View source for Frontier Conference

{{Short description|College athletic conference in the United States}}
{{About|the current [[National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics|NAIA]] conference in the American West and Midwest|the previous conference with the same name that existed between 1940 and 1962|Frontier Conference (1940–1962)}}
{{Infobox sports league
| name         = Frontier Conference
| logo         = Frontier Conference logo.svg
| logo_size    = 200
| founded      = {{start date and age|1934}}
| association   = [[National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics|NAIA]]
| teams        = 12
| sports       = 16
| mens         = 8
| womens       = 8
| region       = [[Western United States|Western]] and [[Midwestern United States]]
| formerly     = Montana Small College Conference (1934–1936)<br>Montana Collegiate Conference (1936–1966)
| headquarters = [[Whitefish, Montana]]
| commissioner = Dr. Scott Crawford
| website      = {{url|https://fcsports.org/| fcsports.org}}
| map          = Frontier Conference-USA-states.PNG
| map_size     = 250
| color        = #5070B6; {{box-shadow border|a|#CD0428|2px}}
| font_color   = white
}}

The '''Frontier Conference''' is a [[List of college athletic conferences in the United States|college athletic conference]] affiliated with the [[National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics]] (NAIA). The conference was founded in 1934. Member institutions are located in the [[U.S. state]]s of [[Montana]], [[Nebraska]], [[North Dakota]] and [[South Dakota]], with associate members in the states of [[Arizona]], [[Idaho]], and [[Oregon]].

The Frontier Conference sponsors athletic competition in men's and women's [[basketball]], men's and women's [[Cross country running|cross country]], men's [[American football|football]], men's and women's indoor and outdoor [[track and field]], and women's [[volleyball]].

==History==
The '''Montana Small College Conference''' ('''MSCC''') was established in 1934 by the five smaller schools ([[Montana Technological University]], the [[University of Montana Western]], [[Montana State University–Northern]], [[Rocky Mountain College|Intermountain Union College]] and [[Rocky Mountain College|Billings Polytechnic Institute]]) in the state. The MSCC was renamed as the '''Montana Collegiate Conference''' ('''MCC''') in 1936, with the additions of [[Montana State University Billings]] and [[Carroll College]] joining. The merger of Intermountain Union and Billings Poly to become [[Rocky Mountain College]] occurred in 1947. After nearly three decades, the conference reestablished itself under its current moniker in November 1966, containing the same six schools until 1974.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Montana Collegiate League Changes Name |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/37840780/the_daily_herald/ |newspaper=[[Daily Herald (Utah)|Daily Herald]] |location=[[Provo, Utah]] |agency=[[United Press International]] |date=November 13, 1966 |page=20 |access-date=October 25, 2019 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{Open access}} }}</ref> The [[University of Providence]] (then the College of Great Falls) joined that year, however would only stay for a decade. MSU Billings left for the first incarnation of the [[Great Northwest Athletic Conference]] in 1988, leaving the Frontier at five members for another decade. The conference opened up outside of Montana for the first time in 1998, with schools from Idaho ([[Lewis–Clark State College]]) and Utah ([[Westminster University (Utah)|Westminster College]]) joining. Great Falls rejoined in 1999. [[Dickinson State University]] joined in 2012, only to leave in 2014 to join the [[North Star Athletic Association]] (NSAA). Westminster (Utah) left for the [[National Collegiate Athletic Association]] (NCAA) [[NCAA Division II|Division II]] ranks and rejoined the [[Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference]] (RMAC) in 2015. Lewis–Clark State left for the [[Cascade Collegiate Conference]] as a full member in 2020.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.montanasports.com/frontier/2019/05/20/lewis-clark-state-leaving-frontier-conference-to-join-cascade-collegiate-conference/ |title=Lewis-Clark State leaving Frontier Conference to join Cascade Collegiate Conference |access-date=March 18, 2020 |work=MontanaSports.com |date=May 20, 2019}}</ref>

===Recent changes===
On September 8, 2022, [[Arizona Christian University]] received an invitation to join the conference as an associate member for football, beginning the 2023 fall season of the 2023–24 academic year.<ref>{{cite news |title=Arizona Christian Firestorm Football to Join the Frontier Conference in 2023 |url=https://victorysportsnetwork.com/2022/09/08/arizona-christian-firestorm-football-to-join-the-frontier-conference-in-2023/ |access-date=September 10, 2022 |work=Victory Sports Network |date=September 8, 2022}}</ref>

