Intermountain Collegiate Athletic Conference
The Intermountain Collegiate Athletic Conference (ICAC) is a defunct U.S. junior college athletic conference for schools in the states of Colorado, Idaho, and Utah that existed from 1936 to 1984. The league was part of the National Junior College Athletic Association.
History
Founded in 1936, ICAC initially consisted of six schools. The founding members were:
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Over the years a number of schools entered and exited the league. In 1938, Mesa College joined the league. In 1939, the league saw its largest membership when Carbon Junior College (later College of Eastern Utah) and Snow College joined. In the early 1940s, the league saw disruption due to the outbreak of World War II – Ricks and Albion were forced to leave prior to the 1941 season, while Weber and Westminster were forced to leave prior to the 1942 season. The entire league suspended operations from 1943 to 1945. In 1946, the league resumed operations with Albion and Weber also re-joining the league. Prior to 1948, Mesa left the league, while Westminster and Ricks rejoined, and a new member also joined – Boise Junior College (later Boise College).
Following this expansion, the league would see a gradual reduction in teams. 1950 would be the final season for SICE as the school closed in 1951. Westminster left the league after the 1954 season. Weber left following the 1961 season, while Southern Utah left the following year. In 1963, Mesa returned, but Eastern Utah decided to depart the league following that season. Boise left after the 1967 season, and Mesa left after the 1974 season. The league reached its final configuration in 1979 when Eastern Utah re-joined. The final four schools were Eastern Utah, Dixie, Ricks, and Snow.
1984 would be the final season of league play for the ICAC. In 1985, the NJCAA realigned its regions in response to a large number of Oregon and Washington schools leaving the organization to form the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges. NJCAA Region 18 was expanded to include schools in Utah, which resulted in all ICAC members being merged into the Scenic West Athletic Conference (Ricks had already been a member of the SWAC in non-football sports since 1968). For football, the league was merged with the Arizona Community College Conference to form the Western States Football League.
Former members
| Institution | Location | Founded | Nickname | Colors | Joined | Left[1] | Today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boise College (Boise Junior College) |
Boise, Idaho | 1932 | Broncos | 1948 | 1967 | Now known as Boise State University. Member of NCAA Division I FBS Mountain West Conference. | |
| Dixie Junior College | St. George, Utah | 1911 | Trailblazers | 1936 | 1984 | Now known as Dixie State University. Member of NCAA Division I Western Athletic Conference (football FCS independent). | |
| College of Eastern Utah (Carbon Junior College) |
Price, Utah | 1937 | Eagles | 1939, 1979 | 1963, 1984 | Now known as Utah State University Eastern. Member of NJCAA Scenic West Athletic Conference. | |
| Mesa College | Grand Junction, Colorado | 1925 | Mavericks | 1938, 1963 | 1947, 1974 | Now known as Colorado Mesa University. Member of NCAA Division II Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. | |
| Ricks College | Rexburg, Idaho | 1888 | Vikings | 1936, 1948 | 1940, 1984 | Now known as Brigham Young University-Idaho. Dropped intercollegiate athletics in 2002. | |
| Snow College | Ephraim, Utah | 1888 | Badgers | 1939 | 1984 | Member of NJCAA Scenic West Athletic Conference (football independent). | |
| Southern Idaho College of Education (Albion State Normal School) |
Albion, Idaho | 1894 | Panthers | 1936, 1946 | 1940, 1950 | Closed in 1951, academic programs transferred to Idaho State University. | |
| College of Southern Utah (Branch Agricultural College) |
Cedar City, Utah | 1897 | Thunderbirds | 1936 | 1962 | Now known as Southern Utah University. Member of NCAA Division I FCS Big Sky Conference. | |
| Weber College | Ogden, Utah | 1889 | Wildcats | 1936, 1946 | 1941, 1961 | Now known as Weber State University. Member of NCAA Division I FCS Big Sky Conference. | |
| Westminster College | Salt Lake City, Utah | 1875 | Griffins | 1936, 1948 | 1941, 1954 | Member of NCAA Division II Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. |
Membership timeline
Full members World War II (suspended operations)
Championships
Football champions
| Year | Champion(s) | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1936 | Albion State N.S. | 3-0 |
| 1937 | Albion State N.S. | 2-0 |
| 1938 | Albion State N.S. | 3-1 |
| 1939 | Mesa College | 5-1 |
| 1940 | Dixie J.C. Albion State N.S. | 4-0 4-0 |
| 1941 | Mesa College | 4-0 |
| 1942 | Carbon J.C. | 3-0 |
| 1946 | Mesa College | 5-0 |
| 1947 | Carbon J.C. | 5-0 |
| 1948 | Boise J.C. | 3-0 |
| 1949 | Boise J.C. | 5-0 |
| 1950 | Boise J.C. | 5-0 |
| 1951 | Boise J.C. | 4-0 |
| 1952 | Boise J.C. | 3-0 |
| 1953 | Boise J.C. | 3-0 |
| 1954 | Boise J.C. | 3-0 |
| 1955 | Boise J.C. | 3-0 |
| 1956 | Boise J.C. Dixie J.C. | 4-0 5-0 |
| 1957 | Boise J.C. | 5-0 |
| 1958 | Boise J.C. | 4-0 |
| 1959 | Weber College | 4-1 |
| 1960 | Boise J.C. | 5-0 |
| 1961 | Boise J.C. | 6-0 |
| 1962 | Snow College | 4-1 |
| 1963 | Dixie J.C. | 5-0 |
| 1964 | Dixie J.C. | 4-0 |
| 1965 | Boise J.C. | 4-0 |
| 1966 | Boise J.C. | 4-0 |
| 1967 | Mesa College | 4-0 |
| 1968 | Mesa College Ricks College | 2-1 2-1 |
| 1969 | Mesa College | 3-0 |
| 1970 | Mesa College | 3-0 |
| 1971 | Dixie J.C. Ricks College | 2-1 2-1 |
| 1972 | Snow College | 2-0-1 |
| 1973 | Ricks College | 3-0 |
| 1974 | Ricks College | 3-0 |
| 1975 | Ricks College | 2-1 |
| 1976 | Snow College | 2-0 |
| 1977 | Snow College | 3-1 |
| 1978 | Snow College | 3-1 |
| 1979 | Dixie J.C. | 4-1-1 |
| 1980 | Ricks College | 6-0 |
| 1981 | Ricks College | 6-0 |
| 1982 | Ricks College Snow College | 4-2 4-2 |
| 1983 | Dixie J.C. Ricks College | 4-2 4-2 |
| 1984 | Ricks College | 6-0 |
National Champions (football)
- Boise Junior College won the NJCAA National Football Championship in 1958.
References
- ICAC suspended its operations for the 1943–1945 seasons due to World War II. Carbon, Dixie, Mesa, Snow, and Branch did not miss a season immediately before or after of this period, so their membership is considered uninterrupted.