West Coast Conference

West Coast Conference (WCC)
Established	1952
Association	NCAA
Division	Division I non-football
Members	10
Sports fielded	14 (men's: 6; women's: 8)
Region	Western United States
Former names	West Coast Athletic Conference (1956–1989) California Basketball Association (1952–1956)
Headquarters	San Bruno, California
Commissioner	Lynn Holzman (since 2014)
Website	www.wccsports.com
Locations

The West Coast Conference (WCC) is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated in NCAA Division I consisting of ten member schools across the states of California, Oregon, Utah and Washington.

All of the current members are private, faith-based institutions. Seven members are Catholic Church affiliates, with four of these schools being Jesuit institutions. Pepperdine is an affiliate of the Churches of Christ. Brigham Young University is an affiliate of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). The conference's newest member, the University of the Pacific (which re-joined in 2013 after a 42-year absence), is affiliated with the United Methodist Church, although it has been financially independent of the church since 1969.

History

During the massive upheaval of conference affiliations in the 1990s, the WCC remained very stable. Before the 2010 realignment that eventually led to Brigham Young joining the conference, the last change of membership was in 1980, when Seattle University left the conference. At the time, only the Ivy League and Pac-10 (now Pac-12) had remained unchanged for a longer period.

Locations of current West Coast Conference full member institutions.

The league was chartered by five northern California institutions, four from the Bay Area (San Francisco, Saint Mary's, Santa Clara, San Jose State) and one, Pacific, from Stockton. It began as the California Basketball Association, playing its first game on January 2, 1953. After two seasons under that name, the conference expanded to include Los Angeles-area schools Loyola (now Loyola Marymount) and Pepperdine in 1955 and became the "West Coast Athletic Conference" in 1956. After more than three decades as the WCAC, the name was shortened in the summer of 1989, dropping the word "Athletic."

The WCC participates at the NCAA Division I level and is considered to be one of the better mid-major conferences in the country. The conference sponsors 13 sports but does not include football as one of them. San Diego (Pioneer Football League) and Brigham Young (FBS independent) are the only schools fielding a football team. The rest have all dropped the sport, some as early as the 1940s, before the conference existed (Gonzaga and Portland), and one as late as 2003 (Saint Mary's).

Historically, the WCC's strongest sports have been soccer (nine national champions, including back-to-back women's soccer titles in 2001 and 2002) and tennis (five individual champions and one team champion). The conference has also made its presence felt nationally in men's basketball. San Francisco won two consecutive national titles in the 1950s with all-time great Bill Russell and was reckoned as a "major" basketball power until the early 1980s. Also of note was Loyola Marymount's inspired run to the Elite Eight in 1990 following the death of Hank Gathers during that season's WCC championship tournament.

More recently, Gonzaga's rise to national prominence after being invited to the NCAA Tournament every year since their Cinderella run to the "Elite Eight" in 1999 has helped make the WCC a household name. The addition of Brigham Young University (BYU) in 2011 gave the WCC another nationally recognized basketball power. In 2011, BYU player Jimmer Fredette was the National Consensus Player of the Year, as he led BYU to the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA Tournament. As San Francisco was from the 1940s to the early 1980s, Gonzaga and BYU are nationally recognized basketball powers. Currently, the longest consecutive NCAA appearance streak in the Western U.S. belongs to Gonzaga (17). Gonzaga's streak is tied for the fourth longest active streak, and is the seventh longest streak in history. BYU made the NCAA Tournament six straight times before failing to do so in 2013. Saint Mary's has also made marks for the conference as the Gaels appeared in the NCAA Tournament in 2005, 2008, 2010, 2012, and 2013 (making the "Sweet Sixteen" in 2010). On May 28, 2009, NBA referee Violet Palmer was hired as coordinator of women's basketball officials for the West Coast Conference and will remain with the NBA, where she has worked for 12 seasons.

Eventually, with the 2010 realignment opening up new avenues for expansion, the WCC decided to revisit expansion plans. The conference decided that it would only seek out private schools, but would not limit its search to faith-based institutions. Even so, the two additions, Brigham Young University and University of the Pacific are both faith based institutions, although Pacific has not been financially sponsored by the United Methodist Church since 1969.

