Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference


The Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference was an athletic conference in existence from 1928 to 1995 affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. The conference membership consisted entirely of colleges and universities in the state of Arkansas.

History

Some references indicate that the league started competition in 1927 while others list a 1928 date. The league seems to have competed in baseball and basketball in 1927-28 and started football competition in 1929. Some references list football championships for 1927 and 1928 while others do not so these may have been unofficial titles that anticipated the start of the league's football competition.
In 1941, with many member institutions suffering from reduced male student populations, the AIC suspended competition in order to save gasoline and other resources necessary for the war effort. Competition was not resumed until the 1945 season.
In December 1952 the AIC schools implemented new "amateurism" rules that no scholarships or subsidies would be offered to athletes beyond those that were available to regular students. Southern Arkansas and Arkansas Tech were opposed to the new rules and did not strictly enforce them. In December 1955 several AIC schools declared that they would no longer play SAU or Tech due to unspecified violations of the rule and neither school was able to compete for titles in any sport during the 1956 and 1957 school years. This situation was finally resolved in 1959 when a compromise was reached and Southern Arkansas and Tech were "restored" to the conference.
In 1983 the conference sanctioned women's sports for the first time. Prior to this most women's teams competed in the Arkansas Women's Extramural Sports Association which was founded in 1965 and later renamed as the Arkansas Women's Intercollegiate Sports Association in 1973.
In 1993 Central Arkansas and Henderson State elected to move to the NCAA Division II Gulf South Conference and were followed by the remaining public schools in 1995 which marked the end of the conference. Two of the remaining private schools, Ouachita Baptist and Harding, were accepted into the Lone Star Conference. The other private school, John Brown University, joined the Sooner Athletic Conference as the AIC dissolved.
The New South Intercollegiate Swim Conference was formed after the dissolution to provide several of the old AIC school's swimming programs a chance to compete for championships.

Membership

InstitutionNicknameLocation
FoundedTypeJoinedLeftSubsequent
conference		Current
conference
Arkansas State UniversityRed WolvesJonesboro1909Public19301950IndependentSun Belt
Arkansas Tech UniversityWonder Boys
&
Golden Suns		Russellville1909Public19281995Gulf SouthGreat American
TrojansLittle Rock1927Public19611977IndependentSun Belt
Boll Weevils
&
Cotton Blossoms		Monticello1909Public19281995Gulf SouthGreat American
Golden LionsPine Bluff1873Public19701987IndependentSWAC
Bears
&
Sugar Bears		Conway1907Public19281993Gulf SouthSouthland
Harding UniversityBisonsSearcy1924Private19601995Lone StarGreat American
Henderson State UniversityReddiesArkadelphia1890Public19301993Gulf SouthGreat American
Hendrix CollegeWarriorsConway1876Private19291992SCACSAA
John Brown UniversityGolden EaglesSiloam Springs1919Private19931995SoonerSooner
Lyon CollegeScotsBatesville1872Private1995TSACAmerican Midwest
Ouachita Baptist UniversityTigersArkadelphia1886Private19311995Lone StarGreat American
EaglesClarksville1834Private19471995American Southwest
Southern Arkansas UniversityMuleridersMagnolia1909Public19291995Gulf SouthGreat American
Williams Baptist CollegeEaglesWalnut Ridge1941Private1995TSACAmerican Midwest

; Notes
  1. Arkansas–Pine Bluff appears to have been a member of the AIC from 1970 to 1972 and then again from 1985 to 1987.
  2. Hendrix College disbanded its football program in 1960 but continued to compete in the AIC in other sports.
  3. Lyon College joined the AIC before 1980.
  4. Williams Baptist College joined the AIC about 1990.

    Commissioners

Football champions

Shared championships are shown in italics:

Basketball

Men's basketball champions

Following are the AIC regular-season conference champions from 1928 to 1995

NOTE: Information is incomplete.

Baseball

Baseball champions

NOTE: Information is incomplete