Azusa Pacific University announced Monday that is has been approved to join the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) and will be bringing back its football program.

APU dropped football in December of 2020 due to financial restructuring at the school and the shrinking number of small college football teams in California. APU was the last California team competing in Division II football when it folded the program after 55 years.

As part of the SCIAC, Azusa Pacific will compete in NCAA Division III. Prior to joining the NCAA, Azusa Pacific was in the NAIA.

APU will become the SCIAC’s 10th full-time member in the 2028-29 sports season, but will join conference schedule for the 2026-27 campaign.

APU plans to field a football team in the fall of 2026. That is also when Whittier College expects to reinstate its football program, and those two additions will give the SCIAC eight football teams.

“The return of football is momentous for APU,” wrote APU President Adam J. Morris in a school release. “This decision reflects our dedication to providing a well-rounded educational experience, where students can excel in the classroom and on the field. We are confident that our membership in SCIAC and transition to Division III will allow us to maintain this balance while continuing our athletic excellence and building a successful and competitive football program.”

Th SCIAC was founded in 1915 and includes its five original members — Caltech, Occidental, Pomona College, University of Redlands and Whittier College — along with Chapman College, University of La Verne, Claremont McKenna and Harvey Mudd Scripps.

Only Caltech and Occidental do not have football teams.

“The move to the SCIAC will extend APU Athletics’ culture of excellence, where student-athletes are empowered to reach their given potential academically, athletically and spiritually,” APU athletic director Gary Pine said. “In the days we all competed in the NAIA, some of the most memorable games in Cougar sports history were played against longtime SCIAC foes and we are excited to be a part of those renewed rivalries again.”

The SCIAC said that Azusa Pacific will have to go through a “reclassification process” to be recognized as a Division III program. That is expected to take “as few as two years,” after which APU can become “a full-fledged member for the 2028-29 academic year” and can start competing in the conference “as soon as 2026-27.”

APU left the NAIA to join the Great Northwest Athletic Conference in 2012 and began playing in NCAA Division II.

The school plans to immediately begin its search for a football head coach and coaching staff with experience in Division III athletics.

Running back Christian Okoye, who went on to play in the NFL, is considered the school’s most famous alum. He graduated in 1986.

“I learned the game at APU, having arrived to pursue track and field,” Okoye wrote in a school release. “Coaches poured into me, drawing out my skills and challenging me on and off the gridiron. I’m thrilled that more young men will get to experience the same kind of transformation I did attending this Christ-centered university. I’m thrilled that homecoming will include a football game again and am looking forward to seeing former teammates.”

The Cougars won their only NAIA national championship in 1998 under coach Vic Shealy. The Cougars competed in the NAIA playoffs seven times and reached the semifinals twice.

APU also qualified for the NCAA Division II football playoffs twice.

“What an amazing time it is to be an APU Cougar,” said Student Government Association president Travis Gray through a school release. “I am so excited to see football come back because it not only unites the team but also the student body. I cannot wait to see what happens.”

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