View source for Big Eight Conference

{{Short description|Former U.S. college athletics conference}}
{{about|the dissolved NCAA Division I-A conference}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox sports league
| name            = Big Eight Conference
| color           = 003300
| font_color      = FFFFFF
| title           = 
| logo            = Big 8 Conference.svg
| logo_size       = 150
| founded         = 1907
| folded          = 1996
| association     = [[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA]]
| division        = [[NCAA Division I|Division I]]
| teams           = 8 (final), 12 (total)
| sports          = 21<ref name=bigeightsports>{{cite web |title=BigEightSports.com |url=http://bigeightsports.com/ |access-date=August 13, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131012165456/http://www.bigeightsports.com/ |archive-date=October 12, 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| mens            = 11
| womens          = 10
| region          = [[Midwestern United States]], [[Mountain States]], [[West South Central States]]
| formerly        = Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association (1907–1964)<br />Big Six Conference<br>(1928–1948, ''unofficial'')<br />Big Seven Conference <br>(1948–1957, ''unofficial'')<br />Big Eight Conference<br>(1957–1964, ''unofficial'')
| headquarters    = [[Kansas City, Missouri]], U.S.
| commissioner    = Carl C. James (final) 1980–1996
| map             = Big 8 Map.svg
| map_size        = 250
}}
The '''Big Eight Conference''' was a [[National Collegiate Athletic Association]] (NCAA)-affiliated [[Division I-A]] college athletic association that sponsored [[American football|football]]. It was formed in January 1907 as the '''[[Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association]]''' ('''MVIAA''')<ref name=BorderingOnHatredRivalryWeek>{{cite news |first=Austin |last=Murphy |title=Bordering On Hatred: Rivalry Week will once again deliver must-see matchups, but this year's Kansas-Missouri showdown is like no other: It may very well be the last |date=November 28, 2011 |magazine=Sports Illustrated |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1192444/index.htm |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130119145825/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1192444/index.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 19, 2013 |access-date=2011-11-25}}</ref> by its charter member schools: the [[University of Kansas]], [[University of Missouri]],<ref name=BorderingOnHatredRivalryWeek/> [[University of Nebraska–Lincoln|University of Nebraska]], and [[Washington University in St. Louis]]. Additionally, the [[University of Iowa]] was an original member of the MVIAA, while maintaining joint membership in the Western Conference (now the [[Big Ten Conference]]).

The conference's membership at its dissolution consisted of the [[University of Nebraska]], [[Iowa State University]], the [[University of Colorado at Boulder]], the [[University of Kansas]], [[Kansas State University]], the [[University of Missouri]], the [[University of Oklahoma]], and [[Oklahoma State University]]. The Big Eight's headquarters were located in [[Kansas City, Missouri]].

In February 1994, all eight members of the Big Eight Conference and four of the members of the [[Southwest Conference]] announced that the 12 schools had reached an agreement to form the [[Big 12 Conference]].<ref>{{cite news |title= Texas Giants Merge With Big 8 |agency= Associated Press |date= February 27, 1994 |url= https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=1zkwAAAAIBAJ&pg=5906,3123357&dq=big+8+southwest+conference&hl=en }}</ref> From a conventional standpoint, the Big 12 was renamed and expanded Big Eight. But from a legal standpoint, the Big Eight ceased operations in 1996, and its members joined with the four SWC schools ([[University of Texas|Texas]], [[Texas A&M University|Texas A&M]], [[Baylor University|Baylor]], and [[Texas Tech University|Texas Tech]]) to form the Big 12 the following year.

==History==

===Formation===
The conference was founded as the '''Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association''' ('''MVIAA''') at a meeting on January 12, 1907, of five charter member institutions: the [[University of Kansas]], the [[University of Missouri]], the [[University of Nebraska]], [[Washington University in St. Louis]], and the [[University of Iowa]], which also maintained its concurrent membership in the [[Western Conference (NCAA)|Western Conference]] (now the Big Ten Conference). However, Iowa only participated in football and outdoor men's track and field for a brief period before leaving the conference in 1911.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bigeightsports.com/Schools/Iowa/Iowa.htm|title=Iowa|website=www.bigeightsports.com|access-date=2012-11-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304201402/http://www.bigeightsports.com/Schools/Iowa/Iowa.htm|archive-date=2016-03-04|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Early membership changes===
In 1908, [[Drake University]] and [[Iowa Agricultural College]] (now Iowa State University) joined the MVIAA, increasing the conference's membership to seven. Iowa, which was a joint member, departed the conference in 1911 to return to sole competition in the Western Conference, but [[Kansas State University]] joined the conference in 1913. Nebraska left in 1918 to play as an independent for two seasons before returning in 1920. In 1919, the [[University of Oklahoma]] and [[Saint Louis University]] applied for membership but were not approved due to deficient management of their athletic programs.<ref>{{cite news |title=Oklahoma Refused |newspaper=Lawrence Journal-World |location=Lawrence, Kansas |date=May 31, 1919 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ePBiAAAAIBAJ&pg=3169,4233565&dq=missouri-valley+nebraska&hl=en}}</ref> The conference then added [[Grinnell College]] in 1919, with the [[University of Oklahoma]] applying again and being approved in 1920. [[Oklahoma A&M University]] (now Oklahoma State University) joined in 1925, bringing conference membership to ten, an all-time high.<ref>{{cite news |title=Oklahoma Aggies in Valley Group |date=December 6, 1924 |newspaper=Lawrence Journal-World |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=hPFiAAAAIBAJ&pg=7087,5183475&dq=oklahoma+aggies+conference&hl=en}}</ref>

===Split into Big Six Conference===
At a meeting in [[Lincoln, Nebraska]], on May 19, 1928, the conference split up. Six of the seven state schools (all except Oklahoma A&M) formed a conference that was initially known as the '''Big Six Conference'''.<ref name="BorderingOnHatredRivalryWeek" /> Just before the start of fall practice, the six schools announced they would retain the MVIAA name for formal purposes. However, fans and media continued to call it the Big Six. The three private schools – Drake, Grinnell, and Washington University – joined with Oklahoma A&M to form the [[Missouri Valley Conference]] (MVC).<ref>{{cite news |title=Big Six Grid Squads Take Field Tomorrow |agency=Associated Press |date=September 16, 1928 |newspaper=The Milwaukee Sentinel |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=KlNQAAAAIBAJ&pg=2423,2457251&dq=missouri-valley-intercollegiate-athletic-association&hl=en}}</ref> The old MVIAA's administrative staff transferred to the MVC.

The similarity of the two conferences' official names, as well as the competing claims of the two conferences, led to considerable debate over which conference was the original and which was the spin-off, though the MVIAA went on to become the more prestigious of the two. For the remainder of the Big Eight's run, both conferences claimed 1907 as their founding date, as well as the same history through 1927. To this day, it has never been definitively established which conference was the original.

=== Big Seven adds Colorado ===
Conference membership grew with the addition of the [[University of Colorado at Boulder|University of Colorado]] on December 1, 1947, from the [[Mountain States Conference]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Sports Roundup | first=Hugh Jr. | last=Fullerton |agency=Associated Press |newspaper=Sarasota Herald-Tribune |date=May 27, 1947 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=S7YqAAAAIBAJ&pg=5086,5348696&dq=big-six+colorado&hl=en}}</ref> Later that month, Reaves E. Peters was hired as "Commissioner of Officials and Assistant Secretary" and set up the first conference offices in Kansas City, Missouri. With the addition of Colorado, the conference's unofficial name became the '''Big Seven Conference''', coincidentally, the former unofficial name of the MSC.

