Big Sky Conference

Big Sky Conference
Established	1963, 55 years ago
Association	NCAA
Division	Division I
Subdivision	FCS
Members	11 full-time
Sports fielded	16 men's: 7 women's: 9
Region	Western United States
Headquarters	Ogden, Utah
Commissioner	Tom Wistrcill
Website	bigskyconf.com
Locations

The Big Sky Conference is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division I, with football competing in the Football Championship Subdivision. Member institutions are located in the western United States in the nine states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah, and Washington. Four affiliate members each participate in one sport. Two schools from California are football-only participants, and two schools from the Northeast participate only in men's golf.

Contents

• 
  1 History
  
  
  
  • 
    1.1 Fiftieth anniversary
    
  
  
  
  


• 
  2 Members
  
  
  
  • 
    2.1 Full members
    
  
  
  • 
    2.2 Affiliate members
    
  
  
  • 
    2.3 Former members
    
  
  
  • 
    2.4 Membership timeline
    
  
  
  
  


• 
  3 Sports
  
  
  
  • 
    3.1 Baseball
    
  
  
  • 
    3.2 Men's sponsored sports by school
    
  
  
  • 
    3.3 Women's sponsored sports by school
    
  
  
  
  


• 
  4 Facilities
  


• 
  5 Basketball
  
  
  
  • 
    5.1 Current NBA players
    
  
  
  • 
    5.2 Conference rivalries
    
  
  
  • 
    5.3 Non-conference rivalries
    
  
  
  
  


• 
  6 Rivalries
  
  
  
  • 
    6.1 Protected football rivalries
    
  
  
  • 
    6.2 Conference
    
  
  
  • 
    6.3 Non-conference
    
  
  
  
  


• 
  7 Commissioners
  


• 
  8 Headquarters
  


• 
  9 Big Sky championships
  
  
  
  • 
    9.1 Big Sky men's basketball
    
  
  
  • 
    9.2 Basketball championships (by school)
    
    
    
    • 
      9.2.1 NCAA Tournament
      
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • 
    9.3 Big Sky women's basketball
    
  
  
  • 
    9.4 Big Sky football titles
    
  
  
  • 
    9.5 Football championships (by school)
    
  
  
  • 
    9.6 All-time school records by wins for current teams
    
  
  
  • 
    9.7 Overall Big Sky Conference champions
    
  
  
  • 
    9.8 Football
    
  
  
  • 
    9.9 Basketball
    
  
  
  
  


• 
  10 References
  


• 
  11 External links
  

History

Initially conceived for basketball,^[1] the Big Sky was founded 55 years ago in 1963 with six members in four states;^[2][3] four of the charter members have been in the league from its founding, and a fifth returned in 2014 after an 18-year absence.

The name "Big Sky" came from the popular 1947 western novel by A. B. Guthrie Jr.; it was proposed by Harry Missildine, a sports columnist of the Spokesman-Review just prior to the founding meetings of the conference in Spokane in February 1963,^[4][5] and was adopted with the announcement of the new conference five days later.^[2][3]

Starting in 1968, the conference competed at the highest level (university division) in all sports except football (college division). The sole exception was Idaho, in the university division for football through 1977 (except 1967, 1968).^[6]

In 1974, half of the Big Sky's ten sports were dropped (baseball, skiing, swimming, golf, and tennis), leaving football, basketball, wrestling, track, and cross country.^[7][8]

Women's sports were added 30 years ago in 1988, moving from the women's-only Mountain West Athletic Conference (1982–88).

Fiftieth anniversary

See also: Big Sky Conference 50 Greatest Male Athletes

The 2012–13 season marked the completion of a half century of athletic competition and a quarter century sponsoring women's collegiate athletics. Before the season the league introduced a new logo to celebrate this.

The 25th season of women's athletics also marked a first for the league, as Portland State won the league's inaugural softball championship. From 1982 to 1988, women's sports were conducted in the Mountain West Athletic Conference.

The Big Sky sponsors championships in sixteen sports, including men's and women's cross country, golf, indoor and outdoor track and field, basketball, and tennis. There are also championships in football, and in women's volleyball, soccer, and softball.^[9]

Members

Full members

Institution	Location	Founded	Joined	Enrollment	Nickname	Colors
Eastern Washington University	Cheney, Washington	1882	1987	13,453	Eagles
University of Idaho	Moscow, Idaho	1889	1963, 2014[a 1]	11,534	Vandals
Idaho State University	Pocatello, Idaho	1901	1963	15,553	Bengals
University of Montana	Missoula, Montana	1893	1963	10,092	Grizzlies[a 2]
Montana State University	Bozeman, Montana	1893	1963	16,069	Bobcats
Northern Arizona University	Flagstaff, Arizona	1899	1970	27,715	Lumberjacks
University of Northern Colorado	Greeley, Colorado	1889	2006	12,087	Bears
Portland State University	Portland, Oregon	1946	1996	28,241	Vikings
California State University, Sacramento	Sacramento, California	1947	1996	28,811	Hornets
Southern Utah University	Cedar City, Utah	1897	2012	7,656	Thunderbirds
Weber State University	Ogden, Utah	1889	1963	27,949	Wildcats

1. 
   ^ Idaho had been a charter member of the Big Sky in 1963, but left the conference in 1996.
   


