This is a list of defunct National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) men's college basketball conferences in the United States . The NCAA is divided into three divisions, based on school size and enrollment. Each division is made up of several conferences for regional league play. Over time, these conferences will disband due to lack of teams, joining of their teams to other conferences, lack of budget, merging to another conference, stopped sponsoring basketball or simply a command from the NCAA.
College basketball was started in 1895 with its first ever game between Hamline and Minnesota. [1] It was later developed in 1896 with its first game in a five player format with Chicago against Iowa. [1] Almost all schools are independent at that time until since the formation of the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States (now NCAA) in 1906. [2] But even before the development, conferences began to form, such as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives (now Big Ten Conference) in 1896 which is the oldest active conference in the NCAA, [3] and the Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League formed in 1901, which was folded into the Ivy League in 1955. [4]
As of July 2019, there are 30 defunct conferences in total: 20 conferences in Division I, six in Division II and four in Division III. The defunct conference that was active for the shortest period is the Northern California Conference, formed in 1937 and ended in 1939; [5] the longest-lived defunct conference is the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC), which has a span of 89 years (1924 to 2013). [6] The most recent conference to dissolve is the Division II Heartland Conference, which disbanded at the end of the 2018–19 school year, with seven of its nine members joining the Lone Star Conference and the other two moving to the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association.
Conference | Founded | Dissolved | Members | Map | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
American South Conference | 1987 | 1991 | 7 | ![]() | [7] |
American West Conference | 1993 | 1996 | 4 [DIV I 1] | ![]() | [8] |
Big Eight Conference | 1907 [DIV I 2] | 1996 | 8 | | [9] |
Border Intercollegiate Athletic Association | 1931 | 1962 | 6 | ![]() | [10] |
East Coast Conference | 1958 [DIV I 3] | 1994 | 6 | ![]() | [11] |
Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League | 1901 | 1955 | 8 | ![]() | [4] [12] |
Eastern Intercollegiate Conference | 1932 | 1939 | 6 | | [13] |
Great Midwest Conference | 1991 | 1995 | 7 | ![]() | [14] |
Great West Conference | 2004 [DIV I 4] | 2013 | 5 | ![]() | [15] |
Gulf Star Conference | 1984 | 1987 | 6 | ![]() | [16] |
Middle Atlantic States Conference North | 1946 | 1949 | 6 | | [17] |
Metropolitan Collegiate Conference | 1965 | 1969 | 10 | ![]() | [18] |
Metro Conference | 1975 | 1995 | 7 | ![]() | [19] |
Metropolitan New York Conference | 1933 [DIV I 5] | 1963 | 11 | ![]() | [20] |
Middle Three Conference | 1943 | 1952 | 3 | | [21] |
New Jersey-New York 7 Conference | 1976 | 1979 | 7 | ![]() | [22] |
Northern California Conference | 1937 | 1939 | 5 | | [5] |
Pacific Coast Conference | 1915 | 1959 | 9 | | [23] |
Southwest Conference | 1914 | 1996 | 8 | | [24] |
Western New York Little Three Conference | 1946 | 1958 | 3 | ![]() | [25] |
Conference | Founded | Dissolved | Members | Map | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Heartland Conference | 1999 | 2019 | 9 | ![]() | [26] [27] [28] |
Indiana Collegiate Conference | 1951 | 1979 | 8 | | [29] |
Indiana Intercollegiate Conference | 1922 | 1950 | 7 | | [30] |
Mason-Dixon Conference | 1940 | 1974 | 10* | ![]() | [31] |
North Central Conference | 1922 | 2008 | 8 | | [32] |
West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | 1924 | 2013 | 15 | ![]() | [33] [6] |
Conference | Founded | Dissolved | Members | Map | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lake Michigan Conference | 1974 | 2006 | 8 | ![]() | [34] |
Northern Illinois-Iowa Conference | 1969 | 2006 | 6 | ![]() | [34] |
Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association | 1976 | 1996 | 9 | ![]() | [35] |
Wisconsin State University Conference | 1913 | 1997 | 8 | | [36] |
The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level, headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri. Its fourteen member institutions, of which all but one are public schools, are located in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Oklahoma. The MIAA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization incorporated in Missouri.
The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. The conference was originally formed in 1951 as the State Teachers Conference, and was temporarily named the Pennsylvania State Teachers College Conference in 1956 before being assuming its current name in 1964.
The West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) was a collegiate athletic conference which historically operated exclusively in the state of West Virginia, but briefly had one Kentucky member in its early years, and expanded into Pennsylvania in its final years. It participated in the Division II ranks of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), originally affiliated in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) until 1995, but held its final athletic competitions in spring 2013, and officially disbanded on September 1 of that year. Its football-playing members announced in June 2012 that they planned to withdraw to form a new Division II conference at the end of the 2012–13 season; this led to a chain of conference moves that saw all but one of the WVIAC's members find new conference homes.
