Big Ten
From NCAA Wiki
| Big 10 | |
| |
| Established | 1865 |
| Classification | {{{Class}}} |
| National Titles | 204 (Excluding I-A Football) |
| Commissioner | James E. Delany |
| Members | 11 |
| Sports Fielded | {{{Sports}}} |
| States | {{{States}}} |
| Headquarters | Park Ridge, IL |
| Website | www.bigten.com |
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest college athletic conference. Its member institutions are located in the northern 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 conference are also 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 eleven schools in the Big Ten, as signified by the hidden "11" in the Big Ten Conference logo.
Big Ten football boasts three stadiums with over 100,000 seats. Annually one of the strongest football conferences in the country, through basketball is not as strong comparatively.
Contents |
Members
 Illinois |
 Indiana |
 Iowa |
 Michigan |
 Michigan State |
 Minnesota |
 Northwestern |
 Ohio State |
 Penn State |
 Purdue |
 Wisconsin |
A former member of the Big Ten Conference was the The University of Chicago (They cofounded the conference in 1896, but withdrew in 1946)
Member Map
History
A meeting of seven Midwest university presidents 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 which the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives, more popularly known as the Big Ten Conference, would be founded on the next year 1896.
Those seven universities were: 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 bonafide, 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 university's regular sporting events.
The Big Ten was founded in 1896 as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives. The founding member schools included six current members as well as the University of Chicago.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 9-year absence; Ohio State had been added in 1912.
The conference was again known as the Big Nine after the University of Chicago decided to deemphasize varsity athletics just after World War II. Chicago discontinued its football program in 1939 and withdrew from the Conference in 1946. Chicago to this day 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 the time was still the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives and was also known as the Western Conference. 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 the early 1990s, 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. The conference extended a formal invitation to Notre Dame in 1999. Although the Notre Dame faculty senate endorsed the idea, the board of trustees voted against joining the conference and Notre Dame ultimately declined the Big Ten's invitation.[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.
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 |
Big Ten Fight Songs
Illinois Oskee Wow Wow
Indiana Indiana, Our Indiana
Iowa The Iowa Fight Song
Michigan The Victors
Michigan State Falcone Fight
Minnesota Minnesota Rouser
Northwestern Go U, Northwestern
Ohio State Across the Field
Penn State Fight on State
Purdue Hail Purdue
Wisconsin On Wisconsin
Related Links
Big 10 Forum at NCAAbbs
Big Ten Sports Fans
Big Ten Team Message Boards
Big Ten Football & Basketball Forums
Big Ten Football Online
| Big Ten Conference Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Michigan • Michigan State • Minnesota • Northwestern • Ohio State•Penn State • Purdue • Wisconsin |
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