Big Sky Conference

Big Sky Conference
	File:Big Sky Conference Logo.svg
Association	NCAA
Commissioner	Andrea Williams (since 2016)
Sports fielded	16 men's: 7; women's: 9; ;
Division	Division I
Subdivision	FCS
Region	Western United States
Official website	bigskyconf.com
Locations

The Big Sky Conference (BSC) is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division I, with football competing in the Football Championship Subdivision. Member institutions are located in the western United States in the nine states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, Utah, and Washington. Four affiliate members each participate in one sport. Two schools from California are football-only participants, and two schools from the Northeast participate only in men's golf.

Initially conceived for basketball,^[1] the BSC was founded 61 years ago in 1963 with six members in four states;^[2]^[3] four of the charter members have been in the league from its founding, and a fifth returned in 2014 after an 18-year absence.

The name "Big Sky" came from the popular 1947 western novel by A. B. Guthrie Jr.; it was proposed by Harry Missildine, a sports columnist of the Spokesman-Review just prior to the founding meetings of the conference in Spokane in February 1963,^[4]^[5] and was adopted with the announcement of the new conference five days later.^[2]^[3]

50th anniversary

The 2012-13 season marked the completion of 50 years of athletic competition and 25 years sponsoring women’s collegiate athletics. Before the season the league introduced a new logo to celebrate this.

The 25th season of women’s athletics also marked a first for the league, as Portland State won the league’s inaugural softball championship. Women's sports were formerly conducted in the Mountain West Athletic Conference.

The Big Sky sponsors championships in 16 sports, including men’s and women’s cross country, golf, indoor and outdoor track and field, basketball, and tennis. In addition, there are also championships in football, and women’s volleyball, soccer, and softball.^[6]

Member schools

Full members

All 12 of the Big Sky's full members will play football in the conference once Idaho drops from the FBS to FCS in 2018.

Institution	Location	Founded	Joined	Type	Enrollment	Endowment (2014)^[7]	Nickname	Colors	U.S. News Ranking (2016)^[7]
Eastern Washington University	Cheney, Washington	1882	1987	Public	13,453	$27,123,118	Eagles	Red, White, Black	63 (Regional: West)
University of Idaho	Moscow, Idaho	1889	1963, 2014^{[a 1]}	Public	11,534	$240,979,808	Vandals	Silver & Gold	168 (National)
Idaho State University	Pocatello, Idaho	1901	1963	Public	15,553	$49,000,000	Bengals	Orange, Black, White	Unranked (National)
University of Montana	Missoula, Montana	1893	1963	Public	14,946	$170,167,546	Grizzlies^{[a 2]}	Maroon & Silver	Not Published (National)
Montana State University	Bozeman, Montana	1893	1963	Public	15,421	$126,452,621	Bobcats	Navy Blue & Gold	Not Published (National)
University of North Dakota	Grand Forks, North Dakota	1883	2012	Public	14,906	$230,600,000	Fighting Hawks	Kelly Green, White, Black	180 (National)
Northern Arizona University	Flagstaff, Arizona	1899	1970	Public	27,715	$144,000,000	Lumberjacks	Blue & Gold	Not Published (National)
University of Northern Colorado	Greeley, Colorado	1889	2006	Public	12,087	$83,071,771	Bears	Navy Blue & Gold	Not Published (National)
Portland State University	Portland, Oregon	1946	1996	Public	28,241	$84,713,385	Vikings	Forest Green, White, Black	Not Published (National)
California State University, Sacramento	Sacramento, California	1947	1996	Public	28,811	$29,981,610	Hornets	Green & Gold	63 (Regional: West)
Southern Utah University	Cedar City, Utah	1897	2012	Public	7,656	$22,880,715	Thunderbirds	Red, White, Black	70 (Regional: West)
Weber State University	Ogden, Utah	1889	1963	Public	26,681	$119,910,849	Wildcats	Purple, Grey, White	77 (Regional: West)

^ Idaho had been a charter member of the Big Sky in 1963, but left the conference in 1996.
^ The Montana women's basketball team is known as the Lady Griz, but all other women's teams are known as Grizzlies.

Affiliate members

Institution	Location	Founded	Joined	Type	Enrollment	Endowment (2014)	Nickname	Colors	Primary Conference	Big Sky Sport	U.S. News Ranking (2016)
Binghamton University, SUNY	Vestal, New York	1946	2014	Public	16,695	$101,414,229	Bearcats	Green & White	America East	Men's Golf	89 (National)
California Polytechnic State University	San Luis Obispo, California	1901	2012	Public	20,186	$207,485,860	Mustangs	Green & Gold	Big West	Football	10 (Regional: West)
University of California, Davis	Davis, California	1905	2012	Public	35,415	$968,230,000	Aggies	Blue & Gold	Big West	Football	41 (National)
University of Hartford	West Hartford, Connecticut	1877	2014	Private	7,025	$146,113,000	Hawks	Scarlet & White	America East	Men's Golf	92 (Regional: North)

