Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference
Encyclopedia
The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) is a college athletic conference which operates in the western United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, mostly in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...

 with some members in Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....

 and New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...

. It participates in the NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...

's Division II.

Founded in 1909, the RMAC is the fifth oldest college athletic conference in the United States (oldest in Division II), surpassed only by the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association
Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association
The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association is an athletic conference that competes in the NCAA's Division III. The nine teams in the conference are all located in the states of Michigan and Indiana. The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association was established on March 24, 1888, making...

, the Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...

, the Ohio Athletic Conference
Ohio Athletic Conference
The Ohio Athletic Conference was formed in 1902 and is the third oldest athletic conference in the United States. It competes in the NCAA's Division III. Through the years, 31 schools have been members of the OAC. The enrollments of the current ten member institutions range from 1,100 to 4,500...

, and the Missouri Valley Conference
Missouri Valley Conference
The Missouri Valley Conference is a college athletic conference whose members are located in the midwestern United States...

. For its first thirty years, the RMAC was considered a major conference equivalent to today's Division I, before 7 larger members left and formed the Mountain States Conference (also called the Skyline Conference).

The Colorado Faculty Athletic Conference changed its name to the Rocky Mountain Faculty Athletic Conference (RMFAC) on May 7, 1910. Continued until 1967 when the name of the conference changed to the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. The RMAC merged with the Colorado Athletic Conference in 1996.

Charter members

  • University of Colorado at Boulder
    University of Colorado at Boulder
    The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...

     (left 1938 to form the Mountain States Conference)
  • Colorado State University
    Colorado State University
    Colorado State University is a public research university located in Fort Collins, Colorado. The university is the state's land grant university, and the flagship university of the Colorado State University System.The enrollment is approximately 29,932 students, including resident and...

     (then known as Colorado A&M University, left 1938 to form the Mountain States Conference)
  • Colorado College
    Colorado College
    The Colorado College is a private liberal arts college in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States, in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. It was founded in 1874 by Thomas Nelson Haskell...

     (left 1910, rejoined 1914, left out of 1967 RMAC reorganization)
  • Colorado School of Mines
    Colorado School of Mines
    The Colorado School of Mines is a small public teaching and research university devoted to engineering and applied science, with special expertise in the development and stewardship of the Earth's natural resources. Located in Golden, Colorado, CSM was ranked 29th, in America among national...


Other members

  • University of Denver
    University of Denver
    The University of Denver is currently ranked 82nd among all public and private "National Universities" by U.S. News & World Report in the 2012 rankings....

    , 1910–1938
  • University of Utah
    University of Utah
    The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...

    , 1910–1938
  • Utah State Agricultural College, later renamed Utah State University
    Utah State University
    Utah State University is a public university located in Logan, Utah. It is a land-grant and space-grant institution and is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities....

    , 1914–1938
  • Montana State College, later renamed Montana State University, 1917–1959
  • Brigham Young University
    Brigham Young University
    Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...

    , 1918–1938
  • University of Wyoming
    University of Wyoming
    The University of Wyoming is a land-grant university located in Laramie, Wyoming, situated on Wyoming's high Laramie Plains, at an elevation of 7,200 feet , between the Laramie and Snowy Range mountains. It is known as UW to people close to the university...

    , 1921–1938
  • Western State College, later named Western State College of Colorado
    Western State College of Colorado
    Western State College of Colorado is a four-year public liberal arts college located in Gunnison, Colorado. The enrollment stands at about 2400 students with a high percentage, one-fourth, from out of state. The far flung appeal for some students is found in the idyllic mountains and ski slopes...

    , 1924–1967
  • University of Northern Colorado
    University of Northern Colorado
    -Organization:The University of Northern Colorado offers 100 undergraduate programs and more than 100 graduate programs. The university has a satellite campus in Denver, Colorado...

    , 1924–1967
  • Idaho State University
    Idaho State University
    Idaho State University is a public university located in Pocatello, Idaho. It has outreach programs in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho Falls, Boise, and Twin Falls....

    , 1948–1958
  • Adams State College
    Adams State College
    Adams State College is a small state-supported liberal arts college in Alamosa, Colorado, U.S., in the San Luis Valley.-History:Adams State was founded in 1921 as a teacher's college but now offers a variety of programs including masters degrees in many fields...

