Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference

Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference
Established	1909
Association	NCAA
Division	Division II
Members	15
Sports fielded	22 men's: 11 women's: 11
Region	Mountain States and Great Plains
Former names	Colorado Faculty Athletic Conference (1909–1910) Rocky Mountain Faculty Athletic Conference (1910–1967)
Headquarters	Colorado Springs, Colorado
Commissioner	Chris Graham (since 2013)
Website	rmacsports.org
Locations

The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC), commonly known as the Rocky Mountain Conference (RMC) from approximately 1910 through the late 1960s, is a collegiate athletic conference which operates in the western United States, mostly in Colorado with members in Nebraska, New Mexico, South Dakota, and Utah. It participates in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)'s Division II.

History[]

Founded in 1909, the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference is the fifth oldest active college athletic conference in the United States, the oldest in NCAA Division II, and the sixth to be founded after the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association, the Big Ten Conference, the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association, the Ohio Athletic Conference, and the Missouri Valley Conference. For its first 30 years, the RMAC was considered a major conference, equivalent to today's NCAA Division I, before seven of its larger members left in 1938 to form the Mountain States Conference, also called the Skyline Conference.

The original name of Colorado Faculty Athletic Conference was changed to Rocky Mountain Faculty Athletic Conference (RMFAC) on May 7, 1910. The presidents assumed control of the league from the faculty in 1967 and changed the name to Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. The Colorado Athletic Conference dissolved in 1996 with the RMAC absorbing the remaining CAC teams. The RMAC became an NCAA member in 1992 after competing in the NAIA through 1991. ^[1][2]

Chronological timeline[]