Former members

Institution	Location	Founded	Joined	Left	Type	Enrollment	Nickname	Subsequent Conference Membership
Boise State University	Boise, Idaho	1932	1970	1996	Public	22,678	Broncos	Big West (1996–2001) WAC (2001–2011) Mountain West (2011–present)
California State University, Northridge	Northridge, California	1958	1996	2001	Public	36,070	Matadors	Big West (2001–present)
Gonzaga University	Spokane, Washington	1887	1963	1979	Private	7,764	Bulldogs	WCC (1979–present)
University of Nevada	Reno, Nevada	1874	1979	1992	Public	18,227	Wolf Pack	Big West (1992–2000) WAC (2000–2012) Mountain West (2012–present)

Notes

Gonzaga, which has not fielded a football team since 1941, was a charter member in 1963.

Membership timeline

Full members Assoc. members (football only) Full members (except football) Assoc. members (other sports) Other Conference Other Conference

Sports

Eastern Washington

Idaho

Idaho State

Montana

Montana State

North Dakota

Northern Arizona

Northern Colorado

Portland State

Sacramento State

Southern Utah

Weber State

Binghampton

Cal Poly

UC Davis

Hartford

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– Full members

– Only members for football

– Only members for men's golf

As of the 2015–16 school year, the Big Sky sponsors championships in seven men's and nine women's NCAA sanctioned sports.^[8] Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and UC Davis participate as football-only affiliates, otherwise participating in the Big West Conference. Binghamton and Hartford are affiliates in men's golf only, otherwise participating in the America East Conference. Before the 2014–15 school year, the latter two schools had participated in men's golf alongside five full Big Sky members in the single-sport America Sky Conference.^[9] The return of Idaho brought the number of members participating in men's golf to six, which led to the Big Sky adding men's golf and absorbing the America Sky Conference.

Baseball

The Big Sky is unusual among Division I all-sports conferences in not sponsoring baseball. The conference originally sponsored baseball, with all members participating. When Boise State and Northern Arizona arrived for the 1971 season, competition was split into two divisions of four teams each, with the winners in a best-of-three championship series.^[10]^[11] Montana State^[12] and Montana soon dropped the sport and by the 1973 season, only six teams remained but the divisions were kept, and Boise State moved over to the North Division for two years.^[13] In May 1974, the Big Sky announced its intention to discontinue five of its ten sponsored sports. It retained football, basketball, cross-county, track, and wrestling, and dropped conference competition in baseball, golf, tennis, swimming, and skiing.^[14]^[15] Of the eleven Big Sky baseball titles, four each went to Idaho (1964,'66,'67,'69)^[16] and Gonzaga (1965,'71,'73,'74), and three to Weber State (1968,'70,'72).^[17] Gonzaga won the final title in 1974 over Idaho State in three games, after losing the first game in Pocatello.^[18] Southern division champion Idaho State chose to end its baseball program weeks following the conference's announcement,^[19] and Gonzaga, Idaho, and Boise State joined the new Northern Pacific League (NorPac) for baseball in 1975.^[20] Boise State and Idaho competed in the NorPac for six seasons, then discontinued baseball after the 1980 season.^[21] North Dakota announced on April 12, 2016 that it would discontinue its baseball program, effective following the 2015-16 season.^[22] Currently, two Big Sky members sponsor baseball: Northern Colorado and Sacramento State. Both compete in the Western Athletic Conference.

**Teams in Big Sky Conference competition**
Sport	Men's	Women's
Basketball	12	12
Cross Country	12	12
Football	13	-
Golf	8	12
Soccer	-	11
Softball	-	8
Tennis	12	12
Track and Field (Indoor)	12	12
Track and Field (Outdoor)	12	12
Volleyball	-	12

Men's sponsored sports by school

School	Basketball	Cross Country	Football	Golf	Tennis	Track & Field (Indoor)	Track & Field (Outdoor)	Total Sports
Eastern Washington	Y	^Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	6
Idaho	Y	Y	^{[n 1]}	Y	Y	Y	Y	6
Idaho State	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	6
Montana	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	6
Montana State	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	6
North Dakota	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	6
Northern Arizona	Y	^Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	6
Northern Colorado	Y	^Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	7
Portland State	Y	^Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	6
Sacramento State	Y	^Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	7
Southern Utah	Y	^Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	7
Weber State	Y	^Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	7
Totals	12	12	11+2^{[n 2]}	6+2^{[n 3]}	12	12	12	76+4

^ Idaho plays football in the Sun Belt Conference through the 2017 football season and then will return to the Big Sky Conference.
^ Affiliates Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and UC Davis.
^ Affiliates Binghamton and Hartford.

