The Frontier Conference is a
college athletic conference
In college athletics in the United States, institutions typically join in conferences for regular play under different governing bodies.
Varsity sports
There are several national and regional associations governing the varsity teams of colleges ...
affiliated with the
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) established in 1940, is a college athletics association for colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic scholarships to its stu ...
(NAIA). The conference was founded in 1934. Member institutions are located in the
northwestern United States
The Northwestern United States, also known as the American Northwest or simply the Northwest, is an informal geographic region of the United States. The region consistently includes the states of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. ...
, in the states of
Idaho
Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...
,
Montana
Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...
, and
Oregon
Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
.
History
The Montana Small College Conference (MSCC) was established in 1934 by the five smaller schools (
Montana Technological University
Montana Technological University, popularly known as Montana Tech, is a public university in Butte, Montana. Founded in 1900 as the Montana State School of Mines, the university became affiliated with the University of Montana in 1994. After unde ...
, the
University of Montana Western
The University of Montana Western (UMW) is a public college in Dillon, Montana. It is affiliated with the University of Montana and part of the Montana University System. It was founded in 1893 as Montana State Normal School and was also the Wes ...
,
Montana State University–Northern
Montana State University–Northern (MSU–Northern or Northern) is a public college in Havre, Montana. It is part of the Montana University System and was Northern Montana College prior to the restructuring of Montana's public university syste ...
,
Intermountain Union College and
Billings Polytechnic Institute) in the state. After a few seasons, the MSCC was renamed as the Montana Collegiate Conference (MCC) in 1936, with the additions of
Montana State University Billings
Montana State University Billings (or MSU Billings) is a public university in Billings, Montana. It is the state's third largest university. Its campus is located on 110 acres in downtown Billings. Formerly Eastern Montana Normal School at its ...
and
Carroll College
Carroll College is a private Catholic college in Helena, Montana. The college has 21 buildings on a 63-acre campus, has over 35 academic majors, participates in 15 NAIA athletic sports, and is home to All Saints Chapel. The college motto, in L ...
joining, as well as the merger of International Union and Billings Poly to become
Rocky Mountain College
Rocky Mountain College (Rocky or RMC) is a private college in Billings, Montana. It offers 50 liberal arts and professional majors in 24 undergraduate disciplines. In fall 2013, the college had 1069 enrolled students. It is affiliated with the ...
. After nearly three decades, the conference reestablished itself under its current moniker in November 1966, containing the same six schools until 1974. The
University of Providence
The University of Providence (UP, formerly University of Great Falls) is a private Roman Catholic university in Great Falls, Montana. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.
History
The University of Provide ...
(then the College of Great Falls) joined that year, however would only stay for a decade. MSU Billings left for the first incarnation of the
Great Northwest Athletic Conference
The Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. It has historically operated in the northwestern United States, but al ...
in 1988, leaving the Frontier at five members for another decade. The conference opened up outside of Montana for the first time in 1998, with schools from Idaho (
Lewis–Clark State College
Lewis–Clark State College is a public college in the northwest United States, located in north central Idaho at Lewiston. Founded in 1893, it has an approximate annual enrollment of 3,600. The college offers more than 130 degrees and i ...
) and Utah (
Westminster College) joining. Great Falls re-joined in 1999.
Dickinson State University
Dickinson State University (DSU) is a public university in Dickinson, North Dakota. It is part of the North Dakota University System. It was founded in 1918 as Dickinson State Normal School and granted full university status in 1987.
History
Di ...
joined in 2012, only to leave in 2014 to join the
North Star Athletic Association
The North Star Athletic Association (NSAA) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) that began play in the 2013–14 school year. The conference currently has eight full member ...
(NSAA). Westminster (Utah) left for the
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
(NCAA)
Division II ranks and re-joined the
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference
The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC), commonly known as the Rocky Mountain Conference (RMC) from approximately 1910 through the late 1960s, is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (N ...
(RMAC) in 2015. Lewis–Clark State left for the
Cascade Collegiate Conference
The Cascade Collegiate Conference (or Cascade Conference) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Member schools are located in the Northwestern United States. The conferen ...
as a full member in 2020.
Chronological timeline
* 1934 - The Frontier Conference was founded as the Montana Small College Conference (MSCC). Charter members included the
Billings Polytechnic Institute,
Intermountain Union College,
Montana State Normal College (now the University of Montana Western),
Montana State School of Mines (now Montana Technological University) and
Northern Montana College (now Montana State University–Northern), effective beginning the 1933-34 academic year.