2. 
   ^ The Montana women's basketball team is known as the Lady Griz, but all other women's teams are known as Grizzlies.
   

North Dakota left the Big Sky in 2018, with its non-football sports joining the Summit League.^[10] The football team became an FCS independent for the 2018 and 2019 seasons, but continues to play a full Big Sky football schedule due to contractual commitments. In those seasons, football games against North Dakota will count in the Big Sky standings for their opponents. Afterwards, North Dakota will join the Missouri Valley Football Conference in 2020.^[11]

Affiliate members

Institution	Location	Founded	Joined	Type	Enrollment	Endowment 2014)	Nickname	Colors	Primary conference	Big Sky sport
Binghamton University, SUNY	Vestal, New York	1946	2014	Public	16,695	$101,414,229	Bearcats		America East	Men's golf
California Polytechnic State University	San Luis Obispo, California	1901	2012	Public	20,186	$207,485,860	Mustangs		Big West	Football
University of California, Davis	Davis, California	1905	2012	Public	35,415	$968,230,000	Aggies		Big West	Football
University of Hartford	West Hartford, Connecticut	1877	2014	Private	7,025	$146,113,000	Hawks		America East	Men's golf

Former members

Institution	Location	Founded	Joined	Left	Type	Enrollment	Nickname	Subsequent conference membership
Boise State University	Boise, Idaho	1932	1970	1996	Public	22,678	Broncos	Big West (1996–2001) WAC (2001–2011) Mountain West (2011–present)
California State University, Northridge	Northridge, California	1958	1996	2001	Public	36,070	Matadors	Big West (2001–present)
Gonzaga University	Spokane, Washington	1887	1963	1979	Private	7,764	Bulldogs	WCC (1979–present)
University of Nevada	Reno, Nevada	1874	1979	1992	Public	18,227	Wolf Pack	Big West (1992–2000) WAC (2000–2012) Mountain West (2012–present)
University of North Dakota	Grand Forks, North Dakota	1883	2012	2018	Public	14,906	Fighting Hawks	Summit League (2018–present)

Notes

• Gonzaga, which has not fielded a football team since 1941, was a charter member in 1963.

Membership timeline

Full members Assoc. members (football only) Full members (except football) Assoc. members (other sports) Other conference Other conference

Sports

Eastern Washington

Idaho

Idaho State

Montana

Montana State

Northern Arizona

Northern Colorado

Portland State

Sacramento State

Southern Utah

Weber State

Binghamton

Cal Poly SLO

UC Davis

Hartford

– Full members
– Only members for football
– Only members for men's golf

As of the 2016–17 school year, the Big Sky sponsors championships in seven men's and nine women's NCAA sanctioned sports.^[12] Each core member institution is required to participate in all of the 13 core sports. Men's core sports are basketball, cross country, football, indoor track and field, outdoor track and field, and tennis. Women's core sports are basketball, cross country, golf, indoor track and field, outdoor track and field, tennis, and volleyball.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and UC Davis participate as football-only affiliates, otherwise participating in the Big West Conference. Binghamton and Hartford are affiliates in men's golf only, otherwise participating in the America East Conference. Before the 2014–15 school year, the latter two schools had participated in men's golf alongside five full Big Sky members in the single-sport America Sky Conference.^[13] The return of Idaho brought the number of members participating in men's golf to six, which led to the Big Sky adding men's golf and absorbing the America Sky Conference.

Baseball

The Big Sky is unusual among Division I all-sports conferences in not sponsoring baseball. The conference originally sponsored baseball in 1964, with all members participating. When Boise State and Northern Arizona arrived for the 1971 season, competition was split into two divisions of four teams each, with the winners in a best-of-three championship series.^[14][15] Montana State^[16] and Montana soon dropped the sport and by the 1973 season, only six teams remained but the divisions were kept, and Boise State moved over to the North Division for two years.^[17]

In May 1974, the Big Sky announced its intention to discontinue five of its ten sponsored sports. It retained football, basketball, cross-country, track, and wrestling, and dropped conference competition in baseball, golf, tennis, swimming, and skiing.^[7][8] Of the eleven Big Sky baseball titles, four each went to Idaho (1964,'66,'67,'69)^[18] and Gonzaga (1965,'71,'73,'74), and three to Weber State (1968,'70,'72).^[19] Gonzaga won the final title in 1974 over Idaho State in three games, after losing the first game in Pocatello.^[20] Southern division champion Idaho State chose to end its baseball program weeks following the conference's announcement,^[21] and Gonzaga, Idaho, and Boise State joined the new Northern Pacific Conference (NorPac) for baseball in 1975.^[22] Boise State and Idaho competed in the NorPac for six seasons, then discontinued baseball after the 1980 season.^[23][24]

In 2016, North Dakota announced on April 12 that it was their last baseball season.^[25] As of 2017, only Northern Colorado and Sacramento State compete in the sport, both as affiliate members in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC).

