The Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association (TIAA) was the name of two different Texas-based college sports association that operated from 1909 to 1932 and then from 1976 to 1997. From 1976 till its dissolution, it was an NCAA-affiliated Division III college athletic association.
Founded in 1909 by Southwestern University, Austin College, Texas Christian University, Texas, Texas A&M, Baylor University and Trinity University the TIAA had a changing set of members that spun off into the Southwest Conference, Lone Star Conference and the Texas Conference. The league had been formed to rid college athletics of objectionable elements like gambling and place them entirely under the control of the schools. At first the league worked well, but soon the disparity in the sizes of the schools became an issue. The large state schools, with bigger stadiums and crowds, began to refuse to travel to the smaller schools and insisted on playing that at home.
This battle between the large and small schools led to the first big change in 1914, when Texas, A&M, Baylor and Southwestern left to form the Southwest Conference, with some considering themselves to be members of both. After two seasons, Southwestern left the Southwest conference and returned to the TIAA. The conferences became completely separate in 1917. In 1922, TIAA expanded by including North Texas. In 1923, TCU left to join the Southwest Conference and in 1924, Rice followed suit.
In 1925 the TIAA was split between members who wanted to allow freshmen and transfers to play and schools that did not. This fault line also separated the teachers colleges that had joined over the years and the church-sponsored schools that had been founders. In May 1925 those that wanted to allow them to play, Trinity, Simmons, Austin College, Howard Payne, Southwestern and Daniel Baker left to form the Texas Conference, but they agreed to play out the fall 1925 football season within the TIAA. Play within the Texas Conference began with the 1926 basketball season. The five departing schools were all church supported and agreed to ally themselves "along denominational lines."
By 1930, the TIAA had expanded back to 11 members. This included teachers colleges such as Sul Ross, West Texas, East Texas, North Texas, Sam Houston, Stephen F. Austin, and Southwest Texas as well as Abilene Christian College, Daniel Baker, Texas A&I and McMurry. But in May 1931, five TIAA schools joined together to form the Lone Star Conference. These were Sam Houston, Stephen F. Austin, East Texas, Southwest Texas and North Texas. As a result, the conference was dissolved in 1932. Many of the members became independents and eventually wound up in the short-lived Alamo Conference.
Description and members
Members over the years have included, but not been limited to Rice University, Howard Payne University, TCU, Southwestern University, Austin College, Trinity University, Hardin-Simmons University, SMU, Daniel Baker College, The University of Texas, Southwest Texas State, Sam Houston State, Texas A&M, Baylor, North Texas State and Stephen F. Austin State University.
When the association dissolved in 1997, most of the teams joined the newly formed American Southwest Conference which included teams from other states.
At the time of its dissolution it consisted of:
Austin College
Hardin-Simmons University
Howard Payne University
Lubbock Christian University
Midwestern State University
McMurry University
Sul Ross State University
Tarleton State University
University of Dallas
1988 Sul Ross State
1989 Tarleton State
1990 Sul Ross State
1991 Tarleton State
1992 Howard Payne
1993 Howard Payne
1994 Howard Payne
1995 Hardin-Simmons
1996 Sul Ross State
