Big Ten Conference
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| Big Ten Conference | |
|---|---|
| |
| Data | |
| Established | 1896 |
| Members | 11 |
| Sports fielded | 25 (12 men's, 13 women's) |
| Region | Midwestern United States |
| States | 8 - Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin |
| Past names | Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives, Big Nine, Western Conference |
| Headquarters | Park Ridge, Illinois |
| Locations | |
- Big Ten redirects here. For other uses of the term Big Ten, see Big Ten (disambiguation)
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its member institutions are located mostly in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Iowa and Minnesota in the west to Pennsylvania in the east. The conference competes in the NCAA's Division I-A in football. Member schools of the Big Ten also are members of the Committee on Institutional Cooperation, a leading educational consortium. Despite the conference's name, since Penn State joined in 1990, there have been 11 schools in the Big Ten, as signified by the hidden "11" in the Big Ten Conference logo (each "1" is on either side of the "T" in "Ten").
Contents |
[edit] Members
The Big Ten is the only Division I conference to have all of its member institutions affiliated with the Association of American Universities, a prestigious collection of 60 research institutions, and leads all conferences in the total amount of research expenditures.
All or most member schools participate in baseball, men's and women's basketball, cross country, field hockey, football, golf, gymnastics, indoor and outdoor track and field, rowing, men's and women's soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, women's volleyball and wrestling.
[edit] Former Member
| Institution | Location | Founded | Tenure of Membership | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Logo | Varsity Teams | NCAA Championships (excludes football) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Chicago | Chicago, Illinois | 1890 | 1896-1946 | Private/Non-sectarian | 13,602 | Maroons | Image:ChicagoMaroons.PNG | 19 |
- The University of Chicago was a co-founder of the conference and still maintains affiliation through the CIC.
Attended 1895 meeting but was not a member of the conference:
[edit] History
Seven Midwestern university presidents met on January 11, 1895, at the Palmer House in Chicago to discuss the regulation and control of intercollegiate athletics. Those seven men, behind the leadership of James H. Smart, president of Purdue University, established the principles for the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives which would be founded in 1896. The organization was more commonly known as the Western Conference and then later as the Big Nine and Big Ten Conference.
Those seven universities were the University of Chicago, University of Illinois, Lake Forest College, University of Minnesota, Northwestern University, Purdue University and the University of Wisconsin. Lake Forest was not at the 1896 meeting that established the conference; it was replaced by the University of Michigan.
At the 1895 meeting, a blueprint for the control and administration of college athletics under the direction of appointed faculty representatives was outlined. The presidents' first-known action "restricted eligibility for athletics to bona fide, full-time students who were not delinquent in their studies." This helped limit some problems of the times, especially the participation of professional athletes and "non-students" in the universities' regular sporting events.
The first reference to the conference as The Big Nine was in 1899 after Iowa and Indiana had joined. The first reference to the conference as the Big Ten was in 1917 after Michigan rejoined following a nine-year absence; Ohio State University had been added in 1912.
The conference was again known as the Big Nine after the University of Chicago decided to de-emphasize varsity athletics just after World War II. Chicago discontinued its football program in 1939 and withdrew from the conference in 1946. Chicago continues its relationship with the conference as a member of the Committee on Institutional Cooperation, the "academic Big Ten". In 1950, Michigan State joined and the conference was again known as the Big Ten. The Big Ten's membership would remain stable for the next 40 years.
The conference’s official name throughout this period remained the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives. It did not formally adopt the name Big Ten until 1987, when it was incorporated as a not-for-profit corporation. When Penn State joined in 1990, it was decided that the conference would continue to be called the Big Ten, but its logo was modified to reflect the change; the number 11 is disguised in the white areas of the traditionally blue "Big Ten" lettering.
Following the addition of previously independent Penn State, efforts were made to encourage the University of Notre Dame, the last remaining traditionally independent football powerhouse, to join the league. Early in the 20th century, Notre Dame had sought official entry into the Big Ten but was never extended an invitation[citation needed]. However, in 1999, both Notre Dame and the Big Ten entered into private negotiations concerning a possible membership that would include Notre Dame, and the Big Ten extended an official invitation to Notre Dame. Although the Notre Dame faculty senate endorsed the idea with a near unanimous vote, the ND board of trustees voted against joining the conference and Notre Dame ultimately withdrew from negotiations.[1] Though the idea has been revisited in the wake of the Atlantic Coast Conference's expansion to 12 teams, neither Notre Dame nor the Big Ten has taken any official action in pursuit of Notre Dame's membership. Notre Dame later joined the Big East Conference in all sports except football, men's lacrosse, and men's hockey.