• 1909: On 6 March 1909, the Colorado Faculty Athletic Conference was formed. The four charter members were: the University of Colorado, Colorado State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts (Colorado A&M) (now Colorado State University), Colorado College and the Colorado School of Mines.
• 1910: After its debut season, the league changed its name to the Rocky Mountain Faculty Athletic Conference (RMFAC). The University of Denver and the University of Utah joined the league, but Colorado College dropped out after a falling out with Colorado Mines. Membership was at five schools.
• 1914: Colorado College re-joined the RMFAC. Utah State University also joins the league to bring membership up to seven.
• 1917: Montana State University joined the RMFAC as the eight member.
• 1918: Brigham Young University (BYU) joined the RMFAC as the ninth member.
• 1921: The University of Wyoming joined the RMFAC to bring membership upto ten.
• 1924: Western State College (now Western Colorado University) and the University of Northern Colorado joined the RMFAC, giving membership up to 12 members.
• 1937: Colorado, Colorado State, Brigham Young, Utah, Utah State, Wyoming and Denver left the conference to form the Skyline Conference. The five remaining members of the RMFAC were Colorado College, Colorado Mines, Montana State, Northern Colorado and Western State.
• 1948: Idaho State University joined the RMFAC as the sixth member.
• 1956: Adams State College (now Adams State University) joined the RMFAC as the seventh member.
• 1958: Idaho State left the RMFAC, membership was brought back down to six.
• 1959: Montana State left the RMFAC, membership was brought back down to five.
• 1967: The RFMAC changed its name to the current Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC). Eleven schools joined the conference in 1967. They were: Emporia State University, Fort Hays State University, Fort Lewis College, the University of Nebraska at Omaha (now athletically branded as Omaha), Pittsburg State University, the University of Southern Colorado (now Colorado State University Pueblo), Southern Utah State University (now Southern Utah University), Regis College (now Regis University), Washburn University, Western New Mexico University and Westminster College of Utah. Colorado College was not included in this new league. The new league divided into two divisions: Mountains and Plains.
• 1968: New Mexico Highlands University joined the RMAC.
• 1969: New Mexico Highlands left 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 re-joined the RMAC as the ninth member.
• 1975: Mesa State College (now Colorado Mesa University), became the 10th member of the RMAC.
• 1976: The MPIAA was dissolved for economic reasons and the two conferences went their separate ways. CSU–Pueblo switched conferences and joined the RMAC as its 11th member.
• 1978: The RMAC began sponsoring women's championships.
• 1979: Westminster dropped athletics and as a result left the RMAC, leaving the league with 10 members.
• 1983: Regis left the RMAC to become an independent, leaving the league with nine teams.
• 1986: Southern Utah left the RMAC, dropping membership to eight.
• 1988: New Mexico Highlands withdrew from the conference to shrink the membership to seven schools.
• 1989: Chadron State College, Kearney State College (now the University of Nebraska at Kearney) and Wayne State College announced intentions to join; Fort Hays State would also re-join the RMAC.
• 1990: Wayne State and Nebraska–Kearney withdrew their interest in joining the RMAC after staying for one season. Western New Mexico and CSU–Pueblo also announced that they were leaving the RMAC. Fort Lewis announced its intention to leave, however it stayed on as an associate member of the conference. New Mexico Highlands re-joined the RMAC again.
• 1992: The RMAC became 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 of Denver joined the RMAC. Regis and CSU–Pueblo re-joined the league. All four are full members. Also, the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs (now athletically branded as UCCS) and the University of Denver joined the RMAC as affiliate and associate members, respectively. The RMAC, at that time comprising fourteen schools, were split into two seven-team divisions.
• 1997: Denver left to move up to Division I. Colorado-Colorado Springs became a full member. San Francisco State University joined the RMAC as an associate member in wrestling only.
• 2006: Fort Hays State left the RMAC for the MIAA, although it did remain in the RMAC as an associate member in wrestling. Western New Mexico re-joined the conference, keeping membership at 14 schools.
• 2007: Grand Canyon University joined the RMAC as an associate member only in wrestling. Montana State University Billings joined the RMAC as an associate member for women's golf and men's and women's tennis.
• 2008: The University of Texas–Permian Basin and the University of the Incarnate Word joined the RMAC as associate members for swimming only. Grand Canyon added men's and women's swimming to its RMAC membership.
• 2009: Northern State University and Minnesota State University Moorhead joined the RMAC as associate members in swimming.
• 2012: Nebraska–Kearney left the RMAC to join the MIAA. Black Hills State University moved from the NAIA to NCAA Division II and joined the RMAC to keep the number of full members at 14. Fort Hays State wrestling left once the MIAA began sponsoring that sport. Minnesota State–Moorhead and Northern State women's swimming left when their full-time home of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference began sponsoring the sport.
• 2013: California Baptist University became an RMAC associate in three sports: men's and women's swimming, plus wrestling. Two schools joined for women's lacrosse only: Lindenwood University and Rockhurst University. Grand Canyon and Incarnate Word ended their RMAC associate memberships and started transitions to NCAA Division I; Grand Canyon moved to the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) and Incarnate Word joined the Southland Conference, with the latter's swimming teams joining the league now known as the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association. UT–Permian Basin moved its swimming teams to the single-sport New South Intercollegiate Swim Conference.
• 2014: South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (SDSM&T or South Dakota Mines) joined the RMAC.^[3]
• 2015: Westminster (Utah) re-joined the RMAC.^[4][5] Rockhurst added men's lacrosse to its RMAC membership. Oklahoma Baptist University joined in women's lacrosse, plus men's and women's swimming.
• 2016: Western New Mexico left for the Lone Star Conference, dropping the RMAC's full-time membership to 15. Two schools joined as associate members: Dixie State University in football, and Maryville University in men's lacrosse.
• 2017: Maryville men's lacrosse left the RMAC when its primary home of the Great Lakes Valley Conference began sponsoring the sport. Oklahoma Christian University became an associate in men's and women's swimming.
• 2018: Dixie State became an all-sports RMAC member. California Baptist ended its RMAC associate memberships to move to Division I; both swimming teams joined CBU's new home of the WAC, while wrestling became an independent (that sport would later be accepted by the Big 12 Conference effective in 2022). After Rockhurst's affiliation contract with the RMAC in men's lacrosse expired, that team joined the school's other sports in the GLVC; women's lacrosse remained in the RMAC, as the GLVC then sponsored lacrosse only for men. The RMAC dropped men's tennis as a conference sport.
• 2019: Dixie State announced it would leave the RMAC to join Division I and the WAC in 2020. Lindenwood and Rockhurst women's lacrosse left the RMAC once the GLVC began sponsoring that sport. The RMAC dropped women's tennis as a conference sport.

