstated WAC football conference.

The WAC ultimately partnered with the ASUN Conference to reestablish its football league, with the Texas Four being joined by three incoming ASUN members for at least the fall 2021 season in what it calls the ASUN–WAC (or WAC–ASUN) Challenge.<ref name=ASUNWACFB/><ref name=ASUNWACupdate/> The Challenge was abbreviated as "AQ7", as the top finisher of the seven teams would be an automatic qualifier for the FCS postseason.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The two conferences renewed their alliance for the 2022 season, although both leagues will conduct separate conference seasons and then choose the alliance's automatic qualifier by an as-yet-undetermined process. Both the WAC and ASUN initially planned to have 6 playoff-eligible teams in 2022, but each lost such a member with the start of FBS transitions by Jacksonville State and Sam Houston. Template:See also

The WAC had been speculated to move back up to FBS following the reestablishment of the football conference at the FCS level.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

As noted previously, further conference realignment led to a full merger of the ASUN and WAC football leagues, with the new United Athletic Conference having started play in 2023.

Men's basketball

Team	First season	All-Time record	All-Time win %	NCAA DI Tournament appearances	NCAA DI Tournament record	Arena	Head coach
Abilene Christian	1919	1245-1169	.516	2	1–2	Moody Coliseum	Brette Tanner
California Baptist	2018	50-35	.588	0	0–0	CBU Events Center	Rick Croy
Tarleton State	2020	10-10	.500	0	0–0	Wisdom Gymnasium	Billy Gillispie
UT Arlington	1959	809–1,013	.444	1	0–1	College Park Center	K. T. Turner
Utah Tech	2020	8-13	.381	0	0–0	Burns Arena	Jon Judkins
Utah Valley	2004<ref name="fs.ncaa.org">Template:Cite web</ref>	234–194	.547	0	0–0	UCCU Center	Todd Phillips<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

WAC tournament

Template:Main

Rivalries

Men's basketball rivalries involving WAC teams include:

Teams		Meetings	Record	Series Leader	Current Streak
Utah Tech	Utah Valley<ref name="KSL Sports">Template:Cite news</ref>	2	3-5	Utah Valley	Utah Valley won 1
UT Arlington	Texas State	80	41-39	UT Arlington	Texas State won 3
UT Arlington	Stephen F. Austin	65	34-31	UT Arlington	UT Arlington won 2
UT Arlington	North Texas	59 (since 1959)	33-26	North Texas	North Texas won 5

Awards Template:Main

Women's basketball

Team	First season	All-Time record	All-Time win %	NCAA DI Tournament appearances	NCAA DI Tournament record	Arena	Head coach
Abilene Christian	1971	891–531	.627	1	0–1	Moody Coliseum	Julie Goodenough
California Baptist	2018	60-28	.681	0	0–0	CBU Events Center	Jarrod Olson
Tarleton State	2020	25-29	.463	0	0–0	Wisdom Gymnasium	Misty Wilson
UT Arlington	1972	754–736	.506	3	0–3	College Park Center	Shereka Wright
Utah Tech	2020	10-19	.345	0	0–0	Burns Arena	J.D. Gustin
Utah Valley	2004	184–230	.444	1	0–1	UCCU Center	Daniel Nielsen

WAC tournament

Template:Main

Rivalries

Women's basketball rivalries involving WAC teams include:

Teams		Meetings	Record	Series Leader	Current Streak
Utah Tech	Utah Valley<ref name="KSL Sports"/>	10	4-6	Utah Valley	Utah Valley won 1
UT Arlington	Texas State	79	37-42	Texas State	UT Arlington won 3
UT Arlington	Stephen F. Austin	70	21-49	Stephen F. Austin	UT Arlington won 2
UT Arlington	North Texas	61	31-30	UT Arlington	UT Arlington won 2

Baseball

The WAC has claimed seven NCAA baseball national championships. The most recent WAC national champion is the 2008 Fresno State Bulldogs baseball team.

WAC tournament

Template:Main

Championships

Current champions

Source:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

For the sports in which the WAC recognizes both regular-season and tournament champions:
- (RS) indicates regular-season champion.
- (T) indicates tournament champion.
For other sports, only a tournament champion is recognized.
Champions from a previous school year are indicated with the calendar year of their title.