Men's varsity sports not sponsored by the Big Sky Conference which are played by Big Sky schools:

School	Baseball	Ice Hockey	Skiing	Soccer	Swimming	Wrestling
Montana State	No	No	Independent	No	No	No
North Dakota	No	NCHC	No	No	WAC	No
Northern Colorado	WAC	No	No	No	No	Big 12
Sacramento State	WAC	No	No	Big West	No	No

Women's sponsored sports by school

School	Basketball	Cross Country	Golf	Soccer	Softball	Tennis	Track & Field (Indoor)	Track & Field (Outdoor)	Volleyball	Total Sports
Eastern Washington	Y	Y	Y	Y	^N	Y	Y	Y	Y	8
Idaho	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	8
Idaho State	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	9
Montana	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	9
Montana State	Y	Y	Y	N	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	7
North Dakota	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	9
Northern Arizona	Y	Y	Y	Y	^N	Y	Y	Y	Y	8
Northern Colorado	Y	Y	Y	Y	^Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	9
Portland State	Y	Y	Y	Y	^Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	9
Sacramento State	Y	Y	Y	Y	^Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	9
Southern Utah	Y	Y	Y	Y	^Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	9
Weber State	Y	Y	Y	Y	^Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	9
Totals	12	12	12	11	8	12	12	12	12	103

Women's varsity sports not sponsored by the Big Sky Conference which are played by Big Sky schools:

School	Beach Volleyball	Gymnastics	Ice Hockey	Rowing	Skiing	Swimming
Idaho	No	No	No	No	No	WAC
Montana State	No	No	No	No	Independent	No
North Dakota	No	No	WCHA	No	No	WAC
Northern Arizona	No	No	No	No	No	WAC
Northern Colorado	No	No	No	No	No	WAC
Sacramento State	Independent	MPSF	No	The American	No	No
Southern Utah	No	Mountain Rim	No	No	No	No

Facilities

School	Football stadium	Capacity	Basketball arena	Capacity
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo	Alex G. Spanos Stadium	11,075	Football-only member
Eastern Washington	Roos Field	8,600	Reese Court	6,000
Idaho	Kibbie Dome	16,000	Cowan Spectrum Memorial Gymnasium	7,000 2,500
Idaho State	Holt Arena	12,000	Holt Arena (men) Reed Gym (women)	8,000 3,040
Montana	Washington–Grizzly Stadium	25,203	Dahlberg Arena	7,321
Montana State	Bobcat Stadium	20,767	Worthington Arena	7,250
North Dakota	Alerus Center^[23]	12,283	Betty Engelstad Sioux Center^[24] Ralph Engelstad Arena	3,300 11,634^[25]
Northern Arizona	Walkup Skydome	10,000	Walkup Skydome	7,000
Northern Colorado	Nottingham Field	8,533^[26]	Butler–Hancock Sports Pavilion	2,992
Portland State	Providence Park	20,000	Peter Stott Center	1,500
Sacramento State	Hornet Stadium	21,195	Colberg Court	1,012^[27]
Southern Utah	Eccles Coliseum	8,500	Centrum Arena	5,300
UC Davis	Aggie Stadium	10,367	Football-only member
Weber State	Stewart Stadium	17,500	Dee Events Center	11,500

Note: The Idaho Vandals men's basketball team plays early season home games at Memorial Gym, home of the Vandals women's basketball team.

Basketball

Current NBA Players

Damian Lillard, Weber State
Joel Bolomboy, Weber State
Rodney Stuckey, Eastern Washington

Rivalries - Conference

Rivalries - Non-conference

Weber State and Utah State/Utah/BYU/Utah Valley
Eastern Washington and Gonzaga
Idaho and Boise State
Idaho State and Wyoming
Montana and Wyoming
Montana State and Wyoming
Sacramento State and UC Davis
Portland State and Portland
Northern Colorado and Colorado State
Northern Colorado and Denver
North Dakota and North Dakota State
North Dakota and South Dakota

Rivalries - football

Protected Football rivalries ^[28]

School	Rival 1	Rival 2
UC Davis	Sacramento State	Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo	UC Davis	Sacramento State
Eastern Washington	Montana	Portland State
Idaho State	Weber State	Portland State
Montana	Montana State	Eastern Washington
Montana State	Montana	North Dakota
North Dakota	Montana State	Northern Colorado
Northern Arizona	Southern Utah	Northern Colorado
Northern Colorado	North Dakota	Northern Arizona
Portland State	Eastern Washington	Idaho State
Sacramento State	UC Davis	Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
Southern Utah	Northern Arizona	Weber State
Weber State	Idaho State	Southern Utah

Conference

Schools		First Meeting	Game	Trophy	Winner (Last Meeting)	All-time Record
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo	UC Davis	1939	Battle for the Golden Horseshoe	The Golden Horseshoe	Cal Poly San Luis Obispo	UC Davis leads 19–17–2
Eastern Washington	Montana	1938	The EWU-UM Governors Cup	Governors Cup	Montana	Montana leads 27–15–1
Eastern Washington	Portland State	1968	The Dam Cup	The Dam Cup	Portland State	Portland State leads 20-17-1
Idaho State	Weber State	1962			Weber State	Weber State leads 35–14
Montana	Montana State	1897	Brawl of the Wild	The Great Divide Trophy	Montana	Montana leads 71–37–5
UC Davis	Sacramento State	1954	Causeway Classic	Causeway Carriage	UC Davis	UC Davis leads 39-18
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo	Sacramento State	1967	Green and Gold Game		Sacramento State	The Series is Tied 16-16
Southern Utah	Northern Arizona	1983	The Canyonland Classic	HintonBurdick Grand Canyon Trophy	Southern Utah	Northern Arizona leads 12-6