Teams in Big Sky Conference competition

Sport	Men's	Women's
Basketball	11	11
Cross country	11	11
Football	13	-
Golf	7	11
Soccer	-	10
Softball	-	7
Tennis	11	11
Track and field (Indoor)	11	11
Track and field (Outdoor)	11	11
Volleyball	-	11

Men's sponsored sports by school

School	Basketball	Cross country	Football	Golf	Tennis	Track and field (indoor)	Track and field (outdoor)	Total Sports
Eastern Washington	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	6
Idaho	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	7
Idaho State	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	6
Montana	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	6
Montana State	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	6
Northern Arizona	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	6
Northern Colorado	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	7
Portland State	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	6
Sacramento State	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	7
Southern Utah	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	7
Weber State	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	7
Totals	11	11	11+2[a]	5+2[b]	11	11	11	69+4

1. 
   ^ Affiliates Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and UC Davis.
   


2. 
   ^ Affiliates Binghamton and Hartford.
   

Men's varsity sports not sponsored by the Big Sky Conference which are played by Big Sky schools:

School	Baseball	Skiing	Soccer	Wrestling
Montana State	No	Independent	No	No
Northern Colorado	WAC	No	No	Big 12
Sacramento State	WAC	No	Big West	No

Women's sponsored sports by school

School	Basketball	Cross country	Golf	Soccer	Softball	Tennis	Track and field (indoor)	Track and field (outdoor)	Volleyball	Total Sports
Eastern Washington	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	8
Idaho	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	8
Idaho State	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	9
Montana	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	9
Montana State	Y	Y	Y	N	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	7
Northern Arizona	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	8
Northern Colorado	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	9
Portland State	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	9
Sacramento State	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	9
Southern Utah	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	9
Weber State	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	9
Totals	11	11	11	10	7	11	11	11	11	94

Women's varsity sports not sponsored by the Big Sky Conference which are played by Big Sky schools:

School	Beach volleyball	Gymnastics	Rowing	Skiing	Swimming
Idaho	No	No	No	No	WAC
Montana State	No	No	No	Independent	No
Northern Arizona	No	No	No	No	WAC
Northern Colorado	No	No	No	No	WAC
Sacramento State	Independent	MPSF	The American	No	No
Southern Utah	No	Mountain Rim	No	No	No

Facilities

School	Football stadium	Capacity	Basketball arena	Capacity
Cal Poly	Alex G. Spanos Stadium	7004110750000000000♠11,075	Football-only member
Eastern Washington	Roos Field	7003860000000000000♠8,600	Reese Court	7003600000000000000♠6,000
Idaho	Kibbie Dome	7004160000000000000♠16,000	Cowan Spectrum Memorial Gymnasium	7003700000000000000♠7,000 7003250000000000000♠2,500
Idaho State	Holt Arena	7004120000000000000♠12,000	Holt Arena (men) Reed Gym (women)	7003800000000000000♠8,000 7003304000000000000♠3,040
Montana	Washington–Grizzly Stadium	7004252030000000000♠25,203	Dahlberg Arena	7003732100000000000♠7,321
Montana State	Bobcat Stadium	7004207670000000000♠20,767	Worthington Arena	7003725000000000000♠7,250
Northern Arizona	Walkup Skydome	7004100000000000000♠10,000	Walkup Skydome	7003700000000000000♠7,000
Northern Colorado	Nottingham Field	7003853300000000000♠8,533[26]	Bank of Colorado Arena	7003299200000000000♠2,992
Portland State	Providence Park	7004200000000000000♠20,000	Viking Pavilion	7003150000000000000♠1,500
Sacramento State	Hornet Stadium	7004211950000000000♠21,195	Colberg Court	7003101200000000000♠1,012[27]
Southern Utah	Eccles Coliseum	7003850000000000000♠8,500	America First Events Center	7003530000000000000♠5,300
UC Davis	Aggie Stadium	7004103670000000000♠10,367	Football-only member
Weber State	Stewart Stadium	7004175000000000000♠17,500	Dee Events Center	7004115000000000000♠11,500

Note: The Idaho Vandals men's basketball team plays early-season home games at Memorial Gym, home of the Vandals volleyball team.

Basketball

Current NBA players

^[when?]

