Missouri Valley Football Conference

Last updated

Missouri Valley Football Conference
Current season, competition or edition:
Sports current event.svg 2024 Missouri Valley Football Conference season
Missouri Valley Football Conference logo.svg
FormerlyGateway Football Conference (1992–2008)
Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference (1982–1992)
AssociationNCAA
Founded1982 (chartered) [1]
1985 (began football)
CommissionerPatty Viverito (since 1982)
Sports fielded
  • 1 (football)
    • men's: 1
    • women's: 0
Division Division I
Subdivision FCS
No. of teams11 (10 in 2025)
Headquarters St. Louis, Missouri
Region Midwest
Official website www.valley-football.org
Locations
Missouri Valley Football Conference Map.svg

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.

Contents

History

Gateway Conference logo GatewayFootballConference 1.png
Gateway Conference logo

The Missouri Valley Football Conference has a complex history that involves three other conferences:

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]

Midwest USA.png
Blue pog.svg
Illinois
State
Blue pog.svg
Indiana
State
Blue pog.svg
Missouri State
Blue pog.svg
Murray State
Yellow pog.svg
North Dakota State
Yellow pog.svg
North Dakota
Blue pog.svg
Northern Iowa
Yellow pog.svg
South Dakota
Yellow pog.svg
South Dakota State
Blue pog.svg
Southern Illinois
Red pog.svg
Youngstown State
class=notpageimage|
Locations of Missouri Valley Football Conference Members
Red pog.svg – Horizon League member
Blue pog.svg – Missouri Valley Conference member
Yellow pog.svg – Summit League member

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 1996, 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] leaving the GFC 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 joined as the 11th member in 2020, bringing back the yearly rivalries among North Dakota, North Dakota State, South Dakota and South Dakota State which had existed under the Division II North Central Conference that NDSU and SDSU left in 2004–05. [9] [10] [11]

On April 4, 2022, another change was announced for the league. Murray State University, which had previously been announced as a new MVC member effective in July 2022, joined the MVFC in 2023. [12]

On May 12, 2023, it was announced that Western Illinois, who had been a founding member of the league, would be leaving the MVFC and their full time conference, the Summit League, for the Ohio Valley Conference beginning in fall 2023 and 2024. They would leave the Summit beginning in fall 2023, and would leave the Valley after the conclusion of the 2023 football season. [13]

The latest change to the conference was announced on May 10, 2024, when Missouri State announced that they accepted an invitation to join Conference USA in all sports, beginning with the 2025-26 academic year. [14]

Member schools

Current members

InstitutionLocationFoundedJoinedTypeEnrollmentEndowmentNicknameColorsCurrent
primary
conference
Indiana State University Terre Haute, Indiana 18651986 Public 12,144$70.1 million Sycamores     Missouri Valley
Illinois State University Normal, Illinois 1857198520,989$204 million Redbirds    
Missouri State University Springfield, Missouri 19051985Public23,502$193 million Bears     Missouri Valley
Murray State University Murray, Kentucky 19222023Public9,427$90.8 million Racers     Missouri Valley
University of North Dakota Grand Forks, North Dakota 1883202014,172$352.1 million Fighting Hawks     Summit
North Dakota State University Fargo, North Dakota 1890200811,952$457 million Bison    
University of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls, Iowa 1876198510,497$163 million Panthers     Missouri Valley
University of South Dakota Vermillion, South Dakota 186220129,856$328.5 million Coyotes     Summit
South Dakota State University Brookings, South Dakota 1881200811,331$213 million Jackrabbits    
Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Illinois 1869198511,366$190.1 million Salukis     Missouri Valley
Youngstown State University Youngstown, Ohio 1908199712,155$321.5 million Penguins     Horizon

Former members

InstitutionLocationFoundedJoinedLeftTypeNicknameColorsPrimary
conference
during
tenure
in the MVFC		Current
primary
conference
Eastern Illinois University Charleston, Illinois 189519851995Public Panthers     Summit OVC
Western Kentucky University Bowling Green, Kentucky 190620012007 Hilltoppers     Sun Belt C-USA
Western Illinois University Macomb, Illinois 189919852024 Leathernecks     Summit OVC

Membership timeline

Murray State UniversityUniversity of North DakotaUniversity of South DakotaSouth Dakota State UniversityNorth Dakota State UniversityWestern Kentucky UniversityYoungstown State UniversityIndiana State UniversityWestern Illinois UniversitySouthern Illinois UniversityUniversity of Northern IowaMissouri State UniversityMissouri State UniversityIllinois State UniversityEastern Illinois UniversityMissouri Valley Football Conference

Current membersFormer membersDual members (list additional conferences)

Conference champions

11 different teams have won MVFC championships. The most recent champion is South Dakota State. The school with the most championships is Northern Iowa, with 16 (10 of them outright).

