The conference's charter members previously competed in the
Lone Star Conference (
East Central University,
Southeastern Oklahoma State University, and
Southwestern Oklahoma State University) and the
Gulf South Conference (
Arkansas Tech University,
University of Arkansas at Monticello,
Harding University,
Henderson State University,
Ouachita Baptist University, and
Southern Arkansas University) before forming the GAC in 2010. The new conference is intended to reduce travel costs for its member universities. On May 11, 2011, the conference invited
Northwestern Oklahoma State University and
Southern Nazarene University to the conference for the 2012–13 academic year. Those universities continued to compete in the
Sooner Athletic Conference during the 2011–12 season before joining the conference. On July 11, 2014, the
NCAA Division II Membership Committee approved the membership application for
Oklahoma Baptist University to move from the
NAIA to
NCAA Division II and it joined the conference for the 2015–16 season. The GAC and the
Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) announced a partnership in June 2018 to combine their men's tennis and men's soccer leagues in both sports from the 2019–20 academic year. Under the agreement, the MIAA will organize the tennis league and the GAC will organize the soccer league.
Chronological timeline • 2011 – The Great American Conference (GAC) was founded. Charter members included six schools from the state of Arkansas (Arkansas Tech, Arkansas–Monticello, Harding, Henderson State, Ouachita Baptist, and Southern Arkansas from the Gulf South Conference) and three schools from the state of Oklahoma (East Central, Southeastern Oklahoma State, and Southwestern Oklahoma State from the Lone Star Conference) effective beginning the 2011–12 academic year. • 2012 – Northwestern Oklahoma State and Southern Nazarene joined the GAC effective in the 2012–13 academic year. • 2015 – Oklahoma Baptist joined the GAC effective in the 2015–16 academic year. • 2015 –
Oklahoma Christian University and
Rogers State University joined the GAC as affiliate members for men's and women's track & field outdoor effective in the 2016 spring season (2015–16 academic year). Both schools were
Heartland Conference full members at this time. • 2019 – Oklahoma Christian and Rogers State left the GAC as affiliate members for men's and women's track & field outdoor effective after the 2019 spring season (2018–19 academic year) due to moving to new primary conferences who sponsors the sports. • 2019 –
Fort Hays State University,
Newman University,
Northeastern State University, and Rogers State joined the GAC as affiliate members for men's soccer effective in the 2019 fall season (2019–20 academic year). ==Member schools==