A Comprehensive History of the Pac-12 Conference in Football
The Pac-12 Conference, a collegiate athletic association with a rich history in the Western United States, has undergone significant transformations throughout its existence. From its origins as the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) in 1915 to its modern iteration, the conference has been a prominent force in college athletics, particularly in football. Though the Pac-12 Conference was disbanded, its legacy remains.
The Genesis and Evolution of the Pac-12
The roots of the Pac-12 Conference trace back to December 2, 1915, with the founding of the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) at a meeting in Portland, Oregon. The original members of the PCC included the University of Washington, the University of Oregon, Oregon Agricultural College (now Oregon State University), and the University of California, Berkeley. In 1916, State College of Washington (now Washington State University) joined, followed by Stanford University in 1918. The University of Southern California (USC) and the University of Idaho were admitted in 1922, and the University of Montana joined in 1924. UCLA became a member in 1928, expanding the PCC's reach and influence.
The Pacific Coast Conference competed as a 10-member league until 1950, with the exception of 1943-45 when World War II curtailed intercollegiate athletic competition to a minimum. During that time, the league’s first commissioner was named. Edwin N. Atherton was Commissioner in 1940 and was succeeded by Victor O. Schmidt in 1944.
The PCC faced turmoil in the late 1950s due to "pay-for-play" scandals at California, USC, UCLA, and Washington. These scandals led to the disbanding of the PCC in June 1959.
Following the dissolution of the PCC, five schools-California, Stanford, USC, UCLA, and Washington-formed the Athletic Association of Western Universities (AAWU) in 1959. Washington State joined the new conference in 1962, and Oregon and Oregon State followed in 1964. In 1968, the AAWU formally renamed itself the Pacific-8 Conference, or Pac-8 for short. Ten years later, on July 1, 1978, the University of Arizona and Arizona State University were admitted to the league as it became the Pacific-10 Conference.
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For more than three decades, the Pacific-10 Conference remained unchanged until June 11, 2010, when the University of Colorado accepted an invitation to join the league, followed by the University of Utah on June 17, 2010. The league became the Pac-12 and officially began competition as such on July 1, 2011.
Conference Name Evolution
The conference's name has evolved over time, reflecting its changing membership and structure:
- 1915-59: Pacific Coast Conference
- 1959-68: Athletic Association of Western Universities
- 1968-78: Pacific-8 Conference
- 1978-2011: Pacific-10 Conference
- From 2011: Pacific-12 Conference
The Pac-12's Football Legacy: Champions and Coaches
The Pac-12 Conference has a storied football history, producing numerous champions and legendary coaches. USC leads the conference with 37 titles, followed by Washington with 18 and UCLA with 17.
List of Pac-12 Football Champions (Through 2023)
Here is a comprehensive list of Pac-12 football champions, including the year, team, conference record, and head coach:
- 2023: Washington (9-0) Kalen DeBoer
- 2022: Utah (7-2) Kyle Whittingham
- 2021: Utah (8-1) Kyle Whittingham
- 2020: Oregon (3-2) Mario Cristobal
