History of the Cougars

The BYU Cougars are the intercollegiate athletic teams representing Brigham Young University (BYU), located in Provo, Utah. BYU fields 21 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) varsity athletic teams. They are a member of the West Coast Conference for most sports. Other sports compete in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation and as independents. They were a member of the Mountain West Conference from 1999 to 2011. Before the formation of the MW, the Cougars competed in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, the Mountain States Conference, and the Western Athletic Conference. BYU is set to join the Big 12 Conference on July 1, 2023.

College Sports Established
1922

Location
Provo, Utah

College Name
Brigham Young University

Collegiate History
1973 - Present / NCAA Division 1
1922 - 1973 / University Division of the NCAA

Conference History
2023 - Future / Big 12 Conference
2011 - Present / West Coast Conference
1999 - 2010 / Mountain West Conference
1962 - 1998 / Western Athletic Conference
1938 - 1961 / Skyline Conference
1922 - 1937 / Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference

Nickname
Cougars - All teams are named the "Cougars", a name that was first introduced by Eugene L. Roberts in the 1920s, initially only applied to the football team. In 1924, live cougar kittens named Cleo and Tarbo were brought to BYU and used as its mascots. In 1930, Tarbo died and Cleo was sent to the Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake City. By the 1950s all sports teams were known as the Cougars and it was decided that having a person in a costume was a better mascot form than live animals.

NCAA Championships
Baseball 0

Men's Basketball 0

Women's Basketball 0

Football 0

Soccer 0