California Collegiate Athletic Association

Not to be confused with California Community College Athletic Association.

The California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level.^[1] All of its current members are public universities.

California Collegiate Athletic Association

Association	NCAA
Founded	1938; 87 years ago (1938)
Commissioner	Allen Hardison
Sports fielded	13 men's: 6 women's: 7
Division	Division II
No. of teams	12 (13 in 2026)
Headquarters	Aliso Viejo, California
Region	California
Official website	goccaa.org
Locations

It was founded in December 1938 and began competition in 1939. The commissioner of the CCAA is Allen Hardison. CCAA offices are located in Aliso Viejo, California.^[2] The CCAA is the most successful conference in NCAA Division II, as its former and current members have won 155 National Championships.^[3]

History

Cal Poly Humboldt

Cal Poly Pomona

Chico State

Cal State Dominguez Hills

Cal State East Bay

Cal State LA

Cal State Monterey Bay

Cal State San Bernardino

Cal State San Marcos

Stanislaus State

SF State

UC Merced

Fresno Pacific

Location of CCAA members:
– Full member
– Future member
– Departing member

Chronological timeline

• 1938 – The California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) was founded. Charter members included Fresno State Normal School (now California State University, Fresno or Fresno State University), San Diego State College (now San Diego State University), San Jose State College (now San Jose State University) and Santa Barbara State College (now the University of California, Santa Barbara), beginning the 1939–40 academic year.
• 1945 – George Pepperdine College (now Pepperdine University) and California State Polytechnic College (now California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo) joined the CCAA in the 1945–46 academic year.
• 1946 – The College of the Pacific (now the University of the Pacific) joined the CCAA in the 1946–47 academic year.
• 1949 – Pacific (Cal.) left the CCAA to join the University Division ranks of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as an NCAA Independent after the 1948–49 academic year.
• 1949 – San Jose State left the CCAA to join the NCAA University Division ranks as an NCAA Independent after the 1949–50 academic year.
• 1950 – The Los Angeles State College of Applied Arts and Sciences (now California State University, Los Angeles) joined the CCAA in the 1950–51 academic year.
• 1954 – Pepperdine left the CCAA to join the NCAA University I ranks as an NCAA Independent after the 1953–54 academic year.
• 1956 – Long Beach State College (now California State University, Long Beach) joined the CCAA in the 1956–57 academic year.
• 1961 – San Fernando Valley State College (now California State University, Northridge) joined the CCAA in the 1961–62 academic year.
• 1967 – California State College at Fullerton (now California State University, Fullerton) and California State Polytechnic College, Kellogg-Voorhis (now California State Polytechnic University, Pomona) joined the CCAA in the 1967–68 academic year.
• 1969 – Cal State–Los Angeles, Fresno State, Long Beach State, San Diego State and UC Santa Barbara left the CCAA to join the NCAA University Division ranks and form the Pacific Collegiate Athletic Association (PCAA; now known as the Big West Conference) after the 1968–69 academic year.
• 1969 – The University of California, Riverside joined the CCAA in the 1969–70 academic year.
• 1972 – California State College, Bakersfield (now California State University, Bakersfield) joined the CCAA in the 1972–73 academic year.
• 1974:
  • Cal State–Fullerton left the CCAA to join the PCAA after the 1973–74 academic year.
  • Cal State–Los Angeles rejoined the CCAA in the 1974–75 academic year.
• 1978 – Chapman College (now Chapman University) joined the CCAA in the 1978–79 academic year.
• 1980 – California State University, Dominguez Hills joined the CCAA in the 1980–81 academic year.
• 1990 – Cal State–Northridge left the CCAA to join the NCAA Division I ranks as an NCAA D-I Independent (who would later join the American West Conference, beginning the 1994–95 academic year) after the 1989–90 academic year.
• 1991 – California State University, San Bernardino joined the CCAA in the 1991–92 academic year.
• 1993 – Chapman left the CCAA to join the NCAA Division III ranks as an NCAA D-III Independent after the 1992–93 academic year.
• 1994:
  • Cal Poly–San Luis Obispo left the CCAA to join the NCAA Division I ranks and the American West after the 1993–94 academic year.
  • Grand Canyon University joined the CCAA in the 1994–95 academic year.
• 1998 – California State University, Chico, California State University, Stanislaus, San Francisco State University, Sonoma State University and the University of California, Davis joined the CCAA in the 1998–99 academic year.
• 2000:
  • UC Riverside left the CCAA to join the NCAA Division I ranks and the Big West Conference after the 1999–2000 academic year.
  • The University of California, San Diego joined the CCAA in the 2000–01 academic year.
• 2004:
  • Two institutions left the CCAA to join their respective new home primary conferences, both effective after the 2003–04 academic year:
    • Grand Canyon as an NCAA D-II Independent (who would later join the Pacific West Conference (PacWest), beginning the 2005–06 academic year)
    • and UC Davis to join the NCAA Division I ranks as an NCAA D-I Independent (who would later join the Big West, beginning the 2007–08 academic year)
  • California State University, Monterey Bay joined the CCAA in the 2004–05 academic year.
• 2006 – Humboldt State University (now California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt) joined the CCAA in the 2006–07 academic year.
• 2007 – Cal State–Bakersfield left the CCAA to join the NCAA Division I ranks as an NCAA D-I Independent (who would later join the Western Athletic Conference (WAC), beginning the 2013–14 academic year) after the 2006–07 academic year.
• 2009 – California State University, East Bay joined the CCAA in the 2009–10 academic year.
• 2015 – California State University, San Marcos joined the CCAA in the 2015–16 academic year.
• 2020 – UC San Diego left the CCAA to join the NCAA Division I ranks and the Big West after the 2019–20 academic year.
• 2025:
  • Sonoma State announced that it would be ceasing all athletic operations following the conclusion of the 2024–25 athletic year.^[4]
  • The University of California, Merced joined the CCAA, beginning the 2025–26 academic year.^[5]
• 2026 – Fresno Pacific University will join the CCAA, beginning the 2026–27 academic year.^[6]