=== Big Eight adds Oklahoma State ===
[[File:Big Eight cities.png|thumb|Locations of final Big Eight Conference full member institutions between 1957 and 1995]]
The final membership change happened ten years later, when Oklahoma A&M, newly renamed [[Oklahoma State University–Stillwater|Oklahoma State]], joined (or rejoined, depending on the source) the conference on June 1, 1957,<ref name="grouptoask">{{cite news |title=Group To Ask NCAA Opinion |agency=Associated Press |newspaper=St. Petersburg Times |date=May 19, 1957 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=bwlSAAAAIBAJ&pg=6722,1539787&dq=missouri-valley-intercollegiate-athletic-association&hl=en}}</ref> and the conference became known as the '''Big Eight'''. However, Oklahoma State did not begin conference play until the 1958–59 season for basketball and the 1960 season for football.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Football Record Book: Big Eight Conference Annual Standings |url=https://bigtwelve_ftp.sidearmsports.com/custompages/pdf5/134783.pdf |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231107201105/https://bigtwelve_ftp.sidearmsports.com/custompages/pdf5/134783.pdf |archive-date=2023-11-07 |website=Big 12 Conference}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Men's Basketball Record Book: Big Eight Conference Annual Standings |url=http://www.big12sports.com//pdf1/134781.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120905123311/http://www.big12sports.com//pdf1/134781.pdf |archive-date=2012-09-05 |access-date=2023-11-07 |website=Big 12 Conference}}</ref> Peters' title was changed to "Executive Secretary" of the conference in 1957. He retired in June 1963 and was replaced by Wayne Duke, whose title was later changed to "Commissioner".

In 1964, the conference legally assumed the name '''Big Eight Conference'''. In 1968 the conference began a long association with the [[Orange Bowl (game)|Orange Bowl]], sending its champion annually to play in the prestigious [[bowl game]] in [[Miami, Florida]], all except the [[1974 Orange Bowl]] and the [[1975 Orange Bowl]]. Instead, Big Eight representative [[University of Nebraska-Lincoln|Nebraska]] [[Nebraska Cornhuskers football|Cornhuskers]] played in the [[1974 Cotton Bowl Classic]] and the [[1974 Sugar Bowl]] (Oklahoma, which won the conference championship in [[1973 Oklahoma Sooners football team|1973]] and [[1974 Oklahoma Sooners football team|1974]], was banned from bowl games in those seasons as part of NCAA probation).

===Formation of the Big 12 Conference===
{{Main|Big 12 Conference}}

In the early 1990s, most of the colleges in [[Division I-A]] (now known as the [[Football Bowl Subdivision]]) were members of the [[College Football Association]]; this included members of the Big Eight and Southwest Conferences. Following a [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court]] [[NCAA v. Board of Regents of Univ. of Oklahoma|decision]] in 1984, the primary function of the CFA was to negotiate television broadcast rights for its member conferences and independent colleges. In February 1994, the [[Southeastern Conference]] announced that they, like the [[Big Ten Conference|Big Ten]], [[Pac-12 Conference|Pac-10]], and [[Notre Dame Fighting Irish football|Notre Dame]] before them, would be leaving the CFA and negotiating independently for a television deal that covered SEC schools only. This led ''[[The Dallas Morning News]]'' to proclaim that "the College Football Association as a television entity is dead".<ref name="SEC LEAVES CFA">{{cite news |url=http://www.deseretnews.com/article/335883/SEC-OFFICIALLY-LEAVES-CFA-BIG-EAST-WILL-FOLLOW-SOON.html?pg=all |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131210003756/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/335883/SEC-OFFICIALLY-LEAVES-CFA-BIG-EAST-WILL-FOLLOW-SOON.html?pg=all |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 10, 2013 |title=SEC Officially Leaves CFA; Big East Will Follow Soon |newspaper=The Dallas Morning News |date=February 12, 1994 |access-date=August 25, 2012 |last=Maisel |first=Ivan}}</ref> More significantly, this change in television contracts ultimately would lead to significant realignment of college conferences, with the biggest change being the dissolution of the Big Eight and Southwest Conferences and the formation of the Big 12.

After the SEC's abandonment of the CFA, the [[Southwest Conference]] and the Big Eight Conference saw potential financial benefits from an alliance to negotiate television deals, and quickly began negotiations to that end, with [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] and [[ESPN]]. On February 25, 1994, it was announced that a new conference would be formed from the members of the Big Eight and four of the Texas member colleges of the Southwest Conference.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=B-9LAAAAIBAJ&dq=big%2012&pg=7024%2C6649678 |title=Politics played big part information of Big 12 |date=February 28, 1994 |newspaper=The Deseret News |access-date=June 20, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Texas Giants Merge With Big 8 |agency=Associated Press |newspaper=The Nevada Daily Mail |date=February 27, 1994 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=1zkwAAAAIBAJ&pg=5906,3123357&dq=big+8+southwest+conference&hl=en}}</ref><ref name=decideonname>{{cite news |title= Presidents Decide on Name: Big 12 |agency=Associated Press |newspaper=Lawrence Journal-World |date=May 13, 1994 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=10YyAAAAIBAJ&pg=1935,4801791&dq=big+12+conference+big+8+southwest+conference&hl=en}}</ref> Though the name would not be made official for several months, newspaper accounts immediately dubbed the new entity the "Big 12".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=B-9LAAAAIBAJ&dq=big%2012&pg=7024%2C6649678 |title=Politics played big part in formation of Big 12 |date=February 28, 1994 |access-date=August 26, 2012}}</ref> Charter members of the Big 12 included the members of the Big Eight plus [[Baylor University|Baylor]], [[University of Texas at Austin|Texas]], [[Texas A&M University|Texas A&M]] and [[Texas Tech University|Texas Tech]].

===Dissolution===
Following the formation of the Big 12 Conference in 1994, the Big Eight continued operations until August 30, 1996, when the conference was formally dissolved and its members officially began competition in the Big 12 Conference. 
Although the Big 12 was essentially the Big Eight plus the four Texas schools, the Big 12 regards itself as a separate conference and does not claim the Big Eight's history as its own.