On August 31, 2010, Brigham Young University (BYU) announced plans to join the WCC for the 2011–12 season in all sports the conference offers. BYU joined the conference on July 1, 2011.

On March 27, 2012, the University of the Pacific (UOP), a charter member of the conference, announced that it accepted an invitation to re-join the WCC on July 1, 2013. The move removed Pacific from the Big West Conference back to the WCC, which Pacific left in 1971 in order to pursue its interests in football, which it later abandoned in 1995.

Membership

Current members

Institution	Location	Founded	Type	Enrollment	Endowment	U.S.News Ranking	Team	Colors	Joined
Brigham Young University	Provo, Utah	1875	Private LDS	34,100	$920M	62 (National)	Cougars	Blue, White & Tan	2011
Gonzaga University	Spokane, Washington	1887	Private Jesuit	7,229	$121M	3 (tied) (Regional-West)	Bulldogs	Blue, White & Red	1979
Loyola Marymount University	Los Angeles, California	1865	Private Jesuit	8,972	$361M	3 (tied) (Regional-West)	Lions	Blue & Crimson	1955
University of the Pacific	Stockton, California	1851	Private United Methodist Church	6,652	$212M	116 (National)	Tigers	Orange & Black	1952,* 2013
Pepperdine University	Malibu, California	1937	Private Churches of Christ	6,000	$812M	54 (National)	Waves	Blue & Orange	1955
University of Portland	Portland, Oregon	1901	Private Holy Cross	3,200	$100M	8 (Regional-West)	Pilots	Purple & White	1976
Saint Mary's College	Moraga, California	1863	Private De La Salle Brothers	4,768	$123M	11 (Regional-West)	Gaels	Red, White & Blue	1952
University of San Diego	San Diego, California	1949	Private Diocesan Catholic	7,548	$346M	95 (National)	Toreros	Navy blue, Columbia blue & White	1979
University of San Francisco	San Francisco, California	1855	Private Jesuit	10,017	$237M	106 (National)	Dons	Green & Gold	1952
Santa Clara University	Santa Clara, California	1851	Private Jesuit	8,300	$688M	2 (Regional-West)	Broncos	Red & White	1952

^* - Pacific previously withdrew from the WCC from 1971-72 to 2012-13

Former members

Institution	Team	Location	Founded	Type	Enrollment	Joined	Left	Current Conference
San Jose State University	Spartans	San Jose, California	1857	Public	30,448	1952	1969	Mountain West
California State University, Fresno (Fresno State)	Bulldogs	Fresno, California	1911	Public	22,565	1955	1957	Mountain West
University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB)	Gauchos	Santa Barbara, California	1891	Public	21,927	1964	1969	Big West
University of Nevada, Reno (Nevada)	Wolf Pack	Reno, Nevada	1874	Public	18,227	1969	1979	Mountain West
University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV)	Rebels	Paradise, Nevada	1957	Public	28,203	1969	1975	Mountain West
Seattle University	Redhawks	Seattle, Washington	1891	Private	7,500	1971	1980	WAC

Former associate members

Institution	Team	Location	Founded	Type	Enrollment	Joined	Left	Primary Conference	WCC Sports
California State University, Bakersfield (CSUB)	Roadrunners	Bakersfield, California	1965	Public	8,317	2012-13	2012-13	WAC	women's golf
California State University, Los Angeles (CSULA)	Golden Eagles	Los Angeles, California	1947	Public	23,258	1975-76	1975-76	CCAA (NCAA Division II)	baseball
Creighton University	Bluejays	Omaha, Nebraska	1878	Private	7,730	2010-11	2012-13	Big East	women's rowing
University of Nevada, Reno (Nevada)	Wolf Pack	Reno, Nevada	1874	Public	18,227	1984-85, 1985-86	1990-91,baseball 1986-87others	Mountain West	baseball, women's basketball, women's tennis, women's volleyball
United States International University	Gulls	San Diego, California	2001	Private	3,871	1985-86,	1986-87,all	n/a^	women's basketball, women's tennis, women's volleyball

Note

^{^} - U.S.I.U. dropped athletics program following the end of the 1990-91 season.