On December 12, 2023, the Frontier Conference had offered an invitation to former member Dickinson State University;<ref>{{cite press release |title=Frontier Adding Dickinson State as Newest Conference Member |url=https://fcsports.org/news/2023/12/11/frontier-conference-frontier-adding-dickinson-state-as-newest-conference-member.aspx |website=Frontier Conference |access-date=December 12, 2023 |date=December 12, 2023}}</ref> while on May 21, 2024, it extended additional invitations to [[Bellevue University]], [[Dakota State University]], [[Mayville State University]] and [[Valley City State University]].<ref>{{cite press release |title=Frontier Conference Expands to 11 Full-time Members|url=https://fcsports.org/news/2024/5/20/frontier-conference-expands-to-11-full-time-members.aspx |website=Frontier Conference |access-date=May 21, 2024 |date=May 21, 2024}}</ref> All five schools would come from the [[North Star Athletic Association]], which announced it would be disbanding that year. This was followed up with an invitation to [[Bismarck State College]], an institution transitioning to the NAIA from the junior college ranks, on October 24, 2024.<ref>{{cite press release |title=Bismarck State College announces transition to NAIA and the Frontier Conference|url=https://fcsports.org/news/2024/10/24/bismarck-state-college-announces-transition-to-naia-and-the-frontier-conference.aspx |website=Frontier Conference |access-date=October 24, 2024 |date=October 24, 2024}}</ref> All of these invitations were effective beginning the 2025–26 academic year.

On May 30, 2024, [[Simpson University]] accepted an invitation to join the conference as an associate member for football, beginning the 2025 fall season of the 2025–26 academic year.<ref>{{cite press release |title=Simpson University Football Joins Frontier Conference, Ushering in a New Era of Simpson Athletics |url=https://simpsonredhawks.com/news/2024/5/30/Simpson_University_Football_Joins_Frontier_Conferenc_Ushering_in_a_New_Era_of_Simpson_Athletics.aspx |publisher=Simpson University Athletics|date=May 30, 2024|access-date=May 30, 2024}}</ref>

===Chronological timeline===
{{OSM Location map 
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| width = 415
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| nolabels = 1 
| title = Frontier Conference 
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| mark-coord1 = {{coord|45.208333|-112.638333}} |mark-size1=10 |label1=Montana Western |label-pos1= right |mark1= Location dot blue.svg |label-color1= black
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| mark-coord9 = {{coord|44.01229|-97.11285}} |mark-size9=10 |label9=Dakota State |label-pos9= left |mark9= Location dot blue.svg 
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| zoom = 5 <!--(1=whole world, 18=a street)--> 
| caption = Location of Frontier members: [[Image:Location dot blue.svg|10px]] current
}}

* 1934 – The Frontier Conference was founded as the Montana Small College Conference (MSCC). Charter members included the [[Rocky Mountain College|Billings Polytechnic Institute]], [[Rocky Mountain College|Intermountain Union College]], [[University of Montana Western|Montana State Normal College]] (now the University of Montana Western), [[Montana Technological University|Montana State School of Mines]] (now Montana Technological University) and [[Montana State University–Northern|Northern Montana College]] (now Montana State University–Northern), beginning the 1934–35 academic year.
* 1936 – [[Carroll College|Carroll College of Montana]] and [[Montana State University Billings|Eastern Montana Normal College]] (now Montana State University–Billings) joined the MSCC, which was rebranded as the Montana Collegiate Conference (MCC) in the 1936–37 academic year.
* 1947 – Billings Poly and Intermountain Union merge to form [[Rocky Mountain College]].
* 1966 – The MCC was rebranded as the Frontier Conference, beginning the 1966–67 academic year.
* 1974 – The [[University of Providence|College of Great Falls]] (later the University of Great Falls, now the University of Providence) joined the Frontier in the 1974–75 academic year.
* 1980 – Montana State–Billings (MSU Billings) left the Frontier to join the [[NCAA Division II|Division II]] ranks of the [[National Collegiate Athletic Association]] (NCAA) as an [[NCAA Division II independent schools|NCAA D-II Independent]] (which would later join the [[Pacific West Conference|Great Northwest Conference]], beginning the 1982–83 school year) after the 1979–80 academic year.
* 1984 – Great Falls left the Frontier as the school discontinued its athletic program after the 1983–84 academic year.
* 1998 – [[Lewis–Clark State College]] and [[Westminster University (Utah)|Westminster College]] joined the Frontier in the 1998–99 academic year.
* 1999 – Great Falls rejoined the Frontier after 15 years without an athletics program in the 1999–2000 academic year.
* 2008 – [[Eastern Oregon University]] joined the Frontier as an affiliate member for football in the 2008 fall season (2008–09 academic year).
* 2012 – [[Dickinson State University]] joined the Frontier in the 2012–13 academic year.
* 2012 – [[Southern Oregon University]] joined the Frontier as an affiliate member for football in the 2012 fall season (2012–13 academic year).
* 2014 – Dickinson State left the Frontier to join the [[North Star Athletic Association]] (NSAA) after the 2013–14 academic year.
* 2014 – The [[College of Idaho]] joined the Frontier as an affiliate member for football in the 2014 fall season (2014–15 academic year).
* 2015 – Westminster (Utah) left the Frontier to join the NCAA Division II ranks and rejoin the [[Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference]] (RMAC) after the 2014–15 academic year.
* 2020 – Lewis–Clark State left the Frontier to join the [[Cascade Collegiate Conference]] (CCC) after the 2019–20 academic year.
* 2023 – [[Arizona Christian University]] joined the Frontier as an affiliate member for football in the 2023 fall season (2023–24 academic year)
* 2025 – [[Bellevue University]], [[Bismarck State College]], [[Dakota State University]], [[Mayville State University]] and [[Valley City State University]] all joined the Frontier (with Dickinson State rejoining at the same time), beginning the 2025–26 academic year. Everyone (except Bismarck State) would join from the NSAA, which would cease operations after spring 2025.
* 2025 – [[Simpson University]] joined the Frontier as an affiliate member for football, beginning the 2025 fall season (2025–26 academic year)