==Members==

===Final members===
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! Institution
! Location
! Founded
! Joined
! Type
! Enrollment
! Endowment
! Nickname
! Colors
! Varsity Sports
! National Titles
|-
| [[University of Colorado at Boulder|University of Colorado]]
| [[Boulder, Colorado]]
| 1876
| 1947
| Public
| 30,128
| $665,000,000<ref name="nacubo.org"/>
| [[Colorado Buffaloes|Buffaloes]]
| {{college color boxes|Colorado Buffaloes}}*
| 14
| 28
|-
| [[Iowa State University]]
| [[Ames, Iowa]]
| 1858
| 1908
| Public
| 28,682<ref>{{cite web |title=Iowa State University fall enrollment soars to a record 28,682 students |url=http://www.news.iastate.edu/news/2010/sep/2010enrollment | publisher=Iowa State University |access-date=14 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719211201/http://www.news.iastate.edu/news/2010/sep/2010enrollment |archive-date=19 July 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref>
| $452,200,000<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.nacubo.org/Documents/research/2009_NCSE_Public_Tables_Endowment_Market_Values.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2010-02-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171214124106/http://www.nacubo.org/Documents/research/2009_NCSE_Public_Tables_Endowment_Market_Values.pdf |archive-date=2017-12-14 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| [[Iowa State Cyclones|Cyclones]]
| {{college color boxes|Iowa State Cyclones}}
| 16
| 18
|-
| [[University of Kansas]]
| [[Lawrence, Kansas]]
| 1865
| 1907
| Public
| 30,004<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.registrar.ku.edu/pdf/20th_day/fall_2009_kheer.pdf|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719225955/http://www.registrar.ku.edu/pdf/20th_day/fall_2009_kheer.pdf|url-status=dead|title=KU Fall 2009 Enrollment|archivedate=July 19, 2011}}</ref>
| $1,005,000,000<ref name="nacubo.org">{{Cite web |url=http://www.nacubo.org/Documents/research/2010NCSE_Public_Tables_Endowment_Market_Values_Final.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2011-01-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120717082947/http://www.nacubo.org/Documents/research/2010NCSE_Public_Tables_Endowment_Market_Values_Final.pdf |archive-date=2012-07-17 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| [[Kansas Jayhawks|Jayhawks]]
| {{college color boxes|Kansas Jayhawks}}
| 16
| 13
|-
| [[Kansas State University]]
| [[Manhattan, Kansas]]
| 1863
| 1913
| Public
| 23,588<ref name=Enrollment>{{cite web |title=Kansas State University Fact Book 2010 |url=http://www.k-state.edu/pa/statinfo/factbook/student/totdemo.pdf |access-date=2011-08-15 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120321225008/http://www.k-state.edu/pa/statinfo/factbook/student/totdemo.pdf |archive-date=2012-03-21 }}</ref>
| $277,600,000<ref name="nacubo.org"/>
| [[Kansas State Wildcats|Wildcats]]
| {{college color boxes|Kansas State Wildcats}}
| 14
| 0
|-
| [[University of Missouri]]
| [[Columbia, Missouri]]
| 1839
| 1907
| Public
| 33,318<ref>{{cite web |title=New Semester Sets Records |url=http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/2011/aug/22/new-semester-sets-records/ |access-date=22 August 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110920065407/http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/2011/aug/22/new-semester-sets-records/ |archive-date=20 September 2011 }}</ref>
| $974,900,000<ref name="nacubo.org"/>
| [[Missouri Tigers|Tigers]]
| {{college color boxes|Missouri Tigers}}
| 18
| 2
|-
| [[University of Nebraska–Lincoln|University of Nebraska]]
| [[Lincoln, Nebraska]]
| 1869
| 1907
| Public
| 24,100<ref>{{cite web |title=NU enrollment highest in 13 years; up for 5th consecutive year |url=http://nebraska.edu/media-resource-center/news-releases/1454-nu-enrollment-highest-in-13-years-up-for-5th-consecutive-year.html |website=nebraska.edu |access-date=14 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720012337/http://nebraska.edu/media-resource-center/news-releases/1454-nu-enrollment-highest-in-13-years-up-for-5th-consecutive-year.html |archive-date=20 July 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| $1,140,000,000<ref name="nacubo.org"/>
| [[Nebraska Cornhuskers|Cornhuskers]]
| {{college color boxes|Nebraska Cornhuskers}}
| 21
| 23
|-
| [[University of Oklahoma]]
| [[Norman, Oklahoma]]
| 1890
| 1919
| Public
| 29,721
| $968,400,000<ref name="nacubo.org"/>
| [[Oklahoma Sooners|Sooners]]
| {{college color boxes|Oklahoma Sooners}}
| 19
| 27
|-
| [[Oklahoma State University–Stillwater|Oklahoma State University]]
| [[Stillwater, Oklahoma]]
| 1890
| 1958
| Public
| 23,307
| $311,000,000<ref>[http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/oklahoma-state-3170 Oklahoma state]''US News'' {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110821121944/http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/oklahoma-state-3170 |date=August 21, 2011 }}</ref>
| [[Oklahoma State Cowboys|Cowboys]]
| {{college color boxes|Oklahoma State Cowboys}}
| 16
| 55
|}

(*In the early 1980s, Colorado's colors were sky blue and gold.)

===Previous members===
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! Institution
! Location
! Founded
! Type
! Enrollment
! Endowment
! Nickname
! Colors
! Varsity Sports
! NCAA Titles<ref name=NCAAChamps>{{cite web |title=Summary ALL DIVISIONS/COLLEGIATE TOTAL CHAMPIONSHIPS |url=http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/champs_records_book/Overall.pdf |access-date=March 20, 2014}}</ref>
|-
| [[Drake University]]
| [[Des Moines, Iowa]]
| 1881
| Private
| 3,164
| $135,000,000<ref name="nacubo.org"/>
| [[Drake Bulldogs|Bulldogs]]
| {{college color boxes|Drake Bulldogs}}
| 18
| 3
|-
| [[Grinnell College]]
| [[Grinnell, Iowa]]
| 1846
| Private
| 1,688
| $1,260,000,000<ref>{{cite web|url=http://chronicle.com/article/Colleges-Endowments-Earned-12/126071/|title=Endowments Regain Ground With 12% Returns|first=Jeffrey|last=Brainard|date=27 January 2011|via=The Chronicle of Higher Education}}</ref>
| [[Grinnell Pioneers|Pioneers]]
| {{college color boxes|Grinnell Pioneers}}
| 18
| 0
|-
| [[University of Iowa]]
| [[Iowa City, Iowa]]
| 1847
| Public
| 30,825
| $1,580,000,000<ref name="nacubo.org"/>
| [[Iowa Hawkeyes|Hawkeyes]]
| {{college color boxes|Iowa Hawkeyes}}
| 24
| 25
|-
| [[Washington University in St. Louis]]
| [[St. Louis, Missouri]]
| 1853
| Private
| 13,995
| $4,600,000,000<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.wustl.edu/news/Pages/21267.aspx|title=Trustees meet, dedicate Brauer Hall – The Source – Washington University in St. Louis|date=1 October 2010}}</ref>
| [[Washington University Bears|Bears]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://library.wustl.edu/units/spec/archives/facts/mascot.html |title=WU Libraries: Washington University Mascot: "Battling Bear" |access-date=2011-09-04 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110823213750/http://library.wustl.edu/units/spec/archives/facts/mascot.html |archive-date=2011-08-23 }}</ref>
| {{college color boxes|Washington University Bears}}
| 17
| 19 <small>([[NCAA Division III|Div. III]])</small>
|}

===Membership timeline===
<timeline>
DateFormat = yyyy
ImageSize  = width:700 height:auto barincrement:20
Period     = from:1907 till:2010
TimeAxis   = orientation:horizontal
PlotArea   = right:20 left:0 bottom:50 top:5 #> to display a count on left side of graph,  use "left:20" to suppress the count, use "left:20"<#

Colors = id:barcolor  value:rgb(0.99,0.7,0.7)

          id:line      value:black

          id:lightline value:rgb(0.5,0.5,0.5)

          id:bg        value:white
          id:Full value:rgb(0.742,0.727,0.852) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports
          id:FullxF value:rgb(0.551,0.824,0.777) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports except for football
          id:FMBig8 value:rgb(0.250,0.800,0.999) # Use this color to denote a Founding Member of the Big12 from the Big8
          id:AssocF value:rgb(0.98,0.5,0.445) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member for football only
          id:AssocOS value:rgb(0.5,0.691,0.824) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in some sports, but not all (consider identifying in legend or a footnote)
          id:OtherC1 value:rgb(0.996,0.996,0.699) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved to another conference
          id:OtherC2 value:rgb(0.988,0.703,0.383) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved to another conference where OtherC1 has already been used, to distinguish the two

