Red River Athletic Conference

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Red River Athletic Conference
AssociationNAIA
Founded1998; 28 years ago (1998)
CommissionerTony Stigliano
Sports fielded
  • 15
    • men's: 7
    • women's: 8
No. of teams13 (11 in 2026)
HeadquartersWaco, Texas
RegionSouth Central United States
Official websitewww.redriverconference.com
Locations
Location of teams in {{{title}}}

The Red River Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The conference's 13 member institutions are located in Louisiana, New Mexico, and Texas.

History

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The Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) began competition in fall 1998 with 16 charter members.[1] The conference at present counts 14 members, one of the most recent additions being Texas A&M University–Texarkana in 2016.[2] In 2019, St. Thomas Houston announced its departure from the conference to join the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) of the NCAA Division III as a provisional member.[3] In March 2020, Texas A&M University–San Antonio was approved for membership into the NAIA and it was simultaneously announced that the Jaguars would begin competition in the conference starting in the 2020–21 academic year,[4] followed by Xavier University of Louisiana and Louisiana Christian University (formerly Louisiana College) in September and October respectively.[5][6] Xavier and Louisiana Christian officially joined the RRAC for the 2021–22 academic year.

On January 20, 2022, the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC) invited founding Red River member Wiley College (now Wiley University) to become the GCAC's first Texas institution, effective later in July.[7]

On July 6, 2023, North American University was accepted as the RRAC's 14th conference member for the 2023–24 school year.[8]

On July 1, 2025, the RRAC announced the addition of the University of North Texas at Dallas as a full conference member. UNTD was previously a full member of the Sooner Athletic Conference.[9]

Chronological timeline

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Member schools

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Current members

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The RRAC currently has 13 full members, with a slight majority (seven) being private schools.

Institution Location Founded Affiliation Enrollment Nickname Joined[a] Basketball?
Jarvis Christian University Hawkins, Texas 1912 Disciples of Christ[b] 800 Bulldogs 1998 both
Louisiana Christian University Pineville, Louisiana 1906 Southern Baptist 950 Wildcats 2021 both
Louisiana State University of Alexandria Alexandria, Louisiana 1959 Public[c] 5,330 Generals 2014 both
Louisiana State University Shreveport Shreveport, Louisiana 1967 Public[c] 9,736 Pilots 2010 both
North American University Stafford, Texas 2007 Nonsectarian 923 Stallions 2023 both
University of North Texas at Dallas Dallas, Texas 2000 Public[d] 3,797 Trailblazers 2025 both
Our Lady of the Lake University San Antonio, Texas 1895 Catholic
(C.D.P.)
2,096 Saints 2008 both[e]
University of the Southwest Hobbs, New Mexico 1962 Nondenominational 1,034 Mustangs 1998 both[f]
Texas College Tyler, Texas 1894 C.M.E. Church[b] 644 Steers 1998 both
Texas A&M University–San Antonio San Antonio, Texas 2009 Public[g] 7,584 Jaguars 2020 both[h]
Texas A&M University–Texarkana Texarkana, Texas 1971 Public[g] 2,109 Eagles 2016 both[i][j]
Texas A&M University–Victoria[k] Victoria, Texas 1973 Public[g] 3,784 Jaguars 2015 none
Xavier University of Louisiana New Orleans, Louisiana 1925 Catholic
(S.B.S.)[b]
3,181 Gold Rush &
Gold Nuggets
2021 both[l]
Notes
  1. ^ Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
  2. ^ a b c Also a historically black college and university.
  3. ^ a b Part of the Louisiana State University System.
  4. ^ Part of the University of North Texas System.
  5. ^ The Our Lady of the Lake men's and women's basketball teams joined the RRAC a year after becoming a full member for other sports (2009–10).
  6. ^ The Southwest (N.Mex.) men's and women's basketball teams joined the RRAC a decade after becoming a full member for other sports (2008–09).
  7. ^ a b c Part of the Texas A&M University System.
  8. ^ The Texas A&M–San Antonio men's and women's basketball teams joined the RRAC four years after becoming a full member for other sports (2024–25).
  9. ^ The Texas A&M–Texarkana men's and women's basketball teams joined the RRAC three years after becoming a full member for other sports (2019–20).
  10. ^ Texas A&M–Texarkana will depart the RRAC for the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference (LSC) after the 2025–26 school year.
  11. ^ Texas A&M–Victoria joined the RRAC as the University of Houston–Victoria, known athletically as UHV. The university transferred from the University of Houston System to the Texas A&M University System on September 1, 2025.
  12. ^ Xavier will depart the RRAC for the Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) after the 2025–26 school year.

