As of August 2021, SAC member institutions have collected 109 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) team championships – the most among NAIA conferences – since the league formed in 1978.
The SAC crowns league champions in 18 intercollegiate sports – nine for women and nine for men. Women's sports are basketball, softball, golf, tennis, cross country, soccer, volleyball, indoor track & field, outdoor track & field, and wrestling. Men's sports are football, basketball, baseball, golf, tennis, cross country, indoor track & field, outdoor track & field, soccer, and wrestling. The newest conference sport is women's wrestling, added for the 2019–20 season.
The conference is known for a rich basketball tradition. Member schools have won the men's NAIA tournament 12 times and women's NAIA tournament 16 times. SAC member schools also boast 14 NAIA national titles in men's golf, 13 in softball, 12 in women's indoor track and field, 10 in women's golf, 10 in men's cross country, 6 in men's tennis, 5 in women's outdoor track and field, 4 in men's outdoor track and field, 4 in men's indoor track and field, 2 in baseball, 2 in competitive cheer, and 1 in men's soccer for a total of 111.[1]
Throughout the league's history, the SAC continues to be known as the conference "Where Champions Play". Various institutions have competed under the SAC banner over the years. Today only the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma remains from the original group that was formed when Bethany Nazarene (now Southern Nazarene), Oklahoma Baptist, Oklahoma Christian, and Phillips University withdrew from the Texoma Conference to form the SAC.
Membership has changed over the years with today's current members being admitted as follows: Oklahoma City (1986), Wayland Baptist (1994), John Brown (1995), Mid-America Christian (2007), Southwestern Assemblies of God (2013), Texas Wesleyan (2013), Southwestern Christian (2013), Bacone (2014), Central Christian (2017), Oklahoma Panhandle State (2017), and North Texas–Dallas (2020).
The league also includes associate members on a per-sport basis, with University of Houston–Victoria, University of the Southwest, and University of St. Thomas being part of the SAC in women's golf since 2017. Lyon College has been an associate member for women's wrestling since 2019.
Past members of the SAC include: Oklahoma Baptist, Oklahoma Christian, Southern Nazarene, Rogers State, Lubbock Christian, Northwestern Oklahoma State, Northwood, St. Gregory's and Bacone.
The league also includes associate members on a per-sport basis. Arizona Christian University, Lyon (Ark.) College, Ottawa University-Arizona and Texas College became SAC members for football in 2018-19 with Louisiana College joining for 2021–22.
2014 - Northwood–Texas left the Sooner as the school announced that it would close after the 2013-14 academic year.
2015 - Oklahoma Baptist left the Sooner and the NAIA to join the NCAA Division II ranks and the GAC after the 2014-15 academic year.
2015 - Bacone College joined the Sooner in the 2015-16 academic year.
2017 - St. Gregory's (Okla.) left the Sooner as the school announced that it would close at the end of the fall 2017 semester during the 2017-18 academic year.
2019 - St. Thomas (Tex.) left the Sooner as an associate member for women's golf, as the school announced to move up to the NCAA Division III ranks and the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) after the 2019 spring season (2018-19 academic year).
2019 - Cleary University joined the Sooner as an associate member for men's wrestling, while Lyon added women's wrestling to its Sooner associate membership, both effective in the 2019-20 academic year.
2020 - Cleary, Indiana Tech, Lourdes and Rochester left the Sooner as associate members for men's wrestling after the 2019-20 academic year.
2021 - North Texas–Dallas has upgraded to full membership within the Sooner in the 2021-22 academic year.
2021 - Louisiana College (now Louisiana Christian University) joined the Sooner as an associate member for football in the 2021 fall season (2021-22 academic year).
2022 - Lyon announced that it will leave the Sooner and the NAIA as an associate member for football to join the NCAA Division III ranks after the 2022 fall season (2022-23 academic year).
2022 - Arizona Christian announced that it will leave the Sooner as an associate member for football to join the Frontier Conference for that sport after the 2022 fall season (2022-23 academic year).
Member schools
Current members
The Sooner currently has 12 full members, all but four are private schools:
^Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
^John Brown left the SAC after the 1982–83 school year; before re-joining in the 1995–96 school year.
^North Texas–Dallas joined the SAC as an associate during the 2020–21 school year (in transition); before becoming a full member in the SAC for all sports in the 2021–22 school year.
^USAO left the SAC after the 1993–94 school year; before re-joining in the 2000–01 school year.