Membership timeline

Full members Other Conference Other Conference

• Due to space limitations, the following affiliations are not linked within the timeline:
  • Fresno State had dual membership with the California Collegiate Athletic Association during their tenure in the WCAC before committing full-time with the CCAA from 1957 to 1969:
  • UC Santa Barbara joined what was then the PCAA in 1969. It left in 1974 to become independent and returned in 1976.
  • Seattle was a member of the Northwest Conference, then affiliated with the NAIA, from 1997 to 1999. The school then returned to the NCAA as a Division II institution and played as an independent until 2001.

Sports

The West Coast Conference sponsors championship competition in six men's and eight women's NCAA sanctioned sports, with the newest addition being softball in 2013-14.

Teams in West Coast Conference competition

Sport	Men's	Women's
Baseball	10	-
Basketball	10	10
Cross Country	9	10
Golf	9	5
Rowing	-	7
Soccer	8	10
Softball	-	6
Tennis	10	10
Volleyball	-	10

See also: List of West Coast Conference baseball champions, West Coast Conference Men's Basketball Tournament, and West Coast Conference Women's Basketball Tournament

Men's sports

Men's sponsored sports by school

School	Baseball	Basketball	Cross Country	Golf	Soccer	Tennis	Total Sports
Brigham Young	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	5
Gonzaga	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	6
Loyola Marymount	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	6
Pacific	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	5
Pepperdine	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	5
Portland	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	5
Saint Mary's	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	6
San Diego	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	6
San Francisco	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	6
Santa Clara	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	6
Totals	10	10	9	9	8	10	55

Men's varsity sports not sponsored by the West Coast Conference which are played by WCC schools

School	Football	Rowing	Swimming & Diving	Track & Field (Indoor)	Track & Field (Outdoor)	Volleyball	Water Polo
Brigham Young	FBS Independent	No	MPSF	MPSF	IC4A	MPSF	No
Gonzaga	No	WIRA	No	Independent	Independent	No	No
Loyola Marymount	No	WIRA	No	Independent	Independent	No	WWPA
Pacific	No	No	MPSF	No	No	No	MPSF
Pepperdine	No	No	No	No	Independent	MPSF	MPSF
Portland	No	No	No	Independent	Independent	No	No
Saint Mary's	No	No	No	No	Independent	No	No
San Diego	Pioneer League	WIRA	No	No	No	No	No
San Francisco	No	No	No	Independent	Independent	No	No
Santa Clara	No	WIRA	No	Independent	Independent	No	WWPA

Women's sports

Women's sponsored sports by school

School	Basketball	Beach Volleyball	Cross Country	Golf	Rowing	Soccer	Softball	Tennis	Volleyball	Total West Coast Sports
Brigham Young	Y	N	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	7
Gonzaga	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	7
Loyola Marymount	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	8
Pacific	Y	Y	Y	N	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	7
Pepperdine	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	N	Y	Y	7
Portland	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	7
Saint Mary's	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	8
San Diego	Y	N	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	7
San Francisco	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	N	Y	Y	7
Santa Clara	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	9
Totals	10	7	10	5†	6+1*	10	6	10	10	74+1

• ^† = Former golf associate member Cal State Bakersfield is now a member of the Western Athletic Conference.
• * = Associate member Creighton.