PlotData=
  width:15 textcolor:black shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:s

  bar:1  color:Full from:1907 till:1911 text:[[University of Iowa|Iowa]] (1907&ndash;1911)
  bar:2  color:Full from:1907 till:1928 text:[[Washington University in St. Louis|Washington (Mo.)]] (1907&ndash;1928)
  bar:3  color:Full from:1907 till:1996 text:[[University of Kansas|Kansas]] (1907&ndash;1996)
  bar:3  color:FMBig8 from:1996 till:end text:[[Big 12 Conference|Big 12]]
  bar:4  color:Full from:1907 till:1996 text:[[University of Missouri|Missouri]] (1907&ndash;1996)
  bar:4  color:FMBig8 from:1996 till:end text:[[Big 12 Conference|Big 12]]
  bar:5  color:Full from:1907 till:1918 text:[[University of Nebraska|Nebraska]] (1907&ndash;1918, 1921&ndash;1996)
  bar:5  color:OtherC1 from:1918 till:1921
  bar:5  color:Full from:1921 till:1996 
  bar:5  color:FMBig8 from:1996 till:end text:[[Big 12 Conference|Big 12]]
  bar:6  color:Full from:1908 till:1928 text:[[Drake University|Drake]] (1908&ndash;1928)
  bar:7  color:Full from:1908 till:1996 text:[[Iowa State University|Iowa State]] (1908&ndash;1996)
  bar:7  color:FMBig8 from:1996 till:end text:[[Big 12 Conference|Big 12]]
  bar:8  color:Full from:1913 till:1996 text:[[Kansas State University|Kansas State]] (1913&ndash;1996)
  bar:8  color:FMBig8 from:1996 till:end text:[[Big 12 Conference|Big 12]]
  bar:9  color:Full from:1918 till:1928 text:[[Grinnell College|Grinnell]] (1918&ndash;1928)
  bar:10 color:Full from:1919 till:1996 text:[[University of Oklahoma|Oklahoma]] (1919&ndash;1996)
  bar:10 color:FMBig8 from:1996 till:end text:[[Big 12 Conference|Big 12]]
  bar:11 color:Full from:1925 till:1928 text:[[Oklahoma State University|Oklahoma A&M]] (1925&ndash;1928, 1958&ndash;1996)
  bar:11 color:OtherC1 from:1928 till:1958
  bar:11 color:Full from:1958 till:1996 text:[[Oklahoma State University|Oklahoma State]]
  bar:11 color:FMBig8 from:1996 till:end text:[[Big 12 Conference|Big 12]]
  bar:12 color:Full from:1947 till:1996 text:[[University of Colorado Boulder|Colorado]] (1947&ndash;1996)
  bar:12 color:FMBig8 from:1996 till:end text:[[Big 12 Conference|Big 12]]

ScaleMajor  = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:5 start:1910

TextData =

    fontsize:L

    textcolor:black

    pos:(0,30) tabs:(350-center)

    text:^"Big Eight membership history"

#> If the chart uses more than one bar color, add a legend by selecting the appropriate fields from the following six options (use only the colors that are used in the graphic.) Leave a blank line after the end of the timeline, then add a line with the selected values from the list, separated by a space. {{Font color||{{RGB|190|186|218}}|Full members}} {{Font color||{{RGB|141|211|199}}|Full members (non-football)}} {{Font  color||{{RGB|251|128|114}}|Assoc. members (football only)}} {{Font color||{{RGB|128|177|211}}|Assoc. member (list sports)}} {{Font color||{{RGB|255|255|179}}|Other  Conference}} {{Font color||{{RGB|253|180|98}}|Other  Conference}} <#  </timeline>

{{Font color||{{RGB|190|186|218}}|Full members}}<br>{{Font color||{{RGB|255|255|179}}|Other conference}}<br>{{Font color||{{RGB|64|205|255}}|Big Eight members who were among the founding members of the [[Big 12 Conference]]&nbsp;}}

===Subsequent conference affiliations===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! Team !! Left for !! Current home
|-
| Colorado || colspan = "2" | [[Big 12 Conference]]{{ref|1|1}}
|-
| Drake || [[Missouri Valley Conference]] ||  [[Pioneer Football League]]<br />[[Missouri Valley Conference]]{{ref|2|2}}
|-
| Grinnell || [[Missouri Valley Conference]] ||  [[Midwest Conference]]{{ref|3|3}}
|-
| Iowa || colspan = "2" | [[Big Ten Conference]]
|-
| Iowa State || rowspan = "3" colspan="2"|[[Big 12 Conference]]
|-
| Kansas 
|-
| Kansas State 
|-
| Missouri || [[Big 12 Conference]] ||  [[Southeastern Conference]]{{ref|4|4}}
|-
| Nebraska || [[Big 12 Conference]] ||  [[Big Ten Conference]]{{ref|5|5}}
|-
| Oklahoma || [[Big 12 Conference]] || [[Southeastern Conference]]{{ref|6|6}}
|-
| Oklahoma State || colspan="2"|[[Big 12 Conference]]
|-
| Washington University in St. Louis || [[Missouri Valley Conference]] || [[University Athletic Association]]{{ref|7|7}}<br />[[College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin]]
|}

{{refbegin}}
#{{note|1}} Colorado left the Big 12 for the Pac-12 beginning with the 2011–12 season. It rejoined the Big 12 in 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-07-27 |title=Colorado To Join Big 12 Conference In 2024-25 |url=https://cubuffs.com/news/2023/7/27/general-colorado-to-join-big-12-conference-in-2024-25.aspx |access-date=2023-07-27 |website=University of Colorado Athletics |language=en}}</ref>  
#{{note|2}} Drake [[Johnny Bright Incident|withdrew]] from the Missouri Valley Conference from 1951 to 1956.  The MVC stopped sponsoring football in 1985; Drake remains a member for all non-football sports.  The football program dropped to [[NCAA Division III|Division III]] in 1987, playing as an [[NCAA Division III independent schools|independent]] until a change in NCAA rules forced the program to play in Division I. When the new rule took effect in 1993, Drake joined the newly formed Pioneer League, a football-only league playing at the FCS level that prohibits the awarding of football scholarships.
#{{note|3}} Grinnell joined the Midwest Collegiate Athletic Conference beginning with the 1939–40 season; their affiliation from 1928 to 1939 is unclear.<ref>http://www.grinnell.edu/files/downloads/Grinnell%20College%20Football%20Season-by-Season%20Records_0.pdf{{dead link|date=July 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>  The MCAC merged with the Midwest Athletic Conference for Women to form the Midwest Conference beginning with the 1994–95 season.
#{{note|4}} Missouri left the Big 12 for the SEC beginning with the 2012–13 season.
#{{note|5}} Nebraska left the Big 12 for the Big Ten beginning with the 2011–12 season.
#{{note|6}} Oklahoma left the Big 12 for the SEC beginning with the 2024–25 season.
#{{note|7}} Washington University left the MVC in 1946; it joined the [[Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference|College Athletic Conference]] from 1962 through 1971, and became a charter member of the University Athletic Association, which began play with the 1986–87 season.  It was [[NCAA Division III independent schools|independent]] in all other years.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://washubears.com/|title=Washington University in St. Louis - Official Athletics Website|website=Washington University in St. Louis}}</ref> Washington University is now a football-only affiliate member of the [[College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin]].
{{refend}}

