The West Coast Conference
The West Coast Conference, often know as the WCC is a collegiate athletic conference associated with NCAA Division I. It operates across the states of California, Oregon, Washington and Utah.
It was formed in 1952 to provide a venue for five San Francisco Bay Area schools to compete in Basketball. Since then the WCC has evolved to become a nationally recognised and competitive force in intercollegiate athletics.
The conference has 15 league-sponsored sports including Baseball; both men’s and women’s Basketball, Cross-Country, Soccer, Golf, Boxing, Tennis, Beach Volleyball, Volleyball, Softball and Rowing.
The league began in 1952-53 as the California Basketball Association, and included College of the Pacific, Saint Mary’s College, University of San Francisco, San Jose State University, and Santa Clara University. It remained five teams until 1956-57, when Loyola Marymount, Pepperdine, and Fresno State joined the conference, giving it eight teams.
The WCAC shortened its name to West Coast Conference in 1989 and developed a new logo in 1995 that lasted until 2011. Thirty years after its most recent expansion, the WCC welcomed its ninth member by extending an invitation to Brigham Young University in September of 2010. BYU officially joined the West Coast Conference on July 1, 2011, followed by the return of University of the Pacific on July 1, 2013.
Today, the WCC is made up of 10 members. Brigham Young University, Gonzaga University, Loyola Marymount University, Pepperdine University, Portland, University of, Saint Mary’s College of California, San Diego, University of, San Francisco, University of, Santa Clara University and University of the Pacific.
The Conference recognizes championships in each of its sports, has hosted NCAA championship events, and produced 26 NCAA Division I individual or team champions. And, many outstanding WCC student-athletes have gone on to excel in professional sports.
The long and rich history of the WCC demonstrates that success in intercollegiate athletics can be built on the foundation of values, character, and academics.