Associate members
The Sooner currently has seven associate members, all but one are private schools:
^"UNT Dallas newest Sooner Athletic Conference member". Midwest Sports Net. June 11, 2020. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
^"Louisiana College accepted into NAIA, joins RRAC and SAC". Crescent City Sports. October 5, 2020. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
External links
Official website
April 23, 2023
sooner, athletic, conference, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jsto. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Sooner Athletic Conference news newspapers books scholar JSTOR June 2020 Learn how and when to remove this template message The Sooner Athletic Conference SAC is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics NAIA Originally developed as a five team conference of Oklahoma based schools the SAC now boasts 12 schools in a league that spans four states Arkansas Kansas Oklahoma and Texas Sooner Athletic ConferenceAssociationNAIAFounded1978CommissionerJohn MartinSports fielded18 men s 9 women s 9No of teams12RegionSouth Central United StatesOfficial websitesoonerathletic orgAs of August 2021 SAC member institutions have collected 109 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics NAIA team championships the most among NAIA conferences since the league formed in 1978 The SAC crowns league champions in 18 intercollegiate sports nine for women and nine for men Women s sports are basketball softball golf tennis cross country soccer volleyball indoor track amp field outdoor track amp field and wrestling Men s sports are football basketball baseball golf tennis cross country indoor track amp field outdoor track amp field soccer and wrestling The newest conference sport is women s wrestling added for the 2019 20 season The conference is known for a rich basketball tradition Member schools have won the men s NAIA tournament 12 times and women s NAIA tournament 16 times SAC member schools also boast 14 NAIA national titles in men s golf 13 in softball 12 in women s indoor track and field 10 in women s golf 10 in men s cross country 6 in men s tennis 5 in women s outdoor track and field 4 in men s outdoor track and field 4 in men s indoor track and field 2 in baseball 2 in competitive cheer and 1 in men s soccer for a total of 111 1 Contents 1 History 1 1 Chronological timeline 2 Member schools 2 1 Current members 2 2 Associate members 2 3 Former members 2 4 Former associate members 2 5 Membership timeline 3 References 4 External linksHistory EditSooner Athletic Conference Graphs are temporarily unavailable due to technical issues Interactive fullscreen map Location of SAC members current Throughout the league s history the SAC continues to be known as the conference Where Champions Play Various institutions have competed under the SAC banner over the years Today only the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma remains from the original group that was formed when Bethany Nazarene now Southern Nazarene Oklahoma Baptist Oklahoma Christian and Phillips University withdrew from the Texoma Conference to form the SAC Membership has changed over the years with today s current members being admitted as follows Oklahoma City 1986 Wayland Baptist 1994 John Brown 1995 Mid America Christian 2007 Southwestern Assemblies of God 2013 Texas Wesleyan 2013 Southwestern Christian 2013 Bacone 2014 Central Christian 2017 Oklahoma Panhandle State 2017 and North Texas Dallas 2020 The league also includes associate members on a per sport basis with University of Houston Victoria University of the Southwest and University of St Thomas being part of the SAC in women s golf since 2017 Lyon College has been an associate member for women s wrestling since 2019 Past members of the SAC include Oklahoma Baptist Oklahoma Christian Southern Nazarene Rogers State Lubbock Christian Northwestern Oklahoma State Northwood St Gregory s and Bacone The league also includes associate members on a per sport basis Arizona Christian University Lyon Ark College Ottawa University Arizona and Texas College became SAC members for football in 2018 19 with Louisiana College joining for 2021 22 Chronological timeline Edit 1978 The Sooner Athletic Conference SAC was founded Charter members included Bethany Nazarene College now Southern Nazarene University Oklahoma Baptist University Oklahoma Christian University Phillips University and the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma USAO beginning the 1978 79 academic year 1980 John Brown University joined the Sooner in the 1980 81 academic year 1983 John Brown left the Sooner to become an NAIA Independent after the 1982 83 academic year 1986 Oklahoma City University joined the Sooner in the 1986 87 academic year 1994 USAO left the Sooner to join the Oklahoma Intercollegiate Conference OIC after the 1993 94 academic year 1994 Lubbock Christian University and Wayland Baptist University joined the Sooner in the 1994 95 academic year 