The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) established in 1940, is a college athletics association for colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic scholarships to their student athletes. For the 2023-24 season, it had 241 member institutions, of which two are in British Columbia, one in the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the rest in the continental United States, with over 83,000 student-athletes participating. The NAIA, whose headquarters is in Kansas City, Missouri, sponsors 28 national championships. CBS Sports Network, formerly called CSTV, serves as the national media outlet for the NAIA. In 2014, ESPNU began carrying the NAIA Football National Championship.
The Big West Conference (BWC) is an American collegiate athletic conference whose member institutions participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I. The conference was originally formed on July 1, 1969, as the Pacific Coast Athletic Association (PCAA), and in 1988 was renamed the Big West Conference. The conference stopped sponsoring college football after the 2000 season.
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.
Hesston College is a private college in Hesston, Kansas, United States. It is associated with the Mennonite Church USA and has an enrollment of about 400 students who typically come from about 30 states and 15 other countries.
The Kansas Jayhawks, commonly referred to as simply KU or Kansas, are the athletic teams that represent the University of Kansas. KU is one of three schools in the state of Kansas that participate in NCAA Division I. The Jayhawks are also a member of the Big 12 Conference. KU athletic teams have won twelve NCAA Division I championships: four in men's basketball, one in men's cross country, three in men's indoor track and field, three in men's outdoor track and field, and one in women's outdoor track and field. KU basketball also has two Helms Foundation National Titles.
The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), founded in 1938, is the governing association of community college, state college and junior college athletics throughout the United States. Currently the NJCAA holds 24 separate regions across 24 states and is divided into 3 divisions.
The Eastern Illinois Panthers are the intercollegiate athletic programs of Eastern Illinois University (EIU) located in Charleston, Illinois, United States. The Panthers athletic program is a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) and competes at the NCAA Division I level in the Football Championship Subdivision. EIU's colors are blue and gray. Selected as the team mascot in 1930, EIU's panther was informally known as "Billy" for many years and was officially named "Billy the Panther" in 2008. Panther teams have won five NCAA national championships in three sports. The Panthers also won the 1969 NAIA men's soccer title.
The Border War is rivalry between the athletic programs of the University of Kansas and the University of Missouri. It has been officially named the Border Showdown since 2004, and promoted as the Hy-Vee Hoops Border Showdown for basketball games since 2021. The Kansas Jayhawks and the Missouri Tigers began playing each other in 1891. From 1907 to 2012 both schools were in the same athletic conference and competed annually in all sports. Sports Illustrated described the rivalry as the oldest rivalry west of the Mississippi River in 2011, but went dormant after Missouri departed the Big 12 Conference for the Southeastern Conference on July 1, 2012. Despite Missouri wanting to continue athletic competition, no further regular season games were scheduled between the two schools for several years. However, the two schools played an exhibition game in men's basketball on October 22, 2017, with Kansas defeating Missouri 93–87. Proceeds went to four different charities for Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Maria relief funds. On October 21, 2019, the schools agreed to play six basketball games beginning in 2020, however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the renewal was postponed one season. Then, on May 2, the schools made an agreement for football games to be played in 2025, 2026, 2031, and 2032. On December 11, 2021, the rivalry was renewed in Allen Fieldhouse, when the Jayhawks beat the Tigers 102-65.
Fort Scott Community College is a public community college in Fort Scott, Kansas. It has satellite buildings in other cities in Crawford County, including Pittsburg and Frontenac, along with sites in Paola and at the Hillsdale Learning Center.
The Merrimack Warriors are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Merrimack College, located in North Andover, Massachusetts, in NCAA sporting competitions. All of the Warrior athletic teams compete at the Division I level. Men's and women's ice hockey compete in the Hockey East conference, and men's lacrosse competes in the America East Conference, while the remaining teams are members of the Northeast Conference.
The Garden City Broncbusters are the sports teams of Garden City Community College located in Garden City, Kansas, United States. They participate in the NJCAA, primarily competing in the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference.
The Cowley College Tigers are the sports teams of Cowley College located in Arkansas City, Kansas, United States. They participate in the National Junior College Athletic Association and in the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference. The Cowley Tigers baseball team won two consecutive NJCAA World Series Championships in 1997 and 1998. The Cowley College volleyball team won the NJCAA DII National Championship in 2011 and 2013.
The Fort Scott Greyhounds are the sports teams of Fort Scott Community College located in Fort Scott, Kansas, United States. They participate in the National Junior College Athletic Association and in the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference. The Greyhounds football team won the 1970 NJCAA Football championship and finished as national runner up in 1971, 1972 and 2009.
The Highland Community College Scotties are the sports teams of Highland Community College located in Highland, Kansas, United States. They participate in the National Junior College Athletic Association and in the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference.
The Independence Community College Pirates are the sports teams of Independence Community College located in Independence, Kansas, United States. They participate in the NJCAA and in the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference. The men's football team was featured on the third and fourth seasons of the television documentary "Last Chance U."
The Barton Cougars are the sports teams of Barton Community College located in Great Bend, Kansas, United States. They participate in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) and in the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference.
The Butler Grizzlies are the sports teams of Butler Community College located in El Dorado, Kansas, United States. They participate in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) and in the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference.
The Dodge City Conquistadors are the sports teams of Dodge City Community College located in Dodge City, Kansas, United States. They participate in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) and in the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference.
The Hutchinson Blue Dragons are the sports teams of Hutchinson Community College located in Hutchinson, Kansas, United States. They participate in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) and in the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference.
