Horizon League

From NCAA Wiki

Horizon League

Established	1979
Past Names	Midwestern City Conference, Midwestern Collegiate Conference (MCC)
Classification	Division 1
National Titles	4
Commissioner	Jonathan LeCrone
Members	10
Sports Fielded	19 (9 men's, 10 women's)
States	5 (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin)
Headquarters	Indianapolis, IN
Website	Horizon League

The Horizon League is a ten school, NCAA Division I college athletic conference, whose members are located in five Mid-western states in the U.S.

Throughout its 28 years of existence, the Horizon League has been one of the top performing conferences in NCAA Division I men's college basketball. The Horizon League has the best winning percentage among non-BCS conferences (.463) in the NCAA men's basketball tournament. That makes the Horizon League the seventh best conference of the 31 D-I basketball conferences in NCAA postseason play. [1] In just the last 12 years the league has sent 19 teams to the NCAA Tournament, producing ten wins, including three "Sweet 16" appearances. The Horizon League has had a team win at least one game in the last three, and seven of the last ten NCAA Tournaments, as well as having seven wins in the last five years. These recent accomplishments by the Horizon League's teams are in addition to several other Sweet 16, Elite Eight, and Final Four appearances by current league members, including an NCAA Tournament Championship by Loyola in 1963, and Butler in 1924 and 1929. [2]

The Horizon League is also the only non-BCS conference with Sweet 16 qualifiers in three of the last five NCAA Tournaments. The Horizon League has been a multiple-bid NCAA conference eight times, including a best of three NCAA Tournament berths in 1998. The Horizon League has gained men's basketball national notoriety in other ways as well, as it has hosted the men's Final Four in 1991, 1997, 2000 and 2006, and will host in 2009 and 2010. It also hosted the women's Final Four in 2005 and will host again in 2007. In addition, Horizon League commissioner Jonathan B. LeCrone, who is in his 15th year as league commissioner, is also in the middle of a five-year term on the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Committee. [3]

Although the league does not sponsor football, two members have Division I-AA teams: Youngstown State in the NCAA FCS Missouri Valley Football Conference, and Butler in the FCS Pioneer Football League. Men's volleyball is also not sponsored, although Loyola competes in the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association.

[edit] History

The Horizon League was formed in 1979 by six NCAA Division I schools that originally dubbed themselves the Midwestern City 6, and officially the Midwestern City Conference (or MCC) soon thereafter. The name was altered slightly to Midwestern Collegiate Conference in 1985. The conference again changed its name on June 4, 2001, in part to avoid being confused with the Mid-Continent Conference. For most of its existence it has generally been considered one of the top mid-major conferences in the country, particularly in men's basketball. Charter members included Butler, Evansville, Loyola, Oklahoma City, Oral Roberts and Xavier.