==Commissioners==
* Reaves Peters (1947–1963) as Executive Secretary<ref name=grouptoask/><!-- Peters was named Executive Director in 1957 --><ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wC1UAAAAIBAJ&pg=5601%2C2658297|title=Reaves Peters, Ex-Big 8 Head, Dies of Cancer|date=January 31, 1966|publisher=Lawrence Journal-World|access-date=12 June 2012|location=Kansas City, Missouri}}</ref>
* [[Wayne Duke]] (1963–1971)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bigten.org/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/022410aaa.html|title=Big Ten Official Athletic Site|website=[[Big Ten Conference]]|access-date=2011-09-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110407063908/http://www.bigten.org/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/022410aaa.html|archive-date=2011-04-07|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[Chuck Neinas]] (1971–1980)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.neinassports.com/bio.html|title=Neinas Sports Services|website=www.neinassports.com|access-date=2011-09-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110924180959/http://www.neinassports.com/bio.html|archive-date=2011-09-24|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* Carl C. James (1980–1996)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://goduke.com/news/2005/12/14/220764.aspx|title=Carl James|date=December 14, 2005|website=Duke University}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://big12sports.com/news/2004/7/3/1519866.aspx|title=Former Big Eight Commissioner Carl James Passes Away Saturday|date=July 3, 2004|website=big12sports.com}}</ref>

==Conference champions==
{{Main|List of Big Eight Conference champions}}

===Men's basketball===
{{main|Big Eight Conference men's basketball tournament}}
Following are the MVIAA/Big Eight regular-season conference champions from 1908 to 1996 (showing shared championships in ''italics''):<ref name=bigeightsports/><ref>{{cite web | title = Big Eight Conference basketball history | url = http://www.big12sports.com//pdf1/134781.pdf | publisher = Big 12 Conference | access-date = August 13, 2013}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! colspan="4" style= background:#003300;color:white; |Men's basketball regular-season championships (1908–1996)
|-
! School !! Total titles || Outright titles || Years
|-
| [[Colorado Buffaloes men's basketball|Colorado]] ||style="text-align:center;"|5 || style="text-align:center;"|3 || ''1954'' '''·''' 1955 '''·''' 1962 '''·''' ''1963'' '''·''' 1969
|-
| [[Drake Bulldogs men's basketball|Drake]] ||style="text-align:center;"|0 || style="text-align:center;"|0 ||
|-
| [[Grinnell Pioneers|Grinnell]] ||style="text-align:center;"|0 || style="text-align:center;"|0 ||
|-
| [[Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball|Iowa State]] ||style="text-align:center;"|4 || style="text-align:center;"|2 || 1935 '''·''' ''1941'' '''·''' ''1944'' '''·''' 1945
|-
| [[Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball|Kansas]] || style="text-align:center;"|43 || style="text-align:center;"|32 || 1908 '''·''' 1909 '''·''' 1910 '''·''' 1911 '''·''' ''1912'' '''·''' ''1914'' '''·''' 1915 '''·''' ''1922'' '''·''' 1923 '''·''' 1924 '''·'''<br />1925 '''·''' 1926 '''·''' 1927 '''·''' 1931 '''·''' 1932 '''·''' 1933 '''·''' 1934 '''·''' 1936 '''·''' ''1937'' '''·''' 1938 '''·'''<br />''1940'' '''·''' ''1941'' '''·''' ''1942'' '''·''' 1943 '''·''' 1946 '''·''' ''1950'' '''·''' 1952 '''·''' 1953 '''·''' ''1954'' '''·''' 1957 '''·'''<br />''1960'' '''·''' 1966 '''·''' 1967 '''·''' 1971 '''·''' 1974 '''·''' 1975 '''·''' 1978 '''·''' 1986 '''·''' ''1991'' '''·''' 1992 '''·'''<br />1993 '''·''' 1995 '''·''' 1996
|-
| [[Kansas State Wildcats men's basketball|Kansas State]] || style="text-align:center;"|17 || style="text-align:center;"|14 || 1917 '''·''' 1919 '''·''' 1948 '''·''' ''1950'' '''·''' 1951 '''·''' 1956 '''·''' 1958 '''·''' 1959 '''·''' ''1960'' '''·''' 1961 '''·'''<br />''1963'' '''·''' 1964 '''·''' 1968 '''·''' 1970 '''·''' 1972 '''·''' 1973 '''·''' 1977
|-
| [[Missouri Tigers men's basketball|Missouri]] || style="text-align:center;"|15 || style="text-align:center;"|12 || 1918 '''·''' 1920 '''·''' 1921 '''·''' ''1922'' '''·''' 1930 '''·''' ''1939'' '''·''' ''1940'' '''·''' 1976 '''·''' 1980 '''·''' 1981 '''·'''<br />1982 '''·''' 1983 '''·''' 1987 '''·''' 1990 '''·''' 1994
|-
| [[Nebraska Cornhuskers men's basketball|Nebraska]] || style="text-align:center;"|7 || style="text-align:center;"|2 || ''1912'' '''·''' 1913 '''·''' ''1914'' '''·''' 1916 '''·''' ''1937'' '''·''' ''1949'' '''·''' ''1950''
|-
| [[Oklahoma Sooners men's basketball|Oklahoma]] || style="text-align:center;"|13 || style="text-align:center;"|8 || 1928 '''·''' 1929 '''·''' ''1939'' '''·''' ''1940'' '''·''' ''1942'' '''·''' ''1944'' '''·''' 1947 '''·''' ''1949'' '''·''' 1979 '''·''' 1984 '''·'''<br />1985 '''·''' 1988 '''·''' 1989
|-
| [[Oklahoma State Cowboys basketball|Oklahoma State]] || style="text-align:center;"|2 || style="text-align:center;"|1 || 1965 '''·''' ''1991''
|-
| [[Washington University Bears|Washington (St. Louis)]] ||style="text-align:center;"|0 || style="text-align:center;"|0 ||
|}

===Women's basketball===
From 1981 to 1996, women played basketball in the Big Eight Conference.<ref>https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/conferences/big-8/women/</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! colspan="4" style= background:#003300;color:white; |Women's basketball regular-season championships (1981–1996)
|-
! School !! Total titles  || Years
|-
| [[Colorado Buffaloes women's basketball|Colorado]] ||style="text-align:center;"|4 ||1989 '''·''' 1993 '''·''' 1994 '''·''' 1995
|-
| [[Kansas State Wildcats women's basketball|Kansas State]] || style="text-align:center;"|4||1982 '''·''' 1983 '''·''' 1984 '''·''' 1987
|-
| [[Kansas Jayhawks women's basketball|Kansas]] || style="text-align:center;"|2||1992 '''·''' 1996
|-
| [[Missouri Tigers women's basketball|Missouri]] || style="text-align:center;"|2||1985 '''·''' 1990
|-
| [[Nebraska Cornhuskers women's basketball|Nebraska]] || style="text-align:center;"|1||1988
|-
| [[Oklahoma State Cowgirls basketball|Oklahoma State]] || style="text-align:center;"|1||1986
|-
| [[Oklahoma Sooners men's basketball|Oklahoma]] || style="text-align:center;"|1 ||1991
|}