• 
  Joel Bolomboy, Weber State


• 
  Damian Lillard, Weber State


• 
  Jake Wiley, Montana, Eastern Washington

Conference rivalries

• 
  Eastern Washington and Portland State
  


• 
  Idaho and Idaho State
  


• 
  Idaho and Montana
  


• 
  Idaho State and Weber State
  


• 
  Idaho State and Montana
  


• 
  Montana and Montana State
  


• 
  Portland State and Sacramento State
  


• 
  Weber State and Southern Utah
  


• 
  Eastern Washington and Montana
  


• 
  Weber State and Montana
  

Non-conference rivalries

• 
  Weber State and Utah State/Utah/BYU/Utah Valley
  


• 
  Eastern Washington and Gonzaga
  


• 
  Idaho and Boise State
  


• 
  Idaho State and Wyoming
  


• 
  Montana and Wyoming
  


• 
  Montana State and Wyoming
  


• 
  Sacramento State and UC Davis
  


• 
  Portland State and Portland
  


• 
  Northern Colorado and Colorado State
  


• 
  Northern Colorado and Denver
  

Rivalries

Protected football rivalries

School	Rival 1	Rival 2
UC Davis	Sacramento State	Cal Poly
Cal Poly	UC Davis	Sacramento State
Eastern Washington	Idaho	Portland State
Idaho	Montana	Eastern Washington
Idaho State	Weber State	Portland State
Montana	Montana State	Idaho
Montana State	Montana	North Dakota
North Dakota	Montana State	Northern Colorado
Northern Arizona	Southern Utah	Northern Colorado
Northern Colorado	North Dakota	Northern Arizona
Portland State	Eastern Washington	Idaho State
Sacramento State	UC Davis	Cal Poly
Southern Utah	Northern Arizona	Weber State
Weber State	Idaho State	Southern Utah

^[28]

Conference

Schools		First Meeting	Game	Winner (Last Meeting)	All-time Record
Cal Poly	UC Davis	1939	Battle for the Golden Horseshoe	UC Davis	UC Davis leads 20–17–2
Eastern Washington	Montana	1938	EWU-UM Governor's Cup	Montana	Montana leads 27–15–1
Eastern Washington	Portland State	1968	Dam Cup	Eastern Washington	Portland State leads 20–17–1
Idaho	Idaho State	1916	Battle of the Domes	Idaho State	Idaho leads 28–12
Idaho	Montana	1903	Little Brown Stein	Montana	Idaho leads 55–27–2
Montana	Montana State	1897	Brawl of the Wild	Montana State	Montana leads 71–38–5
UC Davis	Sacramento State	1954	Causeway Classic	UC Davis	UC Davis leads 39–18
Southern Utah	Northern Arizona	1983	Grand Canyon Rivalry	Northern Arizona	Northern Arizona leads 13-9
Southern Utah	Weber State	1984	Beehive Bowl	Weber State	Weber State leads 16–7

Non-conference

Schools		First Meeting	Trophy	Winner (Last Meeting)	All-time Record	Note
Idaho	Boise State	1971	Governor's Cup	Boise State	Boise State leads 22–17-1	Last competed for in 2010
Idaho	Washington State	1894	Battle of the Palouse	Washington State	Washington State leads 72-16-3	Last played in 2016

Commissioners

• 
  Jack Friel (1963–71)^[29]
  


• 
  John Roning (1971–77)^[30][31]
  


• 
  Steve Belko (1977–81)^[32]
  


• Ron Stephenson (1981–95)^[33]
  


• Doug Fullerton (1995–2016)^[34][35]
  


• Andrea Williams (2016–2018)^[36]
  


• Ron Loghry (Interim) (2018)


• Tom Wistrcill (2018–present)

Headquarters

• 
  Pullman, Washington (1963–1971)^[37][31]
  


• 
  Boise, Idaho (1971–)^[31]
  


• 
  Ogden, Utah (1995–)^[34]
  

Big Sky championships

Big Sky men's basketball

See also: Big Sky Conference Men's Basketball Tournament

Season	Regular Season Champion(s)	Tournament Champion	NCAA Seed	Region	Wins	Advancement
1964	Montana State	no tournament			—
1965	Weber State				—
1966	Weber State, Gonzaga				—
1967	Gonzaga, Montana State				—
1968	Weber State			West	0
1969	Weber State			West	1	Round of 16
1970	Weber State			West	0
1971	Weber State			West	0
1972	Weber State			West	1	Round of 16
1973	Weber State			West	0
1974	Idaho State   (playoff over Montana)			West	0
1975	Montana			West	1	Round of 16
1976	Weber State, Boise State, Idaho State	Boise State		West	0
1977	Idaho State	Idaho State		West	2	Round of 8
1978	Montana	Weber State		West	0
1979	Weber State	Weber State	7	Midwest	1	Round of 32
1980	Weber State	Weber State	7	West	0
1981	Idaho	Idaho	7	West	0
1982	Idaho	Idaho	3	West	1	Round of 16
1983	Nevada, Weber State	Weber State	9	West	0
1984	Weber State	Nevada	11	West	0
1985	Nevada	Nevada	14	West	0
1986	Northern Arizona, Montana	Montana State	16	West	0
1987	Montana State	Idaho State	16	West	0
1988	Boise State	Boise State	14	West	0
1989	Boise State	Idaho	13	West	0
1990	Idaho	Idaho	13	West	0
1991	Montana	Montana	16	West	0
1992	Montana	Montana	14	West	0
1993	Idaho	Boise State	14	West	0
1994	Weber State, Idaho State	Boise State	14	West	0
1995	Weber State, Montana	Weber State	14	Southeast	1	Round of 32
1996	Montana State	Montana State	13	West	0
1997	Northern Arizona	Montana	16	West	0
1998	Northern Arizona	No. Arizona	15	West	0
1999	Weber State	Weber State	14	West	1	Round of 32
2000	Montana, Eastern Washington	No. Arizona	15	West	0
2001	Cal State-Northridge	CS-Northridge	13	Midwest	0
2002	Montana State	Montana	15	Midwest	0
2003	Weber State	Weber State	12	Midwest	0
2004	Eastern Washington	E. Washington	15	East	0
2005	Portland State	Montana	16	West	0
2006	Northern Arizona	Montana	12	Midwest	1	Round of 32
2007	Weber State, Northern Arizona	Weber State	15	West	0
2008	Portland State	Portland State	16	Midwest	0
2009	Weber State	Portland State	13	East	0
2010	Weber State	Montana	14	East	0
2011	Northern Colorado	No. Colorado	15	West	0
2012	Montana	Montana	13	East	0
2013	Montana	Montana	13	East	0
2014	Weber State	Weber State	16	West	0
2015	Montana	E. Washington	13	South	0
2016	Weber State	Weber State	15	East	0
2017	North Dakota	North Dakota	15	West	0
2018	Montana	Montana	14	West	0