On June 21, 2006, the Big Ten announced new television broadcast agreements. This involved a 10-year extension of its contract with ABC/ESPN as well as the formation of a brand new station, to be the Big Ten Network. The Big Ten Channel is a new development, set to begin broadcasting in August 2007, "dedicated to covering both the athletic and academic content of the Big Ten member institutions on a national level".[2] The Big Ten Channel represents a 20-year partnership between the Big Ten and Fox. It will be majority-owned by the Big Ten Conference, with Fox holding a minority interest. The official conference name and logo were announced on October 12, 2006.[3] The conference announced previously that it is continuing its relationship with CBS for network broadcasts in basketball.
[edit] Commissioners
The office of the commissioner of athletics was created in 1922 "to study athletic problems of the various member universities and assist in enforcing the eligibility rules which govern Big Ten athletics."
| Name | Years | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Major John L. Griffith | 1922-1944 | died in office |
| Kenneth L. "Tug" Wilson | 1944-1961 | retired |
| Bill Reed | 1961-1971 | died in office |
| Wayne Duke | 1971-1989 | retired |
| James E. Delany | 1989- | Present |
[edit] Big Ten football
As of 2006, the Big Ten champion has the Rose Bowl (a BCS bowl) tie-in, and the following non-BCS bowl tie-ins (picks are after BCS selections, i.e., if two Big Ten teams participate in BCS bowls, the bowl with the #1 pick will select the third team):
- Capital One Bowl: Orlando, Florida (Big Ten #2 pick against SEC #2 pick)
- Outback Bowl: Tampa, Florida (Big Ten #3 pick against SEC #3/4 pick)
- Alamo Bowl: San Antonio, Texas (Big Ten #4/5 pick against Big 12 #4 pick)
- Champs Sports Bowl: Orlando, Florida (Big Ten #4/5 pick against ACC #4 pick)
In 2006 & 2009, the Champs Sports Bowl has the 4th pick. The Alamo Bowl has the 4th pick in 2007 & 2008
- Insight Bowl: Tempe, Arizona (Big Ten #6 pick against Big 12 #5 pick)
- Motor City Bowl: Detroit, Michigan (Big Ten #7 pick against MAC)
Although the pick order usually corresponds to the conference standings, the bowls are not required to make their choices strictly according to the won-lost records; many factors influence bowl selections, especially the turnout of the fans for past bowl games.
[edit] Big Ten men's basketball
The Big Ten always has been a national powerhouse in men's basketball, having multiple championship winners and often sending four or more teams to the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. Previous NCAA champions include Indiana with five titles, Michigan State with two, and Wisconsin, Michigan, and Ohio State with one each.
- Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball regular season champions:
- Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
- ACC - Big Ten Challenge
[edit] Rivalries
[edit] Big Ten football
The members of the Big Ten have longstanding rivalries with each other, especially on the football field. Each school has at least one traveling trophy at stake. Some Big Ten rivalries include (with their respective traveling trophy in parentheses):
- Illinois-Northwestern (Sweet Sioux Tomahawk)
- Purdue-Indiana (Old Oaken Bucket)
- Indiana-Michigan State (Old Brass Spittoon)
- Iowa-Minnesota (Floyd of Rosedale)
- Iowa-Wisconsin (Heartland Trophy)
- Wisconsin-Minnesota (Paul Bunyan's Axe)
- Michigan-Michigan State (Paul Bunyan Trophy)
- Michigan-Minnesota (Little Brown Jug)
- Illinois-Ohio State (Illibuck)
- Illinois-Purdue (Purdue Cannon)
- Penn State-Minnesota (Governor's Victory Bell)
- Penn State-Michigan State (Land Grant Trophy)
- Ohio State-Michigan (No trophy)
Furthermore, the Big Ten football schedule is set up with each team having two permanent rivalries within the conference, with the other eight teams in the conference rotating out of the schedule in pairs for two-year stints. Permanent rivalries are as follows:
- Illinois: Northwestern, Indiana
- Indiana: Illinois, Purdue
- Iowa: Minnesota, Wisconsin
- Michigan: Michigan State, Ohio State
- Michigan State: Michigan, Penn State
- Minnesota: Iowa, Wisconsin
- Northwestern: Illinois, Purdue
- Ohio State: Michigan, Penn State
- Penn State: Michigan State, Ohio State
- Purdue: Indiana, Northwestern
- Wisconsin: Iowa, Minnesota
[edit] Other rivalries
Purdue, Michigan State and Michigan are among the Big Ten teams who also have traditional rivalries with Notre Dame. Ohio State has played five games against Notre Dame, and leads the series 3-2 with its most recent victory over Notre Dame coming in the 2006 Fiesta Bowl.
