Great Plains Athletic Conference (1972–1976)
| Great Plains Athletic Conference | |
|---|---|
| GPAC | |
 | |
| Established | 1972 |
| Dissolved | 1976 |
| Association | NAIA |
| Region | Mountain States |
The Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) was a collegiate athletic conference which operated in the western United States. It was aligned with the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC). The two allied conferences worked under the name of the Mountain and Plains Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MPIAA).[1] It was announced on May 15, 1972. The founding schools were Fort Hays State College (now Fort Hays State University); Kansas State College of Emporia (now Emporia State University); Kansas State College of Pittsburg (now Pittsburg State University); Southern Colorado State College (now Colorado State University–Pueblo); the University of Nebraska at Omaha, the University of Northern Colorado and Washburn University.[2] The conference only lasted four years, as Nebraska–Omaha and Northern Colorado left for the North Central Conference (NCC), Southern Colorado went back to the RMAC, and the rest of the schools started the Central States Intercollegiate Conference (CSIC), which merged into the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) effective in the 1989–90 school year.
Member schools[]
Final members[]
| Institution | Nickname | Location | Founded | Type | Joined | Left | Next conference(s) |
Current conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado State University–Pueblo[a] | ThunderWolves | Pueblo, Colorado | 1933 | Public | 1972–73 | 1975–76 | RMAC | |
| Emporia State University[b] | Hornets | Emporia, Kansas | 1863 | CSIC | MIAA | |||
| Fort Hays State University[c] | Tigers | Hays, Kansas | 1902 | |||||
| Pittsburg State University[d] | Gorillas | Pittsburg, Kansas | 1903 | |||||
| Washburn University | Ichabods | Topeka, Kansas | 1865 | |||||
| University of Nebraska at Omaha | Mavericks | Omaha, Nebraska | 1908 | NCC | Summit (NCAA D-I) | |||
| University of Northern Colorado | Bears | Greeley, Colorado | 1889 | Big Sky (NCAA D-I) | ||||
- Notes
- ^ Formerly known as Southern Colorado State College until 1975, then later known as the University of Southern Colorado until 2003.
- ^ Formerly known as Kansas State College of Emporia until 1977.
- ^ Formerly known as Fort Hays State College until 1977.
- ^ Formertly known as Kansas State College of Pittsburg until 1977.
Membership timeline[]
Football champions[]
- 1972 – Emporia State
- 1973 – Emporia State and Northern Colorado
- 1974 – Northern Colorado
- 1975 – Northern Colorado
References[]
- ^ http://www.gothunderwolves.com/recruits/SCSC[dead link]
- ^ "RMAC To Convert To Allied Conferences". Denver, Colorado: The Fort Scott Tribune. 16 May 1972. Retrieved 21 November 2013.
- Great Plains Athletic Conference (1972–1976)