• Prior to 1976, each NCAA regional had a third place game (won 1969; lost 1972, 1975)


• The only Big Sky team to reach the Elite Eight in the NCAA tournament was Idaho State in 1977
  


• The only Big Sky team to earn a bye in the NCAA tournament was Idaho in 1982
  


• Through 2018, the Big Sky has yet to have an at-large team in the NCAA tournament

Basketball championships (by school)

School	Member years	Conference Titles	Tournament Titles	Last won
Weber State	1963–present	22	10	2016
Montana	1963–present	11	10	2018
Montana State	1963–present	5	2	2002
Northern Arizona	1970–present	5	2	2007
Idaho	1963–96, 2014–present	4	4	1993
Idaho State	1963–present	4	2	1994
Boise State	1970–96	3	4	1989
Eastern Washington	1987–present	2	2	2015
Nevada	1979–92	2	2	1985
Portland State	1996–present	2	2	2009
Gonzaga	1963–79	2	0	1967
Northern Colorado	2006–present	1	1	2011
CS-Northridge	1996–2001	1	1	2001
North Dakota	2012–2018	1	1	2017
Sacramento State	1996–present	0	0	N/A
Southern Utah	2012–present	0	0	N/A

NCAA Tournament

Since 1968, the Big Sky champion has received a berth in NCAA Tournament; the conference tournament winner has been the representative since its introduction in 1976.

The best finish by a Big Sky team came in 1977, when the Idaho State Bengals of Jim Killingsworth advanced to the Elite Eight, with a one-point upset of UCLA in the Sweet Sixteen in Provo, Utah. Two days later, the Bengals led UNLV by a point at halftime, but lost by seventeen and finished at 25–5.

Seeding was introduced in 1979 when it expanded to forty teams, and the highest seed granted a Big Sky team was in 1982: ranked eighth in the final polls with a 26–2 record, the Idaho Vandals under Don Monson were seeded third in the West regional. After a first round bye, they beat Lute Olson's Iowa Hawkeyes in nearby Pullman in overtime, but lost to second-seeded (and fourth-ranked) Oregon State in the regional semifinals (Sweet Sixteen), also played in Provo. (Idaho had defeated OSU by 22 points in December in the Far West Classic at Portland.)

Other Big Sky teams that advanced to regional semifinals (Sweet Sixteen) include the Weber State Wildcats in 1969 and 1972, when the total field was 25 teams, and the Montana Grizzlies under Jud Heathcote in the 32-team field in 1975. The Griz fell to UCLA by just three points, who went on to win another title in John Wooden's final year as head coach. (A year later, Heathcote was hired at Michigan State with Monson as an assistant for the first two years; in his third season, the Spartans won the national title in 1979.)

Since 1982, only three teams from the Big Sky have advanced within the NCAA tournament, and none past the round of 32. Weber State won in 1995 and 1999, coached by Ron Abegglen, and Montana in 2006, led by alumnus Larry Krystkowiak. Prior to Idaho in 1982, the Big Sky had been seeded seventh (Weber State, 1979 & 1980; and Idaho, 1981); the highest seed for the conference since 1982 is ninth (Weber State, 1983), and the highest since expanding to 64 teams in 1985 is twelfth (Weber State in 2003; Montana in 2006).

Through 2018, the Big Sky has yet to receive an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. The first NIT appearance for the conference was Idaho in 1983; two Big Sky teams advanced to the NIT's round of 16: Weber State (1984) and Boise State (1987).

Big Sky women's basketball

See also: Big Sky Conference Women's Basketball Tournament

Season	Tournament Champion	Tournament Runner-Up
1983	Montana	Weber State
1984	Montana	Eastern Washington
1985	Idaho	Montana
1986	Montana	Eastern Washington
1987	Eastern Washington	Montana
1988	Montana	Eastern Washington
1989	Montana	Idaho
1990	Montana	Idaho
1991	Montana	Montana State
1992	Montana	Boise State
1993	Montana State	Montana
1994	Montana	Boise State
1995	Montana	Montana State
1996	Montana	Weber State
1997	Montana	Montana State
1998	Montana	Northern Arizona
1999	CS Northridge	Portland State
2000	Montana	CS-Northridge
2001	Idaho State	Montana
2002	Weber State	Montana State
2003	Weber State	Montana State
2004	Montana	Idaho State
2005	Montana	Weber State
2006	Northern Arizona	Weber State
2007	Idaho State	Northern Arizona
2008	Montana	Montana State
2009	Montana	Portland State
2010	Portland State	Montana State
2011	Montana	Portland State
2012	Idaho State	Northern Colorado
2013	Montana	Northern Colorado
2014	North Dakota	Montana
2015	Montana	Northern Colorado
2016	Idaho	Idaho State
2017	Montana State	Montana State
2018	Northern Colorado	Northern Colorado

