Big Sky

From NCAA Wiki

Big Sky Conference

Established	1963
Classification	Division I FCS (I-AA)
National Titles	5 (I-AA Football)
Commissioner	Douglas Fullerton
Members	9
Sports Fielded	15
States	8
Headquarters	Ogden, UT
Website	Big Sky Conference

The Big Sky Conference was established in 1963 by six charter members; Idaho, Idaho State, Gonzaga, Montana, Montana State and Weber State. Those six schools formed the foundation of the Big Sky before the league expanded in 1970 by adding Boise State and Northern Arizona. Gonzaga would leave the Big Sky in 1979 and was replaced by Nevada which gave the conference eight members. The league grew to nine schools in 1987 when Eastern Washington was admitted.

Institutions in the Big Sky spread across seven states that span from the Pacific Ocean to the Rocky Mountains. The Big Sky is represented along the entire west coast with schools in Washington, Oregon and California. League schools also range up and down the Rocky Mountains with institutions in Montana, Idaho, Utah and Arizona. Of the eight western-most states in the contiguous United States only one, Nevada, is not represented in the Big Sky.

On Feb. 20, 1963, the name Big Sky was adopted by the six presidents of the charter members as the name of the new conference. The name Big Sky originated from a novel written by the late A.B. (Bud) Guthrie of Great Falls, Montana., in 1947 entitled The Big Sky. Jack Hollowell, former Montana advertising director, promoted the Big Sky theme for the Treasure State, and Harry Missildine of the Spokane Spokesman-Review called for the newly formed league to be named the Big Sky Conference in his column dated Feb. 20, 1963.

The conference sponsors championships in 14 sports: men's and women's cross country, indoor track and field, basketball, tennis and outdoor track and field. In addition there are also championships for football and women's volleyball, golf and soccer.