Women's varsity sports not sponsored by the West Coast Conference which are played by WCC schools

School	Field Hockey	Gymnastics	Lacrosse	Swimming & Diving	Track & Field (Indoor)	Track & Field (Outdoor)	Water Polo
Brigham Young	No	Mountain Rim	No	MPSF	MPSF	ECAC	No
Gonzaga	No	No	No	No	Independent	Independent	No
Loyola Marymount	No	No	No	MPSF	Independent	Independent	Golden Coast
Pacific	America East	No	No	MPSF	No	Independent	Big West
Pepperdine	No	No	No	PCS&DC	No	Independent	No
Portland	No	No	No	No	Independent	Independent	No
Saint Mary's	No	No	MPSF	No	No	Independent	No
San Diego	No	No	No	MPSF	No	Independent	No
San Francisco	No	No	No	No	Independent	Independent	No
Santa Clara	No	No	No	No	Independent	Independent	Golden Coast

Facilities

School	Basketball Arena	Capacity	Baseball Stadium	Capacity	Soccer Stadium	Capacity
Brigham Young	Marriott Center	20,900	Larry H. Miller Field	2,710	South Stadium	3,800
Gonzaga	McCarthey Athletic Center	6,000	Washington Trust Field	1,500	Luger Field	2,000
Loyola Marymount	Gersten Pavilion	4,156	George C. Page Stadium	1,200	Sullivan Field	2,000
Pacific	Alex G. Spanos Center	6,150	Klein Family Field	2,500	Knoles Field	600
Pepperdine	Firestone Fieldhouse	3,104	Eddy D. Field Stadium	1,800	Tari Frahm Rokus Field	1,000
Portland	Chiles Center	4,852	Joe Etzel Field	1,000	Merlo Field	4,892
Saint Mary's	McKeon Pavilion	3,500	Louis Guisto Field	1,000	Saint Mary's Stadium	5,500
San Diego	Jenny Craig Pavilion	5,100	Fowler Park	1,700	Torero Stadium	6,000
San Francisco	War Memorial Gymnasium	5,300	Dante Benedetti Diamond	2,000	Negoesco Stadium	3,000
Santa Clara	Leavey Center	4,500	Stephen Schott Stadium	1,500	Buck Shaw Stadium	10,300

Notable sports figures

Some of the famous athletes who played collegiately for WCC schools, and coaches and executives that attended WCC schools, include:

