Skyline Conference (1938–1962)


The Skyline Conference was a college athletic conference based in the Western United States that was active from 1938 to 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 in 1938 with college athletic programs that left the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. The seven charter members of the conference were: BYU, Colorado, Colorado A&M, Denver, Utah, Utah State, and Wyoming. 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, 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 departed to form the Western Athletic Conference. 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 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.

Members

Charter members


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bar:1 color:powderblue from:1938 till:1948 text:University of Colorado
bar:1 color:drabgreen from:1948 till:1964 text:Big Seven
bar:1 color:yellowgreen from:1964 till:1973 text:Big Eight
bar:2 color:powderblue from:1938 till:1962 text:University of Denver
bar:2 color:lavender from:1962 till:end text:Independent
bar:3 color:powderblue from:1938 till:1962 text:Utah State University
bar:3 color:lavender from:1962 till:end text:Independent
bar:4 color:powderblue from:1938 till:1962 text:Colorado State University
bar:4 color:lavender from:1962 till:1968 text:Independent
bar:4 color:dullyellow from:1968 till:end text:WAC
bar:5 color:powderblue from:1938 till:1962 text:Brigham Young University
bar:5 color:dullyellow from:1962 till:end text:WAC
bar:6 color:powderblue from:1938 till:1962 text:University of Utah
bar:6 color:dullyellow from:1962 till:end text:WAC
bar:7 color:powderblue from:1938 till:1962 text:University of Wyoming
bar:7 color:dullyellow from:1962 till:end text:WAC
bar:8 color:tan1 from:1938 till:1951 text:Border Conference
bar:8 color:powderblue from:1951 till:1962 text:University of New Mexico
bar:8 color:dullyellow from:1962 till:end text: WAC
bar:9 color:tan2 from:1938 till:1950 text:Pacific Coast Conference
bar:9 color:lavender from:1950 till:1951 text:
bar:9 color:powderblue from:1951 till:1962 text:University of Montana
bar:9 color:lavender from:1962 till:1963 text:
bar:9 color:pink from:1963 till:end text: Big Sky
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text:"Skyline Conference membership history"

Football champions

Source: