Formerly | Pacific Coast Athletic Association (1969–1988) |
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Association | NCAA |
Founded | July 1, 1969 |
Commissioner | Dan Butterly (since July 1, 2020) |
Sports fielded |
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Division | Division I |
Subdivision | Non–football |
No. of teams | 11 (10 in 2026) |
Headquarters | Irvine, California |
Region | West Coast |
Official website | www |
Locations | |
The Big West Conference (BWC) is an American collegiate athletic conference whose member institutions participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I. The conference was originally formed on July 1, 1969, as the Pacific Coast Athletic Association (PCAA), and in 1988 was renamed the Big West Conference. The conference stopped sponsoring college football after the 2000 season.
Among the conference's 11 member institutions, 10 are located in California (nine in Southern California alone), and one is located in Hawaii (though the Hawaii member is leaving for the Mountain West Conference, effective July 1, 2026). All of the schools are public universities, with the California schools evenly split between the California State University and the University of California systems. In addition, one affiliate member plays two sports in the BWC not sponsored by its home conference.