• Basketball:
  • Jimmer Fredette, current NBA player with the New Orleans Pelicans. Selected with the 10th pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. Led nation in scoring on his way to becoming 2010-11 Division I Consensus National Player of the Year (2007-2011) (BYU). Fredette was drafted on June 23, 2011 and BYU joined the WCC effective on July 1, 2011, so he did not play for a WCC member school.
  • Brandon Davies, current NBA player with the Philadelphia 76ers. During sophomore year helped BYU rise as high as #3 in the national polls before being suspended for having premarital sex. Was reinstated for his junior and senior seasons and named to the All West Coast Conference team. (2009-2013) (BYU)
  • Rick Adelman, head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves since 2011 (Loyola Marymount)
  • Dennis Awtrey, former NBA player, (1970-1982) (Santa Clara)
  • Bernie Bickerstaff, former NBA head coach (San Diego)
  • Mike Brown, NBA head coach for Cleveland (NBA head coach (San Diego)
  • Ricardo Brown, one of the Philippine Basketball Association's 25 Greatest Players
  • Bill Cartwright, former NBA player and head coach, current NBA assistant. Former NBA All-Star (1980) (San Francisco)
  • Doug Christie, former NBA player (1993–2007), selected 17th overall in the 1992 NBA Draft by the Seattle SuperSonics (Pepperdine)
  • Darwin Cook, former NBA player (1980-1989) (Portland)
  • Richie Frahm, former NBA player (2003-2008) (Gonzaga)
  • Dan Dickau, former NBA player (2002-2008) (Gonzaga)
  • Maggie Dixon, head women's coach at Army at the time of her unexpected death in 2006 (San Diego)
  • Mike Champion, former NBA player (1988-1989) (Gonzaga)
  • Hank Gathers, college star who led the nation in scoring and rebounding in 1990 before collapsing and dying during the WCC tournament (Loyola Marymount)
  • Bruce Hale, former NBA player, (1948–51), (Santa Clara)
  • Elias Harris, current Germany international (Gonzaga)
  • Dennis Johnson, former NBA player (1976-1990), 1979 NBA Finals MVP, and 5-Time NBA All-Star. Coached the LA Clippers for one season (2003) (Pepperdine)
  • K. C. Jones, former NBA player (1958-1967), and Basketball Hall of Famer (San Francisco)
  • Bo Kimble, former NBA player ( 1990-1993) (Loyola Marymount)
  • Harold Keeling, former NBA player, (1986), (Santa Clara)
  • Tom Meschery, former NBA player (1961-1971), and NBA All-Star (1963) (Saint Mary's)
  • Patrick Mills, current Australia international with the San Antonio Spurs (Saint Mary's)
  • Adam Morrison, former NBA player known for being the 3rd overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Bobcats and the 2005-06 National College Co-Player of the Year (Gonzaga)
  • Austin Daye, current NBA player with the Detroit Pistons. Selected with the 15th pick of the 2009 NBA Draft (Gonzaga)
  • Eric Musselman, former NBA head coach (San Diego)
  • Steve Nash, point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers and 2005 and 2006 NBA MVP (Santa Clara)
  • Dick O'Keefe, inaugural season NBA player, (1947–51) (Santa Clara)
  • Bud Ogden, former NBA player, (1969-1971) (Santa Clara)
  • Michael Olowokandi. former NBA player (Pacific)
  • Kelly Olynyk, current Canada men's international with the Boston Celtics (Gonzaga)
  • Kurt Rambis, former NBA player (1981-1995) and NBA head coach (1999 and 2009-2011) (Santa Clara)
  • Bill Russell, Basketball Hall of Fame Player (12-Time All-Star, 5-Time NBA MVP, and 11-Time NBA Champion) and coach, 1956 College Player of the Year (San Francisco)
  • Robert Sacre, current NBA player with the Los Angeles Lakers, and current Canada international (Gonzaga)
  • Omar Samhan, currently playing in Lithuania and the Euroleague with Žalgiris (Saint Mary's)
  • Ken Sears, former NBA Player (1955–64), First basketball player on a Sports Illustrated cover. (Santa Clara)
  • Jose Slaughter, former NBA player (1982-1983) (Portland)
  • Mike Smith, former NBA player (1988-1991) (BYU)
  • Erik Spoelstra, current head coach of the Miami Heat (Portland)
  • Jeremy Pargo, current NBA player with the Cleveland Cavaliers (Gonzaga)
  • John Stockton, Basketball Hall of Famer ((10-Time All-Star, and All-Time NBA Leader in Assists and Steals) (Gonzaga)
  • Stew Morrill, current college head coach Utah State (Gonzaga)
  • Ronny Turiaf, current Los Angeles Clippers player (Gonzaga)
  • Courtney Vandersloot, current WNBA player with the Chicago Sky (Gonzaga)
  • Nick Vanos, former NBA player, (1985–87) (Santa Clara)
• Soccer:
  • Conor Casey, 2010 MLS Cup MVP, 2009 MLS Best XI, and former United States men's national soccer team forward (Portland)
  • Brandi Chastain, member of the USA national team that won the 1999 Women's World Cup (Santa Clara)
  • Steve Cherundolo, Hannover 96 captain and three-time World Cup veteran (2002, 2006, 2010) with the United States men's national soccer team (Portland)
