{{Location map+ , New York , caption = Locations in New York , width = 295 , places = {{Location map~ , New York , label = Canisius College , position = right , mark = Gold pog.svg , marksize = 7 , link = Canisius College , lat_deg = 42.925 , lon_deg = -78.853 {{Location map~ , New York , label = Niagara University , position = top , mark = Purple pog.svg , marksize = 7 , link = Niagara University , lat_deg = 43.138 , lon_deg = -79.037 {{Location map~ , New York , label = St. Bonaventure University , position = bottom , mark = Brown pog.svg , marksize = 7 , link = St. Bonaventure University , lat_deg = 42.078 , lon_deg = -78.481 The Western New York Little Three Conference was an

athletic conference An athletic conference is a collection of sports teams, playing competitively against each other in a sports league. In many cases conferences are subdivided into smaller divisions, with the best teams competing at successively higher levels. Confe ...

that existed from 1946 to 1958. Its three member schools, Canisius College, Niagara University, and St. Bonaventure University, are

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

institutions located in

Western New York Western New York (WNY) is the westernmost region of the U.S. state of New York. The eastern boundary of the region is not consistently defined by state agencies or those who call themselves "Western New Yorkers". Almost all sources agree WNY in ...

. Although the conference itself no longer exists, the three schools remain rivals and retain the use of the "Little Three" moniker when playing each other, especially in basketball. Niagara and Canisius are now in the

Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC, ) is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with NCAA Division I. Of its current 11 full members, 10 are located in three states of the northeastern United States: Connecticut, New Jersey, and ...

and St. Bonaventure resides in the

Atlantic 10 Conference The Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10) is a collegiate athletic conference whose schools compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Division I. The A-10's member schools are located in states mostly on the United States Eastern ...

. The three schools also maintain a rivalry with the public

University at Buffalo The State University of New York at Buffalo, commonly called the University at Buffalo (UB) and sometimes called SUNY Buffalo, is a public research university with campuses in Buffalo and Amherst, New York. The university was founded in 18 ...

(of the

Mid-American Conference The Mid-American Conference (MAC) is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I collegiate athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Nine of the twel ...

), the only other Division I college in the region; the four-way rivalry by extension is known as the "Big 4," and all four teams have regularly scheduled each other as part of their non-conference schedules since UB returned to Division I in 1993.

Membership

* Canisius College (1946–1958),

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

school based in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

* Niagara University (1946–1958), Vincentian school based in

Lewiston, New York Lewiston is a town in Niagara County, New York, United States. The population was 15,944 at the 2020 census. The town and its contained village are named after Morgan Lewis, a governor of New York. The Town of Lewiston is on the western bord ...

* St. Bonaventure University (1946–1958),

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related Mendicant orders, mendicant Christianity, Christian Catholic religious order, religious orders within the Catholic Church. Founded in 1209 by Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi, these orders include t ...

school located near Olean, New York

Champions

Men's basketball

*1947 Canisius *1948 Niagara *1949 Niagara *1950 Canisius/Niagara/St. Bonaventure *1951 St. Bonaventure *1952 DNP *1953 Niagara *1954 Niagara *1955 Niagara *1956 Canisius *1957 Canisius/St. Bonaventure *1958 St. Bonaventure

Football

*1926 Niagara (2–0) *1931 St. Bonaventure (1–0–1) *1932 Niagara (2–0) *1933 St. Bonaventure (1–0–1) *1934 Canisius (2–0) *1935 St. Bonaventure (2–0) *1936 Canisius (2–0) *1938 Niagara (2–0) *1939 Canisius (2–0) *1940 Niagara (2–0) *1941 Canisius/St. Bonaventure (1–1) *1946 St. Bonaventure (2–0) *1947 Canisius (2–0) *1948 Canisius (2–0) *1949 Canisius/St. Bonaventure (2–1) Canisius suspended its football team after the 1949 season, Niagara did the same in 1950, and St. Bonaventure also did so in 1951. Canisius and Niagara reinstated their varsity football programs after the conference dissolved, then dissolved them permanently in 1987 and 2002, respectively.

External links

* https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/conferences/WNY3/ 1946 establishments in New York (state) 1958 disestablishments in New York (state) Sports leagues established in 1946 Sports leagues disestablished in 1958