Northwest Conference
The Northwest Conference is an intercollegiate athletic conference which competes in the NCAA's Division III. Member teams are located in the states of Oregon and Washington. It was known as the Pacific Northwest Conference from 1925 to 1984.
History
The original Northwest Conference was formed on February 8, 1908 when Whitman College invited the other leading educational institutions of the Northwest to form an athletic conference. The resulting conference placed small, private Whitman College alongside the five large, public, state universities of and agricultural colleges of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho.In 1915, Washington, Oregon, and Oregon Agricultural joined with California to form the Pacific Coast Conference but continued to hold dual-membership in the Northwest Conference. Over the next several years, the PCC added more large schools from the Northwest and California. The Northwest Conference likewise expanded by adding Montana, Willamette, Pacific, and Gonzaga.
This two-conference situation lasted until December 1925. At the annual dual meeting of the Northwest Conference and Pacific Coast Conference schools, the large colleges and universities announced they would continue solely in the PCC. At the same time, the smaller colleges announced that they had already organized into a new conference, adding members and retaining the name and eligibility requirements of the prior Northwest Conference. Officials of both conferences "emphasized the fact that the move was entirely harmonious and for mutual advantage." Only Gonzaga was left without a conference.
The charter members of the new Northwest Conference included Willamette University, Pacific University, Whitman College, the College of Puget Sound, Linfield College, and the College of Idaho. In 1931, Albany College joined, left in 1938, and re-joined in 1949 using its present name of Lewis & Clark College. Pacific Lutheran University was added in 1965, and Whitworth University in 1970. In 1978, the College of Idaho dropped out of the conference. Whitworth also left in 1984, but then returned in 1988. In 1996, George Fox University joined when the conference moved to the NCAA and Puget Sound re-joined in that same year since 1948. From 2006 to 2010, Menlo College was also a part of the conference as an associate member in football.
For 60 years, the NWC sponsored sports exclusively for men, but in 1984 it joined with the Women's Conference of Independent Colleges to become the Northwest Conference of Independent Colleges, shortening the name to its current moniker in 1996 when it joined the NCAA.
The College of Idaho reinstated its football program in 2014 after a 37-year hiatus and joined the Frontier Conference for football. College of Idaho is now a member of the NAIA's Cascade Collegiate Conference for other sports. Whitworth left the NWC in 1984 but returned in 1988. George Fox University and Seattle University joined the conference in 1997. Seattle dropped out again in 1999 to become members of NCAA Division II. Menlo College joined the conference in 2005 as a football-only member.
Chronological timeline
- 1925 – The NWC was founded as the Pacific Northwest Conference. Charter members include the College of Idaho, Linfield College, Pacific University, the College of Puget Sound, Whitman College and Willamette University, beginning the 1925–26 academic year.
- 1931 – Albany College joined the PNWC in the 1931–32 academic year.
- 1938 – Lewis & Clark left the PNWC after the 1937–38 academic year.
- 1948 – Puget Sound left the PNWC after the 1947–48 academic year.
- 1949 – Lewis & Clark rejoined the PNWC in the 1949–50 academic year.
- 1965 – Pacific Lutheran College joined the PNWC in the 1965–66 academic year.
- 1970 – Whitworth College joined the PNWC in the 1970–71 academic year.
- 1978 – The College of Idaho left the PNWC after the 1977–78 academic year.
- 1984:
- * Whitworth left the PNWC after the 1983–84 academic year.
- * The PNWC merged with the Women's Conference of Independent Colleges to become the Northwest Conference of Independent Colleges, therefore adding women's sports in the conference, beginning the 1984–85 academic year.
- 1988 – Whitworth rejoined the NCIC in the 1988–89 academic year.
- 1995 – George Fox College joined the NCIC in the 1995–96 academic year.
- 1996:
- * Puget Sound rejoined the NCIC in the 1996–97 academic year.
- * The NCIC has rebranded its name to become the Northwest Conference, beginning the 1996–97 academic year.
- * The NWC has joined full membership in the Division III ranks of the National Collegiate Athletic Association after years spent in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, beginning the 1996–97 academic year.
- 1997 – Seattle University joined the NWC in the 1997–98 academic year.
- 1999 – Seattle left the NWC to join the NCAA Division II ranks and the Pacific West Conference after the 1998–99 academic year.
- 2006 – Menlo College joined the NWC as an associate member for football in the 2006 fall season.
- 2011 – Menlo left the NWC as an associate member for football after the 2010 fall season.
- 2017 – Mills College joined the NWC as an associate member for women's rowing for the 2018 spring season
- 2022 - Mills left the NWC as an associate member for women's rowing after the 2022 spring season ; as the school merged with Northeastern University and put their athletics programs on hold.
Member schools
Current members
The NWC currently has nine full members, all are private schools:| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined | Colors | Football? |
| George Fox University | Newberg, Oregon | 1885 | Quakers | 4,039 | Bruins | 1996 | Yes | |
| Lewis & Clark College | Portland, Oregon | 1867 | Nonsectarian | 2,205 | Pioneers | 1931; 1949 | Yes | |
| Linfield University | McMinnville, Oregon | 1858 | Baptist | 1,755 | Wildcats | 1926 | Yes | |
| Pacific University | Forest Grove, Oregon | 1849 | United Church of Christ | 3,589 | Boxers | 1926 | Yes | |
| Pacific Lutheran University | Parkland, Washington | 1890 | Lutheran ELCA | 3,100 | Lutes | 1965 | Yes | |
| University of Puget Sound | Tacoma, Washington | 1888 | United Methodist | 2,600 | Loggers | 1926; 1996 | Yes | |
| Whitman College | Walla Walla, Washington | 1859 | Nonsectarian | 1,544 | Blues | 1926 | No | |
| Whitworth University | Spokane, Washington | 1890 | Presbyterian | 2,220 | Pirates | 1970; 1988 | Yes | |
| Willamette University | Salem, Oregon | 1842 | Methodist Mission | 2,402 | Bearcats | 1926 | Yes |
;Notes
Former members
The NWC had two former full members, both were private schools:| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined | Left | Colors | Current conference |
| College of Idaho | Caldwell, Idaho | 1891 | Presbyterian | 1,042 | Yotes | 1926 | 1978 | Cascade | |
| Seattle University | Seattle, Washington | 1891 | Catholic | 7,755 | Redhawks | 1997 | 1999 | West Coast |
;Notes
Former associate members
The NWC had two former associate members, both were private schools:| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined | Left | Colors | Current conference | NWC sport |
| Menlo College | Atherton, California | 1927 | Nonsectarian | 750 | Oaks | 2006 | 2011 | Pacific West | Football | |
| Mills College | Oakland, California | 1852 | Nonsectarian | 1,345 | Cyclones | 2017 | 2022 | N/A | Women's rowing |
;Notes
Membership timeline
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