Pac-12 Set to Celebrate 100 Years of Excellence

The Pac-12 Conference is set to celebrate 100 years of excellence, Commissioner Larry Scott announced. The yearlong celebration of the Conference centennial, including marking the date of the official formation 100 years ago on December 2, will kick off with the start of the football season at Pac-12 Media Day and continue throughout the 2015-16 academic year.

The Conference’s storied history dates back 100 years when four schools – the University of California, Oregon Agricultural College (now Oregon State University), the University of Oregon and the University of Washington – gathered at the historic Imperial Hotel in Portland, Ore., to form the Pacific Coast Conference.

Since that day, the Conference has been known for its widespread excellence – on the field, in the classroom, and with the contributions its graduates make in the world. No other Conference can match the collective achievements and distinctions accomplished over the last century.

“For the past 100 years, our Conference has stood for groundbreaking achievement and inclusion,” said Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott. “We look forward to celebrating the deep conviction held by our universities that academic and athletic excellence go hand-in-hand.”

The Conference has been home to some of sports’ legendary athletes and coaches. Dubbed the “Conference of Champions,” Pac-12 schools have won 478 NCAA titles, by far more than any other conference, as well as over 2,000 individual national championships. Pac-12 legends have gone on to be international superstars, including the Olympics stage where the Pac-12 has been the most represented conference in the country. In the 2012 London Olympic Games, Pac-12-affiliated athletes and coaches were responsible for 45 medals (19 golds, 14 silvers, 12 bronze).

With Pac-12 members among the most academically respected institutions in the country, student-athletes that have donned a Pac-12 uniform have won prestigious academic honors such as the NCAA Woman of the Year, NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships and have been named CoSIDA Academic All-Americans and Academic All-Americans of the Year.

To mark the yearlong celebration, the Pac-12 has released a commemorative mark depicting a “100,” along with the Conference shield and a nod to the century of champions, innovators and trailblazers the Pac-12 has produced. Additionally, the anniversary will be integrated into all Pac-12 Championships, including the Pac-12 Football Championship at Levi’s© Stadium, the Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Tournament at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev., and the Pac-12 Women’s Basketball Tournament at KeyArena in Seattle.

Member schools will also showcase the Centennial throughout the year to celebrate the Pac-12’s 100 years, and the communities of the Pac-12 will commemorate the anniversary in December.

Pac-12 Networks will commemorate the Centennial with special programming that will recognize the greatest athletes in the storied history of the Conference on linear and digital platforms throughout the year, including a special 60-minute program to unveil the Pac-12 All-Century Football team. A panel of former players and coaches, local and national media that have intimate knowledge of the history and excellence of the Pac-12, as well as former and current school and conference employees, will serve on the panel. In addition, Pac-12 Networks will highlight legends and icons across all sports from of the Conference through digital vignettes that will play on pac-12.com and social channels.

A special landing page dedicated to the centennial celebration will launch on the Conference’s official website on Thursday – www.pac-12.com/100 – and the hashtag #100Pac12 will be used throughout the year on Twitter (@pac12 and @Pac12Networks), Facebook (Pac12Conference) and all other social media channels, and on the air on the Pac-12 Networks.