Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) is a competitive intercollegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division II. The GLIAC was founded in June 1972. Member institutions are located in the midwestern United States in the States of Michigan and Ohio, with affiliate members in Indiana and Illinois. Charter members include Ferris State, Grand Valley State, Lake Superior State, Northwood, and Saginaw Valley State. Former members include Oakland (1972–1997) and Westminster (1997–2000).

Sponsorship of football was dropped by the GLIAC after the 1989 season. Conference schools sponsoring football joined with football-playing members of the Heartland Football Conference to form the Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference (MIFC), which began play in 1990. The MIFC merged with the GLIAC in July 1999 and the GLIAC resumed sponsorship of football that fall.

Tiffin University joined the GLIAC on July 1, 2008. Gannon University and Mercyhurst College left the GLIAC for the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference on July 1, 2008.

Current members

 * Notes:
 * 1) Northern Michigan University left the conference in 1977 but returned in 1987
 * 2) Northwood University left the conference in 1987 but returned in 1992.
 * 3) Northwood University athletic teams have previously been known as the Northmen & Northwomen prior to the mid-1990s
 * 4) Wayne State University athletic teams have previously been known at the Tartars prior to 1999
 * 5) Hillsdale College athletic teams were previously known as the Dales prior to the late 1960s

Membership History

Associate members

 * Notes
 * 1) Alderson–Broaddus will join the Great Midwest Athletic Conference in 2013. This will not affect its status as a GLIAC associate, because the G-MAC does not sponsor women's lacrosse.
 * 2) Indianapolis was also previously affiliated with the GLIAC in football from 1999 to 2012.
 * 3) Notre Dame will become a full member of the new Mountain East Conference in 2013. Of the five sports that Notre Dame currently houses in the GLIAC, three—football, plus men's and women's soccer—will be sponsored by the MEC.
 * 4) Although Urbana and Wheeling Jesuit will also become full MEC members, this will not affect their status in the GLIAC, since the MEC will not sponsor women's lacrosse.
 * 5) Ursuline will join in 2013-2014.

Membership timeline

 * Full members in gray.
 * Full members without football in sea green.
 * Associate members including football in red.
 * Associate members in teal.

The GLIAC dropped football from the conference after the 1989-90 season, but resumed it for the 1999-2000 season

Sports
The GLIAC sponsors the following 21 sports:

Men's Sports

 * Baseball
 * Basketball
 * Cross country
 * Football
 * Golf
 * Indoor track & field
 * Outdoor track & field
 * Soccer
 * Swimming & diving
 * Tennis
 * Wrestling

Women's Sports

 * Basketball
 * Cross country
 * Golf
 * Indoor track & field
 * Outdoor track & field
 * Soccer
 * Softball
 * Swimming & diving
 * Tennis
 * Volleyball

Football facilities
† - For the 2011 season GVSU completed the first phase of the Lubbers stadium renovation which increased the stadium capacity from 8,550 by approximately 400 seats. The second phase of the renovation is scheduled to be completed for the 2012 season, and will bring the capacity to approximately 10,700.