The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) is a collegiate athletic conference which operates in the western United States, mostly in Colorado with members in Nebraska, New Mexico, and South Dakota. It participates in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)'s Division II.
Founded in 1909, the RMAC is the fifth oldest active college athletic conference in the United States (oldest in Division II) and the sixth to be founded after the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association, the Big Ten Conference, the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association, the Ohio Athletic Conference, and the Missouri Valley Conference. For its first thirty years the RMAC was considered a major conference, equivalent to today's Division I, before seven of its larger members left and formed the Mountain States Conference (also called the Skyline Conference).
The original name of Colorado Faculty Athletic Conference was changed to Rocky Mountain Faculty Athletic Conference (RMFAC) on May 7, 1910. The presidents assumed control of the league from the faculty in 1967 and changed the name to Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. The Colorado Athletic Conference dissolved in 1996 with the RMAC absorbing the remaining CAC teams.
Reclassifying member in yellow.
Colorado–Colorado Springs — was an affiliate member in 1996–97.
Fort Lewis College — was an affiliate member in 1990–1994.
Dixie State — football is an affiliate member in 2016–2018.
Reclassifying member in yellow.
California Baptist — will join the NCAA Division I Western Athletic Conference in 2018.
Lindenwood — swimming & diving (M / W) was an affiliate member in 2014–2016.
Nebraska–Kearney — was a full member in 1989–90, and in 1994–2012.
Denver — was an affiliate member in 1996–97.
Fort Hays State — wrestling was an affiliate member in 2006–2012.
There have been 48 different schools associated with the RMAC either through full or associate membership. Of those schools only the Colorado School of Mines has been with the conference every year since it was founded in 1909.
Full member (all sports) Full member (non-football) Associate member (football-only) Associate member (sport)
1909: The Colorado Faculty Athletic Conference was formed on March 6 with four charter members: University of Colorado, Colorado A&M (now Colorado State University), Colorado College and Colorado School of Mines.
1910: The league changed its name to the Rocky Mountain Faculty Athletic Conference (RFMAC). The University of Denver and University of Utah join the league, but Colorado College drops out after a fallout with Colorado School of Mines. Membership is at five schools.
1914: Colorado College rejoins the RFMAC. Utah State University also joins the league to bring membership up to seven.
1917: Montana State University joins the conference.
1918: Brigham Young University joins the league as the ninth member.
1921: The University of Wyoming joins the conference.
1924: Western State College and the University of Northern Colorado join the league, giving the RFMAC 12 members.
1937: Colorado, Colorado State, Brigham Young, Utah, Utah State, Wyoming and Denver leave the conference to form the Skyline Conference. The five remaining members of the RFMAC were Colorado College, Colorado Mines, Montana State, Northern Colorado and Western State.
1948: Idaho State University joins as the sixth member.
1956: Adams State College joins the conference as the seventh member.
1958: Idaho State leaves the conference.
1959: Montana State leaves the conference, membership is back down to five.
1967: The RFMAC changes its name to the current Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC). Eleven schools join the conference in 1967. They were: Emporia State University, Fort Hays State University, Fort Lewis College, the University of Nebraska at Omaha, Pittsburg State University, the University of Southern Colorado (now Colorado State University-Pueblo), Southern Utah State University, Regis University, Washburn University, Western New Mexico University and Westminster College of Utah. Colorado College is not included in this new league. The new league divided into two divisions: Mountains and Plains.
1968: New Mexico Highlands University joins the RMAC.
1969: New Mexico Highlands leaves the RMAC due to financial aid restrictions.
1972: For economic reasons, the two divisions were split into two separate conferences. The Mountain Division kept the RMAC name while the Plains Division became known as the Great Plains Athletic Conference. The two allied conferences worked under the name of the Mountain and Plains Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MPIAA). RMAC membership stood at eight with Adams State, Colorado Mines, Fort Lewis, Regis, Southern Utah State, Western New Mexico, Western State and Westminster. Northern Colorado ended up leaving the association to become an independent.
1974: New Mexico Highlands rejoins the RMAC as the ninth member.
1975: Mesa State College becomes the 10th member of the RMAC.
1976: The MPIAA was dissolved for economic reasons and the two conferences went their separate ways. Colorado State University-Pueblo switched conferences and joined the RMAC as its 11th member.
1978: The RMAC beings sponsoring women's championships.
1979: Westminster drops athletics and as a result leaves the RMAC, leaving the league with 10 members.
1983: Regis leaves the RMAC to become an independent, leaving the league with nine teams.
1986: Southern Utah State left the league, dropping membership to eight.
1988: New Mexico Highlands withdraws from the conference to shrink the membership to seven schools.
1989: Chadron State College, Fort Hays State University, Kearney State College (now University of Nebraska at Kearney) and Wayne State College announce intentions to join.
1990: Wayne State College and Kearney State College withdraw their interest in joining the league. Western New Mexico and Colorado State University-Pueblo announce that they are leaving the RMAC. Fort Lewis announces their intention to leave, however they stay on as an associate member of the conference. New Mexico Highlands rejoins the RMAC.
1992: The RMAC becomes affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level.
1994: Fort Lewis once again became a full member of the RMAC. Nebraska-Kearney also was voted into membership.
1996: Colorado Christian University and Metropolitan State College join the RMAC. Regis and Colorado State University-Pueblo rejoin the league. All four are full members. Also, the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs and the University of Denver join the RMAC as affiliate and associate members, respectively. The RMAC, now comprising fourteen schools, splits into two seven-team divisions.
1997: Denver leaves to move up to Division I. Colorado-Colorado Springs becomes a full member. San Francisco State joins the RMAC as an associate member in wrestling only.
2006: Fort Hays State leaves the RMAC for the MIAA (FHSU does remain in the RMAC as an associate member in wrestling). Western New Mexico rejoins the conference, keeping membership at 14 schools.
2007: Grand Canyon University joins the RMAC as an associate member only in wrestling. Montana State University-Billings joins the RMAC as an associate member for women's golf and men's and women's tennis.
2008: Texas-Permian Basin and the University of the Incarnate Word join the RMAC as associate members for swimming only.
2009: Northern State University and Minnesota State University-Moorhead join the RMAC as associate members in swimming.
2012: Nebraska-Kearney will leave the RMAC to join the MIAA. Black Hills State University moves up from the NAIA to NCAA Division II and will join the RMAC to keep the number of full members at 14.
2014: South Dakota School of Mines and Technology joins the RMAC.
2015: Westminster College (Utah) will re-join the RMAC.
‡ — D-I sport
