MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE Mountain West Conference he Mountain West Conference welcomes TCU as its newest member as of July 1, 2005, bringing the league membership to nine institutions. T Eight of the nine members collectively decided to form a conference back in 1998 to re-establish membership continuity and foster traditional rivalries, some of which were born in the early 1900s. BYU, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming were charter members of the Western Athletic Conference when it was founded in 1962, and Colorado State (1968), San Diego State (1978) and Air Force (1980), were long-standing members heading into the 1990s. UNLV was the most recent addition, joining the group in 1996, while TCU briefl y competed against all current MWC members from 1997-99. Collectively, all nine members have participated in postseason play in men’s basketball at least once since 2002 -- one of only two conferences (SEC) to accomplish that feat. Since 1998, all nine members have earned NCAA Tournament berths, including multiple NCAA appearances in that span by BYU, New Mexico, UNLV and Utah. As a league, the MWC has had multiple NCAA appearances four straight years. The MWC ranked fi fth among Division IA conferences for attendance fi ve straight years before checking in at No. 6 in 2004-05. The MWC has also ranked among the top eight conferences in RPI rating four of the past six years. From its inception in 1999, the Mountain West Conference has been committed to excellence in intercollegiate athletics, while promoting the academic missions of its member institutions. Progressive in its approach, the MWC continues to cultivate opportunities for student-athletes to compete at the highest level, while fostering academic achievement and sportsmanship. Now in its seventh year, the MWC has been assertive in its involvement with the NCAA governance structure and has taken a leadership role in the overall administration of intercollegiate athletics. The Mountain West Conference is noted for its geographic diversity. Some of the most beautiful terrain and landscapes in the nation can be found within Mountain West Conference boundaries, including the majestic Rocky Mountain range, which borders four MWC schools (Utah, BYU, Air Force and Colorado State). The high plains of Wyoming (elevation 7,220 feet – the highest Division I campus in the nation) contrast with the desert city of Las Vegas (the fastest growing metropolitan area in the West) and the Pacifi c Ocean locale of San Diego State. The southwestern fl avor of New Mexico complements the western heritage and culture of Fort Worth, Texas, home of the MWC’s newest member, TCU. The 2004-05 academic year marked several milestones for the MWC. Most notably, Utah became the fi rst non-automatic-qualifying BCS member to play in a BCS bowl game as the Utes defeated Big East champion Pittsburgh, 35-7, in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. Utah quarterback Alex Smith, a Heisman Trophy fi nalist, directed the Utes to a perfect 12-0 season and was selected by the San Francisco 49ers as the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft, April 23, 2005. Smith was the fi rst MWC student-athlete to be named National Player of the Year, earning the accolade from Sports Illustrated, The Sporting News and ESPN.com. The momentum would continue into the men’s basketball season for Utah as sophomore sensation Andrew Bogut led the Utes to the NCAA Sweet 16. Bogut became the MWC’s second National Player of the Year, as selected by Chevrolet/CBS Sports, the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) and the Associated Press. Bogut also picked up the Naismith Trophy, the John R. Wooden Award, and honors from the NABC as Division I Men’s Player of the Year and the Pete Newell Big Man of the Year. UNLV’s Ryan Moore