==Member schools==
The Frontier Conference has 12 full members with football, 3 full members without football, and 5 football-only affiliate members. Bellevue, Bismarck State, and the University of Providence do not field football teams. [[Arizona Christian University|Arizona Christian]], [[College of Idaho]], [[Eastern Oregon University|Eastern Oregon]], [[Simpson University|Simpson]], and [[Southern Oregon University|Southern Oregon]] are the football-only affiliates.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.idahopress.com/sports/colleges/c_of_i/college-of-idaho-football-to-join-frontier-conference-in/article_9d7be150-c089-11e1-9c76-0019bb2963f4.html |title=College of Idaho football to join Frontier Conference |work=Idaho Press |date=June 27, 2012 |access-date=January 13, 2013}}</ref>

===Current members===
The Frontier currently has twelve full members, four are [[Private university|private]] schools:

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
! Institution
! Location
! Founded
! Affiliation
! Enrollment
! Nickname
! Joined{{efn|group=full|Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.}}
|-
| '''[[Bellevue University]]'''
| [[Bellevue, Nebraska]]
| 1966
| [[Nonsectarian]]
| 14,476
| [[Bellevue Bruins|Bruins]]
|  2025
|-
| '''[[Bismarck State College]]'''
| [[Bismarck, North Dakota]]
| 1939
| Public{{efn|group=full|name=NDUS|Part of the [[North Dakota University System]].}}
| 4,065
| [[Bismarck State Mystics|Mystics]]
| 2025
|-
| '''[[Carroll College]]'''
| [[Helena, Montana]]
| 1909
| [[Catholic Church|Catholic]]<br>{{small|([[Roman Catholic Diocese of Helena|Diocese of Helena]])}}
| 1,103
| [[Carroll Fighting Saints|Fighting Saints]]
| 1935
|-
| '''[[Dakota State University]]'''
| [[Madison, South Dakota]]
| 1881
| Public
| 3,508
| [[Dakota State Trojans|Trojans]]
| 2025
|-
| '''[[Dickinson State University]]'''
| [[Dickinson, North Dakota]]
| 1918
| Public{{efn|group=full|name=NDUS}}
| 1,453
| [[Dickinson State Blue Hawks|Blue Hawks]]
| 2012;<br>2025{{efn|group=full|Dickinson State was a member of the Frontier Conference from 2012 to 2014.}}
|-
| '''[[Mayville State University]]'''
| [[Mayville, North Dakota]]
| 1889
| Public{{efn|group=full|name=NDUS}}
| 1,025
| [[Mayville State Comets|Comets]]
| 2025
|-
| '''[[Montana State University–Northern]]'''
| [[Havre, Montana]]
| 1929
| Public{{efn|group=full|name=MontUS|Part of the [[Montana University System]].}}
| 1,021
| [[Montana State–Northern Lights|Lights]] &<br>[[Montana State–Northern Skylights|Skylights]]
| 1935
|-
| '''[[Montana Technological University]]'''
| [[Butte, Montana]]
| 1889
| Public{{efn|group=full|name=MontUS}}
| 1,622
| [[Montana Tech Orediggers|Orediggers]]
| 1934
|-
| {{sort|Montana–Western|'''[[University of Montana Western]]'''}}
| [[Dillon, Montana]]
| 1893
| Public{{efn|group=full|name=MontUS}}
| 1,458
| [[Montana–Western Bulldogs|Bulldogs]]
| 1934
|-
| {{sort|Providence|'''[[University of Providence]]'''}}{{efn|group=full|Formerly known as the University of Great Falls until 2017.}}
| [[Great Falls, Montana]]
| 1932
| Catholic<br>{{small|([[Ursulines]])}}
| 677
| [[Providence Argonauts|Argonauts]]
| 1974;<br>1999{{efn|group=full|Providence (then known as Great Falls) did not have an athletics program from 1984–85 to 1998–99.}}
|-
| '''[[Rocky Mountain College]]'''{{efn|group=full|Rocky Mountain was formed by a merger of Intermountain Union College and Billings Polytechnic Institute since late 1935. But their athletic programs continued until the end of the 1935–36 school year.}}
| [[Billings, Montana]]
| 1878
| various{{efn|group=full|Rocky Mountain has various affiliations: The [[Mainline Protestant]], the [[United Methodist Church]], the [[Presbyterian Church (USA)|Presbyterian Church]] (USA), and the [[United Church of Christ]].}}
| 991
| [[Rocky Mountain Battlin' Bears|Battlin' Bears]]
| 1947
|-
| '''[[Valley City State University]]'''
| [[Valley City, North Dakota]]
| 1890
| Public{{efn|group=full|name=NDUS}}
| 1,754
| [[Valley City State Vikings|Vikings]]
| 2025
|}