Member schools[]

Current members[]

Institution	Location	Founded	Joined	Type	Enrollment	Nickname	Colors
Adams State University	Alamosa, Colorado	1921	1956	Public	3,701	Grizzlies
Black Hills State University	Spearfish, South Dakota	1883	2012	Public	4,722	Yellow Jackets
Chadron State College	Chadron, Nebraska	1911	1989	Public	3,000	Eagles
Colorado Christian University	Lakewood, Colorado	1914	1996	Private (Christian)	5,100	Cougars
Colorado Mesa University	Grand Junction, Colorado	1925	1975	Public	11,000	Mavericks
Colorado School of Mines	Golden, Colorado	1873	1909	Public	5,468	Orediggers
Colorado State University Pueblo	Pueblo, Colorado	1933	1967; 1976; 1996[a]	Public	6,805	ThunderWolves
University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS)	Colorado Springs, Colorado	1965	1997[b]	Public	10,300	Mountain Lions
Fort Lewis College	Durango, Colorado	1911	1967; 1994[c]	Public	4,000	Skyhawks
Metropolitan State University of Denver	Denver, Colorado	1965	1996	Public	24,000	Roadrunners
New Mexico Highlands University	Las Vegas, New Mexico	1893	1968; 1974; 1990[d]	Public	3,500	Cowboys & Cowgirls
Regis University	Denver, Colorado	1877	1967; 1996[e]	Private (Catholic)	9,722	Rangers
South Dakota School of Mines and Technology	Rapid City, South Dakota	1885	2014	Public	2,640	Hardrockers
Western Colorado University	Gunnison, Colorado	1901	1924	Public	2,400	Mountaineers
Westminster College	Salt Lake City, Utah	1875	1967; 2015[f]	Private (Nonsectarian)	3,108	Griffins

Notes

Affiliate members[]

Institution	Location	Founded	Joined	Type	Enrollment	Nickname	Colors	RMAC sport	Primary conference
University of Nebraska at Kearney[a]	Kearney, Nebraska	1905	2014–15	Public	7,052	Lopers		swimming & diving (W)	MIAA
Oklahoma Baptist University	Shawnee, Oklahoma	1910	2016–17m.sw. 2016–17w.sw.	Private (BGCO)	2,097	Bison		swimming & diving (M); swimming & diving (W)	Great American
Oklahoma Christian University	Oklahoma City, Oklahoma	1950	2017–18m.sw. 2017–18w.sw.	Private (Churches of Christ)	2,479	Eagles & Lady Eagles		swimming & diving (M); swimming & diving (W)	Lone Star
San Francisco State University	San Francisco, California	1899	1997–98	Public	28,290	Gators		wrestling	CCAA

Notes

Former members[]

