Heart of America Athletic Conference


The Heart of America Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference affiliated with the NAIA. Member institutions are located in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska in the United States.

History

The HAAC's earliest ancestor was the Missouri College Athletic Union, which was formed in 1924 when the Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association split in two. The old MIAA's private schools formed the Athletic Union, while the state teachers' colleges stayed in the MIAA. It was reorganized as the HAAC in 1971 when it began admitting schools outside Missouri. However, the HAAC does not presently claim the Athletic Union's history as its own.
In early 2014, Grand View University and William Penn University were announced as members for the 2015–16 school year. In April 2015, Clarke University and Mount Mercy University were also announced as members for the 2016–17 school year. In October 2019, Park University was approved for HAAC membership and joined in the 2020–21 school year.
The current commissioner of the conference is Lori Thomas. Thomas, the first female commissioner in NAIA history, began her term in 2014, succeeding Larry Lady who retired after 22 years as commissioner.

Member schools

Current members

Former members

Membership timeline


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bar:3 color:Full from:1971 till:1974 text:College of Emporia
bar:4 color:Full from:1971 till:end text:Graceland
bar:5 color:Full from:1971 till:end text:Missouri Valley College
bar:6 color:Full from:1971 till:1981 text:Ottawa
bar:7 color:Full from:1971 till:1992 text:Tarkio College
bar:8 color:Full from:1971 till:2011 text:William Jewell College
bar:9 color:Full from:1980 till:end text:Culver–Stockton College
bar:10 color:Full from:1980 till:end text:MidAmerica Nazarene
bar:11 color:Full from:1987 till:end text:Evangel
bar:12 color:Full from:1991 till:end text:Benedictine College
bar:13 color:Full from:1996 till:2011 text:Lindenwood
bar:14 color:FullxF from:2000 till:2001 text:Avila
bar:14 color:Full from:2001 till:2018
bar:15 color:Full from:2011 till:end text:Peru State College
bar:16 shift: color:Full from:2015 till:end text:Grand View
bar:17 shift: color:Full from:2015 till:end text:William Penn
bar:18 color:FullxF from:2016 till:2018 text:Clarke
bar:18 color:Full from:2018 till:end text:
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Sports