Border Intercollegiate Athletic Association
| Border Intercollegiate Athletic Association (Border Conference) | |
|---|---|
| Established | 1931 |
| Dissolved | 1962 |
| Association | NCAA |
| Division | Division I |
| Members | 6 (final) 9 (total) |
| Region | Southwestern United States |
| Locations | |
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The Border Conference (officially known as the Border Intercollegiate Athletic Association), was an NCAA-affiliated college athletic conference founded in 1931 that disbanded following the 1961–62 season. Centered in the southwestern United States, the conference included nine member institutions located in the states of Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas.
Members
Charter members playing American football (and years of membership) included:
- Arizona (1931–1961)
- Arizona State Teachers'-Flagstaff (now Northern Arizona; 1931–1952)
- Arizona State Teachers'-Tempe (now Arizona State; 1931–1961)
- University of New Mexico (1931–1951)
- New Mexico A&M (now New Mexico State; 1931–1961).
Other members competing in football (and years of membership) included:
- Texas Technological College (now Texas Tech; 1932–1956)
- Texas Mines (later Texas Western and now the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP); 1935–1961)
- Hardin-Simmons (1941–1961)
- West Texas Teachers’ (later West Texas State and now West Texas A&M; 1941–1961)
Membership timeline
Football champions
Texas Tech holds the most conference championships at seven. Arizona State won six conference championships followed by Arizona (three), Hardin-Simmons (two) and both West Texas State and the Texas State School of Mines hold one each. From 1932–1934, and 1943–1945 no champion was named. There were only two seasons where the title was split and two co-champions were named; 1938, New Mexico and New Mexico A&M and in 1942 Hardin-Simmons and Texas Tech. The winner of the conference title generally received an invitation to serve as the host team for the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas. [1]
Current conference affiliations of former members
The nine former football-playing members of the Border Intercollegiate Athletic Association are currently affiliated with the following nine conferences (all NCAA Division I FBS unless indicated):
- Arizona State University and University of Arizona – Pac-12 Conference
- Hardin-Simmons University – American Southwest Conference (Division III)
- University of New Mexico – Mountain West Conference
- New Mexico State University – Western Athletic Conference (Division I non-football); football-only member of the Sun Belt Conference
- Northern Arizona University – Big Sky Conference (Division I FCS)
- University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) – Conference USA
- Texas Tech University – Big 12 Conference
- West Texas A&M University – Lone Star Conference (Division II)