Non-conference

Schools		First Meeting	Game	Trophy	Winner (Last Meeting)	All-time Record	Note
Idaho	Idaho State	1916			Idaho	Idaho leads 28–11	Last competed for in 2008, will play again in 2018
Idaho	Boise State	1971		Governor's Cup	Boise State	Boise State leads 22–17-1	Last competed for in 2010
Montana	Idaho	1903		Little Brown Stein	Montana	Idaho leads 55–27–2	Last competed for in 2003, will play again in 2018
Northern Colorado	Colorado State	1893			Colorado State	Colorado State leads 18–1–1	Last competed for in 2011, will play again in 2016.
North Dakota	North Dakota State	1894		Nickel Trophy	North Dakota State	North Dakota leads 62–46–3	Their 2015 game was the first since 2003; next game scheduled for 2019.

Commissioners

1963 – Jack Friel^[29]
1971 – John Roning^[30]^[31]
1977 – Steve Belko^[32]
1981 – Ron Stephenson^[33]
1995 – Doug Fullerton^[34]
2016 - Andrea Williams^[35]

Headquarters

1963 – Pullman, Washington
1971 – Boise, Idaho
1996 – Ogden, Utah

Big Sky championships

Big Sky men's basketball

Season	Regular Season Champion	Tournament Champion
1964	Montana State	no tournament
1965	Weber State
1966	Weber State, Gonzaga
1967	Gonzaga, Montana State
1968	Weber State
1969	Weber State
1970	Weber State
1971	Weber State
1972	Weber State
1973	Weber State
1974	Idaho State
1975	Montana
1976	Weber State, Boise State, Idaho State	Boise State
1977	Idaho State	Idaho State
1978	Montana	Weber State
1979	Weber State	Weber State
1980	Weber State	Weber State
1981	Idaho	Idaho
1982	Idaho	Idaho
1983	Weber State, Nevada	Weber State
1984	Weber State	Nevada
1985	Nevada	Nevada
1986	Northern Arizona, Montana	Montana State
1987	Montana State	Idaho State
1988	Boise State	Boise State
1989	Boise State	Idaho
1990	Idaho	Idaho
1991	Montana	Montana
1992	Montana	Montana
1993	Idaho	Boise State
1994	Weber State, Idaho State	Boise State
1995	Weber State, Montana	Weber State
1996	Montana State	Montana State
1997	Northern Arizona	Montana
1998	Northern Arizona	Northern Arizona
1999	Weber State	Weber State
2000	Montana, Eastern Washington	Northern Arizona
2001	CS-Northridge	CS-Northridge
2002	Montana State	Montana
2003	Weber State	Weber State
2004	Eastern Washington	Eastern Washington
2005	Portland State	Montana
2006	Northern Arizona	Montana
2007	Weber State, Northern Arizona	Weber State
2008	Portland State	Portland State
2009	Weber State	Portland State
2010	Weber State	Montana
2011	Northern Colorado	Northern Colorado
2012	Montana	Montana
2013	Montana	Montana
2014	Weber State	Weber State
2015	Montana	Eastern Washington
2016	Weber State	Weber State

Basketball championships (by school)

School	Member years	Conference Titles	Tournament Titles	Last won
Weber State	1963–present	22	10	2016
Montana	1963–present	10	9	2015
Montana State	1963–present	5	2	2002
Northern Arizona	1970–present	5	2	2007
Idaho	1963–96, 2014–present	4	4	1993
Idaho State	1963–present	4	2	1994
Boise State	1970–96	3	4	1989
Eastern Washington	1987–present	2	2	2015
Nevada	1979–92	2	2	1985
Portland State	1996–present	2	2	2009
Gonzaga	1963–79	2	0	1967
Northern Colorado	2006–present	1	1	2011
CS-Northridge	1996–2001	1	1	2001
North Dakota	2012–present	0	0	N/A
Sacramento State	1996–present	0	0	N/A
Southern Utah	2012–present	0	0	N/A

NCAA Tournament

The best finish by a Big Sky team in the men's NCAA Tournament came in 1977, when the Idaho State Bengals advanced to the Elite Eight, with a one-point upset of UCLA in the Sweet Sixteen in Provo, Utah. The highest seed granted a Big Sky team was in 1982: the Idaho Vandals under Don Monson were seeded third in the west regional. They beat Lute Olson's Iowa Hawkeyes in nearby Pullman in overtime, but lost to second-seeded Oregon State in the regional semifinals (Sweet Sixteen), also played in Provo. Other Big Sky teams that advanced to regional semifinals include the Weber State Wildcats in 1969 and 1972, and the Montana Grizzlies under Jud Heathcote in 1975. They fell to UCLA by just three points, who went on to win another title in John Wooden's final year as head coach.