Season	Sport	Men's champion	Women's champion
Fall 2024	Cross country	California Baptist	Utah Valley
	Soccer	San Diego State (RS) Seattle (T)	Utah Valley (RS) California Baptist (T)
	Volleyball	—	UT Arlington (RS) UT Arlington (T)
Winter 2024–25	Indoor Track & Field	Grand Canyon	Utah Valley
Winter 2024–25	Basketball	Utah Valley (RS) Grand Canyon (T)	Grand Canyon (RS & T)
Spring 2025	Golf	Seattle	Tarleton State
	Tennis	Grand Canyon (RS) Abilene Christian (T)	Tarleton State (RS) Grand Canyon (T)
	Softball	—	Grand Canyon (RS & T)
	Outdoor Track & Field	Utah Valley	Utah Valley
	Baseball	Sacramento State/Abilene Christian (RS) Utah Valley (T)	—

Template:Notelist

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 – men's track & field (shared the national title in 1970)
BYU – men's golf (1981)
BYU – women's cross country (1997)
Fresno State – softball (1998)
Fresno State – baseball (2008)
Rice – baseball (2003)
UTEP – NCAA Division I Men's Cross Country (1969, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1981)
UTEP – NCAA Division I Men's Indoor Track and Field (1974,1975,1976,1978,1980,1981,1982)
UTEP – NCAA Division I Men's Outdoor Track and Field (1975, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982)
UNLV – men's golf (1998)

The WAC has also produced one AP national champion in football:

BYU (1984)

The following teams won AIAW (and forerunner DGWS) women's national championships while their universities were members of the WAC:

Arizona State (15) – swimming (8), badminton (4), softball (2), golf (1)
Utah (3) – cross country (Div. II), gymnastics, skiing
UTEP (1) – indoor track and field

Template:See also

Spending and revenue

Total revenue includes ticket sales, contributions and donations, rights/licensing, student fees, school funds and all other sources including TV income, camp income, food and novelties. Total expenses includes coaching/staff, scholarships, buildings/ground, maintenance, utilities and rental fees and all other costs including recruiting, team travel, equipment and uniforms, conference dues and insurance costs.

Conference Rank (2023)	Institution	2023 Total Revenue from Athletics<ref name="NCAA FINANCES">Template:Cite web</ref>	2023 Total Expenses on Athletics<ref name="NCAA FINANCES"/>
1	Template:Sort	$36,994,975	$34,879,391
2	Template:Sort	$27,686,274	$27,686,274
3	Template:Sort	$25,509,417	$25,509,417
4	Template:Sort	$18,654,551	$18,654,551
5	Template:Sort	$18,137,527	$18,137,527
6	Template:Sort	$18,133,901	$18,133,901
7	Template:Sort	$17,929,384	$17,929,384

Notes
Note 1 - Data from U.S. Department of Education Equity in Athletics Data Analysis Cutting Tool Database. OPE Equity in Athletics Data Analysis Cutting Tool used in order to provide ranking for private institutions in the conference.
Note 2 - Non football programs

Facilities

Departing members in pink.

Template:CollegePrimaryHeader

style="text-align:center; Template:CollegePrimaryStyle"\| Template:CollegeSecondaryColorLink	Moody Coliseum	Template:Nts	Elmer Gray Stadium	Template:Nts	Poly Wells Field	Template:Nts	Crutcher Scott Field	Template:Nts
style="text-align:center; Template:CollegePrimaryStyle"\| [[California Baptist Lancers\|Template:White]]	Fowler Events Center	Template:Nts<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	CBU Soccer Stadium<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	Template:Nts<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	John C. Funk Stadium	Template:Nts<ref name="CBU Facilities">Template:Cite web</ref>	James W. Totman Stadium	Template:Nts<ref name="CBU Facilities"/>
style="text-align:center; Template:CollegePrimaryStyle"\| [[Southern Utah Thunderbirds\|Template:Color]]	America First Event Center	Template:Nts	Thunderbird Soccer Field	Template:Nts	Kathryn Berg Field	Template:Nts<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	Non-baseball school {{safesubst:#invoke:Check for unknown parameters\|check\|unknown=\|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"\|ignoreblank=y\| 1 \| style }}
style="text-align:center; Template:CollegePrimaryStyle"\| [[Tarleton State Texans\|Template:White]]	EECU Center<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>	Template:Nts<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	Tarleton Soccer Complex<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	Template:N/A	Tarleton Softball Complex	Template:Nts<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	Cecil Ballow Baseball Complex	Template:Nts<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
style="text-align:center; Template:CollegePrimaryStyle"\| [[UT Arlington Mavericks\|Template:White]]	College Park Center	Template:Nts	colspan=2 Template:N/A	Allan Saxe Field	Template:Nts	Clay Gould Ballpark	Template:Nts
style="text-align:center; Template:CollegePrimaryStyle"\| [[Utah Tech Trailblazers\|Template:White]]	Burns Arena	Template:Nts<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	Greater Zion Stadium	Template:Nts	Karl Brooks Field	Template:Nts<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	Bruce Hurst Field	Template:Nts<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
style="text-align:center; Template:CollegePrimaryStyle"\| [[Utah Valley Wolverines\|Template:White]]	UCCU Center	Template:Nts	Clyde Field	Template:Nts	Wolverine Field	Template:Nts	UCCU Ballpark	Template:Nts