Former members

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The RRAC has 16 former full members, all but five were private schools:

Institution Location Founded Affiliation Enrollment Nickname Joined[a] Left[b] Current
conference
Bacone College Muskogee, Oklahoma 1880 Tribal college N/A Warriors 1998[c] 2015 Closed in 2024
Houston Baptist University[d] Houston, Texas 1960 Baptist 4,189 Huskies 1998 2007 Southland (SLC)[e]
Huston-Tillotson University Austin, Texas 1881 UMC & UCC[f] 1,029 Rams 1998 2025 HBCU (HBCUAC)
Langston University Langston, Oklahoma 1897 Public[f] 1,910 Lions 1998 2018 Sooner (SAC)
Northwestern Oklahoma State University Alva, Oklahoma 1897 Public 1,929 Rangers 1998 2001 Great American (GAC)[g]
Northwood University Cedar Hill, Texas 1966 Nonsectarian N/A Knights 1998[h] 2013 Closed in 2014
Paul Quinn College Dallas, Texas 1872 A.M.E. Church 602 Tigers 1998 2025 HBCU (HBCUAC)
University of St. Thomas Houston, Texas 1947 Catholic
(C.S.B.)
3,813 Celts 2011 2019 Southern (SCAC)[i]
University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma Chickasha, Oklahoma 1908 Public 914 Drovers 1998 2000 Sooner (SAC)
Southwestern Adventist University Keene, Texas 1893 Seventh-day
Adventist
817 Knights 1998 2002 USCAA Independent
Southwestern Assemblies of God University[j] Waxahachie, Texas 1927 Assemblies of God 1,725 Lions 1998 2013 Sooner (SAC)
Texas A&M International University Laredo, Texas 1969 Public 8,536 Dustdevils 2002[k] 2006 Lone Star (LSC)[g]
Texas Wesleyan University Fort Worth, Texas 1890 United Methodist 2,595 Rams 2001 2013 Sooner (SAC)
University of Texas at Brownsville[l] Brownsville, Texas 1991 Public N/A Ocelots[m] 2006 2015 N/A[n]
University of Texas Permian Basin Odessa, Texas 1973 Public 5,899 Falcons 1998[o] 2006 Lone Star (LSC)[g]
Wiley University[p] Marshall, Texas 1873 United Methodist[f] 636 Wildcats 1998[q] 2022 HBCU (HBCUAC)
Notes
  1. ^ Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
  2. ^ Represents the calendar year when spring sports competition ends.
  3. ^ The Bacone men's and women's basketball teams joined the RRAC three years after becoming a full member for other sports (2001–02).
  4. ^ Currently known as Houston Christian University since 2022.
  5. ^ Currently an NCAA Division I athletic conference.
  6. ^ a b c Also a historically black college and university.
  7. ^ a b c Currently an NCAA Division II athletic conference.
  8. ^ The Northwood–Texas men's and women's basketball teams joined the RRAC fourteen years after becoming a full member for other sports (2012–13).
  9. ^ Currently an NCAA Division III athletic conference.
  10. ^ Currently known as Nelson University since 2024.
  11. ^ The Texas A&M International men's and women's basketball teams joined the RRAC a year after becoming a full member for other sports (2003–04).
  12. ^ Non-basketball full member.
  13. ^ UT Brownsville's other nickname before the merger with Texas–Pan American (UTPA) was Scorpions until after the 2011–12 school year, then competed without a nickname during the 2012–13 school year, before adopting the Ocelots nickname for their final two seasons.
  14. ^ Texas–Brownsville (UTB) was merged with the University of Texas–Pan American (UTPA) to become the University of Texas–Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) in 2015. The new institution inherited the UTPA athletic program, which now operates as the UTRGV Vaqueros in the NCAA Division I Southland Conference.
  15. ^ The Texas–Permian Basin men's and women's basketball teams joined the RRAC four years after becoming a full member for other sports (2002–03).
  16. ^ Current known as Wiley University since 2023.
  17. ^ The Wiley men's and women's basketball teams joined the RRAC four years after becoming a full member for other sports (2002–03).

Former affiliate members

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The RRAC had five former affiliate members, three are public schools and two are private schools:

Institution Location Founded Affiliation Enrollment Nickname Joined[a] Left[b] RRAC
sport(s)
Primary
conference
Carroll College Helena, Montana 1909 Catholic
(Diocese of Helena)
1,103 Fighting Saints 2023 2024 Men's golf Frontier
Lewis–Clark State College Lewiston, Idaho 1893 Public 3,706 Warriors &
Lady Warriors
2022 2024 Women's tennis Cascade (CCC)
Montana Technological University Butte, Montana 1889 Public[c] 1,622 Orediggers 2023 2024 Men's golf Frontier
University of Providence Great Falls, Montana 1932 Catholic
(Ursulines)
677 Argonauts 2023 2024 Men's golf Frontier
Rocky Mountain College Billings, Montana 1878 various[d] 991 Battlin' Bears 2023 2024 Men's golf Frontier
Notes
  1. ^ Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
  2. ^ Represents the calendar year when spring sports competition ends.
  3. ^ Part of the Montana University System.
  4. ^ Rocky Mountain has various affiliations: The Mainline Protestant, the United Methodist Church, the Presbyterian Church (USA), and the United Church of Christ.

