[Updated December 10, 2007]

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 Conference   The following should NOT be used in text when referencing the Big 12:   Big XII Big Twelve

The Big 12 Conference has been synonymous with success in competitive play and in the classroom as it moves through its 12th season, and league members anticipate continued success during the 2007-08 academic year.

In the first 11 years of the Big 12, the conference can boast of 30 team and over 350 individual NCAA Championships. The success continued during 2006-07, with team titles in men's cross country (Colorado) and women's volleyball (Nebraska) in addition to numerous individual crowns. The league added another individual crown this fall, when Texas Tech's Sally Kipyego repeated to earn the NCAA women's cross country title.

Over the past three seasons alone a total of 11 NCAA trophies have been hoisted by Big 12 institutions, with at least one national crown won in 10 of 11 years for the conference, including each of the past 10 seasons.

Through the first 10 Bowl Championship Series title games, the Big 12 leads all conferences with five appearances in the contest. Big 12 squads have played for the football national championship five times in the last nine years, with berths in 14 BCS games overall.

In basketball, eight men's and women's teams have advanced to their respective Final Fours in the past six seasons as the Big 12 continues its place among the elite intercollegiate athletic conferences. Numerous national honors have been won by men's and women's student-athletes during conference history, with Kevin Durant (Texas) the most recent to garner accolades as the consensus 2007 National Player of the Year.

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 also do well in garnering national academic recognition. This past season, two league standouts were named the Academic All-America of the Year in their sport by ESPN The Magazine and the College Sports Information Directors of America. Nebraska's Sarah Pavan (volleyball) boasted a 4.0 grade-point average in Biochemistry, while Aaron Ivey of Oklahoma (baseball) had a 4.0 GPA in Energy Management. Pavan also won the national academic honor presented for all sports. In addition, she was named recipient of the prestigious Honda-Broderick Award as Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year. She is the first athlete since the Big 12 was formed to earn the accolade.

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 177 scholars have received more than $1 million in postgraduate financial aid through the first 10 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 45 million people and more than 18 million television households within its geographic footprint.

The conference conducts championships for 20 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 prestigious 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, FSN and CSTV. Most recently, the league renewed and expanded its multi-year arrangement with ABC/ESPN, Inc.

In its 11-year history, the conference has distributed $913.2 million to its 12 member institutions.

The Big 12 staff administers to over 4,600 student-athletes in 21 sports. The conference is headquartered in Irving, Texas.