Southwest Conference The Southwest Conference ( SWC ) was a college athletic conference in the United States from 1914 to 1996 . It consisted of schools mostly in the state of Texas and one in Arkansas , with historical members in Oklahoma . The charter members of the conference were Baylor University , Oklahoma A & M University ( now Oklahoma State University ) , Rice University , Southwestern University ( in Georgetown , Texas ) , Texas A & M University , the University of Arkansas , the University of Oklahoma , and the University of Texas . History . Early years . The first organizational meeting of the conference was held in May 1914 at the Oriental Hotel in Dallas , Texas . It was chaired by L . Theo Bellmont , who originated the idea for the athletic conference and was at the time athletic director at the University of Texas . Originally , Bellmont wanted Louisiana State University and the University of Mississippi to join the conference as well , but they declined to do so . The Southwest Conference became an official body on December 8 , 1914 , at a formal meeting at the Rice Hotel in Houston . Its early years saw fluctuation in membership ; Southwestern ( a comparatively smaller school ) dropped out of the conference in 1916 , and Southern Methodist University joined in 1918 ; Texas Christian University became a member in 1923 . Rice University left the conference in 1916 , only to re - join in 1918 . Phillips University ( Enid , Oklahoma ) was a conference member for one year ( 1920 ) . Oklahoma left in 1919 to join the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association ( later known as the Big Eight Conference ) , and was followed by Oklahoma A & M in 1925 . However , the intense series between Texas and Oklahoma would continue in the annual Red River Rivalry game held in Dallas . From 1925 until 1991 , the University of Arkansas would be the only conference member not located within the state of Texas . Prime years . After its organizational years , the conference settled into regularly scheduled meetings among its members , and began to gain stature nationwide . The SWC would be guided by seven commissioners , the first of whom , P . W . St . Clair , was appointed in 1938 . In 1940 , the conference took control of the then five - year - old Cotton Bowl Classic , which further established the prestige of both the bowl and the conference . Texas Technological College ( now Texas Tech University ) joined the SWC in 1958 , followed by the University of Houston for the 1976 season ( Houston won the SWC football championship in its first season in the league ) . The conference celebrated its glory football years in the 1960s . Texas won the 1963 National Championship , and Arkansas won a National Championship in 1964 in the Football Writers Association of America ( FWAA ) and Helms Athletic Foundation ( HAF ) polls . In 1969 , Texas won another National Championship by beating # 2 - ranked Arkansas 15 - 14 in the regular season ' s final game ( dubbed the " Big Shootout " ) . The 1969 Arkansas - Texas game in Fayetteville , Arkansas , attended by President Richard Nixon , is usually counted among the greatest college football games ever played . Texas also won the 1970 United Press International ( UPI ) National Championship ( i . e . , the coaches ' poll ) , which until 1974 was awarded prior to the bowl games . Texas lost the Cotton Bowl Classic following the 1970 season to Notre Dame by a score of 24 - 11 , giving the Associated Press ( AP ) Championship to Nebraska after they beat LSU by a score of 17 - 12 in the Orange Bowl . Beginning in the late 1930s and lasting until 1995 , the Southwest Conference Champion automatically received an invitation as the " host " team in the Cotton Bowl Classic game on New Year ' s Day in Dallas , Texas . Opponents usually were the runners - up from the Big 8 Conference or the Southeastern Conference , although independents Penn State and Notre Dame were also often featured . From the 1940s onward , the Cotton Bowl Classic was counted among the four major bowl games , and often had national championship implications . However , in the 1990s , the game declined in importance , largely because of the decline of SWC prominence . In 1978 , Notre Dame became the last team to win a national championship in the Cotton Bowl Classic . The SWC had many legendary players and coaches over the years . In football , Dana X . Bible , Paul " Bear " Bryant , Darrell Royal , Frank Broyles , Hayden Fry , Lou Holtz , Bill Yeoman , Gene Stallings , and Grant Teaff all served as head coaches in the conference . Some notable SWC players included Davey O ' Brien , Sammy Baugh , Bobby Layne , Doak Walker , Tom Landry , Don Meredith , Earl Campbell , Andre Ware , Mike Singletary , John David Crow , Lance Alworth , and Eric Dickerson . The trio of kicking contemporaries Steve Little of Arkansas , Tony Franklin of Texas A & M , and Russell Erxleben of Texas all kicked record setting field goals of 60 + yards in the same season . The early 1980s were the glory years of SWC basketball , especially the " Phi Slama Jama " teams at the University of Houston . However , the most consistent program during the last quarter of the 20th century was the University of Arkansas with Sweet 16 appearances in 1978 , 1979 , 1981 , 1983 , 1990 , 1991 , Elite 8 appearances in 1978 , 1979 , 1990 and 1991 and Final Four appearances in 1978 and 1990 . Arkansas ' s famed Triplets , Marvin Delph , Ron Brewer and Sidney Moncrief , gave the rest of the league