Membership timeline

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Colors = id:barcolor value:rgb(0.99,0.7,0.7)

         id:line value:black
         id:bg value:white
         id:Full value:rgb(0.7,0.9,0.8) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports
         id:FullxF value:rgb(0.9,0.8,0.7) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports except for football
         id:AssocF value:rgb(0.9,0.7,0.8) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member for football only
         id:AssocOS value:rgb(0.8,0.9,0.7) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member for another sport only
         id:OtherC1 value:rgb(0.996,0.996,0.699) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved in another conference
         id:OtherC2 value:rgb(0.988,0.703,0.383) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved in another conference when the other color has already been used

PlotData =

width:15 textcolor:black shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:s
bar:1 color:FullxF from:1998 till:2015 text:Bacone (1998–2015)
bar:1 color:OtherC1 from:2015 till:2019 text:Sooner
bar:1 color:OtherC2 from:2019 till:2024 text:NAIA Ind.
bar:2 color:FullxF from:1998 till:2007 text:Houston Christian (1998–2007)
bar:2 color:OtherC1 from:2007 till:2008 text:D-I Ind
bar:2 shift:(20) color:OtherC2 from:2008 till:2013 text:Great West
bar:2 color:OtherC1 from:2013 till:end text:Southland
bar:3 color:FullxF from:1998 till:2025 text:Huston–Tillotson (1998–2025)
bar:3 color:OtherC1 from:2025 till:end text:HBCUAC
bar:4 color:FullxF from:1998 till:end text:Jarvis Christian (1998–present)
bar:5 color:FullxF from:1998 till:2018 text:Langston (1998–2018)
bar:5 color:OtherC1 from:2018 till:end text:Sooner
bar:6 color:FullxF from:1998 till:2001 text:Northwestern Oklahoma State (1998–2002)
bar:6 shift:(130) color:OtherC1 from:2001 till:2012 text:Sooner
bar:6 color:OtherC2 from:2012 till:end text:Great American
bar:7 color:FullxF from:1998 till:2013 text:Northwood–Texas (1998–2013)
bar:7 color:OtherC1 from:2013 till:2014 text:Sooner
bar:8 color:FullxF from:1998 till:2025 text:Paul Quinn (1998–2025)
bar:8 color:OtherC1 from:2025 till:end text:HBCUAC
bar:9 color:FullxF from:1998 till:end text:Southwest (N.Mex.) (1998–present)
bar:10 color:FullxF from:1998 till:2002 text:Southwestern Adventist (1998–2002)
bar:10 shift:(70) color:OtherC1 from:2002 till:end text:USCAA
bar:11 color:FullxF from:1998 till:2013 text:Southwestern Assemblies of God (1998–2013)
bar:11 color:OtherC1 from:2013 till:end text:Sooner
bar:12 color:FullxF from:1998 till:2006 text:Texas–Permian Basin (1998–2006)
bar:12 color:OtherC1 from:2006 till:2016 text:Heartland
bar:12 color:OtherC2 from:2016 till:end text:Lone Star
bar:13 color:FullxF from:1998 till:end text:Texas College (1998–present)
bar:14 color:FullxF from:1998 till:2000 text:USAO (1998–2000)
bar:14 shift:(50) color:OtherC1 from:2000 till:end text:Sooner
bar:15 color:FullxF from:1998 till:2022 text:Wiley (1998–2022)
bar:15 color:OtherC1 from:2022 till:end text:HBCUAC
bar:16 color:FullxF from:2001 till:2013 text:Texas Weslayan (2001–2013)
bar:16 color:OtherC1 from:2013 till:end text:Sooner
bar:17 color:FullxF from:2002 till:2006 text:Texas A&M International (2002–2006)
bar:17 shift:(80) color:OtherC1 from:2006 till:2019 text:Heartland
bar:17 color:OtherC2 from:2019 till:end text:Lone Star
bar:18 color:FullxF from:2006 till:2015 text:Texas–Brownsville (2006–2015)
bar:19 color:FullxF from:2008 till:end text:Our Lady of the Lake (2008–present)
bar:20 color:FullxF from:2010 till:end text:Louisiana State–Shreveport (2010–present)
bar:21 color:FullxF from:2011 till:2019 text:Saint Thomas (Tex.) (2011–2019)
bar:21 color:OtherC1 from:2019 till:end text:SCAC
bar:22 color:FullxF from:2014 till:end text:Louisiana State–Alexandria (2014–present)
bar:23 color:FullxF from:2015 till:2025 text:Houston–Victoria (2015–2025)
bar:23 shift:(-40) color:FullxF from:2025 till:end text:Texas A&M–Victoria (2025–present)
bar:24 color:FullxF from:2016 till:2026 text:Texas A&M–Texarkana (2016–2026)
bar:24 color:OtherC1 from:2026 till:end text:Lone Star
bar:25 color:FullxF from:2020 till:end text:Texas A&M–San Antonio (2020–present)
bar:26 color:FullxF from:2021 till:end text:Louisiana Christian (2021–present)
bar:27 color:FullxF from:2021 till:2026 text:Xavier (La.) (2021–2026)
bar:27 color:OtherC1 from:2026 till:end text:SSAC
bar:28 color:AssocOS from:2022 till:2024 text:Lewis–Clark State (2022–2024)
bar:29 color:FullxF from:2023 till:end text:North American (2023–present)
bar:30 color:AssocOS from:2023 till:2024 text:Carroll (Mont.) (2023–2024)
bar:31 color:AssocOS from:2023 till:2024 text:Montana Tech (2023–2024)
bar:32 color:AssocOS from:2023 till:2024 text:Providence (Mont.) (2023–2024)
bar:33 color:AssocOS from:2023 till:2024 text:Rocky Mountain (2023–2024)
bar:34 shift:(-30) color:FullxF from:2025 till:end text:North Texas–Dallas (2025–present)

