The Big Ten Conference

Updated August 5, 2020 | Infoplease Staff

The Big Ten is the oldest collegiate athletic conference in Division I of the NCAA.1 It was founded in 1896 as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives. Despite its name, it has had eleven members since 1990.

Year joined
conference
School nameYear
founded
Enroll-
ment
18962University of Michigan181739,031
1896University of Wisconsin184840,879
1896University of Minnesota185149,474
1896Northwestern University185116,663
1896University of Illinois186740,458
1896Purdue University186940,376
1899Indiana University182038,589
1899University of Iowa184728,442
1912Ohio State University187050,731
1949Michigan State University185544,542
1990Pennsylvania State University185541,795
NOTES: The University of Chicago was a member from 1896 through 1946. It was founded in 1890 and has 13,885 students enrolled.
1. The oldest American collegiate athletic conference is Division III's Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association, founded in 1888.
2. The University of Michigan left the conference in 1907, then rejoined in 1917.
Sources: Big Ten Conference, and Peterson's Database, copyright 2005. Peterson's, a part of the Thomson Corporation. Web: /node/4994 , /node/4994 .

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