• 
  Mountain West Athletic Conference (MWAC) through 1988 season

Big Sky football titles

Season, conference record,^[38][39] and champion

• 1963 – (3–1) – Idaho State
  


• 1964 – (3–0) – Montana State – won Camellia Bowl
  


• 1965 – (3–1) – Weber State^ and Idaho
  


• 1966 – (4–0) – Montana State
  


• 1967 – (4–0) – Montana State
  


• 1968 – (3–1) – Idaho, Montana State, and Weber State
  


• 1969 – (4–0) – Montana
  


• 1970 – (5–0) – Montana
  


• 1971 – (4–1) – Idaho – (Boise State won Camellia Bowl, UI was Div. I)
  


• 1972 – (5–1) – Montana State
  


• 1973 – (6–0) – Boise State – Div. II semifinalist
  


• 1974 – (6–0) – Boise State
  


• 1975 – (5–0–1) – Boise State
  


• 1976 – (6–0) – Montana State – won Div. II national championship
  


• 1977 – (6–0) – Boise State – had late regular season game, runner-up Northern Arizona invited to Div. II playoffs


• 1978 – (6–0) – Northern Arizona – not invited to inaugural four-team I-AA playoffs – (independent Nevada selected from West)


• 1979 – (6–1) – Montana State – (Boise State (7–0) ineligible) – Nevada (5–2) to four-team I-AA playoffs


• 1980 – (6–1) – Boise State – won I-AA national championship
  


• 1981 – (6–1) – Idaho State^ – (also 6-1 – Boise State – both to eight-team I-AA playoffs) – ISU won I-AA national championship
  


• 1982 – (5–2) – Montana^, Idaho, and Montana State (UM @ UI in twelve-team I-AA playoffs, MSU excluded)
  


• 1983 – (6–1) – Nevada – I-AA semifinalist
  


• 1984 – (6–1) – Montana State – won I-AA national championship
  


• 1985 – (6–1) – Idaho^ – (also 6-1 – Nevada – both to I-AA playoffs)


• 1986 – (7–0) – Nevada – I-AA semi-finalist
  


• 1987 – (7–1) – Idaho^ – (also 7-1 – Weber State – both to I-AA playoffs)


• 1988 – (7–1) – Idaho – I-AA semifinalist
  


• 1989 – (8–0) – Idaho – (Montana – I-AA semifinalist)
  


• 1990 – (7–1) – Nevada – I-AA runner-up, defeated Boise State in I-AA semifinals in 3OT
  


• 1991 – (8–0) – Nevada
  


• 1992 – (6–1) – Idaho^ and Eastern Washington – (both to I-AA playoffs)


• 1993 – (7–0) – Montana – (Idaho – I-AA semifinalist)
  


• 1994 – (6–1) – Boise State – I-AA runner-up – (Montana – I-AA semifinalist)
  


• 1995 – (6–1) – Montana – won I-AA national championship
  


• 1996 – (8–0) – Montana – I-AA runner-up
  


• 1997 – (7–1) – Eastern Washington – I-AA semifinalist
  


• 1998 – (6–2) – Montana
  


• 1999 – (7–1) – Montana
  


• 2000 – (8–0) – Montana – I-AA runner-up
  


• 2001 – (7–0) – Montana – won I-AA national championship
  


• 2002 – (5–2) – Montana, Montana State, and Idaho State – (UM, MSU to I-AA playoffs, ISU excluded)


• 2003 – (5–2) – Montana State^, Montana, and Northern Arizona – (all three to I-AA playoffs)


• 2004 – (6–1) – Montana^ and Eastern Washington – (both to I-AA playoffs) – UM – I-AA runner-up
  


• 2005 – (5–2) – Eastern Washington^, Montana State, and Montana – (EWU, UM to I-AA playoffs, MSU excluded)


• 2006 – (8–0) – Montana – FCS semifinalist
  


• 2007 – (8–0) – Montana
  


• 2008 – (7–1) – Weber State^ and Montana – (both to FCS playoffs) – UM – FCS runner-up
  


• 2009 – (8–0) – Montana – FCS runner-up
  


• 2010 – (7–1) – Montana State^ and Eastern Washington – (both to FCS playoffs) – EWU won FCS national championship
  


• 2011 – (7–1) – Montana State and Montana^^


• 2012 – (7–1) – Eastern Washington^, Montana State, and Cal Poly SLO – (all three to FCS playoffs)


• 2013 – (8–0) – Eastern Washington – FCS semifinalist
  


• 2014 – (7–1) – Eastern Washington
  


• 2015 – (7–1) – Southern Utah
  


• 2016 – (8–0) – Eastern Washington – FCS semifinalist and North Dakota
  


• 2017 – (7–1) – Southern Utah^ and Weber State – (both to FCS playoffs)