    , 1956–1967
  • Washburn University
    Washburn University
    Washburn University is a co-educational, public institution of higher learning in Topeka, Kansas, USA. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as professional programs in law and business. Washburn has 550 faculty members, who teach more than 6,400 undergraduate students and...

    , 1969–1971
  • Westminster College
    Westminster College, Salt Lake City
    Westminster College is a private liberal arts college located in the Sugar House neighborhood of Salt Lake City, Utah. The college comprises four schools: the School of Arts and Sciences, the Bill and Vieve Gore School of Business, the School of Education, and the School of Nursing and Health...

     (Utah), 1967–1979
  • Fort Hays State University
    Fort Hays State University
    Fort Hays State University is a public, co-educational university located in Hays, Kansas, United States. It is the fourth-largest of the six state universities governed by the Kansas Board of Regents, with an enrollment of approximately 11,200 students .- History :FHSU was founded in 1902 as the...

    , 1969–1971, 1989–2006
  • Southern Utah State College, later named Southern Utah University
    Southern Utah University
    Southern Utah University, or SUU, is located in Cedar City, Utah. It was founded in 1897 as an extension of the Agricultural College of Utah, by the citizens of Cedar City.During its history, the school has been known as:...

    , 1969–1989

Member schools

Institution Location Nickname Founded Type Enrollment
Adams State College
Adams State College
Adams State College is a small state-supported liberal arts college in Alamosa, Colorado, U.S., in the San Luis Valley.-History:Adams State was founded in 1921 as a teacher's college but now offers a variety of programs including masters degrees in many fields...

Alamosa, Colorado
Alamosa, Colorado
The city of Alamosa is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Alamosa County, Colorado, United States. The United States Census Bureau estimates that the city population was 8,682 in 2005...

Grizzlies 1925 Public 2,486
Chadron State College
Chadron State College
Chadron State College is a four-year public college in the Nebraska State College System in Chadron, Nebraska. The college is located in the northern part of the Nebraska Panhandle, in the Pine Ridge area....

Chadron, Nebraska
Chadron, Nebraska
Chadron is a city in Dawes County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 5,851 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Dawes County. Chadron is the home of Chadron State College....

Eagles 1911 Public 3,000
Colorado Christian University
Colorado Christian University
Colorado Christian University is a private, interdenominational Christian liberal arts university in Lakewood, Colorado in the United States...

*
Lakewood, Colorado
Lakewood, Colorado
Lakewood is a Home Rule Municipality that is the most populous city in Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. Lakewood is the fifth most populous city in the State of Colorado and the 172nd most populous city in the United States. The United States Census Bureau estimates that in April 1, 2010...

Cougars 1914 Private 1,500
University of Colorado Colorado Springs* Colorado Springs, Colorado
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Colorado Springs is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and most populous city of El Paso County, Colorado, United States. Colorado Springs is located in South-Central Colorado, in the southern portion of the state. It is situated on Fountain Creek and is located south of the Colorado...

Mountain Lions 1965 Public 7,400
Colorado Mesa University Grand Junction, Colorado
Grand Junction, Colorado
The City of Grand Junction is the largest city in western Colorado. It is a city with a council–manager government form that is the county seat and the most populous city of Mesa County, Colorado, United States. Grand Junction is situated west-southwest of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. As...

Mavericks 1925 Public 8,042
Colorado School of Mines
Colorado School of Mines
The Colorado School of Mines is a small public teaching and research university devoted to engineering and applied science, with special expertise in the development and stewardship of the Earth's natural resources. Located in Golden, Colorado, CSM was ranked 29th, in America among national...

Golden, Colorado
Golden, Colorado
The City of Golden is a home rule municipality that is the county seat of Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. Golden lies along Clear Creek at the edge of the foothills of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. Founded during the Pike's Peak Gold Rush on 16 June 1859, the mining camp was...

Orediggers 1873 Public 3,338
Colorado State University–Pueblo Pueblo, Colorado
Pueblo, Colorado
Pueblo is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Pueblo County, Colorado, United States. The population was 106,595 in 2010 census, making it the 246th most populous city in the United States....