Institution	Location	Founded	Joined	Left	Type	Nickname	Current conference
Brigham Young University	Provo, Utah	1875	1918	1938	Private	Cougars	West Coast (NCAA D-I) (Big 12 in 2023)
University of Colorado Boulder	Boulder, Colorado	1876	1909	1938	Public	Buffaloes	Pac-12 (NCAA D-I)
Colorado College	Colorado Springs, Colorado	1874	1909; 1914	1910; 1967[a]	Private	Tigers	SCAC (NCAA D-III)
Colorado State University	Fort Collins, Colorado	1870	1909	1938	Public	Rams	Mountain West (NCAA D-I)
University of Denver[b]	Denver, Colorado	1864	1910	1938	Private	Pioneers	Summit (NCAA D-I)
Dixie State University[c]	St. George, Utah	1911	2018	2020	Public	Trailblazers	WAC (NCAA D-1)
Emporia State University	Emporia, Kansas	1863	1967	1972	Public	Hornets	MIAA
Fort Hays State University[d]	Hays, Kansas	1902	1967; 1989	1972; 2006[e]	Public	Tigers	MIAA
Idaho State University	Pocatello, Idaho	1901	1948	1958	Public	Bengals	Big Sky (NCAA D-I)
Montana State University	Bozeman, Montana	1893	1917	1959	Public	Bobcats	Big Sky (NCAA D-I)
University of Nebraska Omaha	Omaha, Nebraska	1908	1967	1972	Public	Mavericks	Summit (NCAA D-I)
University of Nebraska at Kearney[f]	Kearney, Nebraska	1905	1989; 1994	1990; 2012[g]	Public	Lopers	MIAA
University of Northern Colorado	Greeley, Colorado	1889	1924	1972	Public	Bears	Big Sky (NCAA D-I)
Pittsburg State University	Pittsburg, Kansas	1903	1967	1972	Public	Gorillas	MIAA
Southern Utah University	Cedar City, Utah	1897	1967	1986	Public	Thunderbirds	Big Sky (NCAA D-I) (WAC in 2022)
University of Utah	Salt Lake City, Utah	1850	1910	1938	Public	Utes	Pac-12 (NCAA D-I)
Utah State University	Logan, Utah	1888	1914	1938	Public	Aggies	Mountain West (NCAA D-I)
Washburn University	Topeka, Kansas	1865	1967	1972	Public	Ichabods	MIAA
Wayne State College	Wayne, Nebraska	1910	1989	1990	Public	Wildcats	NSIC
Western New Mexico University	Silver City, New Mexico	1893	1967; 2006	1990; 2016[h]	Public	Mustangs	Lone Star
University of Wyoming	Laramie, Wyoming	1886	1921	1938	Public	Cowboys	Mountain West (NCAA D-I)

Notes

Former affiliate members[]

Institution	Location	Founded	Joined	Left	Type	Nickname	RMAC sport(s)	Primary conference
California Baptist University	Riverside, California	1950	2013–14	2017–18	Private	Lancers	swimming & diving (M) swimming & diving (W) wrestling	WAC (NCAA D-I)
Grand Canyon University	Phoenix, Arizona	1949	2007–08wr. 2008–09m.sw. 2008–09w.sw.	2012–13wr. 2012–13m.sw. 2012–13w.sw.	Private	Antelopes	wrestling swimming & diving (M) swimming & diving (W)	WAC (NCAA D-I)
University of the Incarnate Word	San Antonio, Texas	1881	2008–09m.sw.	2012–13m.sw.	Private	Cardinals	swimming & diving (M) swimming & diving (W)	Southland (NCAA D-I)
Lindenwood University	St. Charles, Missouri	1827	2013–14w.lax. 2014–15m.sw. 2014–15w.sw.	2018–19w.lax. 2015–16m.sw. 2015–16w.sw.	Private	Lions	lacrosse (W) swimming & diving (M) swimming & diving (W)	GLVC
Maryville University	St. Louis, Missouri	1872	2016–17	2016–17	Private	Saints	lacrosse (M)	GLVC
Minnesota State University Moorhead	Moorhead, Minnesota	1887	2009–10	2011–12	Public	Dragons	swimming & diving (W)	NSIC
Montana State University Billings	Billings, Montana	1927	2007–08m.ten. 2007–08w.ten.	2014–15m.ten. 2014–15w.ten.	Public	Yellowjackets	tennis (M) tennis (W)	GNAC
Northern State University	Aberdeen, South Dakota	1901	2009–10	2011–12	Public	Wolves	swimming & diving (W)	NSIC
Oklahoma Baptist University	Shawnee, Oklahoma	1910	2016–17	2019–20	Private	Bison	lacrosse (W)	Great American
Rockhurst University	Kansas City, Missouri	1910	2013–14w.lax. 2015–16m.lax.	2018–19w.lax. 2017–18m.lax.	Private	Hawks	lacrosse (W) lacrosse (M)	GLVC
University of Texas of the Permian Basin	Odessa, Texas	1973	2008–09m.sw. 2008–09w.sw.	2012–13m.sw. 2012–13w.sw.	Public	Falcons	swimming & diving (M) swimming & diving (W)	Lone Star

Membership timeline[]

A total of 49 different schools have been associated with the RMAC, either through full or associate membership. Of those schools, only Colorado Mines has been with the conference every year since it was founded in 1909.