* 1936 -
Carroll College of Montana and
Eastern Montana Normal College (now Montana State University–Billings) joined the MSCC, alongside the merger of Billings Poly and Intermountain Union to form
Rocky Mountain College
Rocky Mountain College (Rocky or RMC) is a private college in Billings, Montana. It offers 50 liberal arts and professional majors in 24 undergraduate disciplines. In fall 2013, the college had 1069 enrolled students. It is affiliated with the ...
. Therefore the MSCC has been renamed as the Montana Collegiate Conference (MCC), effective in the 1936-36 academic year.
* 1966 - The MCC has been rebranded as the Frontier Conference, effective in the 1966-67 academic year.
* 1974 - The
College of Great Falls (later the University of Great Falls, now the University of Providence) joined the Frontier, effective in the 1974-75 academic year.
* 1980 - Montana State–Billings left the Frontier to join the
Division II ranks of the
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
(NCAA) as an
NCAA D-II Independent (which would later join the
Great Northwest Conference
The Pacific West Conference (also known as the PacWest) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. Member institutions are located in California and Hawaii.
Th ...
, effective beginning the 1982-83 academic year), effective after the 1979-80 academic year.
* 1984 - Great Falls left the Frontier as the school discontinued its athletic program, effective after the 1983-84 academic year.
* 1998 -
Lewis–Clark State College
Lewis–Clark State College is a public college in the northwest United States, located in north central Idaho at Lewiston. Founded in 1893, it has an approximate annual enrollment of 3,600. The college offers more than 130 degrees and i ...
and
Westminster College, effective in the 1998-99 academic year.
* 1999 - Great Falls re-joined back to the Frontier after 15 years without an athletics program, effective in the 1999-2000 academic year.
* 2008 -
Eastern Oregon University
Eastern Oregon University (EOU) (officially designated as Oregon’s Rural University) is a public university in La Grande, Oregon. It was formerly part of the Oregon University System, since dissolved. EOU was founded in 1929 as a teacher’ ...
joined the Frontier as an associate member for football, effective in the 2008 fall season (2008-09 academic year).
* 2012 -
Dickinson State University
Dickinson State University (DSU) is a public university in Dickinson, North Dakota. It is part of the North Dakota University System. It was founded in 1918 as Dickinson State Normal School and granted full university status in 1987.
History
Di ...
joined the Frontier, effective in the 2012-13 academic year.
* 2012 -
Southern Oregon University
Southern Oregon University (SOU) is a public university in Ashland, Oregon. It was founded in 1872 as the Ashland Academy, has been in its current location since 1926, and was known by nine other names before assuming its current name in 1997.Kre ...
joined the Frontier as an associate member for football, effective in the 2012 fall season (2012-13 academic year).
* 2014 - Dickinson State left the Frontier to join the
North Star Athletic Association
The North Star Athletic Association (NSAA) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) that began play in the 2013–14 school year. The conference currently has eight full member ...
(NSAA), effective after the 2013-14 academic year.
* 2014 - The
College of Idaho
The College of Idaho (C of I) is a private liberal arts college in Caldwell, Idaho. Founded in 1891, it is the state's oldest private liberal arts college and has an enrollment of over 1,000 students. The college's alumni include eight Rhode ...
joined the Frontier as an associate member for football, effective in the 2014 fall season (2014-15 academic year).
* 2015 - Westminster (Utah) left the Frontier to join the NCAA Division II ranks and re-join back to the
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference
The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC), commonly known as the Rocky Mountain Conference (RMC) from approximately 1910 through the late 1960s, is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (N ...
(RMAC), effective after the 2014-15 academic year.
* 2020 - Lewis–Clark State left the Frontier to join the
Cascade Collegiate Conference
The Cascade Collegiate Conference (or Cascade Conference) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Member schools are located in the Northwestern United States. The conferen ...
(CCC), effective after the 2019-20 academic year.
* 2022 -
Arizona Christian University
Arizona Christian University is a private Christian university in Glendale, Arizona.
History
Founded in 1960 as Southwestern Conservative Baptist Bible College, Arizona Christian University's original campus was located at 2625 E. Cactus Ro ...
will join the Frontier as an associate member for football, effective beginning the 2023 fall season (2023-24 academic year).