Template:CollegePrimaryHeader Template:CollegePrimaryHeader

style="text-align:center; Template:CollegePrimaryStyle"\| Template:CollegeSecondaryColorLink	Cadet Soccer Stadium	Template:Nts	colspan=2 rowspan=2 Template:N/A
style="text-align:center; Template:CollegePrimaryStyle"\| [[Grand Canyon Antelopes men's soccer\|Template:White]]	GCU Stadium	Template:Nts
style="text-align:center; Template:CollegePrimaryStyle"\| Template:CollegeSecondaryColorLink	colspan=2 Template:N/A	John Smith Field*	Template:Nts
style="text-align:center; Template:CollegePrimaryStyle"\| [[San Diego State Aztecs men's soccer\|Template:White]]	SDSU Sports Deck	Template:Nts	colspan=2 rowspan=3 Template:N/A
style="text-align:center; Template:CollegePrimaryStyle"\| Template:CollegeSecondaryColorLink	Spartan Soccer Field	Template:Nts<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
style="text-align:center; Template:CollegePrimaryStyle"\| [[UNLV Rebels men's soccer\|Template:White]]	Peter Johann Memorial Field	Template:Nts

Template:Notelist

Awards

Commissioner's Cup

The WAC awards its Commissioner's Cup to the school that performs the best in each of the conference's 19 men's and women's championships.

Joe Kearney Award

Named in honor of former WAC commissioner Dr. Joseph Kearney, the awards are given annually to the top male and female WAC athlete. The various WAC member institutions Athletics Directors select the male award winner, while the WAC member institutions Senior Women's Administrators choose the female honoree.

Stan Bates Award

The award is named in honor of former WAC Commissioner Stan Bates and honors the WAC's top male and female scholar-athletes, recognizing the recipients' athletic and academic accomplishments. In addition, the awards carry a $3,000 postgraduate scholarship.

Media

WAC Digital Network

In 2014–15, the WAC initiated a new digital network to give fans high quality streaming internet access to many of its regular season games and postseason championships including volleyball, soccer, swimming and diving, basketball, softball and baseball.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

References

Template:Reflist

External links

Template:Commons category

Template:Official website

Template:Western Athletic Conference navbox Template:NCAA Division I all-sports conferences Template:NCAA Division I FCS conference navbox Template:Authority control

Sport	Men's	Women's
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Basketball	check\|unknown=\|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"\|ignoreblank=y\| 1 \| style }}	check\|unknown=\|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"\|ignoreblank=y\| 1 \| style }}
Cross country	check\|unknown=\|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"\|ignoreblank=y\| 1 \| style }}	check\|unknown=\|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"\|ignoreblank=y\| 1 \| style }}
Golf	check\|unknown=\|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"\|ignoreblank=y\| 1 \| style }}	check\|unknown=\|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"\|ignoreblank=y\| 1 \| style }}
Soccer	check\|unknown=\|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"\|ignoreblank=y\| 1 \| style }}	check\|unknown=\|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"\|ignoreblank=y\| 1 \| style }}
Softball	check\|unknown=\|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"\|ignoreblank=y\| 1 \| style }}	check\|unknown=\|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"\|ignoreblank=y\| 1 \| style }}
Tennis	check\|unknown=\|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"\|ignoreblank=y\| 1 \| style }}	check\|unknown=\|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"\|ignoreblank=y\| 1 \| style }}
Track and field (indoor)	check\|unknown=\|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"\|ignoreblank=y\| 1 \| style }}	check\|unknown=\|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"\|ignoreblank=y\| 1 \| style }}
Track and field (outdoor)	check\|unknown=\|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"\|ignoreblank=y\| 1 \| style }}	check\|unknown=\|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"\|ignoreblank=y\| 1 \| style }}
Volleyball	check\|unknown=\|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"\|ignoreblank=y\| 1 \| style }}	check\|unknown=\|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"\|ignoreblank=y\| 1 \| style }}

Western Athletic Conference

Contents

Members

Existing full members

Future UAC members

Affiliate members

Former full members

Former affiliate members

Membership timeline

Map of the members

History

1960s: Formation

1970s and 1980s: Success and first expansion

1990s: Second wave of expansion

2000s: Turbulence

2010s: Membership changes and the elimination of football

2020s: More membership changes, reinstatement of football

Near Demise and Rebranding

Commissioners

Sports

Men's sponsored sports by school

Women's sponsored sports by school

Football

Reinstatement

Men's basketball

Women's basketball

Baseball

Championships

Current champions

National championships

Spending and revenue

Facilities

Awards

Media

WAC Digital Network

References

External links

Navigation menu

Western Athletic Conference

Members

Existing full members

Future UAC members

Affiliate members

Former full members

Former affiliate members

Membership timeline

Map of the members

History

1960s: Formation

1970s and 1980s: Success and first expansion

1990s: Second wave of expansion

2000s: Turbulence

2010s: Membership changes and the elimination of football

2020s: More membership changes, reinstatement of football

Near Demise and Rebranding

Commissioners

Sports

Men's sponsored sports by school

Women's sponsored sports by school

Football

Reinstatement

Men's basketball

Women's basketball

Baseball

Championships

Current champions

National championships

Spending and revenue

Facilities

Awards

Media

WAC Digital Network

References

External links

Navigation menu

Search