• 2018 – (7–1) – Weber State^, Eastern Washington and UC Davis – (all three to FCS playoffs)

^ - winner of head-to-head matchup(s) in conference game(s) during the regular season.
^^ - vacated due to NCAA violations

Football championships (by school)

School	member years	total titles	Last won
Montana	1963–present	18	2009
Montana State	1963–present	15	2012
Eastern Washington	1987–present	10	2018
Idaho	1965–95 2018–future	8	1992
Boise State	1970–95	6	1994
Nevada	1979–92	4	1991
Weber State	1963–present	5	2018
Idaho State	1963–present	3	2002
Northern Arizona	1970–present	2	2003
Southern Utah	2012–present	2	2017
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo	2012–present	1	2012
North Dakota	2012–2017	1	2016
UC Davis	2012–present	1	2018
Cal State Northridge	1996–2001	0
Sacramento State	1996–present	0
Portland State	1996–present	0
Northern Colorado	2006–present	0

All-time school records by wins for current teams

This list goes through the 2013 season.

#	Team	Records	Pct.	Big Sky Championships	National Championships
1	North Dakota	622-383-30	.615	0	1
2	Montana	564-478-26	.540	18	2
3	Eastern Washington	503-404-23	.553	7	1
4	UC Davis	495-384-35	.561	0	0
5	Cal Poly San Luis Obispo	485-383-19	.557	1	1
6	Montana State	470-467-33	.502	15	3
7	Idaho State	449-488-21	.480	3	1
8	Northern Arizona	445-438-23	.504	2	0
9	Northern Colorado	425-450-26	.486	0	2
10	Portland State	331-354-10	.483	0	0
11	Weber State	266-294-3	.475	3	0
12	Sacramento State	263-351-8	.429	0	0
13	Southern Utah	261-319-13	.451	1	1

Overall Big Sky Conference champions

	Boise State Broncos (1970–1996)	Cal State Northridge Matadors (1996–2001)	Eastern Washington Eagles (1987– )	Gonzaga Bulldogs (1963–1979)	Idaho State Bengals (1963– )	Montana State Bobcats (1963– )	Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (1970– )	Portland State Vikings (1996– )	Sacramento State Hornets (1996– )	Idaho Vandals (1963–1996)	Nevada Wolf Pack (1979–1992)	Northern Colorado Bears (2006– )	Montana Grizzlies (1963– )	Weber State Wildcats (1963– )
Football	6	–	7	–	3	15	2	–	–	8	4	–	18	3
Men's Basketball	2	1	1	2	2	5	4	2	–	4	1	1	8	22
Women's Basketball (RS/Tourn)	1/0	1/1	1/1	–	3/3	3/1	1/1	1/1	–	1/1	–	1/0	21/20	2/2
Men's Cross Country	2	–	–	–	5	2	18	–	–	2	3	–	8	7
Women's Cross Country	–	–	–	–	–	4	15	–	–	1	–	–	2	4
Men's Indoor Track and Field	2	–	–	–	5	–	12	–	2	1	1	–	–	5
Women's Indoor Track and Field	6	3	–	–	1	1	7	–	2	1	–	–	1	4
Men's Outdoor Track and Field	1	–	–	–	12	1	15	–	–	4	2	–	1	9
Women's Outdoor Track and Field	6	3	–	–	1	1	7	–	3	1	–	–	1	5
Men's Tennis	5	–	1	–	2	4	2	–	10	10	2	–	–	11
Women's Tennis	2	1	–	–	2	–	3	–	9	–	1	–	–	10
Women's Soccer	–	–	1	–	2	–	–	1	1	–	–	–	4	4
Volleyball	1	1	5	–	3	–	1	5	11	3	–	2	3	–
Women's Golf	1	–	–	–	1	1	5	4	1	–	–	–	1	1
Men's Golf	1	1	–	–	–	–	–	1	2	–	2	–	6	17
Baseball (1963–74)	–	–	–	4	–	–	–	–	–	4	–	–	–	3
Men's Swimming (1963–74)	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	2	–	–	8	–
Wrestling (1963–87)	10	–	–	–	7	3	–	–	–	–	–	–	1	2
Men's Skiing (1963–74)	1	–	–	–	–	4	–	–	–	2	–	–	3	–
Total

Football

• Eastern Washington Eagles football


• Montana Grizzlies football


• Idaho State Bengals football


• 2016 Big Sky Conference football season

Basketball

• Big Sky Conference Men's Basketball Tournament


• Big Sky Conference Women's Basketball Tournament

References

1. 
   ^ "Six intermountain colleges move toward athletic ties". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Idaho. Associated Press. October 30, 1962. p. 8..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
   


2. 
   ^ ^ab Missildine, Harry (February 26, 1963). "Six western schools create Big Sky athletic conference". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. p. 12.
   


3. 
   ^ ^ab "Big Sky is ready for league action". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. February 26, 1963. p. 13.
   


4. 
   ^ Missildine, Harry (February 20, 1963). "The conference should band smoothly". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. p. 12.
   


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   ^ "Officials view sports loop". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. February 25, 1963. p. 13.
   