1995 John Brown re joined Sooner in the 1995 96 academic year 1998 Phillips left the Sooner as the school announced that it would close after the 1997 98 academic year 1999 St Gregory s University joined the Sooner in the 1999 2000 academic year 2000 USAO re joined Sooner in the 2000 01 academic year 2002 Northwestern Oklahoma State University joined the Sooner in the 2002 03 academic year 2007 Mid America Christian University and Rogers State University joined the Sooner in the 2007 08 academic year 2012 Three institutions left the Sooner and the NAIA to join the Division II ranks of the National Collegiate Athletic Association NCAA and to join their respective new home primary conferences Northwestern Oklahoma State and Southern Nazarene to the Great American Conference GAC and Oklahoma Christian to the Heartland Conference after the 2011 12 academic year 2013 Lubbock Christian and Rogers State left the Sooner and joined the NCAA Division II ranks and the Heartland after the 2012 13 academic year 2013 Northwood University Texas Southwestern Assemblies of God University Southwestern Christian University and Texas Wesleyan University joined the Sooner in the 2013 14 academic year 2014 Northwood Texas left the Sooner as the school announced that it would close after the 2013 14 academic year 2015 Oklahoma Baptist left the Sooner and the NAIA to join the NCAA Division II ranks and the GAC after the 2014 15 academic year 2015 Bacone College joined the Sooner in the 2015 16 academic year 2017 St Gregory s Okla left the Sooner as the school announced that it would close at the end of the fall 2017 semester during the 2017 18 academic year 2017 Central Christian College of Kansas and Oklahoma Panhandle State University joined the Sooner in the 2017 18 academic year 2017 Five institutions joined the Sooner as associate members Indiana Institute of Technology Indiana Tech and Lourdes University for men s wrestling while the University of Houston Victoria the University of the Southwest and the University of St Thomas for women s golf all effective in the 2017 18 academic year 2018 Langston University joined the Sooner in the 2018 19 academic year 2018 Five institutions joined the Sooner as associate members Arizona Christian University Lyon College Ottawa University Arizona and Texas College for football and Rochester University for men s wrestling in the 2018 19 academic year 2019 Bacone left the Sooner to become an NAIA Independent as part of the Association of Independent Institutions AII after the 2018 19 academic year 2019 St Thomas Tex left the Sooner as an associate member for women s golf as the school announced to move up to the NCAA Division III ranks and the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference SCAC after the 2019 spring season 2018 19 academic year 2019 Cleary University joined the Sooner as an associate member for men s wrestling while Lyon added women s wrestling to its Sooner associate membership both effective in the 2019 20 academic year 2020 Cleary Indiana Tech Lourdes and Rochester left the Sooner as associate members for men s wrestling after the 2019 20 academic year 2020 The University of North Texas at Dallas joined the Sooner as a provisional member for some sports in the 2020 21 academic year 2021 North Texas Dallas has upgraded to full membership within the Sooner in the 2021 22 academic year 2021 Louisiana College now Louisiana Christian University joined the Sooner as an associate member for football in the 2021 fall season 2021 22 academic year 2022 Lyon announced that it will leave the Sooner and the NAIA as an associate member for football to join the NCAA Division III ranks after the 2022 fall season 2022 23 academic year 2022 Arizona Christian announced that it will leave the Sooner as an associate member for football to join the Frontier Conference for that sport after the 2022 fall season 2022 23 academic year Member schools EditCurrent members Edit The Sooner currently has 12 full members all but four are private schools Institution Location Founded Affiliation Enrollment Nickname Joined a Central Christian College of Kansas McPherson Kansas 1884 Free Methodist 1 013 Tigers 2017John Brown University Siloam Springs Arkansas 1919 Interdenominational 2 708 Golden Eagles 1980 1995 b Langston University Langston Oklahoma 1897 Public HBCU 2 554 Lions 2018Mid America Christian University MACU Oklahoma City Oklahoma 1953 Church of God 2 405 Evangels 2007University of North Texas at Dallas UNT Dallas Dallas Texas 2000 Public 4 100 Trailblazers 2020 c 2 Oklahoma City University Oklahoma City Oklahoma 1904 United Methodist 2 968 Stars 1986Oklahoma Panhandle State University Goodwell Oklahoma 1909 Public 1 207 Aggies 2017University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma USAO Chickasha Oklahoma 1908 Public 813 Drovers 1978 2000 d Southwestern Assemblies of God University SAGU Waxahachie Texas 1927 Assemblies of God 2 080 Lions 2013Southwestern Christian University Bethany