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[Updated August 5, 2010]
| BIG 12 ... AS EASY AS 1 - 2 |
When referring to the Big 12 Conference, please remember the conference name (which is a registered trademark) should be listed as follows:
Big 12
The following should NOT be used in text when referencing the Big 12:
Big XII
Big Twelve
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The Big 12 Conference, despite being one of the youngest conferences in America, will continue its position as a national leader in athletics and academics as it embarks on its 15th season in 2010-11.
Since it began play in 1996-97, the Conference can boast of 38 team crowns and 459 individual NCAA Championships. The success continued last year, as Oklahoma State won the NCAA men's cross country title while Texas captured the national championship in men's swimming & diving. Texas A&M maintained its place as the nation's top outdoor track & field program, securing the NCAA crowns for both the men and women for the second consecutive year.
Big 12 squads continued to lead the nation in their respective sports as every single sport the Conference sponsors had at least one school ranked in the top six of the national rankings during the past campaign. In addition, nine different sports had the No. 1 team in the nation at some point during the 2009-10 season.
In addition to the NCAA crowns, several more schools made strong national showings. Five Big 12 volleyball teams competed in the regional semifinals of the NCAA Championship in 2010, the first time that has happened in conference history. The Big 12 also had a school play for the BCS National Championship (Texas) for the seventh season and placed two women's basketball squads (Baylor, Oklahoma) in the Final Four in the same season for the first time. Oklahoma finished second nationally at the NCAA women's gymnastics finals - an all-time high for the Big 12 - while Oklahoma State placed second at the men's golf championship. Iowa State was third at the NCAA wrestling championships and the Big 12 also placed a team in the College World Series in both softball (Missouri) and baseball (Oklahoma).
The individual honors also continued, as Jenny Barringer (Colorado) earned The Bowerman Award, presented for the first time to the most outstanding collegiate women's track and field athlete. In fact, all three women's finalists were from the Big 12. Caroline Hedwall (Oklahoma State) was named the recipient of the Honda Sports Award as the nation's top female golfer after capturing the NCAA individual title. Lisa Koll (Iowa State) earned the Honda Award as the top collegiate female athlete in track & field, Connie Yori (Nebraska) was the consensus Division I women's basketball coach of the year and K.J. Kindler (Oklahoma) earned national women's gymnastics coaching accolades.
The Big 12 has had four Heisman Trophy winners in its 14-year history. In 2008, the Big 12 established a high-water mark, as for the first time in the 74-year history of the Heisman four of the top five vote-getters hailed from the same conference, including award-winner Sam Bradford (Oklahoma). The league followed that recognition with two of the top five finalists in 2009.
During the past six seasons a total of 16 NCAA trophies have been hoisted by Big 12 institutions, with at least one national crown won in all but one year for the Conference, including each of the past 13 seasons.
The Big 12 leads all conferences with its seven appearances in BCS title games. Seven league squads have played for the football national championship in the last 10 years with berths in 17 BCS games overall, including two each in 2007 and 2008. In the past two seasons, the Big 12 has had 16 players earn consensus All-America accolades.
In basketball, nine men's and six women's teams have advanced to their respective Final Fours in the past eight seasons as the Big 12 continues its place among the elite intercollegiate athletic conferences. On the men's side six different teams have reached the regional finals in the past three seasons - the first time since 1985 that any conference can boast of six different teams doing so over a three-year period. The Big 12 has led the nation in women's basketball attendance the past 11 seasons and surpassed its own NCAA record attendance mark in 2009-10.
Numerous national honors have been won by basketball student-athletes during the league's history. Sherron Collins (Kansas) was awarded the 2010 Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award in men's basketball as the top player six-foot or under. Kelsey Griffin (Nebraska) gave the Conference a consensus All-America selection in women's basketball for the 10th straight season.
The Big 12 and its member institutions are committed to a competitive environment where sportsmanship and fair play take center stage. Whether on the field, in the classroom, or within the community, the student-athletes, administrators, coaches and game officials of the Big 12 support the highest ideals in sportsmanship.
Big 12 student-athletes have shown commitment to their studies by earning numerous academic recognitions. Cole Aldrich (Kansas) was the latest after being named Academic All-America of the Year honors in men’s basketball in 2009-10. It marked the seventh time in the past five years that a league athlete has garnered the top academic honor for their respective sport. The Big 12 had plenty of success overall in the classroom a year ago, as the Conference led the nation with 38 student-athletes earning ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-America recognition.
Sarah Pavan (Nebraska) earned countless accolades for her work away from competition, being named the Academic All-America of the Year for all sports in both 2006-07 and '07-08. She was also named recipient of the prestigious 2006-07 Honda-Broderick Award as Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year, the first athlete since the Big 12 was formed to earn the accolade. In its history, the conference has nearly 400 academic honorees, averaging more than 25 each season.
The Big 12 can boast of other stories that combine on and off the field success. Patience Knight (Texas Tech) was the recipient of the Honda Inspiration Award in 2008, given to an outstanding female college athlete who overcomes adversity to excel in her sport. She was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor in 2007, but rebounded to win All-America honors at the 2008 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships.
Competitive excellence, scholarship and sportsmanship are all equal components of the Big 12 philosophy. All-Big 12 teams and Academic All-Big 12 squads are recognized for each sport at the end of their respective seasons. At the end of each academic year, the Conference honors its top male and female student-athletes with the Big 12 Athlete of the Year and Big 12 Sportsperson of the Year awards.
Institutions can also nominate student-athletes for the prestigious Dr. Prentice Gautt Postgraduate Scholarships at the end of each academic year. A total of 249 scholars have received over 1.6 million in postgraduate financial aid through the first 14 years of the program.
The Big 12 sponsors 21 sports. Men's squads include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, indoor track & field, outdoor track & field, swimming & diving, tennis and wrestling. Women's teams are fielded in basketball, cross country, golf, gymnastics, indoor track & field, outdoor track & field, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis and volleyball.
The Conference is made up of 12 institutions that have shared many traditional rivalries throughout their histories. Member schools include - Baylor University, University of Colorado, Iowa State University, University of Kansas, Kansas State University, University of Missouri, University of Nebraska, University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State University, University of Texas, Texas A&M University and Texas Tech University.
The institutions created a league that encompasses seven states, over 46 million people and television households in 18 of the top 100 markets within its geographic footprint.
The Conference conducts championships for 19 of its 21 sports. Each championship helps to determine teams and/or individuals that will represent the Conference in national postseason competition. The winner of the Big 12 football championship game earns the league's berth into the Bowl Championship Series.
In the last several years the Big 12 has increased its bowl agreements and expanded television opportunities for all sports through contracts with ABC/ESPN and FSN. Most recently, the league renewed and expanded its multi-year arrangement with ABC/ESPN, Inc. The new contract began in 2008-09.
In its first 14 years, the Conference has distributed more than $1.2 billion to its 12 member institutions. The Big 12 staff administers to over 4,600 student-athletes in its 21 sports. The conference office is headquartered in Irving, Texas.
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