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| Association | NCAA |
|---|---|
| Founded | May 26, 1998 |
| Commissioner | Gloria Nevarez (since January 1, 2023) |
| Sports fielded |
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| Division | Division I |
| Subdivision | FBS |
| No. of teams | 11 (9 in 2026) |
| Headquarters | Colorado Springs, Colorado |
| Region | Western United States |
| Official website | themw |
| Locations | |
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The Mountain West Conference (MW) is a collegiate athletic conference located in the United States, participating in NCAA Division I. Its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). The MW officially began operations on January 4, 1999. Geographically, the MW covers a broad expanse of the Western United States, with member schools located in California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, and Hawaii. Gloria Nevarez took over as commissioner of the MW on January 1, 2023, following the retirement of founding commissioner Craig Thompson.[1][2]
The charter members of the MW included the United States Air Force Academy, Brigham Young University, Colorado State University, San Diego State University, the University of New Mexico, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, University of Utah and the University of Wyoming. Before forming the Mountain West Conference, seven of its eight charter members had been longtime members of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) and half of these had been charter members of that conference from 1962. Overall, each school that has ever been either a full or football-only member of the MW spent at least three years in the WAC before joining the Mountain West.
- ^ Murray, Chris (August 18, 2017). "Face of the Mountain West: Craig Thompson has been conference's anchor for 19 years". Reno Gazette-Journal. Archived from the original on May 28, 2024. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
- ^ "Gloria Nevarez Named Mountain West Commissioner" (Press release). Mountain West Conference. November 11, 2022. Retrieved December 20, 2022.