Where fans fuel champions.
Simple. Secure. Direct.
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Where fans fuel champions.
Simple. Secure. Direct.
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Where fans fuel champions.
Simple. Secure. Direct.
Where fans fuel champions.
Simple. Secure. Direct.
15 Schools•Division I•Est. 1979
The Horizon League is an NCAA Division I non-football conference headquartered in Indianapolis, the Amateur Sports Capital of the World, entering its 47th year of competition in 2025-26. The conference was founded on June 16, 1979, as the Midwestern City Conference with six charter members — Butler, Evansville, Loyola Chicago, Oklahoma City, Oral Roberts, and Xavier — with a focus on basketball excellence. It changed its name to the Midwestern Collegiate Conference in 1985, added women's sports in 1986-87, and adopted its current name on June 4, 2001. The Horizon League currently features 11 member institutions, with Northern Illinois University set to join as the 12th member on July 1, 2026. The conference sponsors 19 sports — nine for men and ten for women — and receives automatic bids to NCAA championships in baseball, men's and women's basketball, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, and women's volleyball. The Horizon League's media markets include four of the nation's top 30 in Detroit, Cleveland, Indianapolis, and Pittsburgh, covering approximately 8 million television households, with events airing on ESPN and ESPN+. The conference has a storied basketball tradition, compiling a 19-12 record in the NCAA Tournament from 2003 to 2011 and ranking first among all 32 Division I conferences in winning percentage during that stretch. Butler University, a former member, appeared in back-to-back national championship games in 2010 and 2011. Oakland University made headlines in 2024 when the Golden Grizzlies defeated third-seeded Kentucky as a 14 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Horizon League is scheduled to co-host the Men's Basketball Final Four alongside member IU Indianapolis in 2026 at Lucas Oil Stadium. Jill Bodensteiner was named the League's seventh commissioner in February 2026.
Official Website
The Horizon League is an NCAA Division I non-football conference headquartered in Indianapolis, the Amateur Sports Capital of the World, entering its 47th year of competition in 2025-26. The conference was founded on June 16, 1979, as the Midwestern City Conference with six charter members — Butler, Evansville, Loyola Chicago, Oklahoma City, Oral Roberts, and Xavier — with a focus on basketball excellence. It changed its name to the Midwestern Collegiate Conference in 1985, added women's sports in 1986-87, and adopted its current name on June 4, 2001. The Horizon League currently features 11 member institutions, with Northern Illinois University set to join as the 12th member on July 1, 2026. The conference sponsors 19 sports — nine for men and ten for women — and receives automatic bids to NCAA championships in baseball, men's and women's basketball, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, and women's volleyball. The Horizon League's media markets include four of the nation's top 30 in Detroit, Cleveland, Indianapolis, and Pittsburgh, covering approximately 8 million television households, with events airing on ESPN and ESPN+. The conference has a storied basketball tradition, compiling a 19-12 record in the NCAA Tournament from 2003 to 2011 and ranking first among all 32 Division I conferences in winning percentage during that stretch. Butler University, a former member, appeared in back-to-back national championship games in 2010 and 2011. Oakland University made headlines in 2024 when the Golden Grizzlies defeated third-seeded Kentucky as a 14 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Horizon League is scheduled to co-host the Men's Basketball Final Four alongside member IU Indianapolis in 2026 at Lucas Oil Stadium. Jill Bodensteiner was named the League's seventh commissioner in February 2026.
Official Website