;Notes:
{{notelist|group=full}}

===Affiliate members===
The Frontier currently has five affiliate members, three of them are [[Private university|private]] schools:

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
! Institution
! Location
! Founded
! Affiliation
! Enrollment
! Nickname
! Joined{{efn|group=aff|Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.}}
! Frontier<br>sport
! Primary<br>conference
|-
| '''[[Arizona Christian University]]'''
| [[Glendale, Arizona]]
| 1960
| [[Nondenominational Christianity|Nondenominational]]
| 1,233
| [[Arizona Christian Firestorm|Firestorm]]
| 2023
| rowspan="5" | [[American football|Football]]
| [[Great Southwest Athletic Conference|Great Southwest (GSAC)]]
|-
| {{sort|Idaho College|'''[[College of Idaho]]'''}}
| [[Caldwell, Idaho]]
| 1891
| [[Presbyterian Church (USA)|Presbyterian]]<br>{{small|(PCUSA)}}
| 1,076
| [[College of Idaho Coyotes|Coyotes]]
| 2014
| rowspan="2" | [[Cascade Collegiate Conference|Cascade (CCC)]]
|-
| '''[[Eastern Oregon University]]'''
| [[La Grande, Oregon]]
| 1929
| [[Public university|Public]]
| 2,798
| [[Eastern Oregon Mountaineers|Mountaineers]]
| 2008
|-
| '''[[Simpson University]]'''
| [[Redding, California]]
| 1921
| [[Alliance World Fellowship|Christian &<br>Missionary Alliance]]
| 907
| [[Simpson Red Hawks|Red Hawks]]
| 2025
| [[California Pacific Conference|California Pacific (CalPac)]]
|-
| '''[[Southern Oregon University]]'''
| [[Ashland, Oregon]]
| 1872
| Public
| 5,371
| [[Southern Oregon Raiders|Raiders]]
| 2012
| [[Cascade Collegiate Conference|Cascade (CCC)]]
|}

;Notes:
{{notelist|group=aff}}

;Notes:
{{notelist|group=futaff}}

===Former members===
The Frontier had three former full members, only one was a [[Private university|private]] school:

