| Missouri Valley Football Conference | |
|---|---|
){kind=logo} | |
| Established | 1982 (chartered)[1] 1985 (began football) |
| Association | NCAA |
| Division | Division I |
| Subdivision | FCS |
| Members | 11 |
| Sports fielded |
|
| Region | Midwest |
| Former names | Gateway Football Conference (1992–2008) Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference (1982–1992) |
| Headquarters | St. Louis, Missouri |
| Commissioner | Patty Viverito (since 1982) |
| Website | www |
| Locations | |
) | |
The Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC), formerly the Gateway Football Conference, is a collegiate athletic conference which operates in the Midwestern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) as a football-only conference.
History
The Missouri Valley Football Conference has a complex history that involves three other conferences:
- Missouri Valley Conference (MVC): A long-established conference, in existence since 1907, that sponsored football until 1985. In its last years as a football conference, it was a hybrid league that included teams in NCAA Divisions I-A (today's FBS) and I-AA (now FCS).
- Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference (Gateway): A women's sports conference founded in 1982 by MVC member schools.[1][2]
- Association of Mid-Continent Universities (AMCU): An all-sports conference, also founded in 1982, that sponsored football at the I-AA level through the 1984 season. The AMCU had absorbed the Mid-Continent Athletic Association, a football-only league founded in 1978. (After dropping football, the AMCU later became the Mid-Continent Conference, and is now The Summit League.)
In 1985, the MVC stopped sponsoring football. At that time, the two remaining I-AA members from the MVC (Illinois State and Southern Illinois) joined Eastern Illinois, Northern Iowa, Southwest Missouri State, and Western Illinois from the AMCU and together became a football conference under the Gateway's auspices.[3] Indiana State, which had left MVC football after the 1981 season to become a Division I-AA independent while remaining a full MVC member, would join the next year.[4]
In 1992, when the Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference merged with the MVC,[1] the football conference kept the Gateway charter, with a minor name change to Gateway Football Conference. After Eastern Illinois joined the Ohio Valley Conference for football in 1995, Youngstown State joined in 1997 and was followed by Western Kentucky University in 2001. Southwest Missouri State changed its name to Missouri State in 2005.
Western Kentucky moved to the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS; formerly Division I-A) after the 2006 season.[5] Left with seven members for the 2007 season, Great West Football Conference members North Dakota State and South Dakota State[6] were invited to join the conference beginning with the 2008 season.[7] Subsequently, the Gateway Football Conference changed its name to the Missouri Valley Football Conference in June 2008. This change aligned the conference with the Missouri Valley Conference, a conference in which five of the nine Missouri Valley Football schools were (and still are) all-sports members. The conferences continue to share the "Missouri Valley" name, and space in the same building in St. Louis, but remain separate administratively.[8]
The University of South Dakota joined as the 10th member in 2012. The University of North Dakota will join as the 11th member in 2020. This will bring back the yearly rivalries between North Dakota and both North Dakota State and South Dakota, as well as establishing a potential rivalry with South Dakota State.[9][10][11]
Member schools
State
State
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– Summit League memberCurrent members
| Institution | Location | Founded | Enrollment | Joined | Nickname | Primary Conference when joining the MVFC | Current Primary Conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indiana State University | Terre Haute, Indiana | 1865 | 12,531 | 1986 | Sycamores | Missouri Valley | Missouri Valley |
| Illinois State University | Normal, Illinois | 1857 | 20,272 | 1985 | Redbirds | ||
| Missouri State University | Springfield, Missouri | 1905 | 26,000 | 1985 | Bears | Summit League | |
| University of North Dakota | Grand Forks, North Dakota | 1883 | 13,581 | 2020 | Fighting Hawks | Summit League | |
| North Dakota State University | Fargo, North Dakota | 1890 | 14,629 | 2008 | Bison | Summit League | |
| University of Northern Iowa | Cedar Falls, Iowa | 1876 | 12,159 | 1985 | Panthers | Missouri Valley | |
| University of South Dakota | Vermillion, South Dakota | 1862 | 10,284 | 2012 | Coyotes | Summit League | |
| South Dakota State University | Brookings, South Dakota | 1881 | 12,725 | 2008 | Jackrabbits | ||
| Southern Illinois University | Carbondale, Illinois | 1869 | 17,964 | 1985 | Salukis | Missouri Valley | Missouri Valley |
| Western Illinois University | Macomb, Illinois | 1899 | 13,600 | 1985 | Leathernecks | Summit League | Summit League |
| Youngstown State University | Youngstown, Ohio | 1908 | 14,483 | 1997 | Penguins | Horizon |
Former members
| Institution | Location | Founded | Type | Enrollment | Joined | Left | Nickname | Primary Conference during Tenure in MVFC | Current Primary Conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Illinois University | Charleston, Illinois | 1895 | Public | 11,651 | 1985 | 1995 | Panthers | Summit League | OVC |
