Red River Athletic Conference
AssociationNAIA
Founded1998
CommissionerTony Stigliano
Sports fielded
  • 15
    • men's: 7
    • women's: 8
No. of teams14
HeadquartersWaco, Texas
RegionSouth Central United States
Official websitewww.redriverconference.com
Locations
Location of teams in (({title))}

The Red River Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The conference's 14 member institutions are located in Texas, Louisiana, and New Mexico.

History

Red River Athletic Conference
Map
[Interactive fullscreen map + nearby articles]
Location of RRAC members: current, east division current, east division (non-basketball) current, west division current, west division (non-basketball)

The Red River Athletic Conference began competition in fall 1998 with 16 charter members.[1] The conference at present counts 14 members, one of the most recent additions being Texas A&M University–Texarkana in 2016.[2] In 2019, St. Thomas Houston announced its departure from the conference to join the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) of the NCAA Division III as a provisional member.[3] In March 2020, Texas A&M University–San Antonio was approved for membership into the NAIA and it was simultaneously announced that the Jaguars would begin competition in the conference starting in the 2020–21 academic year,[4] followed by Xavier University of Louisiana and Louisiana Christian University (formerly Louisiana College) in September and October respectively.[5][6] Xavier and Louisiana Christian officially joined the RRAC for the 2021–22 academic year.

On January 20, 2022, the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC) invited founding Red River member Wiley College (now Wiley University) to become the GCAC's first Texas institution, effective later in July.[7]

On July 6, 2023, North American University was accepted as the RRAC's 14th conference member for the 2023–24 school year.[8]

Chronological timeline

Member schools

Current members

The RRAC currently has 14 full members, all but five are private schools:

Institution Location Founded Affiliation Enrollment Nickname Joined[a] Basketball?
University of Houston–Victoria Victoria, Texas 1973 Public 4,407 Jaguars 2015 none
Huston–Tillotson University Austin, Texas 1881 United Methodist;
Church of Christ 		800 Rams 1998 both
Jarvis Christian University Hawkins, Texas 1912 Disciples of Christ 550 Bulldogs 1998 both
Louisiana Christian University Pineville, Louisiana 1906 Baptist 1,200 Wildcats 2021 both
Louisiana State University of Alexandria Alexandria, Louisiana 1959 Public 3,378 Generals 2014 both
Louisiana State University Shreveport Shreveport, Louisiana 1967 Public 4,200 Pilots 2010 both
North American University Stafford, Texas 2007 Nonsectarian 785 Stallions 2023 both
Our Lady of the Lake University San Antonio, Texas 1895 Catholic
(C.D.P.) 		2,660 Saints 2008 both[b]
Paul Quinn College Dallas, Texas 1872 A.M.E. Church 700 Tigers 1998 both
University of the Southwest Hobbs, New Mexico 1962 Nondenominational 550 Mustangs 1998 both[c]
Texas College Tyler, Texas 1894 C.M.E. Church 800 Steers 1998 both
Texas A&M University–San Antonio San Antonio, Texas 2009 Public 7,000 Jaguars 2020 both
(in 2024)
Texas A&M University–Texarkana Texarkana, Texas 1971 Public 1,865 Eagles 2016 both[d]
Xavier University of Louisiana New Orleans, Louisiana 1925 Catholic
(S.B.S.) 		3,200 Gold Rush &
Gold Nuggets 		2021 both
Notes
  1. ^ Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
  2. ^ The Our Lady of the Lake men's and women's basketball teams joined the RRAC a year after becoming a full member for other sports (2009–10).
  3. ^ The Southwest (N.Mex.) men's and women's basketball teams joined the RRAC a decade after becoming a full member for other sports (2008–09).
  4. ^ The Texas A&M–Texarkana men's and women's basketball teams joined the RRAC three years after becoming a full member for other sports (2019–20).

Former members

The RRAC had 14 former full members, all but five were private schools:

