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Skyline Conference (1938–1962)
Former college athletic conference in the Western United States
Former college athletic conference in the Western United States
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Skyline Conference |
| founded | |
| dissolved | |
| association | NCAA |
| division | University Division |
| teams | |
| region | Western United States |
| formerly | |
| commissioner | |
| map | Mountain States Conference-USA-states.png |
| map_size | 250 |
The Skyline Conference was a college athletic conference based in the Western United States that was active from December 1937 to June 1962. The conference's formal name was the Mountain States Athletic Conference, although it was also known as the Mountain States Conference along with informal but popular nicknames. It is unrelated to the contemporary Skyline Conference that is active in NCAA Division III in the New York City area.
History
The conference began operating on December 3, 1937, when most of the larger schools in the Rocky Mountain Conference left to form a new conference. At the time of formation, the formal name of Mountain States Athletic Conference was adopted, although newspapers were already calling it the Big Seven at that time. The conference became popularly known as the Skyline Conference or Skyline Six after Colorado left in 1947. Colorado joined the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MVIAA), informally known as the Big Six Conference, which took over the Big Seven name and would later become the Big Eight Conference.
The conference became known as the Skyline Eight after New Mexico and Montana joined in 1951. The conference officially dissolved as of July 1, 1962, after four of its members (BYU, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming) departed to form the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). Montana operated as an independent for one football season in 1962 until the formation of the Big Sky Conference in 1963. Colorado State became independent until it joined the WAC in 1968. Utah State operated as an independent for fifteen seasons, until it joined the Pacific Coast Athletic Association (later named the Big West Conference) in 1977.
The conference first had a full-time commissioner in 1949, appointing Dick Romney, who had led the Utah State Aggies football program since 1919. He was succeeded in August 1960 by Paul Brechler, who had been athletic director at the University of Iowa. Brechler served as commissioner until the conference disbanded, and became the first commissioner of the WAC.
Member schools
Final members
| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined | Left | Subsequent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| conference(s) | Current | ||||||||
| conference(s) | |||||||||
| Provo, Utah | 1875 | Private | 34,100 | Cougars | 1937 | 1962 | various | Big 12 | |
| (2023–present) | |||||||||
| Colorado State University | Fort Collins, Colorado | 1870 | Public | 34,166 | Rams | 1937 | 1962 | FBS Independent | |
| (1962–1968) | |||||||||
| Western (WAC) | |||||||||
| (1968–1999) | Mountain West (MW) | ||||||||
| (1999–2026) | |||||||||
| (Pac-12 in 2026) | |||||||||
| Denver, Colorado | 1864 | Private | 11,952 | Pioneers | 1937 | 1962 | various | Summit | |
| (2013–26) | |||||||||
| (WCC in 2026) | |||||||||
| Missoula, Montana | 1893 | Public | 10,104 | Grizzlies | 1951 | 1962 | FBS Independent | ||
| (1962–1963) | Big Sky (BSC) | ||||||||
| (1963–present) | |||||||||
| Albuquerque, New Mexico | 1889 | Public | 25,441 | Lobos | 1951 | 1962 | Western (WAC) | ||
| (1962–1999) | Mountain West (MW) | ||||||||
| (1999–present) | |||||||||
| Salt Lake City, Utah | 1850 | Public | 33,000 | Utes | 1937 | 1962 | various | Big 12 | |
| (2024–present) | |||||||||
| Utah State University | Logan, Utah | 1888 | Public | 27,691 | Aggies | 1937 | 1962 | various | Mountain West (MW) |
| (2013–26) | |||||||||
| (Pac-12 in 2026) | |||||||||
| Laramie, Wyoming | 1886 | Public | 12,450 | Cowboys & | |||||
| Cowgirls | 1937 | 1962 | Western (WAC) | ||||||
| (1962–1999) | Mountain West (MW) | ||||||||
| (1999–present) |
;Notes:
Former members
| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Joined | Left | Nickname | Subsequent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| conference(s) | Current | |||||||
| conference(s) | ||||||||
| Boulder, Colorado | 1876 | Public | 33,246 | 1937 | 1947 | Buffaloes | Big 8 | |