The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) is an intercollegiate athletic conference that competes in the NCAA's Division III. There are nine teams in the conference, all located in the states of Michigan and Indiana. The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association was established on March 24, 1888, making it the oldest college athletic conference in the United States. The current members of the MIAA include Adrian College, Albion College, Alma College, Calvin University, Hope College, Kalamazoo College, University of Olivet, Saint Mary's College of Notre Dame, Indiana, and Trine University, formerly known as Tri-State University. Olivet, Alma and Albion are the only charter members remaining in the conference. Former members include such colleges as Michigan State University, previously Michigan Agricultural College, (1888–1907), Eastern Michigan University, previously Michigan State Normal College, (1892–1926), Hillsdale College (1888–1961), and Defiance College (1997–2000).
The Heartland Conference was a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)'s Division II level, which was founded in 1999. The majority of members were in Texas, with additional members in Arkansas, Kansas, and Oklahoma. The conference office was located in Waco, Texas.
Salem University is a private for-profit university in Salem, West Virginia. It has about 250 students on campus and about 600 online students that are enrolled in undergraduate as well as graduate programs. The university was founded by the Seventh Day Baptist Church in 1888.
NCAA Division II (D-II) is an intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environment offered in Division III.
The Rogers State Hillcats are the athletic teams that represent Rogers State University in Claremore, Oklahoma, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the NCAA Division II ranks, primarily competing in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) for most of its sports as an associate member since the 2019–20 academic year ; while its men's soccer team competes in the Great American Conference (GAC). The Hillcats previously competed in the D-II Heartland Conference from 2013–14 to 2018–19; and in the Sooner Athletic Conference (SAC) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 2007–08 to 2012–13.
The Morehead State Eagles are the athletic teams that represent Morehead State University (MSU), located in Morehead, Kentucky, United States, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the NCAA Division I ranks, primarily competing in the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) since the 1948–49 academic year; while its football team competes in the Pioneer Football League (PFL). The Eagles previously competed in the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 1933–34 to 1947–48; and in the defunct West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) from 1929–30 to 1932–33.
The Central Oklahoma Bronchos, are the intercollegiate athletic teams representing University of Central Oklahoma, located in Edmond, Oklahoma. The five men's and nine women's varsity teams are called the "Bronchos". The school's identification as Bronchos dates back to 1922, when the wife of football coach Charles W. Wantland suggested it for the school's mascot. The official colors of the teams are bronze and blue, which the institution adopted in 1895. The Bronchos compete in the NCAA's Division II and in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association in all sports except women's rowing, which competes in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. The Bronchos have won 22 national championships, with the most recent coming in 2024 as the wrestling program won the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships. The university's current athletic director is Stan Wagnon, who has served in the position since 2020.
The West Virginia State Yellow Jackets are the athletic teams that represent West Virginia State University, located in Institute, West Virginia, in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sports. The Yellow Jackets compete as members of the Mountain East Conference for all ten varsity sports. West Virginia State was a founding member of the conference following the demise of the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in 2013. WVSU's main rivals are the University of Charleston (WV), Central State University (OH), and Kentucky State University.
The Great American Conference (GAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level, with headquarters located in Russellville, Arkansas. Athletic competition began play during the 2011–12 school year. Its twelve all-sports member schools are located in Arkansas and Oklahoma in the South Central United States. The conference also has four men's soccer affiliate members, two in Kansas and two in Oklahoma.
The Northeastern State RiverHawks football program represents Northeastern State University in college football and competes in the NCAA Division II. In 2012, Northeastern State became member of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA), and has remained in the league. NSU's football program will become an independent program, beginning in August 2024. NSU's home games are played at Doc Wadley Stadium in Tahlequah, Oklahoma.
The Mountain East Conference (MEC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level and officially began competition on September 1, 2013. It consists of 11 schools, mostly in West Virginia with other members in Maryland and Pennsylvania.
The Wheeling Cardinals are the athletic teams that represent Wheeling University, located in Wheeling, West Virginia, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the Division II level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), primarily competing in the Mountain East Conference (MEC) as a founding member since the 2013–14 academic year. The Cardinals previously competed in the defunct West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) from 1957–58 to 2012–13.
The Northeastern State RiverHawks are the athletic teams that represent Northeastern State University, located in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the Division II level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), primarily competing in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) for most of its sports since the 2012–13 academic year; while its men's soccer team competes in the Great American Conference (GAC). The RiverHawks previously competed as an NCAA D-II Independent during the 2011–12 school year; in the D-II Lone Star Conference (LSC) from 1997–98 to 2010–11; and in the Oklahoma Intercollegiate Conference (OIC) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 1974–75 to 1996–97.
The 2012 NCAA Division II football season, part of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the Division II level, began on September 1, 2012, and concluded with the NCAA Division II Football Championship on December 15, 2012 at Braly Municipal Stadium in Florence, Alabama, hosted by the University of North Alabama. The Valdosta State Blazers defeated the Winston-Salem State Rams, 35–7, to win their third Division II national title.
The Emporia State Lady Hornets basketball team represents Emporia State University and competes in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) of the NCAA Division II. On April 28, 2023, Brian Ostermann was announced as the eighth head coach.
The 2022 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association season was the season of college football played by the seven member schools of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) as part of the 2022 NCAA Division III football season.
From The Inside: A Half Century of Michigan Athletics.