Western Football Conference (United States) Explained

Western Football Conference
Conference:NCAA
Division:II
Region:Pacific coast

The Western Football Conference was an NCAA Division II scholarship-awarding football conference that existed from 1982 to 1993.

Among its member schools were (from 1982 to 1992 unless otherwise noted):

The first discussion of the formation of the league was held by administrators in 1976.[1] Its founding, and only, commissioner was Vic Buccola, who had been the athletic director at Cal Poly from 1973 to 1981. He then became a founder and commissioner of the multi-sport American West Conference, which was chartered after the WFC folded in 1993.

The WFC folded in part because of a new NCAA rule that prohibited member institutions who competed at the Division I (D-I) level in other sports from competing at the Division II (D-II) level in football.[2] [3] Cal State Northridge, Cal Poly SLO, Southern Utah, and Sacramento State, plus UC Davis for football, were the first announced members of the American West Conference.[4]

Of the eight WFC member schools:

The WFC Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award was named for Santa Clara coach Pat Malley. Its recipients include:

Notes and References

  1. News: Payne . Dave . September 9, 1982 . Santa Clara finds a home in new football conference . 13E . San Jose Mercury News.
  2. News: Vigallon . Scott . January 6, 1991 . Proposal Would Force Changes at SCU . 8D . San Jose Mercury News.
  3. News: Vikings set to open post-Pokey Allen era. August 31, 1993. 14. Associated Press. Albany Democrat-Herald. Albany, Oregon. Newspapers.com. January 29, 2022.
  4. News: Hornets, UCD join new conference. July 15, 1993. C3. The Sacramento Bee. Sacramento, California. Newspapers.com. January 29, 2022.