Member schools

Current members

As of 2025^[update], the CCAA has 12 full members, all of which are public schools. Reclassifying members listed in yellow.

Institution	Athletic brand	Location[a]	Founded	Affiliation	Enrollment (Fall 2018)[7]	Nickname	Joined[b]	Colors
California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt	Cal Poly Humboldt	Arcata	1913	Public[c]	5,858	Lumberjacks	2006
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona	Cal Poly Pomona	Pomona	1938		27,173	Broncos	1967
California State University, Chico	Chico State	Chico	1887		13,840	Wildcats	1998
California State University, Dominguez Hills	Cal State Dominguez Hills	Carson	1960		15,530	Toros	1980
California State University, East Bay	Cal State East Bay	Hayward	1957		15,189	Pioneers	2009
California State University, Los Angeles	Cal State Los Angeles	Los Angeles	1947		26,029	Golden Eagles	1950; 1974[d]
California State University, Monterey Bay	Cal State Monterey Bay	Seaside	1994		7,046	Otters	2004
California State University, San Bernardino	Cal State San Bernardino or CSUSB	San Bernardino	1965		19,467	Coyotes	1991
California State University San Marcos	Cal State San Marcos	San Marcos	1989		13,469	Cougars	2015
California State University, Stanislaus	Stanislaus State	Turlock	1957		10,154	Warriors	1998
San Francisco State University	San Francisco State	San Francisco	1899		24,765	Gators	1998
University of California, Merced	UC Merced	Merced	2005	Public[e]	9,104	Golden Bobcats	2025

Notes

1. All cities are located within the State of California.
2. Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
3. Part of the California State University System.
4. Cal State LA left the CCAA after the 1968–69 school year to join the Pacific Coast Athletic Association (PCAA; now known as the Big West Conference), but rejoined in the 1974–75 school year.
5. Part of the University of California System.

Future members

Institution	Athletic brand	Location[a]	Founded	Affiliation	Enrollment	Nickname	Joining[b]	Current conference	Colors
Fresno Pacific University	Fresno Pacific	Fresno, California	1944	Mennonite	3,032	Sunbirds	2026	Pacific West (PacWest)

Notes

1. All cities are located within the State of California, unless noted in parentheses the state where the institution is located by that city.
2. Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.