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text:^"Red River Athletic Conference membership history"
  1. > If the chart uses more than one bar color, add a legend by selecting the appropriate fields from the following three options (use only the colors that are used in the graphic.) Leave a blank line after the end of the timeline, then add a line with the selected values from the list, separated by a space.

 Full member (all sports)   Full member (non-football)   Associate member (sport)  <# </timeline>

 Full member (non-football)   Associate member (sport) 

Sports

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A divisional format is used for basketball (M / W), softball, and volleyball.
East
  • Jarvis Christian
  • Louisiana Christian
  • LSU Alexandria
  • LSU Shreveport
  • Texas College
  • Texas A&M-Texarkana
  • Xavier
West
  • North American
  • Our Lady of the Lake
  • Southwest
  • Texas A&M-San Antonio
  • Texas A&M-Victoria
  • UNT-Dallas

The Red River Athletic Conference sponsors championships in seven men's and eight women's sports.

Conference sports
Sport Men's Women's
Baseball Green tickY
Basketball Green tickY Green tickY
Cross Country Green tickY Green tickY
Golf Green tickY Green tickY
Soccer Green tickY Green tickY
Softball Green tickY
Tennis Green tickY Green tickY
Track and Field (Outdoor) Green tickY Green tickY
Volleyball Green tickY

RRAC men's sports sponsored by school

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School Baseball Basketball Cross
country
Golf Tennis Track & field
(outdoor)
Soccer
Jarvis Christian Yes Yes Yes No No Yes Yes
Louisiana Christian Yes Yes No Yes No No Yes
LSU-Alexandria Yes Yes No No No No Yes
LSU-Shreveport Yes Yes No No No No Yes
North American No Yes No No No Yes Yes
North Texas-Dallas No Yes Yes No No Yes No
Our Lady of the Lake Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Southwest Yes Yes Yes Yes No No Yes
Texas College Yes Yes No No No Yes Yes
Texas A&M-San Antonio No Yes No Yes No No Yes
Texas A&M-Texarkana Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Texas A&M-Victoria Yes No No Yes No No Yes
Xavier Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes

RRAC women's sports sponsored by school

[edit | edit source]
School Softball Basketball Cross
country
Golf Tennis Track & field
(outdoor)
Soccer Volleyball
Jarvis Christian Yes Yes Yes No No Yes Yes Yes
Louisiana Christian Yes Yes No No Yes No Yes Yes
LSU-Alexandria Yes Yes No No Yes No Yes No
LSU-Shreveport No Yes No No Yes No Yes No
North American No Yes Yes No No Yes Yes No
North Texas-Dallas No Yes Yes No No Yes No No
Our Lady of the Lake Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Southwest Yes Yes Yes Yes No No Yes Yes
Texas College Yes Yes No No No Yes Yes No
Texas A&M-San Antonio Yes Yes No No No No Yes No
Texas A&M-Texarkana Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Texas A&M-Victoria Yes No No Yes No No Yes No
Xavier Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes

References

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  9. ^ https://redriverconference.com/general/2024-25/releases/20250701deny86
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