West Coast Conference
The West Coast Conference (WCC) is a college sports conference (group of sports teams that play against each other) in the western United States. There are many sports in the conference. The conference does not have football, and only one of its current members has a football team.
The WCC began in 1952 when five schools in and around the San Francisco Bay Area formed the California Basketball Association. The league was then called the West Coast Athletic Conference from 1956 to 1989.
All nine of its current members were founded by churches. Seven of the colleges are Catholic schools. Only the University of the Pacific, which was started by Methodists, no longer gets money from a church.
Members[change | change source]
The WCC has 9 members, all located in West Coast states.
| School | Location | Founded | Type | Nickname | Joined WCC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gonzaga University | Spokane, Washington | 1881 | Private Jesuit |
Bulldogs | 1979 |
| Loyola Marymount University | Los Angeles, California | 1870 | Private Jesuit/Marymount/St. Joseph |
Lions | 1955 |
| University of the Pacific | Stockton, California | 1851 | Private (Methodist)[a] |
Tigers | 1952, 2013[b] |
| Pepperdine University | Malibu, California[c] | 1937 | Private Churches of Christ |
Waves | 1955 |
| University of Portland | Portland, Oregon | 1901 | Private Congregation of Holy Cross |
Pilots | 1976 |
| Saint Mary's College of California | Moraga, California | 1863 | Private De La Salle Brothers |
Gaels | 1952 |
| University of San Diego | San Diego, California | 1949 | Private Diocesan Catholic |
Toreros | 1979 |
| University of San Francisco | San Francisco, California | 1855 | Private Jesuit |
Dons | 1952 |
| Santa Clara University | Santa Clara, California | 1851 | Private Jesuit |
Broncos | 1952 |
- ↑ Pacific remains affiliated with the United Methodist Church, but has received no financial support from the church since 1969.
- ↑ Pacific left the conference in 1971 and came back in 2013.
- ↑ Pepperdine's campus has a Malibu mailing address, but is outside the city limits in unincorporated Los Angeles County.
Associate members[change | change source]
The WCC has four "associate members", each of which plays one sport in the conference. All are full members of other Division I conferences. Two others will become associates in multiple sports in 2024.
Current[change | change source]
| School | Location | Founded | Type | Joined | Sport | Current main conference | Nickname |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States Air Force Academy (Air Force) | USAF Academy, Colorado | 1954 | Federal | 2023 | Men's water polo | Mountain West | Falcons |
| California Baptist University | Riverside, California | 1950 | Private (Baptist) |
2023 | Men's water polo | WAC | Lancers |
| Creighton University | Omaha, Nebraska | 1878 | Private Jesuit |
2010 | Women's rowing | Big East | Bluejays |
| San Jose State University | San Jose, California | 1857 | Public (CSU) |
2023 | Men's water polo | Mountain West | Spartans |
Future[change | change source]
The two schools left behind by the collapse of the Pac-12 Conference will house most of their sports in the WCC through the 2025–26 school year.
| School | Location | Founded | Type | Joined | Sport(s) | Current main conference | Nickname |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oregon State University | Corvallis, Oregon | 1868 | Public | 2024 | Multiple | Pac-12 | Beavers |
| Washington State University | Pullman, Washington | 1880 | Public | 2024 | Multiple | Pac-12 | Cougars |
References[change | change source]
- "West Coast Conference". wccsports.com. Retrieved 2014-06-10.