| (1947–1996) | ||||||||
| Pac-12 | ||||||||
| (2011–2024) | Big 12 | |||||||
| (1996–2011, | ||||||||
| 2024–present) |
;Notes:
Membership timeline
DateFormat = yyyy ImageSize = width:900 height:auto barincrement:20 Period = from:1937 till:2030 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal PlotArea = right:5 left:5 bottom:40 top:5
Colors = id:line value:black id:bg value:white id:Full value:rgb(0.7,0.9,0.8) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports id:FullxF value:rgb(0.9,0.8,0.7) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports except for football id:AssocF value:rgb(0.9,0.7,0.8) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member for football only id:AssocOS value:rgb(0.8,0.9,0.7) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member for another sport only id:OtherC1 value:rgb(0.996,0.996,0.699) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved in another conference id:OtherC2 value:rgb(0.988,0.703,0.383) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved in another conference when the other color has already been used id:OtherC3 value:rgb(0.888,0.803,0.483) id:WAC value:rgb(0.999,0.500,0.500) id:Ind value:rgb(0.83,0.83,0.83)
PlotData= width:15 textcolor:black shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:s
bar:1 color:Full from:1937 till:1947 text:Colorado (1937–1947) bar:1 shift:(25) color:OtherC1 from:1947 till:1964 text:Big 7 bar:1 color:OtherC1 from:1964 till:1994 text:Big 8 bar:1 color:OtherC3 from:1994 till:2011 text:Big 12 bar:1 color:OtherC2 from:2011 till:2024 text:Pac-12 bar:1 color:OtherC3 from:2024 till:end text:Big 12
bar:2 color:Full from:1937 till:1962 text:Denver (1937–1962) bar:2 color:Ind from:1962 till:1976 text:Ind. bar:2 color:OtherC1 from:1976 till:1990 text:D-II/NAIA bar:2 color:OtherC2 from:1990 till:1996 text:CAC bar:2 shift:(-5) color:OtherC1 from:1996 till:1998 text:D-II bar:2 shift:(-5) color:OtherC2 from:1998 till:1999 text:D-I bar:2 color:OtherC1 from:1999 till:2012 text:Sun Belt bar:2 color:WAC from:2012 till:2013 text:WAC bar:2 shift:(30) color:OtherC2 from:2013 till:end text:Summit
bar:3 color:Full from:1937 till:1962 text:Utah State (1937–1962) bar:3 color:Ind from:1962 till:1978 text:Ind. bar:3 color:OtherC1 from:1978 till:1988 text:PCAA bar:3 color:OtherC1 from:1988 till:2005 text:Big West bar:3 color:WAC from:2005 till:2013 text:WAC bar:3 color:OtherC1 from:2013 till:2026 text:MW bar:3 color:OtherC2 from:2026 till:end text:Pac-12
bar:4 color:Full from:1937 till:1962 text:Colorado State (1937–1962) bar:4 color:Ind from:1962 till:1968 text:Ind. bar:4 color:WAC from:1968 till:1999 text:WAC bar:4 color:OtherC1 from:1999 till:2026 text:MW bar:4 color:OtherC2 from:2026 till:end text:Pac-12
bar:5 color:Full from:1937 till:1962 text:BYU (1937–1962) bar:5 color:WAC from:1962 till:1999 text:WAC bar:5 color:OtherC1 from:1999 till:2011 text:MW bar:5 color:OtherC2 from:2011 till:2023 text:WCC bar:5 color:OtherC3 from:2023 till:end text:Big 12
bar:6 color:Full from:1937 till:1962 text:Utah (1937–1962) bar:6 color:WAC from:1962 till:end text:WAC bar:6 color:OtherC1 from:1999 till:2011 text:MW bar:6 color:OtherC2 from:2011 till:2024 text:Pac-12 bar:6 color:OtherC3 from:2024 till:end text:Big 12
bar:7 color:Full from:1937 till:1962 text:Wyoming (1938–1962) bar:7 color:WAC from:1962 till:end text:WAC bar:7 color:OtherC1 from:1999 till:end text:MW
bar:8 color:OtherC1 from:1937 till:1951 text:Border bar:8 color:Full from:1951 till:1962 text:New Mexico (1951–1962) bar:8 shift:(30) color:WAC from:1962 till:1999 text:WAC bar:8 color:OtherC1 from:1999 till:end text:MW
bar:9 color:OtherC2 from:1937 till:1950 text:Pacific Coast bar:9 color:Ind from:1950 till:1951 text: bar:9 color:Full from:1951 till:1962 text:Montana (1951–1962) bar:9 color:Ind from:1962 till:1963 text: bar:9 color:OtherC1 from:1963 till:end text:Big Sky
bar:N color:yellow from:1937 till:1962 text:Skyline Conference bar:N color:blue from:1962 till:end text:Post-Skyline
ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:5 start:1940
TextData = fontsize:M textcolor:black pos:(0,20) tabs:(400-center) text:^"Mountain States (Skyline) Conference membership history"
- If the chart uses more than one bar color, add a legend by selecting the appropriate fields from the following three options (use only the colors that are used in the graphic.) Leave a blank line after the end of the timeline, then add a line with the selected values from the list, separated by a space.
