West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

History

Chronological timeline

• 1924 – The West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference was founded. Charter members included Alderson College, Bethany College, Broaddus College, Concord State Normal School, Davis & Elkins College, Fairmont State Normal School, Glenville State Normal School, the Keyser Preparatory Branch of West Virginia University, Marshall College, Morris Harvey College, New River State School, Salem College, Shepherd College, West Liberty State Teachers College, the West Virginia University and West Virginia Wesleyan College, beginning the 1924–25 academic year.
• 1927 – West Virginia left the WVIAC after the 1926–27 academic year.
• 1929 – Morehead State Normal and Teachers College joined the WVIAC in the 1929–30 academic year.
• 1932 – Alderson–Broaddus College joined the WVIAC due to the merger of both Alderson and Broaddus Colleges in the 1932–33 academic year.
• 1933 – Two institutions left the WVIAC to join their respective new home primary conferences, both effective after the 1932–33 academic year:
• * Marshall to the Buckeye Conference
• * and Morehead State to fully align with the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
• 1939 – Marshall rejoined the WVIAC as a non-competing member in the 1939–40 academic year.
• 1946 – Mountain State University joined the WVIAC in the 1946–47 academic year.
• 1948 – Marshall left the WVIAC for a second time to join the University Division ranks of the National Collegiate Athletic Association and the Ohio Valley Conference after the 1947–48 academic year.
• 1955 – Bluefield State College and West Virginia State College joined the WVIAC in the 1955–56 academic year.
• 1957 – Wheeling College joined the WVIAC in the 1957–58 academic year.
• 1962 – Bethany left the WVIAC to fully align with the Presidents' Athletic Conference after the 1961–62 academic year.
• 1963 – Potomac State left the WVIAC after the 1962–63 academic year.
• 1977 – Mountain State left the WVIAC after the 1976–77 academic year.
• 1986 – West Virginia Wesleyan left the WVIAC after the 1985–86 academic year.
• 1988 – West Virginia Wesleyan rejoined the WVIAC in the 1988–89 academic year.
• 1993 – The WVIAC joined the NCAA ranks, while still being affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, beginning the 1993–94 academic year.
• 1995 – The WVIAC had achieved full membership status within the NCAA Division II ranks after years being mostly affiliated in the NAIA, beginning the 1995–96 academic year.
• 1999 – Ohio Valley University joined the WVIAC in the 1999–2000 academic year.
• 2006:
• * West Virginia Tech left the WVIAC to return to the NAIA and join the Mid-South Conference after the 2005–06 academic year.
• * The University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown and Seton Hill University joined the WVIAC as provisional members in the 2006–07 academic year; becoming the first two institutions to join the conference from outside the state of West Virginia since the departure of Morehead in 1933.
• 2010 – Salem left the WVIAC to become an NCAA D-II Independent after the 2009–10 academic year.
• 2013 – The WVIAC ceased operations as an athletic conference after the 2012–13 academic year; as many schools left to join their respective new home primary conferences, beginning the 2013–14 academic year. The only school since the conference's breakup who hadn't still found a new conference home was Bluefield State, which ultimately ended up as a D-II Independent alongside former member Salem :
• * Alderson–Broaddus, Davis & Elkins and Ohio Valley joined the Great Midwest Athletic Conference
• * Concord, Charleston, Fairmont State, Glenville State, Shepherd, West Liberty, West Virginia State, West Virginia Wesleyan and Wheeling Jesuit joined alongside Notre Dame College of Ohio, Urbana University, and the University of Virginia's College at Wise to form the Mountain East Conference
• * and Pittsburgh–Johnstown and Seton Hill joined the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference

  WVIAC breakup

Member schools at breakup

Member schools leaving before 2013

Membership timeline