ThunderWolves 1933 Public 5,145
Fort Lewis College
Fort Lewis College
Fort Lewis College is a public liberal arts college in Durango, Colorado.-History:Military FortThe original site of Fort Lewis College began southwest of its present location back in 1880. Set up originally as a Military Fort for the 22nd Regimental Infantry which occupied the land from...

Durango, Colorado
Durango, Colorado
The City of Durango is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of La Plata County, Colorado, United States. The United States Census Bureau said that the city population was 16,887 in 2010 census.-History:...

Skyhawks 1911 Public 4,000
Metropolitan State College of Denver
Metropolitan State College of Denver
The Metropolitan State College of Denver is a four-year college and now offers certain Graduate programs located in Denver, Colorado, United States. As of 2009, Metro State had the second-largest enrollment of undergraduates of any college in Colorado...

*
Denver, Colorado Roadrunners 1965 Public 24,000
University of Nebraska at Kearney
University of Nebraska at Kearney
The University of Nebraska at Kearney , founded in 1905 as the Nebraska State Normal School at Kearney, is the Kearney, Nebraska, United States campus of the University of Nebraska system.-History:...

Kearney, Nebraska
Kearney, Nebraska
Kearney is a city in and the county seat of Buffalo County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 30,787 at the 2010 census. It is home to the University of Nebraska-Kearney....

Lopers 1903 Public 6,379
New Mexico Highlands University
New Mexico Highlands University
New Mexico Highlands University is a public university located in Las Vegas, New Mexico.-History:The university was first established as New Mexico Normal School in 1893, with the prominent archaeologist Edgar Lee Hewett serving as its first president...

Las Vegas, New Mexico
Las Vegas, New Mexico
Las Vegas is a city in San Miguel County, New Mexico, United States. Once two separate municipalities both named Las Vegas, west Las Vegas and east Las Vegas , divided by the Gallinas River, retain distinct characters and separate, rival school districts. The population was 14,565 at the 2000...

Cowboys/Cowgirls 1893 Public 3,500
Regis University
Regis University
Regis University is a private, co-educational Roman Catholic, Jesuit university in the United States. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1877, it is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities...

*
Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...

Rangers 1877 Private 6,123
Western New Mexico University
Western New Mexico University
Western New Mexico University, a public university located in Silver City, New Mexico, has served the people of the state of New Mexico and its surrounding areas as a comprehensive, regional, rural, public coeducational university since 1893 and caters to a student body diverse in age, culture,...

Silver City, New Mexico
Silver City, New Mexico
Silver City is a town in Grant County, New Mexico, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 10,545. It is the county seat of Grant County. The city is the home of Western New Mexico University.-History:...

Mustangs 1893 Public 2,500
Western State College of Colorado
Western State College of Colorado
Western State College of Colorado is a four-year public liberal arts college located in Gunnison, Colorado. The enrollment stands at about 2400 students with a high percentage, one-fourth, from out of state. The far flung appeal for some students is found in the idyllic mountains and ski slopes...

Gunnison, Colorado
Gunnison, Colorado
The historic City of Gunnison, a Home Rule Municipality, is the county seat and the most populous city of Gunnison County, Colorado, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 5,854. It was named in honor of John W...

Mountaineers 1901 Public 2,400

  • * - Denotes a non-football member
  • San Francisco State University
    San Francisco State University
    San Francisco State University is a public university located in San Francisco, California. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers over 100 areas of study from nine academic colleges...

     in San Francisco, California is a member in wrestling
    Collegiate wrestling
    Collegiate wrestling, sometimes known in the United States as Folkstyle wrestling, is a style of amateur wrestling practised at the collegiate and university level in the United States. Collegiate wrestling emerged from the folk wrestling styles practised in the early history of the United States...

     only.
  • Montana State University - Billings
    Montana State University - Billings
    Montana State University Billings is a state university. Its main campus is located in downtown Billings, Montana, United States. Formerly Eastern Montana Normal School when it was founded, it was then renamed to Eastern Montana College before being renamed to its present name in 1994...

     in 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...

     is a member in women's golf
    Golf
    Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....

     and men's and women's tennis
    Tennis
    Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...