Oklahoma 1946 Pentecostal 764 Eagles 2013Texas Wesleyan University Fort Worth Texas 1890 United Methodist 2 373 Rams 2013Wayland Baptist University Plainview Texas 1908 Baptist 5 077 Pioneers 1994Notes Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins John Brown left the SAC after the 1982 83 school year before re joining in the 1995 96 school year North Texas Dallas joined the SAC as an associate during the 2020 21 school year in transition before becoming a full member in the SAC for all sports in the 2021 22 school year USAO left the SAC after the 1993 94 school year before re joining in the 2000 01 school year Associate members Edit The Sooner currently has seven associate members all but one are private schools Institution Location Founded Affiliation Enrollment Nickname Joined a Soonersport PrimaryconferenceArizona Christian University Glendale Arizona 1960 Nondenominational 820 Firestorm 2018 football Golden State GSAC Arkansas Baptist College Little Rock Arkansas 1884 Baptist 525 Buffaloes 2021 men s wrestling ContinentalUniversity of Houston Victoria Victoria Texas 1973 Public UH System 4 407 Jaguars 2017 women s golf Red River RRAC Jarvis Christian University b Hawkins Texas 1912 Disciples of Christ 550 Bulldogs 2021 men s wrestling Red River RRAC Louisiana Christian University c Pineville Louisiana 1906 Baptist 1 200 Wildcats 2021 3 football Red River RRAC Lyon College Batesville Arkansas 1872 Presbyterian PCUSA 700 Scots 2018fb 2019w wr football women s wrestling American MidwestOttawa University Arizona Surprise Arizona 2017 American Baptist 750 Spirit 2018 football Golden State GSAC University of the Southwest Hobbs New Mexico 1956 Nondenominational 550 Mustangs 2017 women s golf Red River RRAC Texas College Tyler Texas 1894 C M E Church 972 Steers 2018 football Red River RRAC Notes Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins Formerly known as Jarvis Christian College until 2022 Formerly known as Louisiana College until late 2021 during the 2021 22 school year Former members Edit The Sooner had ten former full members all but two were private schools Institution Location Founded Affiliation Enrollment Nickname Joined a Left b CurrentconferenceBacone College Muskogee Oklahoma 1880 Tribal college c 900 Warriors 2015 2019 ContinentalLubbock Christian University Lubbock Texas 1957 Churchesof Christ 2 100 Chaparrals 1994 2013 Lone Star LSC d Northwestern Oklahoma State University Alva Oklahoma 1897 Public 1 857 Rangers 2002 2012 Great American GAC d Northwood University Texas Cedar Hill Texas 1966 Nonsectarian N A Knights 2013 2014 Closed in 2014Oklahoma Baptist University Shawnee Oklahoma 1910 Baptist 2 097 Bison 1978 2015 Great American GAC d Oklahoma Christian University Oklahoma City Oklahoma 1950 Churchesof Christ 2 479 Eagles amp Lady Eagles 1978 2012 Lone Star LSC d Phillips University Enid Oklahoma 1906 Disciplesof Christ N A Haymakers 1978 1998 Closed in 1998Rogers State University Claremore Oklahoma 1909 Public 4 300 Hillcats 2007 2013 Mid America MIAA d St Gregory s University Shawnee Oklahoma 1875 Catholic Benedictines N A Cavaliers 1999 2018 e Closed in 2017Southern Nazarene University Bethany Oklahoma 1899 Nazarene 2 110 CrimsonStorm 1978 2012 Great American GAC d Notes Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins Represents the calendar year when spring sports competition ends Formerly affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA ABCUSA until 2018 a b c d e f Currently an NCAA Division II athletic conference Closed at the end of the fall 2017 semester 2017 18 school year Former associate members Edit The Sooner had five former associate members all were private schools Institution Location Founded Affiliation Enrollment Nickname Joined a Left b Soonersport CurrentconferenceCleary University Howell Michigan 1883 Nonsectarian 600 Cougars 2019 2020 men s wrestling Wolverine Hoosier WHAC Indiana Institute of Technology Fort Wayne Indiana 1930 Nonsectarian 7 000 Warriors 2017Lourdes University Sylvania Ohio 1958 Catholic 1 500 Gray Wolves 2017Rochester University Rochester Hills Michigan 1959 Churches of Christ 1 100 Warriors 2018University of St Thomas Houston Texas 1947 Catholic 1 626 Celts 2017 2019 women s golf Southern SCAC c Notes Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins Represents the calendar year when spring sports competition ends Currently an NCAA Division III athletic conference Membership timeline Edit Full member all sports Full member non football Associate member football only Associate member sport References Edit Conference History UNT Dallas newest Sooner Athletic Conference member Midwest Sports Net June 11 2020 Retrieved July 28 2020 Louisiana College accepted into NAIA joins RRAC and SAC Crescent City Sports October 5 2020 Retrieved November 1 2020 External links EditOfficial website Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Sooner Athletic Conference amp oldid 1146325710, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
