Historic Era

From the premiere of the show in 1984 to 2012, schools submitted applications to participate in the show. The first season of the show, which took place in the spring of 1984, featured 16 teams. In the 1984-85 and 1985-86 school years, the program featured two "seasons" (fall and spring) of 16 teams each. However, the winner of each "season" then faced off in the Superchallenge in the spring, meaning that despite the division into two "seasons" there was still only 1 champion for the school year. In the 1986-87 school year the show expanded its overall season to 32 teams, ending with the Superchallenge.

Below is a chart showing all schools who participated in the historic era, as well as the years they appeared and their overall record.