fits . Furthermore , the Razorbacks ' Lee Mayberry , Todd Day and Oliver Miller won three straight SWC regular season and tournament titles from 1989 – 1991 , the school ' s last three seasons in the conference . The passion of Arkansas fans for their Razorbacks often overran the confines of SWC basketball venues , so much so , that Reunion Arena in Dallas ( annual site of the SWC postseason tournament ) was deemed " Barnhill South " ( after the Razorbacks ' on - campus arena ) based on the numbers and intensity of Hog fans present . Outstanding basketball coaches included Nolan Richardson , Tom Penders , Eddie Sutton , Abe Lemons , Guy V . Lewis , Shelby Metcalf and Gerald Myers . Great SWC hoops players included the aforementioned " Triplets " , Akeem Olajuwon , Clyde Drexler , Vinnie Johnson , Jon Koncak , Alvin Robertson , Ricky Pierce , Day , Mayberry , Miller and U . S . Reed , among others . The Texas Longhorns were the class of SWC baseball , who under legendary coach Cliff Gustafson won national titles in 1975 and 1983 , as well as titles under Bibb Falk in 1949 and 1950 . Texas added titles in 2002 and 2005 under coach Augie Garrido , whose arrival in Austin coincided with the Longhorns ' move to the Big 12 . The Arkansas Razorbacks also fielded fine teams that advanced to the College World Series . The Hogs finished 2nd in 1979 , 3rd in 1985 and 5th in both the 1987 and 1989 seasons . The Hogs have continued this tradition since moving to the SEC , reaching the CWS three times under Arkansas alum Dave Van Horn . Texas A & M rose to power in the late 1980s , going 58 - 5 in 1989 before losing twice in the regional championship round on its home field to LSU . The Aggies reached the College World Series in 1993 . Rice began its ascent to college baseball ' s elite in the conference ' s final years under coach Wayne Graham , reaching the CWS in 1997 , the year after the conference disbanded . The Arkansas Razorbacks were dominant in track and field winning 15 SWC cross country team titles , 11 SWC indoor track team titles , 9 SWC outdoor track team titles and an incredible 8 SWC triple crowns ( cross country , indoor track and outdoor track champions all in the same season . During their SWC days , the Razorbacks won 14 NCAA national team championships and one NCAA team triple crown . The list of Arkansas individual SWC champions and individual NCAA champions is long . Standout coaches and athletes include the legendary John McDonnell of Arkansas , the winningest coach in NCAA history regardless of sport . Baylor ' s Michael Johnson , Texas A & M ' s Randy Matson , Houston ' s Carl Lewis and Arkansas ' Mike Conley all went on to win Olympic gold medals . Final years . The 1980s saw many of the conference ' s athletic programs hit by recruiting scandals and NCAA probations . The only programs to escape probation in the 1980s were Arkansas , Baylor , and Rice . Because of repeated major violations , the Southern Methodist University football program in 1987 became only the third program in NCAA history to receive the so - called " Death Penalty " ( after Kentucky basketball in 1952 - 53 and Southwestern Louisiana basketball from 1973 to 1975 ) . The NCAA canceled SMU ' s 1987 season , and limited it to seven road games for 1988 . However , nearly all of the school ' s lettermen transferred elsewhere , forcing SMU to keep its football program shuttered for 1988 as well . SMU also remained on probation until 1990 . At that time , NCAA rules prohibited schools on probation from appearing on live television . As a result , the conference ' s market share in television coverage dwindled . The SWC ' s performance in football declined precipitously . The final eight SWC champions lost in their bowl games . After SMU ' s second - place finish in most polls in 1982 , SWC programs usually were not serious contenders for the national title . Texas had strong teams in 1983 and 1990 , Arkansas had a strong team in 1988 , and Texas A & M was strong in 1992 , but by the end of their respective seasons none were able to remain in the national championship hunt or the weekly football polls . In 1990 , Arkansas announced it would leave for the Southeastern Conference , marking the beginning of the end for the conference . In March 1994 , Texas , Texas A & M , Baylor , and Texas Tech accepted invitations to join with the members of the Big Eight Conference to form the Big 12 Conference . Soon afterward , SMU , TCU , and Rice accepted invitations to join the Western Athletic Conference , while Houston joined Conference USA . In May 1996 , after the completion of championship matches in baseball and track & field , the Southwest Conference was officially dissolved . Over the course of its 82 - year history , teams of the Southwest Conference garnered 64 recognized national championships in collegiate sports . In 1997 , the official records of the conference from 1914 to 1996 were moved from Dallas to the campus of Texas Tech University , becoming part of the Southwest Collection / Special Collections Library . The archive also contains an extensive assortment of images and memorabilia from each member university . Popular culture . President John F . Kennedy referenced Southwest Conference with the question , " " Why does Rice play Texas ? " " in his September 12 , 1962 " Moon Speech " delivered at Rice Stadium . In a 1982 - 83 episode of the soap opera " Dallas " , the character Bobby Ewing ( played by Patrick Duffy ) said he had been " All - Southwest Conference " in football .