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
! Institution
! Location
! Founded
! Affiliation
! Enrollment
! Nickname
! Joined{{efn|group=former|Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.}}
! Left{{efn|group=former|Represents the calendar year when spring sports competition ends.}}
! Subsequent<br>conference(s)
! Current<br>conference
|-
| '''[[Lewis–Clark State College]]'''
| [[Lewiston, Idaho]]
| 1893
| rowspan="2" | [[Public university|Public]]
| 3,706
| [[Lewis–Clark State Warriors|Warriors]] &<br>[[Lewis–Clark State Lady Warriors|Lady Warriors]]
| 1998
| 2020
| colspan="2" | [[Cascade Collegiate Conference|Cascade (CCC)]]<br>(2020–present)
|-
| '''[[Montana State University Billings|Eastern Montana College]]'''{{efn|group=former|Currently known as Montana State University–Billings since 1994. Eastern Montana was the school name that reflected its use during conference membership.}}
| [[Billings, Montana]]
| 1927
| 4,092
| [[Montana State–Billings Yellowjackets|Yellowjackets]]
| 1933
| 1980
| various{{efn|group=former|Eastern Montana (now Montana State–Billings) had joined the following subsequent conferences: as an [[NCAA Division II independent schools|NCAA D-II Independent]] from 1980–81 to 1981–82; the [[Pacific West Conference]]{{efn|group=former|name=D2|Currently an [[NCAA Division II]] athletic conference.}} (PacWest) from 1982–83 to 2004–05 (originally known as the '''Great Northwest Conference''' from 1982–83 to 1991–92); and the [[Heartland Conference]]{{efn|group=former|name=D2}} from 2005–06 to 2006–07.}}
| [[Great Northwest Athletic Conference|Great Northwest (GNAC)]]{{efn|group=former|name=D2}}<br>(2007–present)
|-
| '''[[Westminster University (Utah)|Westminster College]]'''{{efn|group=former|Currently known as Westminster University since 2023.}}
| [[Salt Lake City|Salt Lake City, Utah]]
| 1875
| [[Nonsectarian]]
| 1,214
| [[Westminster Griffins|Griffins]]
| 1998
| 2015
| colspan="2" | [[Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference|Rocky Mountain (RMAC)]]{{efn|group=former|name=D2}}<br>(2015–present)
|}

;Notes:
{{notelist|group=former}}

===Membership timeline===
<timeline>
DateFormat = yyyy
ImageSize = width:900 height:auto barincrement:20
Period = from:1933 till:2043
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal
PlotArea = right:5 left:5 bottom:40 top:5

Colors = id:barcolor value:rgb(0.99,0.7,0.7)
          id:line value:black
          id:bg value:white
          id:Full value:rgb(0.7,0.9,0.8) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports
          id:FullxF value:rgb(0.9,0.8,0.7) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports except for football
          id:AssocF value:rgb(0.9,0.7,0.8) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member for football only
          id:AssocOS value:rgb(0.8,0.9,0.7) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member for another sport only
          id:OtherC1 value:rgb(0.996,0.996,0.699) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved in another conference
          id:OtherC2 value:rgb(0.988,0.703,0.383) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved in another conference when the other color has already been used

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

 bar:1 color:FullxF from:1933 till:1934 text:[[Rocky Mountain College|Billings Poly]] (1933–47)
 bar:1 color:Full from:1934 till:1947

 bar:2 color:FullxF from:1933 till:1934 text:[[Rocky Mountain College|Intemountain Union]] (1933–47)
 bar:2 color:Full from:1934 till:1947

 bar:3 color:FullxF from:1933 till:1934 text:[[Montana State University Billings|Eastern Montana]] (1933–80) 
 bar:3 color:Full from:1934 till:1979
 bar:3 color:FullxF from:1979 till:1980

 bar:4 color:FullxF from:1933 till:1934 text:[[Montana Technological University|Montana Mines]] (1933–65)
 bar:4 color:Full from:1934 till:1965
 bar:4 color:Full from:1965 till:end text:[[Montana Technological University|Montana Tech]] (1965–present)

 bar:5 color:FullxF from:1933 till:1934 text:[[University of Montana Western|Montana Normal]] (1933–49)
 bar:5 color:Full from:1934 till:1949
 bar:5 color:Full from:1949 till:2001 text:[[University of Montana Western|Western Montana]] (1949–2001)
 bar:5 color:Full from:2001 till:end text:[[University of Montana Western|Montana–Western]] (2001–present)

 bar:6 color:Full from:1935 till:end text:[[Carroll College|Carroll (MT)]] (1935–present)

 bar:7 color:Full from:1935 till:1972 text:[[Montana State University–Northern|Northern Montana]] (1935–94) 
 bar:7 color:FullxF from:1972 till:1994
 bar:7 color:FullxF from:1994 till:1999 text:[[Montana State University–Northern|Montana State–Northern]] (1994–present) 
 bar:7 color:Full from:1999 till:end