 Full member (all sports)   Full member (non-football)   Associate member (football-only)   Associate member (sport) 

Sponsored sports[]

Conference sports

Sport	Men's	Women's
Baseball	Y
Basketball	Y	Y
Cross Country	Y	Y
Football	Y
Golf	Y	Y
Lacrosse	Y	Y
Soccer	Y	Y
Softball		Y
Swimming & Diving	Y	Y
Tennis		Y
Track & Field Indoor	Y	Y
Track & Field Outdoor	Y	Y
Volleyball		Y
Wrestling	Y

Men's sponsored sports by school[]

School	Baseball	Basketball	Cross Country	Football	Golf	Lacrosse	Soccer	Swimming & Diving	Track & Field Indoor	Track & Field Outdoor	Wrestling	Total RMAC Sports
Adams State	Y	Y	Y	Y		Y	Y		Y	Y	Y	9
Black Hills State		Y	Y	Y					Y	Y		5
Chadron State		Y	Y	Y					Y	Y	Y	6
Colorado Christian	Y	Y	Y		Y		Y			Y		6
Colorado Mesa	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	11
Colorado Mines	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y		Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	10
CSU Pueblo	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y		Y	Y	Y	10
Fort Lewis		Y	Y	Y	Y		Y					5
Metropolitan State	Y	Y	Y				Y		Y	Y		7
New Mexico Highlands	Y	Y	Y	Y							Y	5
Regis	Y	Y	Y		Y		Y					5
South Dakota Mines		Y	Y	Y	Y		Y		Y	Y		7
UCCS	Y	Y	Y		Y		Y		Y	Y		7
Western Colorado		Y	Y	Y					Y	Y	Y	6
Westminster		Y	Y		Y	Y	Y		Y	Y		7
Totals	9	15	15	10	9	4	11	2	11	12	7	105
Affiliate Members
Oklahoma Baptist								Y				1
Oklahoma Christian								Y				1
San Francisco State											Y	1

Women's sponsored sports by school[]

School	Basketball	Cross Country	Golf	Lacrosse	Soccer	Softball	Swimming & Diving	Tennis	Track & Field Indoor	Track & Field Outdoor	Volleyball	Total RMAC Sports
Adams State	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y		Y	Y	Y	10
Black Hills State	Y	Y	Y		Y	Y			Y	Y	Y	8
Chadron State	Y	Y	Y			Y			Y	Y	Y	7
Colorado Christian	Y	Y	Y		Y	Y		Y		Y	Y	8
Colorado Mesa	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	11
Colorado Mines	Y	Y			Y	Y	Y		Y	Y	Y	8
CSU Pueblo	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	11
Fort Lewis	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y			Y	Y	Y	9
Metropolitan State	Y	Y	Y		Y	Y		Y	Y	Y	Y	9
New Mexico Highlands	Y	Y			Y	Y			Y	Y	Y	7
Regis	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y					Y	7
South Dakota Mines	Y	Y	Y						Y	Y	Y	6
UCCS	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y			Y	Y	Y	9
Western Colorado	Y	Y			Y		Y		Y	Y	Y	7
Westminster	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y				Y	Y	Y	8
Totals	15	15	12	7	13	12	5	4	13	14	15	125
Affiliate Members
Nebraska–Kearney							Y					1
Oklahoma Baptist				Y			Y					2
Oklahoma Christian							Y					1

Other sponsored sports by school[]

School		Men		Women		Co-ed
		Tennis		Beach Volleyball ‡		Skiing ‡
Colorado Mesa		IND		IND
CSU Pueblo		IND
Metro State		IND
Westminster						RMISA

• ^‡ — D-I sport

Football champions[]

Basketball champions[]

References[]

External links[]

• Official website