Football champions
- 1938 Utah
- 1939 Colorado
- 1940 Utah
- 1941 Utah
- 1942 Utah and Colorado
- 1943 Colorado
- 1944 Colorado
- 1945 Denver
- 1946 Denver and Utah State
- 1947 Utah
- 1948 Utah
- 1949 Wyoming
- 1950 Wyoming
- 1951 Utah
- 1952 Utah
- 1953 Utah
- 1954 Denver
- 1955 Colorado A&M
- 1956 Wyoming
- 1957 Utah
- 1958 Wyoming
- 1959 Wyoming
- 1960 Wyoming and Utah State
- 1961 Wyoming and Utah State
Basketball champions
- 1911: Colorado School of Mines
- 1912: Colorado School of Mines
- 1913: Colorado
- 1914: Colorado
- 1915: Denver
- 1916: Colorado, Colorado College
- 1917: Colorado College
- 1918: Colorado
- 1919: Colorado
- 1920: Colorado
- 1921: Colorado
- 1922: Colorado College
- 1923: Colorado College
- 1924: Colorado College (Colorado)
- 1925: Colorado College (Eastern), BYU (Western)
- 1926: Colorado State (Eastern), Northern Colorado (Eastern), Utah (Western), Utah State (Western)
- 1927: Colorado College (Eastern), Montana State (Western)
- 1928: Wyoming (Eastern), Montana State (Western)
- 1929: Colorado (Eastern), Montana State (Western)
- 1930: Colorado (Eastern), Montana State (Western), Utah State (Western)
- 1931: Wyoming (Eastern), Utah (Western)
- 1932: Wyoming (Eastern), BYU (Western), Utah (Western)
- 1933: Colorado State (Eastern), Wyoming (Eastern), BYU (Western), Utah (Western)
- 1934: Wyoming (Eastern), BYU (Western)
- 1935: Northern Colorado (Eastern), Utah State (Western)
- 1936: Wyoming (Eastern), Utah State (Western)
- 1937: Colorado (Eastern), Denver (Eastern), Montana State (Western), Utah (Western)
- 1938: Colorado, Utah
- 1939: Colorado
- 1940: Colorado
- 1941: Wyoming
- 1942: Colorado
- 1943: Wyoming
- 1945: Utah
- 1946: Wyoming
- 1947: Wyoming
- 1948: BYU
- 1949: Wyoming
- 1950: BYU
- 1951: BYU
- 1952: Wyoming
- 1953: Wyoming
- 1954: Colorado State
- 1955: Utah
- 1956: Utah
- 1957: BYU
- 1958: Wyoming
- 1959: Utah
- 1960: Utah
- 1961: Colorado State, Utah
- 1962: Utah
References
References
- (December 3, 1937). "Rocky Mountain Men are to Frame Skeds". [[Independent Record]].
- Goodell, Bob. (December 5, 1937). "New Circuit Christened Mountain Stats Athletic Conference". [[The Salt Lake Tribune]].
- Goodell, Bob. (December 5, 1937). "Football Schedules Drawn At Denver Meeting". [[The Salt Lake Tribune]].
- Moler, Murray. (May 25, 1947). "'Skyline Six' (ex-Big Seven) Conference Will Send Champs Into California Raisin Bowl". [[Nevada State Journal]].
- (June 11, 1950). "Montana Accepted As Member of Skyline Eight". [[Independent Record]].
- (October 12, 1962). "New League Is Established". [[Daily Inter Lake]].
- McCulloch, Ollie. (January 28, 1949). "Dick Romney Accepts Skyline Six Commissioner Position". [[The Salt Lake Tribune]].
- (February 25, 1960). "Brechler Quits Iowa Post, Becomes Skyline Chief". [[The Salt Lake Tribune]].
- Mooney, John. (August 23, 1960). "Dick Romney Ends Half Century of Athletic Service". [[The Salt Lake Tribune]].
- (January 11, 1962). "Brechler Explains 'Circuit'". [[Standard-Examiner]].
- "Conference Championships – Mountain States Athletic Conference".
- "Men's Skyline Conference".
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