Former members

The CCAA had 17 former full members, all but four were public schools. Institutional names and nicknames reflect those used in the final academic year of CCAA membership:

Institution	Athletic brand	Location[a]	Founded	Affiliation	Enrollment	Nickname	Joined[b]	Left[c]	Current conference
California Polytechnic State University	Cal Poly San Luis Obispo or Cal Poly	San Luis Obispo	1901	Public[d]	21,306	Mustangs	1945	1994	Big West (BWC)[e]
California State University, Bakersfield	Cal State Bakersfield	Bakersfield	1965		8,720	Roadrunners	1972	2007	Big West (BWC)[e]
California State University, Fresno	Fresno State	Fresno	1911		25,341	Bulldogs	1939	1969	Mountain West (MW)[e] (Pac-12[e] in 2026)
California State University, Fullerton	Cal State Fullerton	Fullerton	1957		40,235	Titans	1967	1974	Big West (BWC)[e]
California State University, Long Beach	Cal State Long Beach or Long Beach State	Long Beach	1949		37,776	49ers[f]	1956	1969	Big West (BWC)[e]
California State University, Northridge	Cal State Northridge	Northridge	1958		39,916	Matadors	1961	1990	Big West (BWC)[e]
University of California, Davis	UC Davis	Davis	1905	Public[g]	36,441	Aggies	1998	2004	Big West (BWC)[e] (Mountain West[e] in 2026)
University of California, Riverside	UC Riverside	Riverside	1954		22,921	Highlanders	1969	2000	Big West (BWC)[e]
University of California, San Diego	UC San Diego or UCSD	La Jolla	1960		33,735	Tritons	2000	2020	Big West (BWC)[e]
University of California, Santa Barbara	UC Santa Barbara or UCSB	Santa Barbara[h]	1891		24,346	Gauchos	1939	1969	Big West (BWC)[e]
Chapman University	Chapman	Orange	1861	Disciples of Christ	10,001	Panthers	1978	1993	Southern California (SCIAC)[i]
Grand Canyon University	Grand Canyon	Phoenix (Arizona)	1949	Nondenominational/ For-profit[j]	25,000	Antelopes	1994	2004	Western (WAC)[e] (Mountain West[e] in 2026)
University of the Pacific	Pacific	Stockton	1851	United Methodist	6,652	Tigers	1946	1949	West Coast (WCC)[e]
Pepperdine University	Pepperdine	Malibu[k]	1937	Churches of Christ	6,000	Waves	1945	1954	West Coast (WCC)[e]
San Diego State University	Cal State San Diego or San Diego State	San Diego	1897	Public[d]	35,578	Aztecs	1939	1969	Mountain West (MW)[e] (Pac-12[e] in 2026)
San Jose State University	Cal State San Jose or San Jose State	San Jose	1857		33,025	Spartans	1939	1950	Mountain West (MW)[e]
Sonoma State University	Sonoma State	Rohnert Park	1960	6,566	Seawolves	1998	2025	N/A[l]

Notes

1. All cities are located within the State of California, unless noted in parentheses the state where the institution is located by that city.
2. Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
3. Represents the calendar year when spring sports competition ends.
4. Part of the California State University System.
5. Currently an NCAA Division I athletic conference.
6. Long Beach State fully rebranded its athletic program as "The Beach" since the 2020–21 school year.
7. Part of the University of California System.
8. Mailing address; the campus is in the adjacent community of Isla Vista.
9. Currently an NCAA Division III athletic conference.
10. Grand Canyon's for-profit status is disputed. The U.S. Department of Education considers it to be for-profit, but the Internal Revenue Service, the state of Arizona, and the NCAA all consider it a nonprofit.
11. Mailing address; the campus is in unincorporated Los Angeles County.
12. Sonoma State dropped its athletics program after the 2024–25 school year.

Membership timeline

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

Sports sponsored

The CCAA sponsors seven sports for women and six sports for men. Cross country, soccer and volleyball are fall sports; basketball is a winter sport; golf, outdoor track & field, softball, and baseball are spring sports. Throughout the years, CCAA teams have won 155 NCAA championships in their sports, which is best among all Division II conferences.

The CCAA has a Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, which is made up of student-athletes from each member institution.