Institution Location Founded Affiliation Enrollment Nickname Joined[a] Left[b] Current
conference
Bacone College Muskogee, Oklahoma 1880 Tribal college 900 Warriors 1998[c] 2015 Continental
Houston Baptist University[d] Houston, Texas 1960 Baptist 4,120 Huskies 1998 2007 Southland[e]
Langston University Langston, Oklahoma 1897 Public
(HBCU) 		2,554 Lions 1998 2018 Sooner (SAC)
Northwestern Oklahoma State University Alva, Oklahoma 1897 Public 1,857 Rangers 1998 2001 Great American (GAC)[f]
Northwood University Cedar Hill, Texas 1966 Nonsectarian N/A Knights 1998[g] 2013 Closed in 2014
University of St. Thomas Houston, Texas 1947 Catholic
(C.S.B.) 		1,626 Celts 2011 2019 Southern (SCAC)[h]
University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma Chickasha, Oklahoma 1908 Public 813 Drovers 1998 2000 Sooner (SAC)
Southwestern Adventist University Keene, Texas 1893 Seventh-day
Adventist 		800 Knights 1998 2002 USCAA Independent
Southwestern Assemblies of God University Waxahachie, Texas 1927 Assemblies of God 2,080 Lions 1998 2013 Sooner (SAC)
Texas A&M International University Laredo, Texas 1969 Public 4,298 Dustdevils 2002[i] 2006 Lone Star (LSC)[f]
Texas Wesleyan University Fort Worth, Texas 1890 United Methodist 2,373 Rams 2001 2013 Sooner (SAC)
University of Texas at Brownsville[j] Brownsville, Texas 1991 Public N/A Ocelots[k] 2006 2015 N/A[l]
University of Texas Permian Basin Odessa, Texas 1973 Public 7,628 Falcons 1998[m] 2006 Lone Star (LSC)[f]
Wiley College[n] Marshall, Texas 1873 United Methodist 1,250 Wildcats 1998[o] 2022 Gulf Coast (GCAC)
Notes
  1. ^ Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
  2. ^ Represents the calendar year when spring sports competition ends.
  3. ^ The Bacone men's and women's basketball teams joined the RRAC three years after becoming a full member for other sports (2001–02).
  4. ^ Currently known as Houston Christian University since 2022.
  5. ^ Currently an NCAA Division I athletic conference.
  6. ^ a b c Currently an NCAA Division II athletic conference.
  7. ^ The Northwood–Texas men's and women's basketball teams joined the RRAC fourteen years after becoming a full member for other sports (2012–13).
  8. ^ Currently an NCAA Division III athletic conference.
  9. ^ The Texas A&M International men's and women's basketball teams joined the RRAC a year after becoming a full member for other sports (2003–04).
  10. ^ Non-basketball full member.
  11. ^ Texas–Brownsville's other nickname before the merger with Texas–Pan American (UTPA) was Scorpions until after the 2011–12 school year, then competed without a nickname during the 2012–13 school year, before accepting the Ocelots nickname for their final two seasons.
  12. ^ Texas–Brownsville (UTB) was merged with the University of Texas–Pan American (UTPA) to become the University of Texas–Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) in 2015.
  13. ^ The Texas–Permian Basin men's and women's basketball teams joined the RRAC four years after becoming a full member for other sports (2002–03).
  14. ^ Current known as Wiley University since 2023.
  15. ^ The Wiley men's and women's basketball teams joined the RRAC four years after becoming a full member for other sports (2002–03).

Membership timeline

North American UniversityXavier University of LouisianaLouisiana Christian UniversityTexas A%26M University–San AntonioTexas A%26M University–TexarkanaUniversity of Houston–VictoriaLouisiana State University of AlexandriaSouthern Collegiate Athletic ConferenceUniversity of St. Thomas (Texas)Louisiana State University ShreveportOur Lady of the Lake UniversityUniversity of Texas at BrownsvilleLone Star ConferenceHeartland ConferenceTexas A%26M International UniversitySooner Athletic ConferenceTexas Weslayan UniversityGulf Coast Athletic ConferenceWiley CollegeSooner Athletic ConferenceUniversity of Sciences and Arts of OklahomaTexas CollegeLone Star ConferenceHeartland ConferenceUniversity of Texas Permian BasinSooner Athletic ConferenceSouthwestern Assemblies of God UniversityUnited States Collegiate Athletic AssociationSouthwestern Adventist UniversityUniversity of the SouthwestPaul Quinn CollegeSooner Athletic ConferenceNorthwood UniversityGreat American ConferenceSooner Athletic ConferenceNorthwestern Oklahoma State UniversitySooner Athletic ConferenceLangston UniversityJarvis Christian UniversityHuston–Tillotson UniversitySouthland ConferenceGreat West ConferenceNCAA Division I independent schoolsHouston Christian UniversityNAIA independent schoolsSooner Athletic ConferenceBacone College

 Full member (non-football)   Associate member (sport) 

Sports

A divisional format is used for basketball (M / W), softball, and volleyball.
East
  • Jarvis Christian
  • Louisiana Christian
  • LSU Alexandria
  • LSU Shreveport
  • Texas College
  • Texas A&M-Texarkana
  • Xavier
West
  • Houston-Victoria
  • Huston-Tillotson
  • North American
  • Our Lady of the Lake
  • Paul Quinn
  • Southwest
  • Texas A&M-San Antonio

The Red River Athletic Conference sponsors championships in seven men's and eight women's sports.

Conference sports
Sport Men's Women's
Baseball Green tickY
Basketball Green tickY Green tickY
Cross Country Green tickY Green tickY
Golf Green tickY Green tickY
Soccer Green tickY Green tickY
Softball Green tickY
Tennis Green tickY Green tickY
Track and Field (Outdoor) Green tickY Green tickY
Volleyball Green tickY

References

  1. ^ "Looking Back at the Past 15 Years of RRAC Basketball". Victory Sports Network. June 18, 2013. Retrieved July 20, 2015.
  2. ^ "LSUA Joins the Red River Athletic Conference". LSU Alexandria. October 23, 2013. Retrieved July 20, 2015.
  3. ^ "NCAA Advances UST Houston to Provisional Members Division III". University of St. Thomas. February 25, 2019.
  4. ^ "NAIA Approves Five Institutions for Membership". NAIA. March 31, 2020. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
  5. ^ "Xavier University of Louisiana to become RRAC's 13th member institution in 2021-22". Red River Athletic Conference. September 14, 2020. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
  6. ^ "Louisiana College accepted into NAIA, joins RRAC and SAC". Crescent City Sports. October 5, 2020. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
  7. ^ "GCAC Extends Membership To Oakwood University, Wiley College, Southern University at New Orleans". Gulf Coast Athletic Conference. January 20, 2022. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
  8. ^ "North American University Joins RRAC as 14th Member Institution". Red River Athletic Conference. July 6, 2023. Retrieved July 6, 2023.

External links

Red River Athletic Conference
NAIA conferences
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