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| Big Seven Conference (Kansas) | |
|---|---|
| Name | Big Seven Conference (Kansas) |
| Founded | 1920 |
| Dissolved | 1948 |
| Region | Kansas |
| Headquarters | Topeka, Kansas |
| Commissioner | Varies |
Big Seven Conference (Kansas) The Big Seven Conference (Kansas) was an intercollegiate athletic league that operated in the state of Kansas during the early to mid-20th century. It organized competition among regional institutions including public and private colleges, coordinated championships in multiple sports and fostered rivalries among institutions such as Benedictine College, Washburn University, and Emporia State University. The league influenced campus athletics policy, scheduling, and facilities development across Topeka, Kansas, Wichita, Kansas, and Manhattan, Kansas.
The conference emerged from earlier regional associations like the Kansas State Teachers Association competitions and post-World War I intercollegiate arrangements involving institutions influenced by leaders from Emporia State Teachers College and Kansas State Agricultural College. Founding meetings drew administrators from Benedictine College, Fort Hays State University, Pittsburg State University, Washburn University, Emporia State University, Wichita State University (then called Fairmount College or Municipal University of Wichita), and Kansas State Teachers College of Pittsburg representatives. During the 1920s and 1930s the conference adapted to pressures from the National Collegiate Athletic Association, changes in campus enrollment after the Great Depression (United States), and wartime disruptions associated with World War II. Debates at annual conventions mirrored issues addressed by National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics delegates and influences from state leaders including officials in Topeka, Kansas and academic figures at University of Kansas. The conference dissolved amid postwar realignments and institutional transitions, as some members pursued affiliation with larger regional leagues influenced by developments at University of Missouri and the broader Midwest athletic landscape.
Member institutions included a range of public and private colleges across Kansas. Prominent members were Emporia State University (formerly Emporia State Teachers College), Washburn University, Fort Hays State University, Pittsburg State University (formerly Kansas State Teachers College of Pittsburg), Benedictine College (formerly St. Benedict's College), and what became Wichita State University (earlier Fairmount College / Municipal University of Wichita). Several municipal and teachers' colleges in Kansas, such as institutions in Hays, Kansas and Pittsburg, Kansas, rotated membership or participated in sport-specific schedules. Institutional leaders included college presidents and athletic directors who had prior associations with Kansas State University and University of Kansas alumni networks.
The conference sponsored championships in football, men's basketball, baseball, track and field, and wrestling, with occasional competition in tennis and swimming. Football rivalries featured recurring matchups hosted at venues in Manhattan, Kansas and Topeka, Kansas, while basketball tournaments drew crowds influenced by regional interest similar to events at Allen Fieldhouse though on a smaller scale. Track and field meets echoed practices from state-level events under the auspices of associations tied to Kansas State High School Activities Association alumni and coaches who had coached at Emporia State Teachers College. Championship formats evolved with influences from NCAA rules committees and postseason arrangements like those seen in the National Invitation Tournament and early NAIA playoffs. Individual athletes frequently earned all-conference honors and went on to compete in professional or coaching careers connected to institutions such as Kansas State Agricultural College affiliates.
Governance rested with a council of faculty representatives, athletic directors, and college presidents, modeled on governance practices used at conferences like the Big Six Conference and later Big Eight Conference (1907–1996). Annual conventions alternated among member campuses in cities like Topeka, Kansas and Wichita, Kansas, where bylaws were ratified and eligibility standards established. Rules committees coordinated with state refereeing bodies and officials drawn from organizations such as the Kansas Officials Association, while scheduling committees negotiated intercollegiate contests mindful of travel via regional railroads including lines servicing Wichita and Emporia, Kansas. Financial oversight included gate receipt sharing and institutional budgeting reviewed by treasurers who consulted models used at State Teachers Colleges.
Member campuses hosted events in multiuse facilities that combined gymnasium, fieldhouse, and baseball diamond functions. Notable venues included campus stadiums in Emporia, Kansas and gymnasia at Washburn University and Fort Hays State University. Smaller college fields drew community support from municipal authorities in Topeka, Kansas and Hays, Kansas. Facility development was influenced by fundraising campaigns involving alumni networks connected to University of Kansas and local civic organizations such as chambers of commerce in Pittsburg, Kansas and Wichita, Kansas.
The conference produced several athletes and coaches who later gained prominence in regional and national circles. Coaches with ties to member institutions went on to positions at Kansas State University, University of Kansas, and coaching roles in professional leagues influenced by personnel trends at National Basketball Association franchises. Athletes from conference schools earned coaching posts, teaching appointments, and honors in halls of fame associated with NAIA and state athletic halls. Names associated with the era include coaches and players who later intersected with figures from Allen Fieldhouse era histories and midwestern athletic narratives centered on Manhattan, Kansas and Wichita, Kansas.
The conference left a legacy in institutional rivalries, governance precedents, and facility improvements that influenced later alignments across Kansas higher education. Its administrative practices informed eligibility standards later adopted by NAIA and state intercollegiate associations, while alumni networks and civic supporters continued to shape athletics at institutions like Emporia State University and Washburn University. The historical imprint remains visible in regional archival collections at campus libraries and state repositories in Topeka, Kansas and through commemorations by athletic departments that highlight early 20th-century intercollegiate competition.
Category:College athletic conferences in Kansas