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   ^ "Big Sky steps up". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. May 24, 1968. p. 12.
   


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   ^ ^ab "Idaho off probation, loop titles dwindle". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Idaho. May 5, 1974. p. 13.
   


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   ^ ^ab "Baseball axed in Big Sky". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Idaho. May 29, 1974. p. 15.
   


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   ^ "Big Sky Set to Celebrate Anniversaries". BigSkyConf.com. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
   


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    ^ "The Summit League Adds The University of North Dakota" (Press release). The Summit League. January 26, 2017. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
    


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    ^ "UND to Join Missouri Valley Football Conference" (Press release). Missouri Valley Football Conference. January 26, 2017. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
    


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    ^ "Big Sky Conference". BigSkyConf.com. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
    


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    ^ Burton, Roy (June 4, 2014). "WSU joins friends/foes as Big Sky brings back men's golf". Standard-Examiner. Ogden, Utah. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
    


14. 
    ^ "Big Sky baseball: split loop planned". Spokane Daily Chronicle. May 19, 1970. p. 13.
    


15. 
    ^ "Vandals list baseball play". Spokane Daily Chronicle. January 28, 1971. p. 22.
    


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    ^ "Big Sky baseball altered; MSU out, NAU in playoffs". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Associated Press. May 19, 1971. p. 13.
    


17. 
    ^ "Key games: Big Sky Conference". Spokane Daily Chronicle. April 23, 1973. p. 17.
    


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    ^ "Vandals Arizona-bound". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. May 29, 1969. p. 13.
    


19. 
    ^ "Baseball champions". Big Sky Conference. Retrieved August 9, 2012.
    


20. 
    ^ "Gonzaga blasts ISU for conference title". Lewiston Morning Tribune. May 22, 1974. p. 15.
    


21. 
    ^ "Idaho (State) drops baseball". Ellensburg Daily Record. (Washington). June 5, 1974. p. 9.
    


22. 
    ^ "Idaho, Gonzaga join new baseball circuit". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). Associated Press. June 24, 1974. p. 16.
    


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    ^ "Boise State drops baseball program". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Idaho. Associated Press. May 6, 1980. p. C1.
    


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    ^ Goodwin, Dale (May 13, 1980). "Baseball's 'out' at Idaho". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. 19.
    


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    ^ "UND to reduce number of sports after 2015-16 season". University of North Dakota. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
    


26. 
    ^ "Gameday at Northern Colorado". University of Northern Colorado. Retrieved April 4, 2015. Stadium Capacity: 8,533
    


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    ^ "The Nest-Basketball, Volleyball, Gymnastics". Sacramento State Athletics. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
    


28. 
    ^ "League Announces Future Conference Football Schedules". Big Sky Conference. Retrieved May 9, 2016.
    


29. 
    ^
    "Friel named Big Sky loop commissioner". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Associated Press. June 8, 1963. p. 2.
    


30. 
    ^ "Frosh can play Sky frosh grid sport: but not Idaho". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Associated Press. November 25, 1970. p. 12.
    


31. 
    ^ ^abc Payne, Bob (May 19, 1971). "New Big Sky commissioner Roning sees fine future". Spokesman-Review. p. 10.
    


32. 
    ^ Newnham, Blaine (January 6, 1977). "A chance in the Sky". Eugene Register-Guard. p. 1C.
    


33. 
    ^ "New Big Sky boss balks at expansion". Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. May 21, 1981. p. 26.
    


34. 
    ^ ^ab "Changing Big Sky prepares for final fling". Moscow-Pullman Daily News. Associated Press. September 1, 1995. p. 1B.
    


35. 
    ^ Staff, Missoulian. "Big Sky commissioner Doug Fullerton to retire in June". Missoulian.com. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
    


36. 
    ^ "Big Sky announces new commissioner". Big Sky Conference. Retrieved April 29, 2016.
    


37. 
    ^ http://cahnrs.wsu.edu/alumni/profile/jack-friel/
    


38. 
    ^ bigskyconf.com – football – 1963–2007 – accessed 2012-04-01
    


39. 
    ^ MSU Bobcats.com – 2009 media guide – Big Sky conference standings – p.93
    

External links

• 
  Official website
  

v t e Big Sky Conference
Full members (all sports)	Eastern Washington Eagles Idaho Vandals Idaho State Bengals Montana Grizzlies and Lady Griz Montana State Bobcats Northern Arizona Lumberjacks Northern Colorado Bears Portland State Vikings Sacramento State Hornets Southern Utah Thunderbirds Weber State Wildcats
Football-only members	Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Mustangs UC Davis Aggies
Men's golf-only members	Binghamton Bearcats Hartford Hawks
Former members	Boise State Broncos Cal State Northridge Matadors Gonzaga Bulldogs Nevada Wolf Pack North Dakota Fighting Hawks

v t e NCAA Division I FCS conferences
Big Sky Conference Big South Conference Colonial Athletic Association Ivy League Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Missouri Valley Football Conference Northeast Conference Ohio Valley Conference Patriot League Pioneer Football League Southern Conference Southland Conference Southwestern Athletic Conference Independents
NCAA Division I Football Championship

This page is only for reference, If you need detailed information, please check here