The following divisional format is used for baseball, men's and women's basketball, and women's volleyball.
North Cal Poly Humboldt Chico State Cal State East Bay Stanislaus State San Francisco State Sonoma State	South Cal Poly Ponoma Cal State Dominguez Hills Cal State Los Angeles Cal State Monterey Bay Cal State San Bernardino Cal State San Marcos

Teams in California Collegiate Athletic Association competition

Sport	Men's	Women's
Baseball	9	–
Basketball	12	12
Cross country	9	11
Golf	8	5
Soccer	11	12
Softball	–	9
Track & Field Outdoor	8	12
Volleyball	–	12

Men's sponsored sports by school

School	Baseball	Basketball	Cross Country	Golf	Soccer	Track & Field Outdoor	Total CCAA Sports
Cal Poly Humboldt	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	4
Cal Poly Pomona	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	5
Cal State Dominguez Hills	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	4
Cal State East Bay	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	6
Cal State Los Angeles	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	5
Cal State Monterey Bay	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	5
Cal State San Bernardino	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	4
Cal State San Marcos	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	6
Chico State	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	6
San Francisco State	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	2
Stanislaus State	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	6
UC Merced	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	4
Totals	9	12	9	8	11	8	57
Future members
Fresno Pacific	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	5

Men's varsity sports not sponsored by the California Collegiate Athletic Association which are played by CCAA schools:

School	Swimming & Diving	Track & Field Indoor	Volleyball[a]	Water Polo[b]	Wrestling
Cal Poly Humboldt					MPSF
Cal State Los Angeles		IND
Fresno Pacific	PCSC			WWPA
San Francisco State					MPSF
UC Merced			MPSF	WWPA

1. Effective Division I sport; the NCAA's top-level championship is open to members of Divisions I and II.
2. Effective Division I sport; the NCAA men's championships are open to members of all three NCAA divisions.

Women's sponsored sports by school

A CSUEB soccer player attempting to take the ball from a University of California, San Diego attacker

School	Basketball	Cross Country	Golf	Soccer	Softball	Track & Field Outdoor	Volleyball	Total CCAA Sports
Cal Poly Humboldt	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	6
Cal Poly Pomona	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	5
Cal State Dominguez Hills	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	5
Cal State East Bay	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	7
Cal State Los Angeles	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	6
Cal State Monterey Bay	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	7
Cal State San Bernardino	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	6
Cal State San Marcos	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	7
Chico State	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	7
San Francisco State	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	6
Stanislaus State	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	6
UC Merced	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	5
Totals	12	11	5	12	9	12	12	73
Future members
Fresno Pacific	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	5

Women's varsity sports not sponsored by the California Collegiate Athletic Association which are played by CCAA schools:

School	Beach Volleyball[a]	Rowing	Swimming & Diving	Tennis	Track & Field Indoor	Water Polo[b]
Cal Poly Humboldt		GNAC
Cal State Dominguez Hills					IND
Cal State East Bay			PCSC			WWPA
Cal State Los Angeles	IND			PacWest	IND
Cal State Monterey Bay						WWPA
Fresno Pacific			PCSC			WWPA
San Francisco State					IND[c]
Stanislaus State				PacWest	IND
UC Merced					TBA	WWPA

1. Effective Division I sport; the NCAA championship is open to members of all three NCAA divisions.
2. Effective Division I sport; the NCAA women's championships are open to members of all three NCAA divisions.
3. San Francisco State will drop Women's Track & Field at the end on the 2025–26 academic year.

CCAA championships

Locations of CCAA members, 2009–2015

School	CCAA Championships (thru 6/2014)[8]
Cal Poly Pomona	58
Chico State	52
Cal State Los Angeles	34
Cal State Dominguez Hills	31
Cal State San Bernardino	24
Sonoma State	14
Cal Poly Humboldt	11
Stanislaus State	9
Cal State Monterey Bay	9
San Francisco State	1
Cal State East Bay	0
Cal State San Marcos	0

Basketball

See also: CCAA men's basketball tournament

Football

Season Champion Record 1939 San Jose State 3–0 1940 San Jose State 3–0 1941 Fresno State San Jose State 2–0–1 1942 Conference suspended —[9] 1943 Conference suspended — 1944 Conference suspended — 1945 Conference suspended — 1946 San Jose State 4–0 1947 Pacific (CA) 5–0 1948 San Jose State 5–0 1949 San Jose State 4–0 1950 San Diego State 3–0–1 1951 San Diego State 4–0 1952 Cal Poly San Luis Obispo 4–0