Big Sky women's basketball

Season	Tournament Champion	Tournament Runner-Up
1983	Montana	Weber State
1984	Montana	Eastern Washington
1985	Idaho	Montana
1986	Montana	Eastern Washington
1987	Eastern Washington	Montana
1988	Montana	Eastern Washington
1989	Montana	Idaho
1990	Montana	Idaho
1991	Montana	Montana State
1992	Montana	Boise State
1993	Montana State	Montana
1994	Montana	Boise State
1995	Montana	Montana State
1996	Montana	Weber State
1997	Montana	Montana State
1998	Montana	Northern Arizona
1999	CS Northridge	Portland State
2000	Montana	CS-Northridge
2001	Idaho State	Montana
2002	Weber State	Montana State
2003	Weber State	Montana State
2004	Montana	Idaho State
2005	Montana	Weber State
2006	Northern Arizona	Weber State
2007	Idaho State	Northern Arizona
2008	Montana	Montana State
2009	Montana	Portland State
2010	Portland State	Montana State
2011	Montana	Portland State
2012	Idaho State	Northern Colorado
2013	Montana	Northern Colorado
2014	North Dakota	Montana
2015	Montana	Northern Colorado
2016	Idaho	Idaho State

Mountain West Athletic Conference (MWAC) through 1988 season

Big Sky football titles

Season, conference record,^[36]^[37] and champion

1963 - (3-1) - Idaho State
1964 - (3-0) - Montana State - won Camellia Bowl
1965 - (3-1) - Weber State^ and Idaho
1966 - (4-0) - Montana State
1967 - (4-0) - Montana State
1968 - (3-1) - Idaho, Montana State, and Weber State
1969 - (4-0) - Montana
1970 - (5-0) - Montana
1971 - (4-1) - Idaho - (Boise State won Camellia Bowl, UI was Div. I)
1972 - (5-1) - Montana State
1973 - (6-0) - Boise State - Div. II semifinalist
1974 - (6-0) - Boise State
1975 - (5-0-1) - Boise State
1976 - (6-0) - Montana State - won Div. II national championship
1977 - (6-0) - Boise State - had late regular season game, runner-up Northern Arizona invited to Div. II playoffs
1978 - (6-0) - Northern Arizona - not invited to inaugural four-team I-AA playoffs - (independent Nevada selected from West)
1979 - (6-1) - Montana State - (Boise State (7-0) ineligible) - Nevada (5-2) to four-team I-AA playoffs
1980 - (6-1) - Boise State - won I-AA national championship
1981 - (6-1) - Idaho State^ - (also 6-1 - Boise State - both to eight-team I-AA playoffs) - ISU won I-AA national championship
1982 - (5-2) - Montana^, Idaho, and Montana State (UM @ UI in twelve-team I-AA playoffs, MSU excluded)
1983 - (6-1) - Nevada - I-AA semifinalist
1984 - (6-1) - Montana State - won I-AA national championship
1985 - (6-1) - Idaho^ - (also 6-1 - Nevada - both to I-AA playoffs)
1986 - (7-0) - Nevada - I-AA semi-finalist
1987 - (7-1) - Idaho^ - (also 7-1 - Weber State - both to I-AA playoffs)
1988 - (7-1) - Idaho - I-AA semifinalist
1989 - (8-0) - Idaho - (Montana - I-AA semifinalist)
1990 - (7-1) - Nevada - I-AA runner-up, defeated Boise State in I-AA semifinals in 3OT
1991 - (8-0) - Nevada
1992 - (6-1) - Idaho^ and Eastern Washington - (both to I-AA playoffs)
1993 - (7-0) - Montana - (Idaho - I-AA semifinalist)
1994 - (6-1) - Boise State - I-AA runner-up - (Montana - I-AA semifinalist)
1995 - (6-1) - Montana - won I-AA national championship
1996 - (8-0) - Montana - I-AA runner-up
1997 - (7-1) - Eastern Washington - I-AA semifinalist
1998 - (6-2) - Montana
1999 - (7-1) - Montana
2000 - (8-0) - Montana - I-AA runner-up
2001 - (7-0) - Montana - won I-AA national championship
2002 - (5-2) - Montana, Montana State, and Idaho State - (UM, MSU to I-AA playoffs, ISU excluded)
2003 - (5-2) - Montana State^, Montana, and Northern Arizona - (all three to I-AA playoffs)
2004 - (6-1) - Montana^ and Eastern Washington - (both to I-AA playoffs) - UM - I-AA runner-up
2005 - (5-2) - Eastern Washington^, Montana State, and Montana - (EWU, UM to I-AA playoffs, MSU excluded)
2006 - (8-0) - Montana - FCS semifinalist
2007 - (8-0) - Montana
2008 - (7-1) - Weber State^ and Montana - (both to FCS playoffs) - UM - FCS runner-up
2009 - (8-0) - Montana - FCS runner-up
2010 - (7-1) - Montana State^ and Eastern Washington - (both to FCS playoffs) - EWU won FCS national championship
2011 - (2-0) - Montana State and Montana^^
2012 - (7-1) - Eastern Washington^, Montana State, and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo - (all three to FCS playoffs)
2013 - (8-0) - Eastern Washington - FCS semifinalist
2014 - (7-1) - Eastern Washington
2015 - (7-1) - Southern Utah

^ - winner of head-to-head matchup(s) in conference game(s) during the regular season.

