17 Schools•Division I•Est. 1952
The WCC began in 1952 as the California Basketball Association, a practical arrangement among five schools — San Francisco, Saint Mary's, Santa Clara, San Jose State and Pacific — that wanted a convenient way to play basketball. Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine joined in 1955, the league became the West Coast Athletic Conference in 1956, and the name was shortened to its current form in 1989. Headquartered in the Bay Area, the conference competes in NCAA Division I and sponsors championships in sports for men and women, though not football.
Basketball made the name. San Francisco won consecutive national championships in 1955 and 1956 behind Bill Russell and K.C. Jones, and the Dons reached three straight Final Fours. Steve Nash came out of Santa Clara, John Stockton out of Gonzaga, Elgin Baylor out of Seattle, and Dennis Johnson out of Pepperdine. Coaches Rick Adelman and Erik Spoelstra both began as WCC players.
Soccer may run deepest. San Francisco has won six national titles in men's soccer, and Santa Clara and Portland have won on both the men's and women's sides. Pepperdine has claimed championships in baseball, men's golf, men's tennis, men's volleyball and men's water polo.
The Olympic record follows the same lines. Brandi Chastain and Aly Wagner of Santa Clara won gold with the United States, as did Portland's Shannon MacMillan and Tiffeny Milbrett. Terry Schroeder of Pepperdine won water polo silver as a player, then coached the American men to silver. Mike Whitmarsh of San Diego took beach volleyball silver.
Rivalries give the calendar its shape. Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount contest the PCH Cup across every sport they share. Pacific and San Francisco have met on the basketball court since 1911. Saint Mary's and Gonzaga met more than 120 times, building the West's signature basketball rivalry.
Official Website
The WCC began in 1952 as the California Basketball Association, a practical arrangement among five schools — San Francisco, Saint Mary's, Santa Clara, San Jose State and Pacific — that wanted a convenient way to play basketball. Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine joined in 1955, the league became the West Coast Athletic Conference in 1956, and the name was shortened to its current form in 1989. Headquartered in the Bay Area, the conference competes in NCAA Division I and sponsors championships in sports for men and women, though not football.
Basketball made the name. San Francisco won consecutive national championships in 1955 and 1956 behind Bill Russell and K.C. Jones, and the Dons reached three straight Final Fours. Steve Nash came out of Santa Clara, John Stockton out of Gonzaga, Elgin Baylor out of Seattle, and Dennis Johnson out of Pepperdine. Coaches Rick Adelman and Erik Spoelstra both began as WCC players.
Soccer may run deepest. San Francisco has won six national titles in men's soccer, and Santa Clara and Portland have won on both the men's and women's sides. Pepperdine has claimed championships in baseball, men's golf, men's tennis, men's volleyball and men's water polo.
The Olympic record follows the same lines. Brandi Chastain and Aly Wagner of Santa Clara won gold with the United States, as did Portland's Shannon MacMillan and Tiffeny Milbrett. Terry Schroeder of Pepperdine won water polo silver as a player, then coached the American men to silver. Mike Whitmarsh of San Diego took beach volleyball silver.
Rivalries give the calendar its shape. Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount contest the PCH Cup across every sport they share. Pacific and San Francisco have met on the basketball court since 1911. Saint Mary's and Gonzaga met more than 120 times, building the West's signature basketball rivalry.
Official Website