 bar:8 color:Full from:1947 till:end text:[[Rocky Mountain College|Rocky Mountain]] (1947–present)

 bar:9 color:FullxF from:1974 till:1984 text:[[University of Providence|Great Falls]] (1974–84, 1999–2017)
 bar:9 color:FullxF from:1999 till:2017
 bar:9 color:FullxF from:2017 till:end text:[[University of Providence|Univ. of Providence]] (2017–present)

 bar:10 color:FullxF from:1998 till:2020 text:[[Lewis–Clark State College|Lewis–Clark State]] (1998–2020)

 bar:11 color:FullxF from:1998 till:2015 text:[[Westminster University (Utah)|Westminster (UT)]] (1998–2015)

 bar:12 color:AssocF from:2008 till:end text:[[Eastern Oregon University|Eastern Oregon]] (2008–present)

 bar:13 color:Full from:2012 till:2014 text:[[Dickinson State University|Dickinson State]] (2012–14, 2025–present)
 bar:13 color:Full from:2025 till:end 

 bar:14 color:AssocF from:2012 till:end text:[[Southern Oregon University|Southern Oregon]] (2012–present)

 bar:15 color:AssocF from:2014 till:end text:[[College of Idaho]] (2014–present)

 bar:16 color:AssocF from:2023 till:end text:[[Arizona Christian University|Arizona Christian]] (2023–present)

 bar:17 color:FullxF from:2025 till:end text:[[Bellevue University|Bellevue]] (2025–present)

 bar:18 color:FullxF from:2025 till:2027 text:[[Bismarck State College|Bismarck State]] (2025–present)
 bar:18 color:Full from:2027 till:end

 bar:19 color:Full from:2025 till:end text:[[Dakota State University|Dakota State]] (2025–present)

 bar:20 color:Full from:2025 till:end text:[[Mayville State University|Mayville State]] (2025–present)

 bar:21 color:Full from:2025 till:end text:[[Valley City State University|Valley City State]] (2025–present)

 bar:22 color:AssocF from:2025 till:end text:[[Simpson University|Simpson]] (2025–present)

 bar:N color:powderblue from:1933 till:1936 text:MSCC
 bar:N shift:(20) color:red from:1936 till:1966 text:Montana Collegiate Conference
 bar:N color:powderblue from:1966 till:end text:Frontier Conference

ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:5 start:1935

TextData =
 fontsize:M
 textcolor:black
 pos:(0,25) tabs:(400-center)
 text:^"Frontier Conference membership history"

#> If the chart uses more than one bar color, add a legend by selecting the appropriate fields from the following three 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.
{{Font color||{{RGB|178|229|204}}|&nbsp;Full member (all sports)&nbsp;}}
{{Font color||{{RGB|229|204|178}}|&nbsp;Full member (non-football)&nbsp;}}
{{Font color||{{RGB|229|178|204}}|&nbsp;Associate member (football-only)&nbsp;}}
<#
</timeline>

{{Font color||{{RGB|178|229|204}}|&nbsp;Full member (all sports)&nbsp;}}
{{Font color||{{RGB|229|204|178}}|&nbsp;Full member (non-football)&nbsp;}}
{{Font color||{{RGB|229|178|204}}|&nbsp;Associate member (football-only)&nbsp;}}

==National championships==
===Basketball===

Montana Western won the NAIA national title in Division I Women's basketball, in 2019.

Rocky Mountain won the national title in men's basketball, NAIA Division I, in 2009.

Montana State-Northern won the national title in women's basketball, NAIA Division II, in 1993.

Carroll reached the semi-finals in men's basketball in 2005, as did Lewis-Clark State in women's basketball in 2001.

University of Providence reached finals in women's basketball in 2024, Providence defeated Carroll College in the semi finals.This marked the first time two Frontier teams meet in the national tournament.

===Football===

Carroll has won the NAIA national championship six times: four straight, from 2002 to 2005, also in  2007 and 2010, and has been runner-up twice.

Southern Oregon won the NAIA national championship in the 2014 season.

Montana Tech was the national runner-up in 1996.

===Wrestling===

Montana State-Northern has won six wrestling titles: 1991, 1992, 1998-2000, 2004, and was runner-up in 1990, 1993, and 2002.

Montana Western was co-champion in 1994.

In 2014, the University of Great Falls was second and Montana State-Northern took third at the NAIA national wrestling championship.

===Bowling===

College of Great Falls (now University of Providence) was the 1973 Men's NAIA National Bowling Champion.

