Category:Big Sky Conference History

[edit] History

The Big Sky Conference was established in 1963 by six charter members; Idaho, Idaho State, Gonzaga, Montana, Montana State and Weber State. Those six schools formed the foundation of the Big Sky before the league expanded in 1970 by adding Boise State and Northern Arizona. Gonzaga would leave the Big Sky in 1979 and was replaced by Nevada, which gave the conference eight members. The league grew to nine schools in 1987 when Eastern Washington was admitted. In 1992 Nevada departed and put the Big Sky back at eight teams. In 1996 Boise State and Idaho left and at the same time the conference added Portland State, Sacramento State and Cal State Northridge. The Big Sky maintained nine teams for five years before Cal State Northridge departed in the spring of 2001, which gave the Big Sky its current makeup.