===Football===
{{main|Big Eight Conference football}}

Shared championships are shown in ''italics'':<ref name=bigeightsports/><ref name=big8football>{{cite web|url=http://www.big12sports.com/pdf5/134783.pdf|title=Big Eight Conference football record book|publisher=Big 12 Conference| access-date=August 13, 2013}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! colspan="4" style= background:#003300;color:white; |Football conference championships (1907–1995)
|-
! School !! Total titles || Outright titles || Years
|-
| [[Colorado Buffaloes football|Colorado]] ||style="text-align:center;"|5 || style="text-align:center;"|3 || 1961 '''·''' ''1976'' '''·''' 1989 '''·''' 1990 '''·''' ''1991''
|-
| [[Drake Bulldogs football|Drake]] ||style="text-align:center;"|0 || style="text-align:center;"|0 ||
|-
| [[Grinnell Pioneers|Grinnell]] ||style="text-align:center;"|0 || style="text-align:center;"|0 ||
|-
| [[Iowa Hawkeyes football|Iowa]] ||style="text-align:center;"|1 || style="text-align:center;"|0 || ''1907''
|-
| [[Iowa State Cyclones football|Iowa State]] ||style="text-align:center;"|2 || style="text-align:center;"|0 || ''1911'' '''·''' ''1912''
|-
| [[Kansas Jayhawks football|Kansas]] || style="text-align:center;"|5 || style="text-align:center;"|2 || 1908 '''·''' 1930 '''·''' ''1946'' '''·''' ''1947'' '''·''' ''1968''
|-
| [[Kansas State Wildcats football|Kansas State]] || style="text-align:center;"|1 || style="text-align:center;"|1 || 1934
|-
| [[Missouri Tigers football|Missouri]] || style="text-align:center;"|12 || style="text-align:center;"|10 || 1909 '''·''' ''1913'' '''·''' 1919 '''·''' 1924 '''·''' 1925 '''·''' 1927 '''·''' 1939 '''·''' 1941 '''·''' 1942 '''·''' 1945 '''·'''<br />1960<sup>†</sup> '''·''' ''1969''
|-
| [[Nebraska Cornhuskers football|Nebraska]] || style="text-align:center;"|41 || style="text-align:center;"|31 ||  ''1907'' '''·''' 1910 '''·''' ''1911'' '''·''' ''1912'' '''·''' ''1913'' '''·''' 1914 '''·''' 1915 '''·''' 1916 '''·''' 1917 '''·''' 1921 '''·'''<br />1922 '''·''' 1923 '''·''' 1928 '''·''' 1929 '''·''' 1931 '''·''' 1932 '''·''' ''1933'' '''·''' 1935 '''·''' 1936 '''·''' 1937 '''·'''<br />1940 '''·''' 1963 '''·''' 1964 '''·''' 1965 '''·''' 1966 '''·''' ''1969'' '''·''' 1970 '''·''' 1971 '''·''' 1972<sup>‡</sup> '''·''' ''1975'' '''·'''<br />''1978'' '''·''' 1981 '''·''' 1982 '''·''' 1983 '''·''' ''1984'' '''·''' 1988 '''·''' ''1991'' '''·''' 1992 '''·''' 1993 '''·''' 1994 '''·'''<br />1995
|-
| [[Oklahoma Sooners football|Oklahoma]] || style="text-align:center;"|34 || style="text-align:center;"|26 ||  1920 '''·''' ''1933'' '''·''' 1938 '''·''' 1943 '''·''' 1944 '''·''' ''1946'' '''·''' ''1947'' '''·''' 1948 '''·''' 1949 '''·''' 1950 '''·''' <br />1951 '''·''' 1952 '''·''' 1953 '''·''' 1954 '''·''' 1955 '''·''' 1956 '''·''' 1957 '''·''' 1958 '''·''' 1959 '''·''' 1962 '''<br />''' 1967 '''·''' ''1968'' '''·''' 1972<sup>‡</sup> '''·''' 1974 '''·''' ''1975'' '''·''' ''1976'' '''·''' 1977 '''·''' ''1978'' '''·''' 1979 '''·''' 1980 '''·''' <br />''1984'' '''·''' 1985 '''·''' 1986 '''·''' 1987
|-
| [[Oklahoma State Cowboys football|Oklahoma State]] || style="text-align:center;"|2 || style="text-align:center;"|1 || 1926 '''·''' ''1976''
|-
| [[Washington University Bears|Washington (St. Louis)]] ||style="text-align:center;"|0 || style="text-align:center;"|0 ||
|}

'' <sup>†</sup> Kansas would have won the 1960 title, but after found to be using an ineligible player they were forced to forfeit their victories over Missouri and Colorado, which meant that Missouri was awarded the 1960 Big Eight title.''
<br />
'' <sup>‡</sup> [[1972 Oklahoma Sooners football team|Oklahoma]] initially won the 1972 title, but after it was found that they used ineligible players, they were penalized by the [[NCAA]], though they did not force OU to forfeit games. The Big Eight asked them to forfeit three games and awarded the title to [[1972 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team|Nebraska]], but Oklahoma still claims these wins and this title.''

==National championships won by MVIAA/Big Eight members==
<!--DO NOT ADD ANYTHING TO THESE LISTS, only for Big 8 championships 1907 to 1996! -->The following is a complete list of the 100 [[Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women|AIAW]], [[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA]] and [[College football national championships in NCAA Division I FBS|college football]] championships won by teams that were representing the Big Eight Conference in NCAA- or AIAW-recognized sports at the time of the championship.<ref name="NCAAChamps"/>
{{Col-begin}}
{{Col-break}}
'''[[College football|Football]] (11):'''<br />
1950 – Oklahoma<br />
1955 – Oklahoma<br />
1956 – Oklahoma<br />
1970 – Nebraska<br />
1971 – Nebraska<br />
1974 – Oklahoma<br />
1975 – Oklahoma<br />
1985 – Oklahoma<br />
1990 – Colorado<br />
1994 – Nebraska<br />
1995 – Nebraska<!--Do not add 1997, only for big 8 championships 1907 to 1996! -->

'''[[College World Series|Baseball]] (4):'''<br />
1951 – Oklahoma<br />
1954 – Missouri<br />
1959 – Oklahoma State<br />
1994 – Oklahoma

'''[[NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship|Men's basketball]] (2):'''<br />
1952 – Kansas<br />
1988 – Kansas<!--Do not add 2008, only for big 8 championships 1907 to 1996! -->

'''[[NCAA Men's Cross Country Championship|Men's Cross Country]] (3):'''<br />
1953 – Kansas<br />
1989 – Iowa State<br />
1994 – Iowa State

'''[[NCAA Women's Cross Country Championship|Women's Cross Country]] (5):'''<br />
1975 – Iowa State<br />
1976 – Iowa State<br />
1977 – Iowa State<br />
1978 – Iowa State<br />
1981 – Iowa State
{{Col-break}}

'''[[NCAA Men's Golf Championship|Men's golf]] (9):'''<br />
1963 – Oklahoma State<br />
1976 – Oklahoma State<br />
1978 – Oklahoma State<br />
1980 – Oklahoma State<br />
1983 – Oklahoma State<br />
1987 – Oklahoma State<br />
1989 – Oklahoma<br />
1991 – Oklahoma State<br />
1995 – Oklahoma State