^^ - vacated due to NCAA violations

Football championships (by school)

School	member years	total titles	Last won
Montana	1963–present	18	2009
Montana State	1963–present	15	2012
Idaho	1963–95 2018–	8	1992
Eastern Washington	1987–present	8	2014
Boise State	1970–95	6	1994
Nevada	1979–92	4	1991
Idaho State	1963–present	3	2002
Weber State	1963–present	3	2008
Northern Arizona	1970–present	2	2003
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo	2012–present	1	2012
Southern Utah	2012–present	1	2015
Cal State Northridge	1996–2001	0
Sacramento State	1996–present	0
Portland State	1996–present	0
Northern Colorado	2006–present	0
North Dakota	2012–present	0
UC Davis	2012–present	0

All-time school records by wins for current teams

This list goes through the 2013 season.

#	Team	Records	Pct.	Big Sky Championships	National Championships
1	North Dakota	622-383-30	.615	0	1
2	Montana	564-478-26	.540	18	2
3	Eastern Washington	503-404-23	.553	7	1
4	UC Davis	495-384-35	.561	0	0
5	Cal Poly San Luis Obispo	485-383-19	.557	1	1
6	Montana State	470-467-33	.502	15	3
7	Idaho State	449-488-21	.480	3	1
8	Northern Arizona	445-438-23	.504	2	0
9	Northern Colorado	425-450-26	.486	0	2
10	Portland State	331-354-10	.483	0	0
11	Weber State	266-294-3	.475	3	0
12	Sacramento State	263-351-8	.429	0	0
13	Southern Utah	261-319-13	.451	1	1

Overall Big Sky Conference champions

	Boise State Broncos (1970–1996)	Cal State Northridge Matadors (1996–2001)	Eastern Washington Eagles (1987– )	Gonzaga Bulldogs (1963–1979)	Idaho State Bengals (1963– )	Montana State Bobcats (1963– )	Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (1970– )	Portland State Vikings (1996– )	Sacramento State Hornets (1996– )	Idaho Vandals (1963–1996)	Nevada Wolf Pack (1979–1992)	Northern Colorado Bears (2006– )	Montana Grizzlies (1963– )	Weber State Wildcats (1963– )
Football	6	–	7	–	3	15	2	–	–	8	4	–	18	3
Men's Basketball	2	1	1	2	2	5	4	2	–	4	1	1	8	22
Women's Basketball (RS/Tourn)	1/0	1/1	1/1	–	3/3	3/1	1/1	1/1	–	1/1	–	1/0	21/20	2/2
Men's Cross Country	2	–	–	–	5	2	18	–	–	2	3	–	8	7
Women's Cross Country	–	–	–	–	–	4	15	–	–	1	–	–	2	4
Men's Indoor Track and Field	2	–	–	–	5	–	12	–	2	1	1	–	–	5
Women's Indoor Track and Field	6	3	–	–	1	1	7	–	2	1	–	–	1	4
Men's Outdoor Track and Field	1	–	–	–	12	1	15	–	–	4	2	–	1	9
Women's Outdoor Track and Field	6	3	–	–	1	1	7	–	3	1	–	–	1	5
Men's Tennis	5	–	1	–	2	4	2	–	10	10	2	–	–	11
Women's Tennis	2	1	–	–	2	–	3	–	9	–	1	–	–	10
Women's Soccer	–	–	1	–	2	–	–	1	1	–	–	–	4	4
Volleyball	1	1	5	–	3	–	1	5	11	3	–	2	3	–
Women's Golf	1	–	–	–	1	1	5	4	1	–	–	–	1	1
Men's Golf	1	1	–	–	–	–	–	1	2	–	2	–	6	17
Baseball (1963–74)	–	–	–	4	–	–	–	–	–	4	–	–	–	3
Men's Swimming (1963–74)	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	2	–	–	8	–
Wrestling (1963–87)	10	–	–	–	7	3	–	–	–	–	–	–	1	2
Men's Skiing (1963–74)	1	–	–	–	–	4	–	–	–	2	–	–	3	–
Total	-	–	–	–	–	-	–	–	–	-	–	–	-	–