==Conference champions==
===Football===
;By team
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
!rowspan=2|Team
!colspan=2|Conference
!colspan=2|Division
|-
!Titles
!Last<br/>title
!Titles
!Last<br/>title
|-
|{{left}}Carroll
|39
|2022
|0
|N/A
|-
|{{left}}Montana Western
|21
|2024
|0
|N/A
|-
|{{left}}Montana Tech
|15
|2016
|1
|2025
|-
|{{left}}Rocky Mountain
|11
|2021
|0
|N/A
|-
|{{left}}''MSU Billings''
|''11''
|''1975''
|''0''
|''N/A''
|-
|{{left}}College of Idaho
|4
|2022
|1
|2025
|-
|{{left}}Southern Oregon
|2
|2017
|0
|N/A
|-
|{{left}}Eastern Oregon
|1
|2020
|0
|N/A
|}

;By year
{{col-start}}
{{col-break}}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
!Year
!Team
|-
|1935
|Montana Western
|-
|1936
|Montana Tech<br />Montana Western
|-
|1937
|Rocky Mountain 
|-
|1938
|Rocky Mountain
|-
|1939
|Montana Tech
|-
|1940
|Caroll
|-
|1941
|Caroll
|-
|1942
|''No games, [[World War Two|WWII]]''
|-
|1943
|''No games, WWII''
|-
|1944
|''No games, WWII''
|-
|1945
|''No games, WWII''
|-
|1946
|Montana Western
|-
|1947
|Montana Western
|-
|1948
|MSU Billings
|-
|1949
|Montana Western
|-
|1950
|Carroll
|-
|1951
|Carroll
|-
|1952
|Carroll
|-
|1953
|Carroll
|-
|1954
|Carroll
|-
|1955
|Rocky Mountain
|-
|1956
|Rocky Mountain
|-
|1957
|MSU Billings
|-
|1958
|MSU Billings
|-
|1959
|Carroll<br />MSU Billings
|-
|1960
|MSU Billings<br />Rocky Mountain
|}
{{col-break}}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
!Year
!Team
|-
|1961
|Montana Western
|-
|1962
|Montana Western
|-
|1963
|Montana Western
|-
|1964
|MSU Billings
|-
|1965
|MSU Billings
|-
|1966
|MSU Billings
|-
|1967
|Montana Western
|-
|1968
|MSU Billings
|-
|1969
|Montana Western
|-
|1970
|Montana Tech
|-
|1971
|MSU Billings
|-
|1972
|Carroll<br />Montana Tech
|-
|1973
|Carroll
|-
|1974
|Carroll
|-
|1975
|MSU Billings
|-
|1976
|Carroll
|-
|1977
|Montana Western
|-
|1978
|Carroll
|-
|1979
|Montana Tech
|-
|1980
|Carroll<br />Montana Western
|-
|1981
|Carroll
|-
|1982
|Carroll<br />Montana Western
|-
|1983
|Montana Tech
|-
|1984
|Rocky Mountain
|-
|1985
|Carroll
|}
{{col-break}}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
!Year
!Team
|-
|1986
|Carroll
|-
|1987
|Carroll
|-
|1988
|Carroll
|-
|1989
|Carroll
|-
|1990
|Carroll
|-
|1991
|Rocky Mountain
|-
|1992
|Montana Tech
|-
|1993
|Carroll<br />Montana Western
|-
|1994
|Montana Western
|-
|1995
|Montana Western
|-
|1996
|Montana Tech
|-
|1997
|Montana Tech
|-
|1998
|Rocky Mountain
|-
|1999
|Rocky Mountain
|-
|2000
|Carroll
|-
|2001
|Carroll
|-
|2002
|Carroll<br />Montana Western
|-
|2003
|Carroll
|-
|2004
|Carroll<br />Montana Tech<br />Montana Western
|-
|2005
|Carroll
|-
|2006
|Carroll
|-
|2007
|Carroll
|-
|2008
|Carroll
|-
|2009
|Carroll
|-
|2010
|Carroll
|}
{{col-break}}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
!Year
!Team
|-
|2011
|Carroll
|-
|2012
|Montana Tech<br />Southern Oregon
|-
|2013
|Carroll
|-
|2014
|Carroll
|-
|2015
|Montana Tech
|-
|2016
|Montana Tech
|-
|2017
|Southern Oregon
|-
|2018
|Rocky Mountain
|-
|2019
|College of Idaho
|-
|2020
|Carroll<br />College of Idaho<br />Eastern Oregon
|-
|2021
|College of Idaho<br />Montana Western<br />Rocky Mountain
|-
|2022
|Carroll<br />College of Idaho
|-
|2023
|Montana Western
|-
|2024
|Montana Western
|}
{{col-end}}
<ref>{{cite web |url=https://fcsports.org/sports/2020/10/23/FB_1023204325.aspx |title=Frontier Football History |author=<!--Not stated--> |website=fcsports.org |access-date=November 8, 2024}}</ref>

