List of NAIA Conferences
Encyclopedia
Football conferences
| Conference | Nickname | Founded | Members | Sports | Headquarters | Map | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central States Football League Central States Football League The Central States Football League is a college athletic conference affiliated with the NAIA. Member institutions are located in Oklahoma and Texas and compete only in football... |
CSFL | 2000 | 6 | 1 | Waco, Texas Waco, Texas Waco is a city in and the county seat of McLennan County, Texas. Situated along the Brazos River and on the I-35 corridor, halfway between Dallas and Austin, it is the economic, cultural, and academic center of the 'Heart of Texas' region.... |
n/a | |
| Dakota Athletic Conference Dakota Athletic Conference The Dakota Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference affiliated with the NAIA. As the name implies, member teams are located in the states of North Dakota and South Dakota.-History:... |
DAC | 2000 | 4 | 14 | Dickinson, North Dakota Dickinson, North Dakota As of the census of 2000, there were 16,010 people, 6,517 households, and 4,020 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,690.7 inhabitants per square mile . There were 7,033 housing units at an average density of 742.7 per square mile... |
 |
Region III |
| Frontier Conference Frontier Conference The Frontier Conference is a college athletic conference, founded in 1952 and affiliated with the NAIA. Member institutions are located in the northwestern United States, in the states of Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Utah.... |
Frontier | 1952 | 9 | 9 | Billings, Montana Billings, Montana Billings is the largest city in the U.S. state of Montana, and is the principal city of the Billings Metropolitan Area, the largest metropolitan area in over... |
 |
Region I |
| Great Plains Athletic Conference Great Plains Athletic Conference The Great Plains Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference affiliated with the NAIA. Member institutions are located in Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota... |
GPAC | 1969 | 11 | 19 | Sioux City, Iowa Sioux City, Iowa Sioux City is a city in Plymouth and Woodbury counties in the western part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 82,684 in the 2010 census, a decline from 85,013 in the 2000 census, which makes it currently the fourth largest city in the state.... |
 |
Region III |
| Heart of America Athletic Conference Heart of America Athletic Conference The Heart of America Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference affiliated with the NAIA. Member institutions are located in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska in the United States.... |
HAAC | 1971 | 10 | 20 | Kansas City, Kansas Kansas City, Kansas Kansas City is the third-largest city in the state of Kansas and is the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, and is the third largest city in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. The city is part of a consolidated city-county government known as the "Unified... |
 |
Region V |
| Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference The Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference is an intercollegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NAIA. It is commonly called "The Kansas Conference", and as the name implies, all members are located in Kansas... |
KCAC | 1928 | 10 | 18 | Wichita, Kansas Wichita, Kansas Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area... |
Region IV | |
| Mid-South Conference Mid-South Conference The Mid-South Conference is an athletic conference affiliated with the NAIA. Member institutions are located in Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. It is headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky.... |
MSC | 1995 | 17 | 16 | Louisville, Kentucky Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096... |
 |
Region XI |
| Mid-States Football Association Mid-States Football Association The Mid-States Football Association is a college athletic conference affiliated with the NAIA. Member institutions are located in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, and Ohio. The MSFA was organized in 1993, and on-field competition began in 1994... |
MSFA | 1993 | 16 | 1 | Findlay, Ohio Findlay, Ohio As of the census of 2000, there were 38,967 people, 15,905 households, and 10,004 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,266.3 people per square mile . There were 17,152 housing units at an average density of 997.6 per square mile... |
n/a | |
| NAIA independent football schools NAIA independent football schools NAIA independent schools are 4-year institutional members of the NAIA that play college football independent of any formal conference affiliation... |
8 | 1 | various | ||||
Non-football conferences
| Conference | Nickname | Founded | Members | Sports | Headquarters | Map | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Mideast Conference American Mideast Conference The American Mideast Conference is an affiliate of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics that includes eight member institutions in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and Massachusetts. Founded in 1949, it was known as the Mid-Ohio League, and named the Mid-Ohio Conference from 1962... |
AMC | 1949 | 8 | 15 | Findlay, Ohio Findlay, Ohio As of the census of 2000, there were 38,967 people, 15,905 households, and 10,004 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,266.3 people per square mile . There were 17,152 housing units at an average density of 997.6 per square mile... |
Region IX | |
| American Midwest Conference American Midwest Conference The American Midwest Conference is a NAIA college athletic conference with nine member institutions located in Arkansas, Illinois, and Missouri in the United States.-Members:Notes:... |
AMC | 1998 | 9 | 15 | St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St... |
Region V | |