'''[[NCAA Men's Gymnastics championship|Men's gymnastics]] (14):'''<br />
1971 – Iowa State<br />
1973 – Iowa State<br />
1974 – Iowa State<br />
1977 – Oklahoma<br />
1978 – Oklahoma<br />
1979 – Nebraska<br />
1980 – Nebraska<br />
1981 – Nebraska<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nebraska's Conference History & Honors |url=https://storage.googleapis.com/huskers-com-prod/2023/06/27/edeuPWK1DXACANpETXsiztOD0vpxWp1ezyBzMuqT.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231212010400/https://storage.googleapis.com/huskers-com-prod/2023/06/27/edeuPWK1DXACANpETXsiztOD0vpxWp1ezyBzMuqT.pdf |archive-date=2023-12-12 |access-date=2024-11-24 |publisher=[[Nebraska Cornhuskers]]|page=63}}</ref><br />
1982 – Nebraska<br />
1983 – Nebraska<br />
1988 – Nebraska<br />
1990 – Nebraska<br />
1991 – Oklahoma<br />
1994 – Nebraska
{{Col-break}}

'''[[NCAA Skiing team championship|Men's/Women's Skiing]] (14):'''<br />
1959 – Colorado<br />
1960 – Colorado<br />
1972 – Colorado<br />
1973 – Colorado<br />
1974 – Colorado<br />
1975 – Colorado<br />
1976 – Colorado<br />
1977 – Colorado<br />
1978 – Colorado<br />
1979 – Colorado<br />
1982 – Colorado (men's)<br />
1982 – Colorado (women's)<br />
1991 – Colorado<br />
1995 – Colorado

'''[[NCAA Division I Men's Indoor Track and Field Championships|Men's Indoor Track]] (4):'''<br />
1965 – Missouri<br />
1966 – Kansas<br />
1969 – Kansas<br />
1970 – Kansas

'''[[NCAA Women's Indoor Track and Field Championship|Women's Indoor Track]] (3):'''<br />
1982 – Nebraska<br />
1983 – Nebraska<br />
1984 – Nebraska

'''[[NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship|Men's Outdoor Track]] (3):'''<br />
1959 – Kansas<br />
1960 – Kansas<br />
1970 – Kansas

'''[[NCAA Women's Volleyball Championship|Women's volleyball]] (1):'''<br />
1995 – Nebraska
{{Col-break}}

'''[[NCAA Wrestling Team Championship|Wrestling]] (27):'''<br />
1928 – Oklahoma State<br />
1933 – Iowa State<br />
1936 – Oklahoma<br />
1951 – Oklahoma<br />
1952 – Oklahoma<br />
1957 – Oklahoma<br />
1958 – Oklahoma State<br />
1959 – Oklahoma State<br />
1960 – Oklahoma<br />
1961 – Oklahoma State<br />
1962 – Oklahoma State<br />
1963 – Oklahoma<br />
1964 – Oklahoma State<br />
1965 – Iowa State<br />
1966 – Oklahoma State<br />
1968 – Oklahoma State<br />
1969 – Iowa State<br />
1970 – Iowa State<br />
1971 – Oklahoma State<br />
1972 – Iowa State<br />
1973 – Iowa State<br />
1974 – Oklahoma<br />
1977 – Iowa State<br />
1987 – Iowa State<br />
1989 – Oklahoma State<br />
1990 – Oklahoma State<br />
1994 – Oklahoma State
{{col-end}}

===National team titles by institution===
The national championships listed below are for the final eight members of the conference, as of July 2014. Football, [[Helms Athletic Foundation|Helms]], and [[National Collegiate Equestrian Association|equestrian]] titles are included in the total, but excluded from the column listing NCAA and [[AIAW]] titles.

{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="5" style= background:#003300; color:white; border: 2px solid #D33A5D |<span style="color:white;">Big Eight National Championships</span>
|-
! ''School'' !! ''Total titles'' !! ''Titles as a member<br />of the Big Eight'' !! ''NCAA and AIAW titles'' !! ''Notes''
|-
| Oklahoma State || align="center"|55 || align="center"|21 || align="center"|53 || OSU has 1 [[College football national championships in NCAA Division I FBS|recognized football title]] and has 1 overall equestrian title
|-
| Oklahoma || align="center"|44 || align="center"|19 || align="center"|37 || OU has 7 [[College football national championships in NCAA Division I FBS|recognized football titles]]
|-
| Colorado || align="center"|30 || align="center"|15 || align="center"|29 || CU has 1 [[College football national championships in NCAA Division I FBS|recognized football title]] and 1 [[Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women championships|AIAW title]]
|-
| Nebraska|| align="center"|27 || align="center"|16 || align="center"|22 || NU has 5 [[College football national championships in NCAA Division I FBS|recognized football titles]] and 1 [[Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women championships|AIAW title]]
|-
| Iowa State || align="center"|18 || align="center"|18 ||  align="center"|18 || ISU has 5 [[Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women championships|AIAW titles]]
|-
| Kansas || align="center"|14 || align="center"|11 || align="center"|12 || KU has 2 [[Helms Athletic Foundation|Helms basketball titles]]
|-
| Missouri || align="center"|2 || align="center"|2 || align="center"|2 || 
|-
| Kansas State || align="center"|0 || align="center"|0 || align="center"|0 || 
|-
|}

==Racial integration==
The history of the Big Eight Conference straddles the era of [[racial segregation in the United States]], particularly as it relates to [[African American]]s.

Before the formation of the conference, three African-American brothers at the [[Kansas Jayhawks|University of Kansas]] were the first known to have participated in organized sports for a league school: Sherman Haney played baseball for KU beginning in 1888, followed by Grant Haney and then Ed Haney, the last of whom also played football at KU in 1893.<ref name=Lapchick>{{cite web|url=http://www.espn.com/espn/blackhistory2008/columns/story?columnist=lapchick_richard&id=3254974|title=Lapchick: Pioneering student-athletes required courage|date=20 February 2008|website=ESPN.com}}</ref> At the same time, the [[Nebraska Cornhuskers|University of Nebraska]] football team had on its roster George Flippin, the son of a [[Slavery in the United States|slave]], beginning in 1891.<ref name=Lapchick/> Nebraska's football team featured three more African-American players over the next 12 years. Notable among these NU players was Clinton Ross, who in 1911 became the first African-American to participate in sport in the MVIAA, following the league's formation in 1907.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://unlhistory.unl.edu/xslt/xslt.php?&_xmlsrc=http://unlhistory.unl.edu/legacy/unl.00020/unl.00020.07.xml&_xslsrc=http://unlhistory.unl.edu/xslt/unlhistory.xsl|title=Nebraska U|website=unlhistory.unl.edu}}</ref>

Race relations in the United States, however, [[Nadir of American race relations|deteriorated in the early 20th century]], and African-American athletes disappeared almost entirely from the conference in the four decades after Ross's final season at NU in 1913. The lone exception during the following decades was [[Iowa State Cyclones|Iowa State]]. In 1923 [[Jack Trice]] became the first African-American athlete at Iowa State – and the only one in the conference. Tragically, Trice died two days after playing his second football game with Iowa State, due to injuries suffered during the game (against [[Minnesota Golden Gophers football|Minnesota]]). [[Jack Trice Stadium]] at Iowa State is now named in his honor. Trice was followed at Iowa State by Holloway Smith, who played football for ISU in 1926 and 1927. After Smith, the league's teams were all-white for more than two decades. (During this time all of the [[Major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada|major professional sports leagues]] in the U.S. were also segregated.)

