Azusa-Pacific University Cougars
Azusa-Pacific University’s football began as a combined college team consisting of Azusa College and LA Pacific College. Their program grew to be a strong DII football team, starting as an NAIA program back in 1965 and canceling their team in 2020. They were the last DII football program in the state and had to travel out of state to find DII opponents. They finished in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, facing teams in Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia.
NCAA DII, 18 sports teams
- Total Enrollment: 7,169
- Undergraduate Enrollment: 2,588
- Graduate Enrollment: 4,545
- Full-time Enrollment: 4,837
- Part-time Enrollment: 2,332
GOOD NEWS. I just read that after canceling their football program five years ago when they were the only DII football team left in the state, APU’s administrators have decided to return to football next year, 2025-26, and join the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, which is DIII. All these colleges are within an easy bus ride from Azusa, given the decent traffic in LA.
The athletic program will have to drop all its sports teams from DII to DIII in order to join the SCIAC. DIII schools do not provide athletic scholarships. The SCIAC football conference includes Chapman, Redlands, La Verne, Cal Lutheran, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, and Pomona-Pitzer. Whittier has also decided recently to return to football after a resurgence of alumni support. They will play in the 2026-27 season and have already hired a coach. That will eventually result in an eight-team conference, all in the greater LA area, and greatly reduce travel expenses. The next closest DIII programs are in the Northwest Conference in Washington and Oregon. There are five teams.
Former DIII SCIAC football programs at Occidental and Cal Tech remain canceled. Could the return of Whittier and the addition of Azusa-Pacific motivate these schools to return to football?
Alums,
Add your memories of your time playing, watching, or coaching here.
Jim
Alums,
Add your memories of playing, coaching, or watching football at your college here.
Jim