Penn State had a longstanding rivalry with Pittsburgh of the Big East, but the two schools have not met since 2000. Penn State also had longstanding rivalries with West Virginia, Syracuse, and Rutgers of the Big East, Maryland and Boston College of the ACC, and Temple, the newest member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC). Penn State also had a rivalry with Notre Dame in the 1980s and early 1990s, which was ended when Penn State moved to the Big Ten, although the two schools will renew the series with a home-and-home series in 2006 at Notre Dame Stadium and in 2007 at Beaver Stadium.
Iowa has an in-state rivalry with Iowa State, with the winner getting the Cy-Hawk Trophy.
Indiana has an out-of conference rivalry with Kentucky, but the rivalry has a much higher profile in basketball than in football.
Illinois has a longstanding basketball rivalry with Missouri, with the two men's teams squaring off annually in the "Braggin' Rights" game in St. Louis. This rivalry has been carried over into football with games played at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis in 2002 and 2003 and four games scheduled from 2007 to 2010.[4]
In the early days of the Big Ten, the Chicago-Michigan game was played on Thanksgiving, usually with conference championship implications and was considered one of the first major rivalries of the conference. Also in the early days of the conference, and at Knute Rockne's insistence, the Northwestern University Wildcats and the Irish had a yearly contest, with the winner taking home a shillelagh, much like the winner of the USC-Notre Dame contest now receives. The Northwestern-Notre Dame shillelagh was largely forgotten by the early 1960's and is now solely an element of college football's storied past.
[edit] Conference facilities
| School | Football stadium | Stadium capacity | Basketball arena | Arena capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois | Memorial Stadium | 70,904 | Assembly Hall | 16,618 |
| Indiana | Memorial Stadium | 52,180 | Assembly Hall | 17,456 |
| Iowa | Kinnick Stadium | 70,585 | Carver-Hawkeye Arena | 15,500 |
| Michigan | Michigan Stadium | 107,501 | Crisler Arena | 13,751 |
| Michigan State | Spartan Stadium | 75,005 | Breslin Student Events Center | 14,992 |
| Minnesota | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 63,669 | Williams Arena | 14,321 |
| Northwestern | Ryan Field | 49,256 | Welsh-Ryan Arena | 8,117 |
| Ohio State | Ohio Stadium | 101,568 | Value City Arena | 19,500 |
| Penn State | Beaver Stadium | 107,282 | Bryce Jordan Center | 15,261 |
| Purdue | Ross-Ade Stadium | 62,500 | Mackey Arena | 14,123 |
| Wisconsin | Camp Randall Stadium | 80,321 | Kohl Center | 17,142 |
[edit] See also
- Big Ten Network
- Central Collegiate Hockey Association
- Midwest Universities Consortium for International Activities
- Western Collegiate Hockey Association
- NCAA Men's Division I Tournament Bids By School
[edit] External links
- Official Site of the Big Ten Conference
- Short History on the Chicago-Michigan Games
- Big Ten football & basketball fan site
- Big Ten football & basketball forums
| NCAA Division I-A Football Conferences: |
| Atlantic Coast Conference* – Big 12 Conference* – Big East Conference* – Big Ten Conference* – Conference USA – Mid-American Conference – Mountain West Conference – Pacific Ten Conference* – Southeastern Conference* – Sun Belt Conference – Western Athletic Conference – Independents |
| * – BCS Conference |
| Big Ten Conference |
|---|
| Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Michigan • Michigan State • Minnesota • Northwestern • Ohio State • Penn State • Purdue • Wisconsin |
| Current Basketball Arenas in the Big Ten |
|---|
| Assembly Hall (Illinois) • Assembly Hall (Indiana) • Breslin Student Events Center (Michigan State) • Bryce Jordan Center (Penn State) • Carver-Hawkeye Arena (Iowa) • Crisler Arena (Michigan) • Kohl Center (Wisconsin) • Mackey Arena (Purdue) • Value City Arena (Ohio State) • Welsh-Ryan Arena (Northwestern) • Williams Arena (Minnesota) |
| Football Stadiums of the Big Ten Conference |
|---|
| Beaver Stadium (Penn State) • Camp Randall Stadium (Wisconsin) • Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome (Minnesota) • Kinnick Stadium (Iowa) • Memorial Stadium (Illinois) • Memorial Stadium (Indiana) • Michigan Stadium (Michigan) • Ohio Stadium (Ohio State) • Ross-Ade Stadium (Purdue) • Ryan Field (Northwestern) • Spartan Stadium (Michigan State) |
| Basketball Student Sections of the Big Ten |
|---|
| Barnyard, The (Minnesota) • Buckeye NutHouse (Ohio State) • Crimson Crew (Indiana) • Grateful Red (Wisconsin) • Hawk's Nest (Iowa) • Izzone (Michigan State) • Maize Rage (Michigan) • Nittwits (Penn State) • Orange Krush (Illinois) • Paint Crew (Purdue) • Wildside (Northwestern) |
