The twenty-three document boxes which comprise the collection are divided into three sections, reflecting the changes which the Conference underwent between 1909 and 1963. Section One (Boxes 1 through 4) cover the Rocky Mountain Faculty Athletic Conference, 1909-1937. Section Two (Boxes 5 through 16) cover the Mountain States Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, 1937-1950. Section Three (Boxes 17 through 23) cover the expanded MSIAC, 1951-1962, the so-called "Skyline Conference." The history of the Conferences and the nature of those changes are best outlined in the following excerpt from the autobiography of E. L. "Dick" Romney, Conference Commissioner from 1949 to 1960:
Intercollegiate athletics in the intermountain region can be better understood by reading the following brief combined histories of the Rocky Mountain Faculty Athletic Conference and the Mountain States Athletic Conference.
These conferences were organized January 30, 1909, under the names of the Colorado Faculty Athletic Conference and with the following members: University of Colorado, Colorado College, and the Colorado State Agricultural College. On this date a set of eligibility rules and a constitution were formally adopted. The first rules were chiefly a codification of the generally accepted unwritten rules under which intercollegiate contests in the Rocky Mountain Region had been held up to this time. The Colorado School of Mines joined the conference November 4, 1909. The University of Utah was admitted March 26, 1910; the University of Denver, May 4, 1910; the Utah State Agricultural College, February 28, 1914; the Montana State College, January 6, 1917; Brigham Young University, January 12, 1918; University of Wyoming, January 3, 1921; Western State College and Colorado School of Mines and the University of Utah were present at the holiday meeting of 1909, and one from Utah State Agricultural College at the holiday meetings of 1911-12-13. The name of the conference was changed to the Rocky Mountain Faculty Athletic Conference on May 7, 1910.
Each of the institutions above listed maintained uninterrupted membership from the time of admission to the conference until December I, 1937, when the resignations of seven were accepted. The Rocky Mountain Faculty Athletic Conference then embraced the following members: Colorado College, Colorado School of Mines, Montana State College, Western State College of Colorado, and Colorado State College of Education.
The seven institutions that resigned from the Rocky Mountain Faculty Athletic Conference, December 1, 1937, were: University of Colorado, Brigham Young University, University of Denver, University of Utah, Utah State Agricultural College, and the University of Wyoming. They organized the Mountain States Athletic Conference. Colorado University withdrew from the conference May 23, 1947, requesting that the withdrawal become effective December 1, 1947. The request was granted, and Colorado University was granted membership in the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Association. The Mountain States Athletic Conference employed its first full-time Commissioner of Athletics as of July 1, 1949. Montana State University and the University of New Mexico were admitted to the MSAC June 1950.
In 1957 the name of Colorado's A & M College was changed to Colorado State University, and the name of Utah State Agricultural College was changed to Utah State University. In 1962 the Mountain States Athletic Conference voted to disband. The University of Utah, Brigham Young University, The University of Wyoming, and the University of New Mexico teamed up with the University of Arizona and Arizona State University and organized the Western Athletic Conference. Montana State University joined with Weber State College, Montana State College, Gonzaga University, Idaho State College, and the University of Idaho in the newly organized Big Sky Conference.
The papers give an uneven coverage to the various schools (and even to the various sports) of the Conferences. The reason is apparently to be found in the rotation secretaryship. For example, the early years center almost exclusively on the Colorado Schools; the late 1930s on the University of Wyoming. Only after the appointment of a full-time Commissioner for what came to be known as the "Skyline" Conference is there anything like a uniformity of coverage in all phases of Conference activity. The formation of the Presidents' Council (Presidents of member institutions) and the regularity of its meetings and the minutes therefrom provide an effective overview of the Conference.
The box and folder contents are noted as "pieces" for single papers or letters and "items" for multi-page documents.
SECTION ONE: ROCKY MOUNTAIN FACULTY ATHLETIC CONFERENCE A. CORRESPONDENCE.
Box 1: CONFERENCE CORRESPONDENCE 1909-1920.
Box 2: CONFERENCE CORRESPONDENCE 1921 - 1936.
B. GENERAL PAPERS
Box 3: GENERAL PAPERS. GENERAL CONFERENCE PAPERS: ATHLETIC EVENTS SCHEDULES AND RECORDS *** FINANCES *** N.C.A.A. RULES *** RULES AND POLICIES. MISCELLANEOUS CONFERENCE INSTITUTIONS: ATHLETIC TRANSFERS AND PLAYER ELIGIBILITY (ELIGIBILITY LISTS). MISCELLANEOUS ORGANIZATIONS AND INSTITUTIONS: ATHLETIC RULES AND POLICIES. UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO: ATHLETIC EVENTS, RECORDS, AND SCHEDULES * * * FINANCES.
Box 4: GENERAL PAPERS. UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO: FINANCES *** MISCELLANY (AWARDS, ATHLETIC SCHEDULES, GYMNASIUM PLANS, ATHLETIC REPORTS) *** PLAYER ELIGIBILITY AND ATHLETIC TRANSFERS (ELIGIBILITY LISTS FOR INDIVIDUAL SPORTS AND ATHLETIC TRANSFER RECORDS). UNIVERSITY OF DENVER: PLAYER ELIGIBILITY AND ATHLETIC TRANSFERS (ELIGIBILITY LISTS IN ALL SPORTS). UNIVERSITY OF UTAH: PLAYER ELIGIBILITY AND ATHLETIC TRANSFERS (ELIGIBILITY LISTS FOR ALL SPORTS). UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING: PLAYER ELIGIBILITY AND ATHLETIC TRANSFERS (ELIGIBILITY LISTS FOR ALL SPORTS).
SECTION TWO: MOUTAIN STATES INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE A. CORRESPONDENCE
Box 5: ATHLETIC EVENTS RECORDS AND SCHEDULES, APRIL 23, 1937- APRIL 3, 1950.
Box 6: FINANCES, APRIL 30, 1937 - DECEMBER 28, 1949.
Box 7: CONFERENCE MEETING AND MINUTES, April 30, 1937 - December 9, 1950.
Box 8: MISCELLANY (INCLUDES PROFESSIONAL ATHLETIC ORGANIZATIONS CONFERENCE EXPANSION * * * CONFERENCE WITHDRAWALS * * * N.C.A.A.). February 1, 1937 - July 24, 1950. 562 items.
Box 9: PLAYER ELIGIBILITY AND ATHLETIC TRANSFERS - CORRESPONDENCE
Box 10: CORRESPONDENCE: CONFERENCE RULES AND POLICIES * * * APPLICATIONS FOR ATHLETIC COMMISSIONER, June 2, 1937 - May 18, 1950. 478 items.
Box 11: GENERAL PAPERS. BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY AND COLORADO STATE AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE: ATHLETIC EVENTS, RECORDS, AND SCHEDULES (RECORDS AND SCHEDULES IN VARIOUS SPORTS) * * * PLAYER PARTICIPATION AND ATHLETIC TRANSFERS (ELIGIBILITY LISTS.AND PARTICIPATION RECORDS). GENERAL CONFERENCE MEMBERSHIP: ATHLETIC EVENTS, RECORDS AND SCHEDULES (BASKETBALL AND FOOTBALL SCHEDULES AND STATISTICS) * * * FINANCES (BUDGETS AND FINANCIAL REPORTS), 1937 - 1950. 311 items. 520 pieces.