    .
  • Grand Canyon University
    Grand Canyon University
    Grand Canyon University is a for-profit Christian university located in Phoenix, Arizona. It is owned by Grand Canyon Education . GCU was founded in 1949 as a non-profit liberal arts college. Grand Canyon Education, Inc. purchased Grand Canyon University in February 2004...

     in Phoenix, Arizona
    Phoenix, Arizona
    Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...

     is a member in wrestling
    Collegiate wrestling
    Collegiate wrestling, sometimes known in the United States as Folkstyle wrestling, is a style of amateur wrestling practised at the collegiate and university level in the United States. Collegiate wrestling emerged from the folk wrestling styles practised in the early history of the United States...

     only.
  • Fort Hays State University
    Fort Hays State University
    Fort Hays State University is a public, co-educational university located in Hays, Kansas, United States. It is the fourth-largest of the six state universities governed by the Kansas Board of Regents, with an enrollment of approximately 11,200 students .- History :FHSU was founded in 1902 as the...

     in Hays, Kansas
    Hays, Kansas
    Hays is a city in and the county seat of Ellis County, Kansas, United States. The largest city in northwestern Kansas, it is the economic and cultural center of the region. It is also a college town, home to Fort Hays State University...

     is a member in wrestling only. FHSU was a full member of the conference from 1981 through 2006.
  • University of Texas of the Permian Basin
    University of Texas of the Permian Basin
    The University of Texas of the Permian Basin is located in Odessa, Texas. It was authorized by the Texas Legislature in 1969 and founded in 1973...

     in Odessa, Texas
    Odessa, Texas
    Odessa is a city in and the county seat of Ector County, Texas, United States. It is located primarily in Ector County, although a small portion of the city extends into Midland County. Odessa's population was 99,940 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Odessa, Texas Metropolitan...

     is a member in swimming only.
  • University of the Incarnate Word
    University of the Incarnate Word
    The University of the Incarnate Word is a private Catholic university located within the cities of San Antonio and Alamo Heights in Texas, United States....

     in San Antonio, Texas is a member in swimming only.
  • Northern State University
    Northern State University
    Northern State University is a four-year public university located in Aberdeen, South Dakota, United States. NSU is governed by the South Dakota Board of Regents and offers 38 majors and 42 minors, as well as six associate, eight pre-professional and nine graduate degrees.-History:Founded on the...

     in Aberdeen, South Dakota
    Aberdeen, South Dakota
    Aberdeen is a city in and the county seat of Brown County, South Dakota, United States, about 125 mi northeast of Pierre. Settled in 1880, it was incorporated in 1882. The city population was 26,091 at the 2010 census. The American News is the local newspaper...

     is a member in swimming only.
  • Minnesota State University Moorhead
    Minnesota State University Moorhead
    Minnesota State University Moorhead is a four-year, public university located in Moorhead, Minnesota. The school has an enrollment of nearly 7,500 students and 337 full-time faculty members. MSUM is a part of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system...

     in Moorhead, Minnesota
    Moorhead, Minnesota
    Moorhead is a city in Clay County, Minnesota, United States, and the largest city in northwest Minnesota. The population was 38,065 at the 2010 Census. It is the county seat of Clay County....

     is a member in swimming only.

Membership timeline

There have been 39 different schools associated with the RMAC either through full or associate membership. Of those schools only the Colorado School of Mines has been with the conference every year since it was founded in 1909.

Current member (powder blue)

Affiliate or sssociate member only* (yellow)

Past member (orange)

Future member (green)

Membership evolution

  • 1909: The Colorado Faculty Athletic Conference was formed on March 6 with four charter members: University of Colorado, Colorado A&M (now Colorado State University), Colorado College and Colorado School of Mines.

  • 1910: The league changed its name to the Rocky Mountain Faculty Athletic Conference (RFMAC). The University of Denver and University of Utah join the league, but Colorado College drops out after a fallout with Colorado School of Mines. Membership is at five schools.

  • 1914: Colorado College rejoins the RFMAC. Utah State University also joins the league to bring membership up to seven.

  • 1917: Montana State University joins the conference.

  • 1918: Brigham Young University joins the league as the ninth member.

  • 1921: The University of Wyoming joins the conference.

  • 1924: Western State College and the University of Northern Colorado join the league, giving the RFMAC 12 members.