- 2019: Oregon (8-1) Mario Cristobal
- 2018: Washington (7-2) Chris Petersen
- 2017: USC (8-1) Clay Helton
- 2016: Washington (8-1) Chris Petersen
- 2015: Stanford (8-1) David Shaw
- 2014: Oregon (8-1) Mark Helfrich
- 2013: Stanford (7-2) David Shaw
- 2012: Stanford (8-1) David Shaw
- 2011: Oregon (8-1) Chip Kelly
- 2010: Oregon (9-0) Chip Kelly
- 2009: Oregon (8-1) Chip Kelly
- 2008: USC (8-1) Pete Carroll
- 2007: Arizona State (7-2) Dennis Erickson, USC (7-2) Pete Carroll
- 2006: California (7-2) Jeff Tedford, USC (7-2) Pete Carroll
- 2005: USC (wins vacated) Pete Carroll
- 2004: USC (7-0) Pete Carroll
- 2003: USC (7-1) Pete Carroll
- 2002: USC (7-1) Pete Carroll, Washington State (7-1) Mike Price
- 2001: Oregon (7-1) Mike Bellotti
- 2000: Oregon State (7-1) Dennis Erickson, Oregon (7-1) Mike Bellotti, Washington (7-1) Rick Neuheisel
- 1999: Stanford (7-1) Tyrone Willingham
- 1998: UCLA (8-0) Bob Toledo
- 1997: UCLA (7-1) Bob Toledo, Washington State (7-1) Mike Price)
- 1996: Arizona State (8-0) Bruce Snyder
- 1995: Washington (6-1-1) Jim Lambright, USC (6-1-1) John Robinson
- 1994: Oregon (7-1) Rich Brooks
- 1993: USC (6-2) John Robinson, Arizona (6-2), UCLA (6-2) Terry Donahue
- 1992: Stanford (6-2) Bill Walsh, Washington (6-2) Don James
- 1991: Washington (8-0) Don James
- 1990: Washington (7-1) Don James
- 1989: USC (6-0-1) Larry Smith
- 1988: USC (8-0) Larry Smith
- 1987: UCLA (7-1) Terry Donahue, USC (7-1) Larry Smith
- 1986: Arizona State (5-1-1) John Cooper
- 1985: UCLA (6-2) Terry Donahue
- 1984: USC (7-1) Ted Tollner
- 1983: UCLA (6-1-1) Terry Donahue
- 1982: UCLA (5-1-1) Terry Donahue
- 1981: Washington (6-2) Don James
- 1980: Washington (6-1) Don James
- 1979: USC (6-0) John Robinson
- 1978: USC (6-1) John Robinson
- 1977: Washington (6-1) Don James
- 1976: USC (7-0) John Robinson
- 1975: California (6-1) Mike White, UCLA (6-1) Dick Vermeil
- 1974: USC (6-0-1) John McKay
- 1973: USC (7-0) John McKay
- 1972: USC (7-0) John McKay
- 1971: Stanford (6-1) John Ralston
- 1970: Stanford (6-1) John Ralston
- 1969: USC (6-0) John McKay
- 1968: USC (6-0) John McKay
- 1967: USC (6-1) John McKay
- 1966: USC (4-1) John McKay
- 1965: UCLA (4-0) Tommy Prothro
- 1964: USC (3-1) John McKay, Oregon State (3-1) Tommy Prothro
- 1963: Washington (4-1) Jim Owens
- 1962: USC (4-0) John McKay
- 1961: UCLA (3-1) William F. Barnes
- 1960: Washington (4-0) Jim Owens
- 1959: Washington (3-1) Jim Owens, UCLA (3-1) William F. Barnes, USC (3-1) Don Clark
- 1958: California (6-1) Pete Elliott
- 1957: Oregon (6-2) Len Casanova, Oregon State (6-2) Tommy Prothro
- 1956: Oregon State (6-1-1) Tommy Prothro
- 1955: UCLA (6-0) Red Sanders
- 1954: UCLA (6-0) Red Sanders
- 1953: UCLA (6-1) Red Sanders
- 1952: USC (6-0) Jess Hill
- 1951: Stanford (6-1) Chuck Taylor
- 1950: California (5-0-1) Pappy Waldorf
- 1949: California (7-0) Pappy Waldorf
- 1948: Oregon (7-0) Jim Aiken, California (6-0) Pappy Waldorf
- 1947: USC (6-0) Jeff Cravath
- 1946: UCLA (7-0) Bert LaBrucherie
- 1945: USC (5-1) Jeff Cravath
- 1944: USC (3-0-2) Jeff Cravath
- 1943: USC (5-0) Jeff Cravath
- 1942: UCLA (6-1) Edwin C. Horrell
- 1941: Oregon State (7-2) Lon Stiner
- 1940: Stanford (7-0) Clark Shaughnessy
- 1939: USC (5-0-2) Howard Jones
- 1938: USC (6-1) Howard Jones, California (6-1) Stub Allison
- 1937: California (6-0-1) Stub Allison
- 1936: Washington (7-0-1) James Phelan
- 1935: Stanford (4-1) Claude E. Thornhill, California (4-1) Stub Allison, UCLA (4-1) William H. Spaulding