===Men's basketball===
;Frontier championships won per school
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
!rowspan=2|School
!colspan=2|Conference
!colspan=2|Tournament
|-
!Titles
!Last<br/>Title
!Titles
!Last<br/>Title
|-
|{{left}}Montana Western
|22
|2017–18
|3
|1991
|-
|{{left}}Carroll
|20
|2021–22
|8
|2018
|-
|{{left}}''MSU Billings''
|''15''
|''1979–80''
|''3''
|''1980''
|-
|{{left}}Rocky Mountain
|14
|2013–14
|7
|2014
|-
|{{left}}Montana Tech
|10
|2024–25
|11
|2025
|-
|{{left}}''Lewis–Clark State''
|''8''
|''2019–20''
|''9''
|''2020''
|-
|{{left}}''Westminster''
|''7''
|''2009–10''
|''2''
|''2010''
|-
|{{left}}Montana State–Northern
|5
|2011–12
|4
|2012
|-
|{{left}}Providence
|4
|2020–21
|3
|2021
|}
<ref>{{cite web |author=<!-- not stated --> |title=Past Conference Men's Basketball Champions |url=https://fcsports.org/sports/2020/10/30/MBB_1030204723.aspx |website=fcsports.org |access-date=November 10, 2025}}</ref>

===Women's basketball===
;Frontier championships won per school
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
!rowspan=2|School
!colspan=2|Conference
!colspan=2|Tournament
|-
!Titles
!Last<br/>Title
!Titles
!Last<br/>Title
|-
|{{left}}Montana State–Northern
|15
|1998–99
|14
|1999
|-
|{{left}}Carroll
|8
|2023–24
|6
|2023
|-
|{{left}}''Lewis–Clark State''
|''7''
|''2016–17''
|''8''
|''2017''
|-
|{{left}}''Westminster''
|''7''
|''2014–15''
|''3''
|''2015''
|-
|{{left}}Montana Western
|4
|2018–19
|5
|2006
|-
|{{left}}Rocky Mountain
|4
|2024–25
|3
|2022
|-
|{{left}}Providence
|3
|2021–22
|4
|2025
|-
|{{left}}Montana Tech
|2
|1982–83
|1
|1983
|-
|{{left}}''MSU Billings''
|''2''
|''1977–78''
|''0''
|''N/A''
|}
<ref>{{cite web |author=<!-- not stated --> |title=Past Conference Women's Basketball Champions |url=https://fcsports.org/sports/2020/10/29/WBB_1029201756.aspx |website=fcsports.org |access-date=November 10, 2025}}</ref>

===Volleyball===
;Frontier championships won per school
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
!rowspan=2|School
!colspan=2|Conference
!colspan=2|Tournament
|-
!Titles
!Last<br/>Title
!Titles
!Last<br/>Title
|-
|{{left}}Carroll
|15
|2016
|13
|2016
|-
|{{left}}Montana Tech
|12
|2023
|6
|2017
|-
|{{left}}''Lewis–Clark State''
|''9''
|''2012''
|''6''
|''2010''
|-
|{{left}}Providence
|6
|2025
|5
|2024
|-
|{{left}}Rocky Mountain
|5
|2018
|7
|2022
|-
|{{left}}Montana State–Northern
|5
|2013
|3
|1991
|-
|{{left}}Montana Western
|3
|2002
|2
|2023
|-
|{{left}}''Westminster''
|''1''
|''2005''
|''1''
|''2005''
|-
|{{left}}''MSU Billings''
|''1''
|''1977''
|''1''
|''1977''
|}
<ref>{{cite web |author=<!-- not stated --> |title=Past Conference Volleyball Champions |url=https://fcsports.org/sports/2020/10/27/WVB_1027201042.aspx |website=fcsports.org |access-date=November 10, 2025}}</ref>

==See also==

*[[2012 Frontier Conference football season]]

==References==

{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{ccat}}
* {{oweb}}

{{Frontier Conference navbox}}
{{NAIA conference navbox}}

[[Category:Frontier Conference| ]]
[[Category:1935 establishments in the United States]]