completed the hat trick for the MWC as he garnered national honors by capturing the Ben Hogan Award and the Nicklaus Award in 2005. The Hogan Award is presented annually to the top collegiate golfer, while the Nicklaus Award is reserved for the top NCAA Division I player. Moore, the 2004 NCAA individual national champion and top amateur in the 2005 Masters, led the Rebels to a top 10 fi nish at the 2005 NCAA Men’s Golf Championship and placed fi fth nationally on the NCAA leader board. Overall, the MWC was the only conference with three teams in the top eight at the NCAA Men’s Golf Championship (BYU-4th, New Mexico-5th, UNLV-8th). The MWC had multiple bids to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship for the fourth straight year, while two teams represented the MWC in the 2005 NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship. Overall, the MWC placed 35 teams and 36 individuals in 2004-05 NCAA Championships. 2004-05 NCAA Attendance Leaders Rk. Conference Games Total Attendance Ave. Attendance 1. Big Ten 180 2,255,332 12,530 2. Atlantic Coast 180 1,997,443 11,097 3. Southeastern 196 2,089,995 11,663 4. Big East 202 2,100,088 10,396 5. Big 12 203 1,981,384 9,761 Conference MWC 6. Mountain West 127 1,116,433 8,791 7. Pac 10 151 1,278,282 8,465 8. Conference USA 228 1,826,061 8,009 9. Missouri Valley 158 1,137,677 7,200 10. Western Athletic 163 939,042 5,761 BASKETBALL 165 Mountain West Conference ALL-TIME CONFERENCE STANDINGS 1999-00 Conference Games All Games School W-L Pct. H A W-L Pct. H A N Coach UNLV* 10-4 .714 6-1 4-3 23-8 .742 18-2 4-4 1-2 Bill Bayno Utah 10-4 .714 7-0 3-4 23-9 .719 17-0 4-7 2-2 Rick Majerus New Mexico 9-5 .643 5-2 4-3 18-14 .563 13-7 5-6 0-1 Fran Fraschilla Colorado State 8-6 .571 5-2 3-4 18-12 .600 10-3 5-7 3-2 Ritchie McKay Wyoming 8-6 .571 6-1 2-5 19-12 .613 12-1 5-9 2-2 Steve McClain BYU 7-7 .500 5-2 2-5 22-11 .667 14-2 6-9 2-0 Steve Cleveland Air Force 4-10 .286 3-4 1-6 8-20 .286 6-7 2-11 0-2 Reggie Minton San Diego State 0-14 .000 0-7 0-7 5-23 .179 5-10 0-13 0-0 Steve Fisher 2000-01 Conference Games All Games School W-L Pct. H A W-L Pct. H A N Coach BYU* 10-4 .714 7-0 3-4 24-9 .727 15-0 4-6 5-3 Steve Cleveland Utah 10-4 .714 7-0 3-4 19-12 .613 13-3 5-6 1-3 Dick Hunsaker Wyoming 10-4 .714 6-1 4-3 20-10 .667 11-2 6-7 3-1 Steve McClain UNLV 7-7 .500 5-2 2-5 16-13 .552 12-3 3-7 1-3 Bill Bayno/Max Good New Mexico 6-8 .429 4-3 2-5 21-13 .618 15-4 4-8 2-1 Fran Fraschilla Colorado State 6-8 .429 5-2 1-6 15-13 .536 10-3 2-8 3-2 Dale Layer San Diego State 4-10 .400 3-4 1-6 14-14 .500 12-5 2-8 0-1 Steve Fisher Air Force 3-11 .214 3-4 0-7 8-21 .276 5-9 1-11 2-1 Joe Scott 2001-02 Conference Games All Games School W-L Pct. H A W-L Pct. H A N Coach Wyoming 11-3 .786 6-1 5-2 22-9 .710 13-1 6-6 3-2 Steve McClain Utah 10-4 .714 6-1 4-3 21-9 .700 14-2 6-5 1-2 Rick Majerus UNLV 9-5 .643 6-1 3-4 21-11 .656 17-3 4-7 0-1 Charlie Spoonhour BYU 7-7 .500 7-0 0-7 18-12 .600 16-0 1-11 1-1 Steve Cleveland San Diego State* 7-7 .500 4-3 3-4 21-12 .636 12-3 6-8 3-1 Steve Fisher New Mexico 6-8 .429 5-2 1-6 16-14 .533 14-5 2-9 0-0 Fran Fraschilla Colorado State 3-11 .214 2-5 1-6 12-18 .400 7-7 2-9 3-2 Dale Layer Air Force 3-11 .214 3-4 0-7 9-19 .321 5-6 2-12 2-1 Joe Scott 2002-03 Conference Games All Games School W-L Pct. H A W-L Pct. H A N Coach Utah 11-3 .786 6-1 5-2 25-8 .758 15-1 7-4 3-3 Rick Majerus BYU 11-3 .786 6-1 5-2 23-9 .719 13-1 6-5 4-3 Steve Cleveland Wyoming 8-6 .571 4-3 4-3 21-11 .656 12-3 6-6 3-2 Steve McClain UNLV 8-6 .571 5-2 3-4 21-11 .656 15-6 6-5 0-0 Charlie Spoonhour San Diego State 6-8 .429 4-3 2-5 16-14 .533 11-6 5-8 0-0 Steve Fisher Colorado State* 5-9 .357 3-4 2-5 19-14 .576 14-4 3-9 2-1 Dale Layer New Mexico 4-10 .286 4-3 0-7 10-18 .357 10-7 0-10 0-1 Ritchie McKay Air Force 3-11 .214 3-4 0-7 12-16 .429 9-4 3-10 0-2 Joe Scott 2003-04 Conference All Games School W-L Pct.