1977 Tarleton State
1978 McMurry
1979 McMurry
1980 McMurry
1981 McMurry
1982 McMurry
1983 Lubbock Christian
1984 McMurry/Tarleton State
1985 McMurry
1986 McMurry
1987 McMurry
1988 Howard Payne
1989 Tarleton State
1990 Tarleton State
1991 Tarleton State
1992 Howard Payne/Hardin-Simmons
1993 Hardin-Simmons
1994 McMurry
1995 Howard Payne
1996 Howard Payne/McMurry
1977 Tarleton State
1978 Tarleton State
1979 Tarleton State
1980 Tarleton State
1981 Tarleton State
1982 Tarleton State/McMurry
1983 Tarleton State
1984 Tarleton State
1985 Tarleton State/Sul Ross State
1986 Tarleton State
1987 Sul Ross State
1988 Tarleton State
1989 Tarleton State
1990 Howard Payne
1991 Tarleton State
1992 Sul Ross State
1993 Hardin-Simmons
1994 Hardin-Simmons/Howard Payne
1995 Hardin-Simmons/Howard Payne/Sul Ross State
1996 Hardin-Simmons
Early incarnation
1924 Howard Payne
1925 Southwestern
1926 Daniel Baker
1927 McMurry College
1928 Daniel Baker
1929 Southwest Texas State Teachers College
1930 Sam Houston State Teachers College
1931 North Texas State Teachers College
Later incarnation
1976 Trinity
1977 Tarleton State
1978 Tarleton State
1979 Austin College
1980 McMurry
1981 Austin College/Sul Ross State
1982 Sul Ross State
1983 McMurry/Sul Ross State
1984 Austin College
1985 Austin College/Sul Ross State
1986 Tarleton State
1987 Tarleton State
1988 Austin College
1989 Tarleton State/Howard Payne
1990 Tarleton State
1991 Midwestern State
1992 Howard Payne
1993 Hardin-Simmons
1994 Hardin-Simmons/Midwestern State/Howard Payne
1995 Howard Payne/Hardin-Simmons
1977 McMurry
1978 Trinity
1979 McMurry
1980 McMurry
1981 McMurry
1982 McMurry
1983 McMurry
1984 Tarleton State
1985 Sul Ross State
1986 McMurry
1987 McMurry
1988 Howard Payne
1989 Howard Payne
1990 Tarleton State
1991 Tarleton State
1992 Midwestern State
1993 Hardin-Simmons
1994 McMurry
1995 McMurry
1996 McMurry
1980 Sul Ross State
1981 Sul Ross State
1982 Sul Ross State
1983 Sul Ross State
1984 Austin College
1985 Sul Ross State
1986 Austin College
1987 McMurry
1988 Sul Ross State
1989 Tarleton State
1990 Tarleton State
1991 Tarleton State/Howard Payne
1992 Tarleton State
1993 Hardin-Simmons
1994 Hardin-Simmons
1995 Hardin-Simmons
1996 Hardin-Simmons
1980 Sul Ross State
1981 Sul Ross State
1982 Sul Ross State
1983 Sul Ross State
1984 Austin College
1985 Sul Ross State
1986 Austin College
1987 McMurry
1988 Sul Ross State
1989 Tarleton State
1990 Tarleton State
1991 Tarleton State/Howard Payne
1992 Sul Ross State
1993 Hardin-Simmons
1994 Hardin-Simmons
1995 Hardin-Simmons
1996 Howard Payne
1977 Tarleton State
1978 Tarleton State
1979 Tarleton State
1980 Tarleton State
1981 Tarleton State
1982 Tarleton State
1983 Tarleton State
1984 McMurry
1985 McMurry
1986 Tarleton State
1987 Tarleton State
1988 Tarleton State
1989 Tarleton State
1990 Tarleton State
1991 Tarleton State
1992 Howard Payne
1993 Howard Payne
1994 Howard Payne
1995 Howard Payne
1996 Howard Payne
1977 Tarleton State
1978 Tarleton State
1979 Tarleton State
1980 Sul Ross State
1981 Tarleton State
1982 Tarleton State
1983 Tarleton State
1984 Tarleton State
1985 Tarleton State
1986 Tarleton State
1987 Tarleton State
1988 Tarleton State
1989 Tarleton State
1990 Tarleton State
1991 Tarleton State
1992 Howard Payne
1993 Howard Payne
1994 Howard Payne
1995 Howard Payne
1996 Howard Payne
1976 Sul Ross State
1977 Sul Ross State
1978 Tarleton State
1979 Sul Ross State
1980 Sul Ross State
1981 Sul Ross State
1982 Sul Ross State
1983 Tarleton State
1984 Sul Ross State
1985 Sul Ross State
1986 Sul Ross State
1987 Howard Payne
1988 Tarleton State/Howard Payne
1989 Howard Payne
1990 Howard Payne
1991 Sul Ross State
1992 Howard Payne
1993 Midwestern State
1994 Howard Payne
1995 Howard Payne
