Big West Conference The Big West Conference ( BWC ) is an NCAA - affiliated Division I mid - major college athletic conference . When the conference began in 1969 , its name was the Pacific Coast Athletic Association ( PCAA ) . After nineteen years , in 1988 , its name was changed to the Big West Conference . The conference stopped sponsoring college football after the 2000 season . History . Creation of the Pacific Coast Athletic Association . The Big West Conference was formed on July 1 , 1969 , as the Pacific Coast Athletic Association . The charter all - sports members of the PCAA were Cal State Los Angeles , Fresno State , Long Beach State , San Diego State , San Jose State , and UC Santa Barbara . The University of the Pacific joined only for football , becoming an all - sports member two years later . Four of these charter members ( Cal State Los Angeles , Fresno State , Long Beach State , and San Diego State ) had previously been members of the nation ' s premier Division II conference , the California Collegiate Athletic Association ( CCAA ) . After capturing multiple national championships , the members sought a higher level of play , which could be found within the university ranks . Charter football member Pacific and charter all - sports members San Jose State and UC Santa Barbara had also been CCAA members in the past , but had moved to the West Coast Athletic Conference ( now West Coast Conference ) before joining the PCAA . The seven schools formally met in May 1969 and finalized the creation of the PCAA less than two months later . Evolution . Since its inception as the Pacific Coast Athletic Association , the conference has seen many changes throughout the years . Utah State was the first institution outside of California to join the conference in 1978 . This opened the floodgates for many other schools to affiliate with the PCAA ; notable schools include UNLV , Nevada , Louisiana Tech , and Boise State , among others . In 1983 , the PCAA became the first western conference to introduce women ' s athletic programs , giving the opportunity for all its members to have their women student - athletes compete at the same level as their male counterparts . This proved vital for Hawaii as their only participation in the conference was for their women ' s sports . However , turnover of universities started to take its toll . Many left to join conferences that were perceived as more well - known , such as the Western Athletic Conference or the Mountain West Conference , while others did not see the benefit of travel since historically many of the teams have been California - based . From the departures of Idaho and Utah State in 2005 until the arrival of Hawaiʻi in 2012 , all members were based in California , reducing both the cost and travel time between the universities . When Hawaiʻi joined , it agreed to help defray a portion of travel costs to that state for the league ' s California members . Between full and associate members , there have been no fewer than 25 members in the conference ' s history , while only three of the original seven charter members remain ( Long Beach State , Pacific , and UC Santa Barbara ; in 2013 , Pacific will leave ) . The change to the Big West . To mark its 20th year as an athletic conference , in 1988 the Pacific Coast Athletic Association decided to change its name to the Big West Conference . The move signaled the changing landscape within the conference . With such schools as Utah State , UNLV , Nevada , New Mexico State , and Hawaii now in the fold , the name change was more representative of the population . In addition , the conference had signed a contract with ESPN to have its men ' s basketball games telecast as the third game of a triple header known as " Big Monday " - the other conferences being featured were the Big East and the Big 12 so the name Big West fit the " big " theme . Despite the eventual departure of all non - California based teams , the widely - known " Big West Conference " name has remained constant . Membership . Former members . Many of the former members of the Big West are now members of either the Western Athletic Conference or the Mountain West Conference . Of the nine schools that were in the WAC before the 2010 – 12 conference realignment , only Hawaii has not spent some time in the Big West as a football participant – it was a Big West member only in women ' s sports . Of all the former members , Cal State Los Angeles is the only team that reverted to Division II level . School names and nicknames reflect those used by the institutions when they were Big West members . One school has changed its name ( Southwestern Louisiana , now Louisiana – Lafayette ) and one its nickname ( Arkansas State , from Indians to Red Wolves ) . Membership timeline . Notes Sports . The Big West sponsors chmpionship competition in seven men ' s and nine women ' s NCAA sanctioned sports : The Big West is strong in several sports . Baseball and Women ' s Volleyball have been the strongest because of the number of championships won . Cal State Fullerton has won 4 College World Series in 1979 , 1984 , 1995 , and 2004 . Long Beach State has won 5 Women ' s Volleyball championships in 1972 , 1973 , 1989 , 1993 , 1998 , the last three being NCAA sanctioned titles . In 1998 Misty May - Treanor led the 49ers to a 36 - 0 record on route to the program ' s most recent title . Pacific won back to back Women ' s Volleyball titles in 1985 and 1986 . When UNLV won the school ' s lone Division I Basketball Championship in 1990 , by beating Duke University by a record setting margin of 30 points in the 103 - 73 victory , they were a member of the Big West Conference . The current members of the Big West have won a total of nine NCAA national championships including UC Santa Barbara ’ s most recent Men ’ s Soccer Championship in 2006 . Champions . Men ' s Basketball . The most recent winner of the Big West Conference Tournament is Long Beach State ( 2012 ) , who won the tournament as the number 1 seed . Football . An asterisk denotes the participant in the bowls that invited the Big West champion : < br > Pasadena ( 1969 – 70 ) , California ( 1981 – 91 ) , Las Vegas ( 1992 – 96 ) , and Humanitarian ( 1997 – 2000 ) The Big West Conference discontinued football following the 2000 season .