===Modern era===
The modern era of full integration of league sports began at [[Kansas State Wildcats|Kansas State]], with Harold Robinson. In 1949, Harold Robinson played football for Kansas State with an athletic scholarship. In doing so, Robinson broke the modern "color barrier" in conference athletics and also became the first-ever African-American athlete on scholarship in the conference.<ref name=Robinson>{{cite news | title = Athlete Who Broke Big 12 Race Barrier Dies | publisher = CBS College Sports | date = May 13, 2006 | url = http://www.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/stories/051306aaa.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060903023615/http://www.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/stories/051306aaa.html | url-status = dead | archive-date = September 3, 2006 | access-date = 2010-03-17}}</ref><ref>Baker, S Zebulon, "'To help foster athletic equality here in the Midwest': Defeating Jim Crow in the Big Seven Conference." Kansas History 39:2 (2016): 74-93. http://www.kshs.org/publicat/history/2016summer_baker.pdf</ref> Harold Robinson later received a letter of congratulations from [[Jackie Robinson]], who had reintegrated major league baseball in 1947 while playing with the [[Brooklyn Dodgers]].<ref name=Robinson/>

In the spring of 1951, the conference's baseball color barrier was broken by Kansas State's [[Earl Woods]], and in the winter of 1951–1952, Kansas State's Gene Wilson and Kansas's [[LaVannes Squires]] jointly broke the conference color barrier in basketball.

Nebraska was the third league school to (re)integrate its athletic teams, with Charles Bryant joining the football team in 1952.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://dataomaha.com/neb100/player/89|title=Ken Geddes – No. 89 – Nebraska's Greatest Athletes|website=dataomaha.com}}</ref> Iowa State would be next, with Harold Potts and Henry Philmon reintegrating the Cyclone football team in 1953.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cyclones.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=10700&ATCLID=205377029|title=Iowa State Athletics|website=www.cyclones.com}}</ref> The following season, [[Franklin Clarke]] became the first varsity African-American football player at the [[Colorado Buffaloes|University of Colorado]]. In 1955, Homer Floyd became the first African-American to play football for [[University of Kansas|Kansas]] since Ed Haney in 1893. Sports teams at the remaining three conference schools (Oklahoma, Missouri and Oklahoma State) were subsequently all integrated by the end of the 1950s. Notably, [[Prentice Gautt]] (later a Big Eight administrator) became the first black player for [[Bud Wilkinson]] at Oklahoma in 1956, and [[Norris Stevenson]] integrated Mizzou athletics in 1957.

Every college football team of the Big Eight was fully integrated by the end of the 1950s, and this gave the conference an advantage throughout the 1960s, as many opposing conferences had not yet integrated their sports teams. The [[Southeastern Conference]] (SEC), the last major college sports conference to oppose integration, had particular trouble against the Big Eight during its final years fielding all-white teams. The first SEC school to integrate, [[University of Kentucky|Kentucky]], did so in 1967, and the last school to do so, [[University of Mississippi|Mississippi]], did so in 1972. During the SEC's eight-year national championship drought between 1965 and 1973, the Big Eight teams repeatedly defeated the SEC teams in inter-conference games, largely due to their integrated teams.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://huskers.com/news/2013/1/13/205934460.aspx|title=Was Nebraska a Catalyst in ?Bama Dynasty? |website=huskies.com |date=13 January 2013 |first=Randy |last=York |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210228164547/https://huskers.com/news/2013/1/13/205934460.aspx |archive-date=February 28, 2021 |via=[[Wayback Machine]]}}</ref>

The [[1971 NCAA University Division football season|1971 football season]] ended with three Big Eight schools—Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Colorado—ranked first, second, and third in the [[1971 NCAA University Division football rankings|final AP poll]], the only season in college football history that three teams from the same conference finished in the top three rankings.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tiptop25.com/fixing1971.html|title=Fixing the Final 1971 AP College Poll|website=tiptop25.com}}</ref> During the 1971 season, those three Big Eight teams beat three SEC schools—Alabama, Auburn, and LSU—in decisive victories (Colorado defeated LSU, 31–21 in September; Nebraska defeated Alabama, 38–6 in the [[1972 Orange Bowl|Orange Bowl]]; Oklahoma defeated Auburn, 40–22 in the [[1972 Sugar Bowl (January)|Sugar Bowl]]). In each of the Big Eight victories throughout this period, and especially in the 1971 season, the performance of the Big Eight schools’ black players was considered a deciding factor in their teams' victories.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tigerrag.com/engster-lsu-fully-integrated-45-years-after-last-all-white-team/|title=LSU fully integrated 45 years after last All-White team|website=tigerrag.com|date=August 2016 }}</ref> These players' performance contributed to the SEC school's recruitment of black players—the next national championship won by the SEC was by the [[1973 Alabama Crimson Tide football team|1973 Alabama team]], which was fully integrated.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rollbamaroll.com/2012/12/11/3743484/the-historical-alabama-vs-notre-dame-the-1973-sugar-bowl|title=The Historical: Alabama vs Notre Dame - The 1973 Sugar Bowl |first=C. J. |last=Schexnayder |website=rollbamaroll.com|date=11 December 2012}}</ref>

==Conference facilities==
This is a listing of the conference facilities as of the final athletic season of the conference, 1995–1996.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!School
!Football stadium
!Capacity
!Basketball arena
!Capacity
!Baseball stadium
!Capacity
|-
|Colorado
|[[Folsom Field]]
|51,655
|[[Coors Events Center]]
|11,065
|align=center|{{mdash}}
|align=center|{{mdash}}{{dagger}}
|-
|Iowa State
|[[Jack Trice Stadium]]
|43,000
|[[Hilton Coliseum]]
|14,356
|[[Cap Timm Field]]
|3,500
|-
|Kansas
|[[Memorial Stadium (University of Kansas)|Memorial Stadium]]
|50,250
|[[Allen Fieldhouse]]
|16,300
|[[Hoglund Ballpark]]
|2,500
|-
|Kansas State
|[[Bill Snyder Family Stadium]]
|50,000
|[[Bramlage Coliseum]]
|13,500
|[[Tointon Family Stadium|Frank Myers Field]]
|2,000
|-
|Missouri
|[[Faurot Field]]
|62,023
|[[Hearnes Center]]
|13,611
|Simmons Field
|2,000
|-
|Nebraska
|[[Memorial Stadium, Lincoln|Memorial Stadium]]
|76,500
|[[Bob Devaney Center]]
|13,000
|[[Buck Beltzer Stadium]]
|1,500
|-
|Oklahoma
|[[Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium|Owen Field]]
|74,897
|[[Lloyd Noble Center]]
|11,528
|[[L. Dale Mitchell Baseball Park]]
|2,700
|-
|Oklahoma State
|[[Boone Pickens Stadium|Lewis Field]]
|55,509
|[[Gallagher-Iba Arena]]
|6,381
|[[Allie P. Reynolds Stadium]]
|3,821
|}
{{dagger}} The [[Colorado Buffaloes baseball]] program, which played home games at Prentup Field, was discontinued in June 1980.

==See also==
* [[List of Big Eight Conference champions]]

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20131012165456/http://www.bigeightsports.com/ BigEightSports.com]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20000918053204/http://ccwf.cc.utexas.edu/~ckgowens/ncba/archive/champ/Big8.html Big Eight baseball conference champions]

[[Category:Big Eight Conference| ]]
[[Category:Big 12 Conference]]
[[Category:Organizations based in Kansas City, Missouri]]
[[Category:History of Kansas City, Missouri]]
[[Category:1907 establishments in the United States]]
[[Category:Sports organizations established in 1907]]
[[Category:Organizations disestablished in 1996]]

[[Category:Articles which contain graphical timelines]]