| Western Kentucky University | Bowling Green, Kentucky | 1906 | Public | 21,048 | 2001 | 2007 | Hilltoppers | Sun Belt | C-USA |
Membership timeline
Conference champions
- 1985: Northern Iowa (5–0)
- 1986: Eastern Illinois (5–1)
- 1987: Northern Iowa (6–0)
- 1988: Western Illinois (6–0)
- 1989: Missouri State (5–1)
- 1990: Missouri State & Northern Iowa (5–1)
- 1991: Northern Iowa (5–1)
- 1992: Northern Iowa (5–1)
- 1993: Northern Iowa (5–1)
- 1994: Northern Iowa (6–0)
- 1995: Eastern Illinois & Northern Iowa (5–1)
- 1996: Northern Iowa (6–0)
- 1997: Western Illinois (6–0)
- 1998: Western Illinois (5–1)
- 1999: Illinois State (6–0)
- 2000: Western Illinois (5–1)
- 2001: Northern Iowa (6–1)
- 2002: Western Illinois & Western Kentucky (6–1)
- 2003: Northern Iowa & Southern Illinois (6–1)
- 2004: Southern Illinois (7–0)
- 2005: Northern Iowa, Southern Illinois, & Youngstown State (5–2)
- 2006: Youngstown State (6–1)
- 2007: Northern Iowa (6–0)
- 2008: Northern Iowa (7–1) & Southern Illinois (7–1)
- 2009: Southern Illinois (8–0)
- 2010: Northern Iowa (6–2)
- 2011: North Dakota State (7–1) & Northern Iowa (7–1)
- 2012: North Dakota State (7–1)
- 2013: North Dakota State (8–0)
- 2014: Illinois State (7–1) & North Dakota State (7–1)
- 2015: Illinois State (7–1) & North Dakota State (7–1)
- 2016: North Dakota State (7–1) & South Dakota State (7–1)
- 2017: North Dakota State (7–1)
- 2018: North Dakota State (8–0)
- 2019: North Dakota State (8–0)
Conference titles by school
| School | Championships | Championship Years |
|---|---|---|
| Northern Iowa | 1985, 1987, 1990†, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995†, 1996, 2001, 2003†, 2005‡, 2007, 2008†, 2010, 2011† | |
| North Dakota State | 2011†, 2012, 2013, 2014†, 2015†, 2016†, 2017, 2018, 2019 | |
| Southern Illinois | 2003†, 2004, 2005‡, 2008†, 2009 | |
| Western Illinois | 1988, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002† | |
| Illinois State | 1999, 2014†, 2015† | |
| Missouri State | 1989, 1990† | |
| Eastern Illinois* | 1986, 1995† | |
| Youngstown State | 2005‡, 2006 | |
| South Dakota State | 2016† | |
| Western Kentucky* | 2002† | |
| Indiana State | N/A | |
| South Dakota | N/A | |
| North Dakota | N/A |
† 2-way tie for conference championship
‡ 3-way tie for conference championship
* Team no longer in conference
NCAA Football Championship Subdivision national championships
| Team | Titles | Title Years | Finals | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Dakota State | 8 | 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019 | 8 | |
| Youngstown State | 4 | 1991, 1993, 1994, 1997 | 7 | 1992, 1999, 2016 |
| Southern Illinois | 1 | 1983 | 1 | |
| WKU♯ | 1 | 2002 | 1 | |
| Northern Iowa | 0 | 1 | 2005 | |
| Illinois State | 0 | 1 | 2014 |
♯ Now a member of the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS).
Records
Overall winning streaks
| # | Team | Streak | Spoiler | Season(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | North Dakota State | 37 | Ongoing | 2017– |
| 2. | North Dakota State | 33 † | Northern Iowa | 2012–2014 |
| 3. | North Dakota State | 14 | South Dakota State | 2015–2016 |
| 4. | Northern Iowa | 13 | Delaware | 2006–2007 |
| Western Kentucky | 13 | Auburn | 2002–2003 |
† FCS Record [12]
Consecutive conference wins
- North Dakota State, 18 (2012–2014)
- North Dakota State, 18 (2017–)
Facilities
| Team | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Illinois State | Hancock Stadium | 13,391 |
| Indiana State | Memorial Stadium | 12,764 |
| Missouri State | Plaster Sports Complex | 17,500 |
| North Dakota | Alerus Center | 12,283 |
| North Dakota State | Fargodome | 19,000 |
| Northern Iowa | UNI-Dome | 16,324 |
| South Dakota | DakotaDome | 10,000 |
| South Dakota State | Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium | 19,340 |
| Southern Illinois | Saluki Stadium | 15,000 |
| Western Illinois | Hanson Field | 17,168 |
| Youngstown State | Stambaugh Stadium | 20,630 |
References
- ^ a b c "This is the Missouri Valley Conference". Missouri Valley Conference. Archived from the original on September 15, 2015. Retrieved May 4, 2012.
- ^ "Gateway Conference Adding Six Teams in Men's Football". Los Angeles Times. St. Louis, Missouri. August 25, 1985. Retrieved 29 July 2012.
- ^ "Universities plan new football conference". Carbondale, Illinois: St. Joseph Gazette. July 9, 1985. p. 2G. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
- ^ "Indiana State Historical Data". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on October 13, 2012. Retrieved October 14, 2012.
- ^ "WKU Regents Approve Move To Division 1-A (sic) Football". Western Kentucky University. 2006-11-02. Archived from the original on 2008-01-15. Retrieved 2006-11-03.
- ^ "Gateway Eyes Dakotas For Expansion". ESPN. 2006-10-26. Retrieved 2006-11-19.
- ^ "Gateway Expands to Nine Members". Gateway Football Conference. 2007-03-07. Retrieved 2007-03-09.
- ^ "Gateway Football Conference Changes Its Name". Gateway Football Conference. 2008-06-06. Retrieved 2008-06-07.
- ^ "North Dakota to Join Summit League, Missouri Valley Football Conference". Espn991.com. 2017-01-24. Archived from the original on 2017-03-20. Retrieved 2017-04-23.
- ^ "Sources: North Dakota set to leave Big Sky Conference | Big Sky Conference". billingsgazette.com. Retrieved 2017-04-23.
- ^ "Report: UND to join Summit League in 2018, MVFC in 2020". Argusleader.com. 2017-01-24. Retrieved 2017-04-23.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2018-11-11. Retrieved 2018-11-11.