Season Champion Record 1953 Cal Poly San Luis Obispo 5–0 1954 Fresno State 4–0 1955 Fresno State 2–0[10][11] 1956 No champion — 1957 Cal Poly (unofficial) 3–0[12][13] 1958 Cal Poly Fresno State 4–1[14] 1959 Fresno State 5–0 1960 Fresno State 5–0 1961 Fresno State 5–0 1962 San Diego State 5–0 1963 San Diego State[15] 4–1 1964 Cal State Los Angeles 5–0 1965 Cal State Los Angeles 5–0 1966 San Diego State 5–0 1967 San Diego State 5–0

Season Champion Record 1968 Fresno State 4–0 1969 Cal Poly San Luis Obispo 2–0 1970 Cal Poly San Luis Obispo 3–0 1971 Cal Poly San Luis Obispo 3–0 1972 Cal Poly San Luis Obispo UC Riverside 3–0 1973 Cal Poly San Luis Obispo 4–0 1974 UC Riverside 4–0 1975 UC Riverside 4–0 1976 Cal Poly San Luis Obispo 2–0 1977 Cal Poly San Luis Obispo 2–0 1978 Cal Poly San Luis Obispo 2–0 1979 Cal Poly San Luis Obispo 2–0 1980 Cal Poly San Luis Obispo 2–0 1981 Cal State Northridge 2–0

NCAA championships

School	Team			Individual			Appearances
	Men	Women	Total	Men	Women	Total	Men	Women	Co–ed	Total
Cal Poly Pomona	5	7	12	10	15	25	87	75	0	162
Cal State Dominguez Hills	1	2	3	0	1	1	26	46	0	72
Cal State East Bay	1	1	2	16	6	22	41	28	0	69
Cal State Los Angeles	4	0	4	34	37	71	77	79	0	156
Cal State Monterey Bay	1	0	1	0	0	0	9	11	0	20
Cal State San Bernardino	0	1	1	1	0	1	25	29	0	54
Cal State San Marcos	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	2
Chico State	6	0	6	52	7	59	131	85	0	216
Humboldt State	1	4	5	10	8	18	55	58	0	113
San Francisco State	1	0	1	15	4	19	70	39	0	109
Sonoma State	2	1	3	0	0	0	42	63	0	105
Stanislaus State	0	0	0	4	7	11	51	47	0	98

Conference facilities

School	Baseball Stadium	Capacity	Basketball Arena	Capacity	Soccer/ Track & Field Stadium	Capacity
Cal Poly Humboldt	non-baseball school		Lumberjack Arena	2,000	Redwood Bowl & College Creek Field	7,000 N/A
Cal Poly Pomona	Scolinos Field	1,000	Kellogg Arena	3,000	Kellogg Field	2,000
Chico State	Nettleton Stadium	4,200	Acker Gymnasium	1,997	University Soccer Stadium & Chico State Stadium	3,800 6,000
Cal State Dominguez Hills	Toro Field	500	Torodome / Dave Yanai Court	3,602	Toro Stadium	3,000
Cal State East Bay	Pioneer Field		CSUEB Physical Education Complex	3,500	Pioneer Stadium	5,000
Cal State LA	Reeder Field	500	Eagle's Nest Arena	3,400	Jesse Owens Track	5,000
Cal State Monterey Bay	CSUMB Baseball/Softball Complex		The Kelp Bed	1,000	CSUMB Soccer Complex	660
Cal State San Bernardino	Fiscalini Field & San Manuel Stadium	2,000	Coussoulis Arena	4,140	Coyote Premier Field	300
Cal State San Marcos	CSUSM Baseball Field	1,000	The Sports Center	1,400	Mangrum Track & Soccer Field
Stanislaus State	Warrior Baseball Field	1,500	Ed & Bertha Fitzpatrick Arena	2,000	Warrior Stadium & Al Brenda Track	2,000
San Francisco State	Maloney Field	100	Main Gym at Don Nasser Family Plaza	2,000	Cox Stadium	5,000
UC Merced	non-baseball school		Hostetler Court	600	Bobcat Field[a]	—

1. Bobcat Field is used for soccer only. UC Merced has no on-campus track and field venue.

See also

• Big West Conference, a Division I conference that consists predominantly of California schools. Of its 11 current members, nine (Hawaii and UC Irvine being the exceptions) are former members of the CCAA.
• California Pacific Conference, an NAIA conference that consisted entirely of California schools from its formation in 1996 until 2012.
• Golden State Athletic Conference, an NAIA conference that consisted entirely of California schools from its formation in 1986 until 2012.