Great Plains Athletic Conference (1972–1976)

The Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) was a collegiate athletic conference which operated in the western United States. It was aligned with the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC). The two allied conferences worked under the name of the Mountain and Plains Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MPIAA).[1] It was announced on May 15, 1972. The founding schools were Fort Hays State College (now Fort Hays State University); Kansas State College of Emporia (now Emporia State University); Kansas State College of Pittsburg (now Pittsburg State University); Southern Colorado State College (now Colorado State University–Pueblo); the University of Nebraska at Omaha, the University of Northern Colorado and Washburn University.[2] The conference only lasted four years, as Nebraska–Omaha and Northern Colorado left for the North Central Conference (NCC), Southern Colorado went back to the RMAC, and the rest of the schools started the Central States Intercollegiate Conference (CSIC), which merged into the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) effective in the 1989–90 school year.

This article is about the former college athletic conference that aligned with the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. For the current NAIA athletic conference, see Great Plains Athletic Conference.
Great Plains Athletic Conference
GPAC
Established1972
Dissolved1976
AssociationNAIA
RegionMountain States

Member schools

Final members
InstitutionNicknameLocationFoundedTypeJoinedLeftNext
conference(s)		Current
conference
Colorado State University–Pueblo[lower-alpha 1] ThunderWolves Pueblo, Colorado 1933 Public 1972–73 1975–76 RMAC
Emporia State University[lower-alpha 2] Hornets Emporia, Kansas 1863 CSIC MIAA
Fort Hays State University[lower-alpha 3] Tigers Hays, Kansas 1902
Pittsburg State University[lower-alpha 4] Gorillas Pittsburg, Kansas 1903
Washburn University Ichabods Topeka, Kansas 1865
University of Nebraska at Omaha Mavericks Omaha, Nebraska 1908 NCC Summit
(NCAA D-I)
University of Northern Colorado Bears Greeley, Colorado 1889 Big Sky
(NCAA D-I)
Notes
  1. Formerly known as Southern Colorado State College until 1975, then later known as the University of Southern Colorado until 2003.
  2. Formerly known as Kansas State College of Emporia until 1977.
  3. Formerly known as Fort Hays State College until 1977.
  4. Formertly known as Kansas State College of Pittsburg until 1977.

Membership timeline
North Central ConferenceUniversity of Northern ColoradoNorth Central ConferenceUniversity of Nebraska OmahaCentral States Intercollegiate ConferenceWashburn UniversityCentral States Intercollegiate ConferencePittsburg State UniversityCentral States Intercollegiate ConferenceFort Hays State UniversityCentral States Intercollegiate ConferenceEmporia State UniversityRocky Mountain Athletic ConferenceColorado State University Pueblo

Football champions

References
  1. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-12-03. Retrieved 2013-11-21.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. "RMAC To Convert To Allied Conferences". Denver, Colorado: The Fort Scott Tribune. 16 May 1972. Retrieved 21 November 2013.
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