Football

Basketball

References

^ "Six intermountain colleges move toward athletic ties". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. October 30, 1962. p. 8.
^ ^a ^b Missildine, Harry (February 26, 1963). "Six western schools create Big Sky athletic conference". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. 12.
^ ^a ^b "Big Sky is ready for league action". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. February 26, 1963. p. 13.
^ Missildine, Harry (February 20, 1963). "The conference should band smoothly". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. 12.
^ "Officials view sports loop". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). February 25, 1963. p. 13.
^ http://bigskyconf.com/news/2013/5/30/GEN_0530133147.aspx?path=general
^ ^a ^b College Rankings | Best Colleges | US News. Colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com.
^ http://bigskyconf.com/index.aspx
^ Burton, Roy (June 4, 2014). "WSU joins friends/foes as Big Sky brings back men's golf". Standard-Examiner. Ogden, UT. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
^ "Big Sky baseball: split loop planned". Spokane Daily Chronicle. May 19, 1970. p. 13.
^ "Vandals list baseball play". Spokane Daily Chronicle. January 28, 1971. p. 22.
^ "Big Sky baseball altered; MSU out, NAU in playoffs". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Associated Press. May 19, 1971. p. 13.
^ "Key games: Big Sky Conference". Spokane Daily Chronicle. April 23, 1973. p. 17.
^ "Idaho off probation, loop titles dwindle". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Associated Press. May 15, 1974. p. 13.
^ "Baseball axed in Big Sky". Lewiston Morning Tribune. May 29, 1974. p. 15.
^ "Vandals Arizona-bound". Spokesman-Review. May 29, 1969. p. 13.
^ "Baseball champions". Big Sky Conference. Retrieved August 9, 2012.
^ "Gonzaga blasts ISU for conference title". Lewiston Morning Tribune. May 22, 1974. p. 15.
^ "Idaho (State) drops baseball". Ellensburg Daily Record. June 5, 1974. p. 9.
^ "Idaho, Gonzaga join new baseball circuit". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Associated Press. June 24, 1974. p. 16.
^ Goodwin, Dale (May 13, 1980). "Baseball's 'out' at Idaho". Spokesman-Review. p. 19.
^ "UND to reduce number of sports after 2015-16 season". University of North Dakota. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
^ "Alerus Center". University of North Dakota. Retrieved December 10, 2014.
^ "BettyEngelstadSiouxCenter". University of North Dakota. Retrieved December 10, 2014.
^ "RalphEngelstadArena". University of North Dakota. Retrieved December 10, 2014.
^ "Gameday at Northern Colorado". University of Northern Colorado. Retrieved April 4, 2015. Stadium Capacity: 8,533
^ "The Nest-Basketball, Volleyball, Gymnastics". Sacramento State Athletics. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
^ "League Announces Future Conference Football Schedules". Big Sky Conference. Retrieved May 9, 2016.
^ "Friel named Big Sky loop commissioner". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Associated Press. June 8, 1963. p. 2.
^ "Frosh can play Sky frosh grid sport: but not Idaho". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Associated Press. November 25, 1970. p. 12.
^ Payne, Bob (May 19, 1971). "New Big Sky commissioner Roning sees fine future". Spokesman-Review. p. 10.
^ Newnham, Blaine (January 6, 1977). "A chance in the Sky". Eugene Register-Guard. p. 1C.
^ "New Big Sky boss balks at expansion". Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. May 21, 1981. p. 26.
^ "Changing Big Sky prepares for final fling". Moscow-Pullman Daily News. Associated Press. September 1, 1995. p. 1B.
^ "Big Sky announces new commissioner". Big Sky Conference. Retrieved April 29, 2016.
^ bigskyconf.com - football - 1963-2007 - accessed 2012-04-01
^ MSU Bobcats.com - 2009 media guide - Big Sky conference standings - p.93

External links

Official website

[8] Idaho had been a charter member of the Big Sky in 1963, but left the conference in 1996.

[9] The Montana women's basketball team is known as the Lady Griz, but all other women's teams are known as Grizzlies.

[25] Idaho plays football in the Sun Belt Conference through the 2017 football season and then will return to the Big Sky Conference.

[26] Affiliates Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and UC Davis.

[27] Affiliates Binghamton and Hartford.

[bigsky62-1] "Six intermountain colleges move toward athletic ties". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. October 30, 1962. p. 8.

[srsixwst-2] Missildine, Harry (February 26, 1963). "Six western schools create Big Sky athletic conference". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. 12.

[bsrdflc-3] "Big Sky is ready for league action". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. February 26, 1963. p. 13.

[tconsbndsm-4] Missildine, Harry (February 20, 1963). "The conference should band smoothly". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. 12.

[ovsplop-5] "Officials view sports loop". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). February 25, 1963. p. 13.

[6] ttp://bigskyconf.com/news/2013/5/30/GEN_0530133147.aspx?path=general

[rankingsandreviews1-7] College Rankings | Best Colleges | US News. Colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com.

[10] ttp://bigskyconf.com/index.aspx

[Big_Sky_men's_golf-11] Burton, Roy (June 4, 2014). "WSU joins friends/foes as Big Sky brings back men's golf". Standard-Examiner. Ogden, UT. Retrieved June 13, 2014.

[12] "Big Sky baseball: split loop planned". Spokane Daily Chronicle. May 19, 1970. p. 13.