  • 1937: Colorado, Colorado State, Brigham Young, Utah, Utah State, Wyoming and Denver leave the conference to form the Skyline Conference. The five remaining members of the RFMAC were Colorado College, Colorado Mines, Montana State, Northern Colorado and Western State.

  • 1948: Idaho State University joins as the sixth member.

  • 1956: Adams State College joins the conference as the seventh member.

  • 1958: Idaho State leaves the conference.

  • 1959: Montana State leaves the conference, membership is back down to five.

  • 1967: The RFMAC changes its name to the current Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC). Eleven schools join the conference in 1967. They were: Emporia State University, Fort Hays State University, Fort Lewis College, the University of Nebraska at Omaha, Pittsburg State University, the University of Southern Colorado (now Colorado State-Pueblo), Southern Utah State University, Regis University, Washburn University, Western New Mexico University and Westminster College of Utah. Colorado College is not included in this new league. The new league divided into two divisions: Mountains and Plains.

  • 1968: New Mexico Highlands University joins the RMAC.

  • 1969: New Mexico Highlands leaves the RMAC due to financial aid restrictions.

  • 1972: For economic reasons, the two divisions were split into two separate conferences. The Mountain Division kept the RMAC name while the Plains Division became known as the Great Plains Athletic Conference. The two allied conferences worked under the name of the Mountain and Plains Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MPIAA). RMAC membership stood at eight with Adams State, Colorado Mines, Fort Lewis, Regis, Southern Utah State, Western New Mexico, Western State and Westminster. Northern Colorado ended up leaving the association to become an independent.

  • 1974: New Mexico Highlands rejoins the RMAC as the ninth member.

  • 1975: Mesa State College becomes the 10th member of the RMAC.

  • 1976: The MPIAA was dissolved for economic reasons and the two conferences went their separate ways. Colorado State-Pueblo switched conferences and joined the RMAC as its 11th member.

  • 1978: The RMAC beings sponsoring women's championships.

  • 1979: Westminster drops athletics and as a result leaves the RMAC, leaving the league with 10 members.

  • 1983: Regis leaves the RMAC to become an independent, leaving the league with nine teams.

  • 1986: Southern Utah State left the league, dropping membership to eight.

  • 1988: New Mexico Highlands withdraws from the conference to shrink the membership to seven schools.

  • 1989: Chadron State College, Fort Hays State University, Kearney State College (now University of Nebraska at Kearney) and Wayne State College announce intentions to join.

  • 1990: Wayne State College and Kearney State College withdraw their interest in joining the league. Western New Mexico and Colorado State-Pueblo announce that they are leaving the RMAC. Fort Lewis announces their intention to leave, however they stay on as an associate member of the conference. New Mexico Highlands rejoins the RMAC.

  • 1992: The RMAC becomes affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level.

  • 1994: Fort Lewis once again became a full member of the RMAC. Nebraska-Kearney also was voted into membership.

  • 1996: Colorado Christian University and Metropolitan State College join the RMAC. Regis and Colorado State-Pueblo rejoin the league. All four are full members. Also, the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs and the University of Denver join the RMAC as affiliate and associate members, respectively. The RMAC, now comprising fourteen schools, splits into two seven-team divisions.

  • 1997: Denver leaves to move up to Division I. Colorado-Colorado Springs becomes a full member. San Francisco State joins the RMAC as an associate member in wrestling only.

  • 2006: Fort Hays State leaves the RMAC for the MIAA (FHSU does remain in the RMAC as an associate member in wrestling). Western New Mexico rejoins the conference, keeping membership at 14 schools.

  • 2007: Grand Canyon University joins the RMAC as an associate member only in wrestling. Montana State University-Billings joins the RMAC as an associate member for women's golf and men's and women's tennis.

  • 2008: Texas-Permian Basin and the University of the Incarnate Word join the RMAC as associate members for swimming only.

  • 2009: Northern State University and Minnesota State University-Moorhead join the RMAC as associate members in swimming.

  • 2012: Nebraska-Kearney will leave the RMAC to join the MIAA. Black Hills State University moves up from the NAIA to NCAA Division II and will join the RMAC to keep the number of full members at 14.

External links

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