WAC

From NCAA Wiki

Western Athletic Conference

Established	1962
Classification	Football Bowl Subdivision
National Titles	20
Commissioner	Karl Benson
Members	9
Sports Fielded	19
States	California, Hawaii, Idaho, Louisiana, Nevada, Utah
Headquarters	Denver, CO
Website	WACsports.com

The Western Athletic Conference is the sixth oldest among the nation’s 11 Division Football Bowl Sudvision conferences. Its history traces back to July 27, 1962, when the original six-team league of Arizona, Arizona State, Brigham Young, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming began competition.

The first championship was held in November 1962, when Arizona won the men’s cross country title and New Mexico followed with the first WAC football title.

Since 1962, several changes have occurred. UTEP and Colorado State became members in September 1967, while Arizona and Arizona State withdrew on June 30, 1978. The WAC then added San Diego State, Hawaii and Air Force. Before 1990, the WAC sponsored championships only in men's sports. However, a merger with the High Country Athletic Conference formed a single conference under one administrative structure, and the 1990-91 athletic year was the first in which both men and women competed under the WAC name. Fresno State was added in 1992, and then in 1996, the women's programs from Air Force and Hawaii along with six new schools (UNLV, Rice, San Jose State, Southern Methodist, Texas Christian, and Tulsa) came into the WAC. Air Force, Brigham Young, Colorado State, UNLV, New Mexico, San Diego State, Utah and Wyoming withdrew on June 30, 1999 to form the Mountain West Conference. As a result Nevada, Boise State Louisiana Tech were added while TCU withdrew following the 2000-01 season to join Conference USA, then the Mountain West. The current membership was established on July 1, 2005, when Idaho, New Mexico State and Utah State following the depature of Rice, SMU, UTEP and Tulsa to Conference USA.

The WAC has had just five commissioners in its history. Paul Brechler was named the first leader of the conference and held the position from 1962-68. He was followed by Wiles Hallock (1968-71), Stan Bates (1971-80), Dr. Joe Kearney (1980-94) and Karl Benson (1994-present). The WAC office has been located in the Denver area since the conference’s inception with the exception of a two-year stay in Phoenix from 1964-66.