1978: Volleyball Schedule Alliance
1993: NAIA Affiliated Conference
Men's Sports: 7 (Baseball, Basketball, Cross Country, Golf, Soccer, Track & Field, Wrestling)
Women's Sports: 9 (Basketball, Beach Volleyball, Cross Country, Golf, Soccer, Softball, Track & Field, Volleyball, Wrestling)
Official Colors: Red, Blue, Grey
Originally formed in 1978 as a scheduling alliance for volleyball, the Cascade Collegiate Conference has evolved into one of the NAIA's most formidable leagues. Due to the abolition of the district format as a means of qualification for national championships in 1993, the CCC became an NAIA affilated Conference and now sanctions championship competition for men and women in basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, track and field, and wrestling along with baseball for men, and Beach volleyball, softball and volleyball for women.
Original members of the conference included The College of Idaho, Concordia University, Eastern Oregon University, George Fox University, Northwest Nazarene University, Oregon Institute of Technology, Southern Oregon University, Western Baptist College (now Corban University), and Western Oregon University.
Four original members have since left -- George Fox in 1995 (now NCAA Division III), Western Oregon in 1998 (NCAA Division II), Northwest Nazarene in 2000 (NCAA Division II) and Concordia in 2015 (NCAA D II).
New members have joined the ranks of the conference -- Cascade College and Northwest University in 1997, The Evergreen State College and Warner Pacific College (now University) in 1999, with Northwest Christian University (now Bushnell University) joining the league in the fall of 2007. In 2009, Cascade College ceased to operate, thus leaving the conference.
In 2014, Walla Walla University and Multnomah University joined the CCC as full members, with competition starting in the fall of 2015. NAIA legislation sponsored by the conference Council of Presidents was passed in 2014, allowing for per-sport membership. That outcome led to the February 2015 acceptance of Carroll College ( m/w soccer, softball), Rocky Mountain College ( m/w soccer), and the University of Providence (m/w soccer, softball) as associate members in those sports. In June of 2015, the University of British Columbia became the fourth associate member when its application to join the CCC in softball was accepted by the Council of Presidents. British Columbia baseball was approved for associate membership in March of 2016, with m/w golf and m/w track & field joining in 2018. In July of 2017, men's wrestling became the 7th men's sport sponsored by the conference. Four new schools joined the CCC as associate members to participate, including Embry-Riddle University-AZ, Menlo College, Montana State Northern, and Simpson University. In 2018, Life Pacific College was approved for associate membership in men's wrestling. In 2019, Arizona Christian University and Vanguard University were approved for associate membership in men's wrestling. In May of 2019, Lewis-Clark State College was approved for full membership with competition set to begin during the 2020-21 season, and women's wrestling was approved as a conference addition, bringing women's sports sponsorship to eight. In 2022, Life Pacific eliminated wrestling from their offerings, thus departing the conference. In 2023, Westcliff University was admitted as an associate member, sponsoring women's and men's wrestling. In 2024, Menlo and Vanguard resigned as associate members as they moved to NCAA D II membership. In 2024, Beach Volleyball officially became the ninth women's championship sport. In 2025, Multnomah University ceased operations after a one-year merger with Jessup University was unsuccessful. Also, in 2025, Trinity Western University (Langley, Canada) was admitted to the NAIA and the CCC, competing as an associate member in men's and women's cross-country and indoor/outdoor Track and Field.
ABOUT NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS (NAIA)
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), headquartered in Kansas City, Mo., is a governing body of small athletics programs that are dedicated to character-driven intercollegiate athletics. Since 1937, the NAIA has administered programs dedicated to championships in balance with the overall college educational experience. Each year, more than 80,000 NAIA student-athletes have the opportunity to play college sports, earn over $800 million in scholarships, and compete for a chance to participate in 28 national championships.