Member schools
The Frontier Conference has 5 full members with football, 1 full member without football, and 3 football-only affiliate members. University of Providence does not field a football team.
College of Idaho
The College of Idaho (C of I) is a private liberal arts college in Caldwell, Idaho. Founded in 1891, it is the state's oldest private liberal arts college and has an enrollment of over 1,000 students. The college's alumni include eight Rhode ...
,
Eastern Oregon
Eastern Oregon is the eastern part of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is not an officially recognized geographic entity; thus, the boundaries of the region vary according to context. It is sometimes understood to include only the eight easternmost ...
and
Southern Oregon
Southern Oregon is a region of the U.S. state of Oregon south of Lane County and generally west of the Cascade Range, excluding the southern Oregon Coast. Counties include Douglas, Jackson, Klamath, and Josephine. It includes the Southern Oreg ...
are the football-only affiliates.
Current members
The Frontier currently has six full members, half are
private
Private or privates may refer to:
Music
* " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation''
* Private (band), a Denmark-based band
* "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...
schools:
;Notes:
Affiliate members
The Frontier currently has three affiliate members, only one of them is a
private
Private or privates may refer to:
Music
* " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation''
* Private (band), a Denmark-based band
* "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...
school:
;Notes:
Future affiliate members
The Frontier will have one new affiliate member, which will also be a
private
Private or privates may refer to:
Music
* " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation''
* Private (band), a Denmark-based band
* "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...
school:
;Notes:
Former members
The Frontier had four former full members, only one was a
private
Private or privates may refer to:
Music
* " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation''
* Private (band), a Denmark-based band
* "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...
school:
;Notes:
Membership timeline
DateFormat = yyyy
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TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal
PlotArea = right:5 left:5 bottom:40 top:5
Colors =
id:line value:black
id:bg value:white
id:Full value:rgb(0.7,0.9,0.8) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports
id:FullxF value:rgb(0.9,0.8,0.7) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports except for football
id:AssocF value:rgb(0.9,0.7,0.8) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member for football only
id:AssocOS value:rgb(0.8,0.9,0.7) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member for another sport only
id:OtherC1 value:rgb(0.996,0.996,0.699) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved in another conference
id:OtherC2 value:rgb(0.988,0.703,0.383) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved in another conference when the other color has already been used
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bar:1 color:FullxF from:1933 till:1934 text: Billings Poly (1933–1936)
bar:1 color:Full from:1934 till:1936
bar:2 color:FullxF from:1933 till:1934 text: Intemountain Union (1933–1936)
bar:2 color:Full from:1934 till:1936
bar:3 color:FullxF from:1933 till:1934 text:Montana Tech
Montana Technological University, popularly known as Montana Tech, is a public university in Butte, Montana. Founded in 1900 as the Montana State School of Mines, the university became affiliated with the University of Montana in 1994. After und ...
(1933–present)
bar:3 color:Full from:1934 till:end
bar:4 color:FullxF from:1933 till:1934 text: Montana–Western (1933–present)
bar:4 color:Full from:1934 till:end
bar:5 color:FullxF from:1933 till:1934 text: Montana State–Billings (1933–1980)
bar:5 color:Full from:1934 till:1979
bar:5 color:FullxF from:1979 till:1980
bar:5 shift:(-30) color:OtherC1 from:1980 till:1982 text:D-II Indy
bar:5 color:OtherC2 from:1982 till:1992 text: Great Northwest
bar:5 color:OtherC1 from:1992 till:2005 text:PacWest PacWest can refer to:
*Pacific West Conference, an intercollegiate college athletic conference affiliated with NCAA Division II
*Pacific Western Athletic Association, an intercollegiate college athletic conference affiliated with the CCAA
*PacWest ...
bar:5 shift:(-40) color:OtherC2 from:2005 till:2007 text:Heartland
Heartland or Heartlands may refer to:
Businesses and organisations
* Heartland Bank, a New Zealand-based financial institution
* Heartland Inn, a chain of hotels based in Iowa, United States
* Heartland Alliance, an anti-poverty organization i ...
bar:5 color:OtherC1 from:2007 till:end text: Great Northwest
bar:6 color:Full from:1935 till:end text: Carroll (Mont.) (1935–present)
bar:7 color:Full from:1935 till:1972 text: Montana State–Northern (1935–present)
bar:7 color:FullxF from:1972 till:1999
bar:7 color:Full from:1999 till:end
bar:8 color:FullxF from:1936 till:1938 text:Rocky Mountain
The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico in ...