NCAA Football Championship Subdivision national championships

TeamTitlesTitle YearsFinalsRunner-up
North Dakota State 9 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021 10 2022
Youngstown State 41991, 1993, 1994, 199771992, 1999, 2016
South Dakota State 2 2022, 2023 3 2020
Southern Illinois 119831
Western Kentucky ♯1 2002 1
Northern Iowa 01 2005
Illinois State 01 2014

♯Now a member of the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS).

Records

Overall winning streaks

#TeamStreakSpoilerSeason(s)
1. North Dakota State 39 † Southern Illinois [15] 2017–2020
2.North Dakota State33 Northern Iowa 2012–2014
3. South Dakota State 29Ongoing2022–present
4.North Dakota State14 South Dakota State 2015–2016
5. Northern Iowa 13 Delaware 2006–2007
Western Kentucky 13 Auburn 2002–2003

† FCS Record [16]

Consecutive conference wins

  1. North Dakota State, 19 (2017–2020)
  2. North Dakota State, 18 (2012–2014)
  3. South Dakota State, 16 (2022–present)

Facilities

SchoolStadiumCapacity
Illinois State Hancock Stadium 13,391
Indiana State Memorial Stadium 12,764
Missouri State Plaster Sports Complex 17,500
Murray State Roy Stewart Stadium 16,800
North Dakota Alerus Center 12,283
North Dakota State Fargodome 18,700
Northern Iowa UNI-Dome 16,324
South Dakota DakotaDome 9,100
South Dakota State Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium 19,340
Southern Illinois Saluki Stadium 15,000
Youngstown State Stambaugh Stadium 20,630

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The 2020 Missouri Valley Football Conference season was the 35th season of college football play for the Missouri Valley Football Conference and part of the 2020-21 NCAA Division I FCS football season. This was the MVFC's first season with 11 teams, as they added North Dakota in the offseason. Although, the conference technically only had 10 of their members play the season, since Indiana State opted out of the Spring season.

The 2019 Missouri Valley Football Conference season was the 34th season of college football play for the Missouri Valley Football Conference and part of the 2019 NCAA Division I FCS football season. This was the MVFC's 8th consecutive season with 10 teams, and would be their last for now as they added North Dakota in the following offseason.

The 2024 Missouri Valley Football Conference season will be the 39th season of college football play for the Missouri Valley Football Conference and part of the 2024 NCAA Division I FCS football season. This will be the MVFC's first season returning to 11 teams, and its 4th in the last 5 seasons.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "This is the Missouri Valley Conference". Missouri Valley Conference. Archived from the original on September 15, 2015. Retrieved May 4, 2012.
  2. ↑ "Gateway Conference Adding Six Teams in Men's Football". Los Angeles Times. St. Louis, Missouri. August 25, 1985. Retrieved July 29, 2012.
  3. ↑ "Universities plan new football conference". St. Joseph Gazette . St. Joseph, Missouri. Associated Press. July 9, 1985. p. 2G. Retrieved March 23, 2024– via Google News.
  4. ↑ "Indiana State Historical Data". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on October 13, 2012. Retrieved October 14, 2012.
  5. ↑ "WKU Regents Approve Move To Division 1-A (sic) Football". Western Kentucky University. November 2, 2006. Archived from the original on January 15, 2008. Retrieved November 3, 2006.
  6. ↑ "Gateway Eyes Dakotas For Expansion". ESPN. October 26, 2006. Retrieved November 19, 2006.
  7. ↑ "Gateway Expands to Nine Members". Gateway Football Conference. March 7, 2007. Retrieved March 9, 2007.[ permanent dead link ]
  8. ↑ "Gateway Football Conference Changes Its Name". Gateway Football Conference. June 6, 2008. Archived from the original on November 21, 2020. Retrieved June 7, 2008.
  9. ↑ "North Dakota to Join Summit League, Missouri Valley Football Conference". Espn991.com. January 24, 2017. Archived from the original on March 20, 2017. Retrieved April 23, 2017.
  10. ↑ "Sources: North Dakota set to leave Big Sky Conference | Big Sky Conference". billingsgazette.com. Retrieved April 23, 2017.
  11. ↑ "Report: UND to join Summit League in 2018, MVFC in 2020". Argusleader.com. January 24, 2017. Retrieved April 23, 2017.[ permanent dead link ]
  12. ↑ "Murray State Football To Join Missouri Valley Football Conference July of 2023" (Press release). Missouri Valley Football Conference. April 4, 2022. Archived from the original on April 4, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
  13. ↑ "Leatherneck Athletics Moving to Ohio Valley Conference for All Sports". goleathernecks.com. Western Illinois Leathernecks. May 12, 2023. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Missouri State Accepts Invitation to join Conference USA". missouristatebears.com. Missouri State Bears Athletics. May 10, 2024. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
  15. ↑ "NDSU's 39-game winning streak ends with lopsided loss at Southern Illinois".
  16. ↑ "North Dakota State University Athletics - Bison at Missouri State Saturday in Valley Football Game of the Week". Archived from the original on November 11, 2018. Retrieved November 11, 2018.

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