- 1934: Stanford (5-0) Claude E. Thornhill
- 1933: Stanford (4-1) Claude E. Thornhill, Oregon (4-1) Prink Callison
- 1932: USC (6-0) Howard Jones
- 1931: USC (7-0) Howard Jones
- 1930: Washington State (6-0) Babe Hollingbery
- 1929: USC (6-1) Howard Jones
- 1928: USC (4-0-1) Howard Jones
- 1927: Stanford (4-0-1) Glenn Warner, USC (4-0-1) Howard Jones
- 1926: Stanford (4-0) Glenn Warner
- 1925: Washington (5-0) Enoch Bagshaw
- 1924: Stanford (3-0-1) Glenn Warner
- 1923: California (5-0) Andy Smith
- 1922: California (4-0) Andy Smith
- 1921: California (4-0) Andy Smith
- 1920: California (3-0) Andy Smith
- 1919: Oregon (2-1) Shy Huntington, Washington (2-1) Claude J. Hunt
- 1918: California (2-0) Andy Smith
- 1917: Washington State (3-0) William Henry Dietz
- 1916: Washington (3-0-1) Gil Dobie
Coaching Legends
Several coaches have left an indelible mark on Pac-12 football. USC’s John McKay holds the record for the most Pac-12 Championships with 9 titles. Other notable coaches with multiple titles include:
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- John McKay (USC) - 9
- Pete Carroll (USC) - 7
- Howard Jones (USC) - 7
- Don James (Washington) - 6
- Terry Donahue (UCLA) - 5
- John Robinson (USC) - 5
- Andy Smith (California) - 5
The Pac-12 and the Rose Bowl
Beginning in 1916 (with one earlier contest in 1902), the conference hosted the annual Rose Bowl, usually held on New Year’s Day. From 1947 the opponent was the champion of the Big Ten conference. The Pac-12’s exclusive arrangement with the Rose Bowl ended in January 2002, when the game first took its turn hosting the national championship game in the Bowl Championship Series (BCS).
Recent Developments and the Conference's Future
In recent years, the Pac-12 Conference has faced significant challenges, including departures of key member institutions. On August 2, 2024, 10 of 12 members departed from the conference.
Despite these challenges, the Pac-12 is continuing. For the 2024-25 season, the Pac-12 includes two members with Oregon State and Washington State and will sponsor five sports, including baseball, football, track & field, women's gymnastics and wrestling.
As part of the league's continued evolution, the Pac-12 along with Oregon State and Washington State announced on Sept. 12, 2024, that Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State and San Diego State would be uniting with the Beavs and Cougs to usher in a new era for the Pac-12 Conference and drive growth, exposure and value for the legacy and brand of the 100-year-old conference, its members and student-athletes, officially beginning with the 2026-27 season. On June 30, 2025, it was announced that Texas State would join the Pac-12 as its ninth full member and eighth football member, cementing the conference's eligibility for the FBS.
Additional Facts
The Pac-12 claims the PCC's history as its own. Not only did it maintain the automatic bid from the Rose Bowl inherited from the PCC, but the eight largest schools in the old PCC all eventually joined the new league. The Pac-12 is one of the founding members of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF), a conference organized to provide competition in non-revenue Olympic sports. All-Pac-12 members participate in at least one MPSF sport (men's and women's indoor track and field both actually have enough participating Pac-12 schools for the conference to sponsor a championship, but the Pac-12 has opted not to do so).
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