(1936–present)
bar:8 color:Full from:1938 till:end
bar:9 color:FullxF from:1974 till:1984 text:Providence
Providence often refers to:
* Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion
* Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity
* Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...
(1974–1984)
bar:9 color:FullxF from:1999 till:end text:(1999–present)
bar:10 color:FullxF from:1998 till:2020 text: Lewis–Clark State (1998–2020)
bar:10 color:OtherC1 from:2020 till:end text:Cascade
Cascade, Cascades or Cascading may refer to:
Science and technology Science
*Cascade waterfalls, or series of waterfalls
* Cascade, the CRISPR-associated complex for antiviral defense (a protein complex)
* Cascade (grape), a type of fruit
* Bioc ...
bar:11 color:FullxF from:1998 till:2015 text: Westminster (Utah) (1998–2015)
bar:11 color:OtherC1 from:2015 till:end text:RMAC
The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC), commonly known as the Rocky Mountain Conference (RMC) from approximately 1910 through the late 1960s, is a List of NCAA conferences, college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiat ...
bar:12 color:AssocF from:2008 till:end text:Eastern Oregon
Eastern Oregon is the eastern part of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is not an officially recognized geographic entity; thus, the boundaries of the region vary according to context. It is sometimes understood to include only the eight easternmost ...
(2008–present)
bar:13 shift:(-120) color:Full from:2012 till:2014 text: Dickinson State (2012–2014)
bar:13 color:OtherC1 from:2014 till:end text:North Star
Polaris is a star in the northern circumpolar constellation of Ursa Minor. It is designated α Ursae Minoris ( Latinized to ''Alpha Ursae Minoris'') and is commonly called the North Star or Pole Star. With an apparent magnitude that ...
bar:14 color:AssocF from:2012 till:end text:Southern Oregon
Southern Oregon is a region of the U.S. state of Oregon south of Lane County and generally west of the Cascade Range, excluding the southern Oregon Coast. Counties include Douglas, Jackson, Klamath, and Josephine. It includes the Southern Oreg ...
(2012–present)
bar:15 shift:(-20) color:AssocF from:2014 till:end text:College of Idaho
The College of Idaho (C of I) is a private liberal arts college in Caldwell, Idaho. Founded in 1891, it is the state's oldest private liberal arts college and has an enrollment of over 1,000 students. The college's alumni include eight Rhode ...
(2014–present)
bar:16 shift:(-100) color:AssocF from:2023 till:end text: Arizona Christian (2023–present)
bar:N color:powderblue from:1933 till:1936 text:MSCC
bar:N shift:(20) color:red from:1936 till:1966 text:Montana Collegiate Conference
bar:N color:powderblue from:1966 till:end text:Frontier Conference
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#> If the chart uses more than one bar color, add a legend by selecting the appropriate fields from the following three options (use only the colors that are used in the graphic.) Leave a blank line after the end of the timeline, then add a line with the selected values from the list, separated by a space.
<#
Sports
The Frontier Conference sponsors athletic competition in men's and women's
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
, men's and women's
cross country, men's
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
, men's and women's
indoor and outdoor track and women's
volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...
.
National championships
Basketball
Montana Western won the NAIA national title in Division I Women's basketball, in 2019.
Rocky Mountain won the national title in men's basketball, NAIA Division I, in 2009.
Montana State-Northern won the national title in women's basketball, NAIA Division II, in 1993.
Carroll reached the semi-finals in men's basketball in 2005, as did Lewis-Clark State in women's basketball in 2001.
Football
Carroll has won the NAIA national championship six times: four straight, from 2002 to 2005, also in 2007 and 2010, and has been runner-up twice.
Southern Oregon won the NAIA national championship in the 2014 season.
Montana Tech was the national runner-up in 1996.
Wrestling
Montana State-Northern has won six wrestling titles: 1991, 1992, 1998-2000, 2004, and was runner-up in 1990, 1993, and 2002.
Montana Western was co-champion in 1994.
In 2014, the University of Great Falls was second and Montana State-Northern took third at the NAIA national wrestling championship.
Bowling
College of Great Falls (now University of Providence) was the 1973 Men's NAIA National Bowling Champion.
See also
*
2012 Frontier Conference football season
References
External links
*
{{NAIA conference navbox
1935 establishments in the United States