Editing Pac-12 Conference (section)

===AAWU (Big Five and Big Six)===
Following "pay-for-play" [[Pacific Coast Conference#Before the crisis|scandals]] at California, USC, UCLA, and Washington, the PCC disbanded in June 1959. Ten months earlier in August 1958, these four schools agreed to form a new conference that would take effect the following summer.<ref name=bflifmda58>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=C55WAAAAIBAJ&sjid=DOcDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4355%2C3110200 |newspaper=Spokesman-Review |agency=Associated Press |title=Big Four loop is formed by UW, Cal, UCLA, USC |date=August 24, 1958 |page=1, sports }}</ref><ref name=bfbfsjng>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=FSBWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=7OIDAAAAIBAJ&pg=7035%2C2922970 |newspaper=Eugene Register-Guard |agency=Associated Press |title='Big Four' now 'Big Five'; Stanford joins new group |date=July 17, 1959 |page=3B }}</ref> When the four schools and Stanford began discussions for a new conference in 1959, retired admiral [[Tom Hamilton (American football)|Thomas J. Hamilton]] interceded and suggested the schools consider creating a national "power conference" (Hamilton had been a key player, head coach, and athletic director at [[United States Naval Academy|Navy]], and was the current athletic director at [[University of Pittsburgh|Pittsburgh]]). Nicknamed the "[[Superconference#The proposed "Airplane Conference" (1959)|Airplane Conference]]",<ref name=sifbjasct>{{cite news |url=https://www.si.com/vault/1959/02/02/604202/footballs-jet-age-secret |magazine=Sports Illustrated |last=Maule |first=Tex |author-link=Tex Maule |title=Football's jet-age secret |date=February 2, 1959 |access-date=November 5, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141105215408/http://www.si.com/vault/1959/02/02/604202/footballs-jet-age-secret |archive-date=November 5, 2014 }}</ref><ref name=pecngcalltk>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=e65aAAAAIBAJ&sjid=408DAAAAIBAJ&pg=5141%2C1205591 |newspaper=Prescott Evening Courier |agency=Associated Press |title=National grid conference is still all talk |date=January 29, 1959 |page=11 }}</ref><ref name=ndiniapcf>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=mvstAAAAIBAJ&sjid=_H4FAAAAIBAJ&pg=3129%2C2291251 |newspaper=Schenectady Gazette |agency=Associated Press |title=Notre Dame interested in Airplane Conference |date=October 15, 2014 |page=24 }}</ref> the five former PCC schools would have played with other major academically oriented schools, including [[United States Military Academy|Army]], [[United States Naval Academy|Navy]], [[United States Air Force Academy|Air Force]], [[University of Notre Dame|Notre Dame]], [[University of Pittsburgh|Pitt]], [[Pennsylvania State University|Penn State]], and [[Syracuse University|Syracuse]].<ref name=sifbjasct/><ref name=hclbdstr>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=xvpVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=z-IDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6274%2C1417521 |newspaper=Eugene Register-Guard |last=Strite |first=Dick |title=Highclimber |date=January 10, 1962 |page=2B }}</ref> The effort fell through when a [[United States Department of Defense|Pentagon]] official vetoed the idea and the service academies backed out.<ref>Dunnavant, Keith. "The 50 Year Seduction." Thomas Dunne Books: New York, 2004</ref>

On July 1, 1959, the new '''Athletic Association of Western Universities''' was launched, with California, UCLA, USC, and Washington as the four charter members.<ref name=haqapyt/> Stanford joined during the first month.<ref name=bfbfsjng/><ref name=saddwlg>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=OeQeAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ySUEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7072%2C3458631 |newspaper=Milwaukee Journal |agency=Associated Press |title=Stanford added to Western League |date=July 17, 1959 |page=14 |access-date=November 17, 2015 |archive-date=November 19, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151119100043/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=OeQeAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ySUEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7072%2C3458631 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Hamilton left Pittsburgh to become the first commissioner of the AAWU,<ref name=haqapyt>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=UYtIAAAAIBAJ&sjid=AXcDAAAAIBAJ&pg=7176%2C5253075 |newspaper=St. Petersburg Times |agency=Associated Press |title=Hamilton quits at Pitt for Western loop job |date=June 30, 1959 |page=2C}}</ref><ref name=jwwthdo>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=2fQuAAAAIBAJ&sjid=L9sFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1711%2C334249 |newspaper=Beaver Valley Times |agency=UPI |title=Just what will Tom Hamilton do? |date=July 2, 1959 |page=11 }}</ref> and remained for twelve years.<ref name=hgtpip8>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=c-VVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=5-ADAAAAIBAJ&pg=5555%2C2763888 |newspaper=Eugene Register-Guard |agency=Associated Press |title=Hallock gets top position in Pacific-8 |date=January 15, 1971 |page=3B}}</ref> The conference also was popularly known as the '''Big Five''' from 1960 to 1962.<ref name="NCAABBREC">NCAA Men's Basketball Records – Division I conference alignment history (PDF copy available at NCAA.org)</ref> When [[Washington State University|Washington State]] joined in 1962,<ref name=catathloop>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=czRYAAAAIBAJ&sjid=S_cDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5219%2C3522374
|newspaper=Spokane Daily Chronicle |agency=Associated Press |title=Cougars admitted to athletic loop |date=June 14, 1962 |page=39}}</ref> the conference became informally known as the '''Big Six'''.<ref name="NCAABBREC"/><ref name=bssbss>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=rv1VAAAAIBAJ&sjid=--IDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5684%2C145075 |newspaper=Eugene Register-Guard |agency=Associated Press |title=The Big Six still the Big Six |date=June 2, 1964 |page=3B }}</ref> The new league inherited the PCC's berth in the [[Rose Bowl Game|Rose Bowl]]; since 1947, the PCC champion had received an automatic bid to the bowl.