  • Brian Ching, USA men's national team player (Gonzaga)
  • John Doyle, general manager of the San Jose Earthquakes, former USA men's national team player (San Francisco)
  • Kasey Keller, former US international goalkeeper and four-time World Cup (1994, 1998, 2002, 2006) veteran (Portland)
  • Shannon MacMillan, member of the 1999 Women's World Cup winners (Portland)
  • Tiffeny Milbrett, member of the 1999 Women's World Cup winners (Portland)
  • Christine Sinclair, two-time Hermann Trophy winner and all-time leading goal scorer for the Canadian women's national team (Portland)
  • Aly Wagner, 2002 Hermann Trophy winner and member of the US women's soccer team that won gold at the 2004 Olympics (Santa Clara)
• Baseball:
  • Jon Moscot, major league baseball pitcher (Cincinnati Reds)
  • Dale Murphy, former MLB Player (1976-1993). 7-time All-Star, and 2-Time NL MVP (1982 and 1983) with the Atlanta Braves (BYU)
  • Jason Bay, 2004 National League Rookie of the Year and three-time All-Star (Gonzaga)
  • Vern Law, former MLB Pitcher (1950-1967). Won the 1960 Cy Young, as he led the Pittsburgh Pirates to the 1960 World Series Championship (BYU)
  • Vance Law, former MLB player, and 1-time MLB All-Star (1988). Former BYU Baseball Coach (2000-2012). Son of MLB Pitcher Vern Law. (BYU)
  • Randy Winn, former MLB outfielder and 2002 All-Star (Santa Clara)
  • Dan Haren, 2007 American League All-Star Game starting pitcher, currently with the Washington Nationals (Pepperdine)
  • Noah Lowry, major-league pitcher (currently a free agent) and former college roommate of Dan Haren (Pepperdine)
  • Mike Redmond, former MLB catcher and current manager of the Florida Marlins (Gonzaga)
  • Mark Teahen, former MLB player (Saint Mary's)
  • Tom Candiotti, former MLB pitcher (Saint Mary's)
  • Mike Scott, former major-league pitcher (Pepperdine)
  • Randy Wolf, former MLB pitcher (Pepperdine)
  • Brian Matusz, pitcher with the Baltimore Orioles (San Diego)
  • CJ Wilson, pitcher with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (Loyola Marymount)
  • Theo Epstein, President of the Chicago Cubs and former general manager of the Boston Red Sox (San Diego – School of Law only; earned bachelor's degree at Yale)
  • Bill Bavasi, MLB executive (San Diego)
  • Ken Dayley, former major league pitcher, 1980 1st round draft pick, 3rd overall, pitched in both the '85 and '87 World Series for the St. Louis Cardinals (Portland)
  • Bill Krueger, former major league pitcher (Portland)
  • Pat Casey, current Oregon State baseball head coach, his team winning both the 2006 and 2007 College World Series (Portland)
  • Von Hayes, former major league outfielder/first baseman (Saint Mary's)
• Water polo:
  • Terry Schroeder, former NCAA player, two-time Olympic silver medal winner (1984 and 1988), and Head Coach of silver medal winning men's water polo team at the 2008 Summer Olympics (Pepperdine)
  • Merrill Moses, silver medal winner at the 2008 Summer Olympics (Pepperdine)
  • Jesse Smith, silver medal winner at the 2008 Summer Olympics (Pepperdine)
• Volleyball:
  • Mike Whitmarsh — Winner of 28 AVP beach volleyball events, as well as a silver medal in the sport at the 1996 Summer Olympics (San Diego – volleyball and basketball; however, men's volleyball is not a WCC sport)
  • Taylor Sander - Member of the American US Indoor Volleyball team and a player for Blu Volleyball Verona. Led US national team to an upset of Brazil to win the FIVB World League 2014. Was named best outside spiker and tournament MVP. He holds the BYU all-time single-match record for service aces (nine) and career service aces (182). In the rally-scoring era ranks No. 1 at BYU in career kills (1,743), career attempts (3,464), career service aces (182), season attempts (1,021 in 2014), season service aces (55 in 2014) and aces in a match (nine). (BYU - volleyball; however Men's Indoor volleyball isn't a WCC sport)
• Football
  • Pete Carroll, current coach of the Seattle Seahawks of the NFL, former head coach of USC trojans of the NCAA. Lead Seattle to Super Bowl XLVIII, where they defeated the Denver Broncos. Lead the USC Trojans to 6 BCS Bowl victories. (Pacific)
  • Ted Leland, a first team PCAA selection as a defensive end in 1969. Current Athletic Director at Pacific. Served as Athletic Director at Stanford University for 12 years, leading them to the NACDA Directors' Cup from 1995 to 2005. (Pacific '70 and 72')
  • John Fassel, special teams coordinator for the St. Louis Rams of the NFL. (Pacific, transferred when program was ended in 1995)
  • Hue Jackson, current offensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals, former head coach of the Oakland Raiders. (Pacific)

See also

• Big East Conference, a conference with similar makeup based in the Eastern United States

External links

• Official website