[13] "Vandals list baseball play". Spokane Daily Chronicle. January 28, 1971. p. 22.

[msuout71-14] "Big Sky baseball altered; MSU out, NAU in playoffs". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Associated Press. May 19, 1971. p. 13.

[15] "Key games: Big Sky Conference". Spokane Daily Chronicle. April 23, 1973. p. 17.

[16] "Idaho off probation, loop titles dwindle". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Associated Press. May 15, 1974. p. 13.

[17] "Baseball axed in Big Sky". Lewiston Morning Tribune. May 29, 1974. p. 15.

[18] "Vandals Arizona-bound". Spokesman-Review. May 29, 1969. p. 13.

[19] "Baseball champions". Big Sky Conference. Retrieved August 9, 2012.

[20] "Gonzaga blasts ISU for conference title". Lewiston Morning Tribune. May 22, 1974. p. 15.

[21] "Idaho (State) drops baseball". Ellensburg Daily Record. June 5, 1974. p. 9.

[22] "Idaho, Gonzaga join new baseball circuit". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Associated Press. June 24, 1974. p. 16.

[23] Goodwin, Dale (May 13, 1980). "Baseball's 'out' at Idaho". Spokesman-Review. p. 19.

[24] "UND to reduce number of sports after 2015-16 season". University of North Dakota. Retrieved April 12, 2016.

[28] "Alerus Center". University of North Dakota. Retrieved December 10, 2014.

[29] "BettyEngelstadSiouxCenter". University of North Dakota. Retrieved December 10, 2014.

[30] "RalphEngelstadArena". University of North Dakota. Retrieved December 10, 2014.

[31] "Gameday at Northern Colorado". University of Northern Colorado. Retrieved April 4, 2015. Stadium Capacity: 8,533

[32] "The Nest-Basketball, Volleyball, Gymnastics". Sacramento State Athletics. Retrieved March 3, 2016.

[33] "League Announces Future Conference Football Schedules". Big Sky Conference. Retrieved May 9, 2016.

[frielbscc-34] "Friel named Big Sky loop commissioner". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Associated Press. June 8, 1963. p. 2.

[froshnoui-35] "Frosh can play Sky frosh grid sport: but not Idaho". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Associated Press. November 25, 1970. p. 12.

[roningbscc-36] Payne, Bob (May 19, 1971). "New Big Sky commissioner Roning sees fine future". Spokesman-Review. p. 10.

[chance-37] Newnham, Blaine (January 6, 1977). "A chance in the Sky". Eugene Register-Guard. p. 1C.

[balks-38] "New Big Sky boss balks at expansion". Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. May 21, 1981. p. 26.

[fling-39] "Changing Big Sky prepares for final fling". Moscow-Pullman Daily News. Associated Press. September 1, 1995. p. 1B.

[40] "Big Sky announces new commissioner". Big Sky Conference. Retrieved April 29, 2016.

[41] skyconf.com - football - 1963-2007 - accessed 2012-04-01

[42] MSU Bobcats.com - 2009 media guide - Big Sky conference standings - p.93

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v t e Big Sky Conference
Full members (all sports)	Eastern Washington Eagles Idaho Vandals Idaho State Bengals Montana Grizzlies and Lady Griz Montana State Bobcats Northern Arizona Lumberjacks Northern Colorado Bears Portland State Vikings Sacramento State Hornets Weber State Wildcats
Football-only members	Cal Poly Mustangs UC Davis Aggies
Tournaments	Men's basketball Women's basketball Women's soccer
Former members	Boise State Broncos Cal State Northridge Matadors Gonzaga Bulldogs Nevada Wolf Pack North Dakota Fighting Hawks Southern Utah Thunderbirds

v t e NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision conferences
Current conferences	Big Sky Big South–OVC CAA Ivy MEAC MVFC NEC Patriot Pioneer SoCon Southland SWAC UAC
Previous conferences	American West (defunct 1996) ASUN (alliance with WAC as UAC 2023) Atlantic 10 (alliance with CAA 2007) Big South (alliance with OVC 2023) Great West (non-football 2012; defunct 2013) Gulf Star (defunct 1987) MAAC (non-football 2008) Mid-Continent (now Summit, alliance with MVC 1985 currently as MVFC) OVC (alliance with Big South 2023) WAC (alliance with ASUN as UAC 2023) Yankee (became A10 1997, alliance with CAA 2007)
Independents

50th anniversary

Member schools

Full members

Affiliate members

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Membership timeline

Sports

Baseball

Men's sponsored sports by school

Women's sponsored sports by school

Facilities

Basketball

Current NBA Players

Rivalries - Conference

Rivalries - Non-conference

Rivalries - football

Protected Football rivalries [28]

Conference

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Commissioners

Headquarters

Big Sky championships

Big Sky men's basketball

Basketball championships (by school)

NCAA Tournament

Big Sky women's basketball

Big Sky football titles

Football championships (by school)

All-time school records by wins for current teams

Overall Big Sky Conference champions

Football

Basketball

References

External links

Protected Football rivalries ^[28]