| Appalachian Athletic Conference Appalachian Athletic Conference (NAIA) The Appalachian Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference that competes in National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Division II competition. Members of the conference are located in the Southeast United States in Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia... |
AAC | 1985 | 10 | 15 | Asheville, North Carolina Asheville, North Carolina Asheville is a city in and the county seat of Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. It is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the 11th largest city in North Carolina. The City is home to the United States National Climatic Data Center , which is the world's largest active... |
Region XII | |
| California Pacific Conference California Pacific Conference The California Pacific Conference is a college athletics conference in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics . The conference commissioner is Don Ott. Conference leadership is shared among the member institutions. The conference president is Themy Adachi of Mills College. The... |
CalPac | 1996 | 8 | 9 | Oakland, California Oakland, California Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724... |
Region II | |
| Cascade Collegiate Conference Cascade Collegiate Conference The Cascade Conference is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. Member schools are located in the Northwestern United States. Its basketball teams compete in Division II, the lower of the two levels of NAIA basketball competition. ... |
CCC | 1994 | 10 | 13 | Clackamas, Oregon Clackamas, Oregon Clackamas was a census-designated place in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States. The population was 5,177 at the 2000 census. It is a suburb of Portland, Oregon.It is the location of Camp Withycombe, a military base... |
Region I | |
| Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference The Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference affiliated with the NAIA. Its 14 members are located in the Midwestern United States... |
CCAC | 1949 | 14 | 9 | Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the... |
Region VII | |
| Golden State Athletic Conference Golden State Athletic Conference The Golden State Athletic Conference is a college athletics conference in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics . The conference commissioner is Cliff Hamlow of Azusa Pacific University. Conference leadership is shared among the member institutions. The conference was formed in... |
GSAC | 1986 | 11 | 13 | Azusa, California Azusa, California Azusa is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 46,361 at the 2010 census, up from 44,712 at the 2000 census. Though sometimes assumed to be a compaction of the phrase "everything from A to Z in the USA" from an old Jack Benny joke, the place name "Azusa"... |
Region II | |
| Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Gulf Coast Athletic Conference The Gulf Coast Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference affiliated with the NAIA's Division I. Member institutions are located in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi, USA.... |
GCAC | 1981 | 7 | 15 | Liberty, Missouri Liberty, Missouri Liberty is a city in Clay County, Missouri and is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri. At the 2007 population estimate, the city population was 29,993... |
Region XIII | |
| Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference The Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference is a collegiate athletic conference with membership in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics... |
KIAC | 1916 | 10 | 15 | Berea, Kentucky Berea, Kentucky -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 9,851 people, 3,693 households, and 2,426 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,055.4 people per square mile . There were 4,115 housing units at an average density of 440.9 per square mile... |
Region XII | |
| Mid-Central College Conference Mid-Central College Conference The Mid-Central College Conference is an athletic conference composed of NAIA private Christian colleges in Indiana, Michigan and Ohio . The current conference commissioner is J. D... |
MCCC | 1959 | 10 | 14 | Hartford City, Indiana Hartford City, Indiana Hartford City is a city in the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Blackford County. Located in the northeast central portion of the state, the small farming community experienced a 15-year “boom” beginning in the late 1880s... |
Region VIII | |
| Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference The Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference is an affiliate of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics . Its nine member institutions are located in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Oklahoma.-Members:... |
MCAC | 1994 | 9 | 9 | Point Lookout, Missouri Point Lookout, Missouri Point Lookout is an unincorporated community in Taney County, Missouri, United States, near Branson and Hollister. A college town, it is next to Lake Taneycomo and is home to the College of the Ozarks. College of the Ozarks hosts the NAIA Division II basketball tournament annually.Point Lookout is... |
Region IV | |
| Midwest Collegiate Conference | MCC | 1988 | 9 | 15 | Ames, Iowa Ames, Iowa Ames is a city located in the central part of the U.S. state of Iowa in Story County, and approximately north of Des Moines. The U.S. Census Bureau designates that Ames, Iowa metropolitan statistical area as encompassing all of Story County, and which, when combined with the Boone, Iowa... |
Region VII | |
| Red River Athletic Conference Red River Athletic Conference The Red River Athletic Conference is an affiliate of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics . The conference's 14 member institutions are located in Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. Pending acceptance of their application to the conference, a 15th member, the University... |
RRAC | 1996 | 14 | 13 | Dallas, Texas Dallas, Texas Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States... |
Region VI | |
| Sooner Athletic Conference Sooner Athletic Conference The Sooner Athletic Conference is an affiliate of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics . Its 12 member institutions are located in Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas.... |
SAC | 1978 | 12 | 15 | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Oklahoma City is the capital and the largest city in the state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, the city ranks 31st among United States cities in population. The city's population, from the 2010 census, was 579,999, with a metro-area population of 1,252,987 . In 2010, the Oklahoma... |
Region VI | |
| Southern States Athletic Conference Southern States Athletic Conference The Southern States Athletic Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. The 16 member universities compete in 13 sports in the NAIA. Basketball teams compete in Division I of the NAIA.-History:... |
SSAC | 1999 | 15 | 13 | Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in... |
Region XIII | |
| The Sun Conference | The Sun | 1990 | 12 | 15 | Daytona Beach, Florida Daytona Beach, Florida Daytona Beach is a city in Volusia County, Florida, USA. According to 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, the city has a population of 64,211. Daytona Beach is a principal city of the Deltona – Daytona Beach – Ormond Beach, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which the census bureau estimated had... |
Region XIV | |
| TranSouth Athletic Conference TranSouth Athletic Conference The TranSouth Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference for smaller colleges and universities located in the Southern United States... |
TSAC | 1996 | 9 | 13 | Memphis, Tennessee Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers.... |
Region XI | |
| Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference The Wolverine–Hoosier Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference of ten colleges and universities in the U.S. states of Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio. Founded in 1992, the conference was created as a successor group for the now-defunct NAIA District 23... |
WHAC | 1992 | 10 | 17 | Livonia, Michigan Livonia, Michigan Livonia is a city in the northwest part of Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Livonia is a very large suburb with an array of traditional neighborhoods connected to the metropolitan area by freeways. The population was 96,942 at the 2010 census, making it Michigan's 9th largest... |
Region VIII | |
| NAIA independent schools NAIA independent schools NAIA independent schools are 4-year institutional members of the NAIA that play independent of any formal conference affiliation. Many NAIA independent schools are members of the Association of Independent Institutions , which allows members to have a formal route to NAIA tournaments.-See... |
37 | 21 | various | ||||
Defunct conferences
- Eastern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (closed in 2003), part of Region XIV
- North Dakota College Athletic ConferenceNorth Dakota College Athletic ConferenceThe North Dakota College Athletic Conference was an NAIA-associated collegiate athletic conference that ceased operations following the 1999–2000 academic school year when it merged with the South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference to form the Dakota Athletic Conference.The following is a list of...
(closed in 2000), merged with South Dakota Intercollegiate ConferenceSouth Dakota Intercollegiate ConferenceThe South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference was an NAIA-associated collegiate athletic conference that ceased operations following the 1999–2000 academic school year when it merged with the North Dakota College Athletic Conference to form the Dakota Athletic Conference...
to form Dakota Athletic ConferenceDakota Athletic ConferenceThe Dakota Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference affiliated with the NAIA. As the name implies, member teams are located in the states of North Dakota and South Dakota.-History:... - South Dakota Intercollegiate ConferenceSouth Dakota Intercollegiate ConferenceThe South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference was an NAIA-associated collegiate athletic conference that ceased operations following the 1999–2000 academic school year when it merged with the North Dakota College Athletic Conference to form the Dakota Athletic Conference...
(closed in 2000), merged with North Dakota College Athletic ConferenceNorth Dakota College Athletic ConferenceThe North Dakota College Athletic Conference was an NAIA-associated collegiate athletic conference that ceased operations following the 1999–2000 academic school year when it merged with the South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference to form the Dakota Athletic Conference.The following is a list of...
to form Dakota Athletic ConferenceDakota Athletic ConferenceThe Dakota Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference affiliated with the NAIA. As the name implies, member teams are located in the states of North Dakota and South Dakota.-History:... - South East Atlantic ConferenceSouth East Atlantic ConferenceThe South East Atlantic Conference was an NAIA football conference founded in 2004. The last commissioner of the SEAC was Henry Smith, Sports Information Director/Director of Football Operations at Edward Waters College...
(2004–2008), football only, members became NAIA football independents - Sunrise Athletic ConferenceSunrise Athletic ConferenceThe Sunrise Athletic Conference was a college athletic conference founded in 2002 and affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics . Its member institutions were in Maine, Massachusetts, New York, and Vermont.-History:...
(2002–2011)