The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level, headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri. Its fourteen member institutions, of which all but one are public schools, are located in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Oklahoma, with an Arkansas school joining in July 2024. The MIAA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization incorporated in Missouri.
Northeastern State University (NSU) is a public university with its main campus in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. The university also has two other campuses in Muskogee and Broken Arrow as well as online. Northeastern is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of Oklahoma as well as one of the oldest institutions of higher learning west of the Mississippi River. Tahlequah is home to the capital of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma and about 25 percent of the students at NSU identify themselves as American Indian. The university has many courses focused on Native American linguistics, and offers Cherokee language Education as a major. Cherokee can be studied as a second language, and some classes are taught in Cherokee for first language speakers as well.
Doc Wadley Stadium located in Tahlequah, Oklahoma is the home stadium of the NCAA Division II college football team the RiverHawks of Northeastern State University.
The Emporia State Hornets are the athletic teams that represent Emporia State University (ESU). The women's basketball and softball teams use the name Lady Hornets. The university's athletic program fields 15 varsity teams in 11 sports all of whom have combined to win 50 conference championships as well as three national championships. Corky the Hornet serves as the mascot representing the teams, and the school colors are black and gold. Emporia State participates in the NCAA Division II and has been a member of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) since 1991.
The Central Oklahoma Bronchos, are the intercollegiate athletic teams representing University of Central Oklahoma, located in Edmond, Oklahoma. The five men's and nine women's varsity teams are called the "Bronchos". The school's identification as Bronchos dates back to 1922, when the wife of football coach Charles W. Wantland suggested it for the school's mascot. The official colors of the teams are bronze and blue, which the institution adopted in 1895. The Bronchos compete in the NCAA's Division II and in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association in all sports except women's rowing, which competes in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. The Bronchos have won 22 national championships, with the most recent coming in 2024 as the wrestling program won the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships. The university's current athletic director is Stan Wagnon, who has served in the position since 2020.
The Fort Hays State Tigers football program represents Fort Hays State University in college football. They participate in Division II sports within the NCAA in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA). The team plays their home games in Lewis Field Stadium, located on the Fort Hays State University campus in Hays, Kansas.
The Northeastern State RiverHawks are the athletic teams that represent Northeastern State University, located in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the Division II level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), primarily competing in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) for most of its sports since the 2012–13 academic year; while its men's soccer team competes in the Great American Conference (GAC). The RiverHawks previously competed as an NCAA D-II Independent during the 2011–12 school year; in the D-II Lone Star Conference (LSC) from 1997–98 to 2010–11; and in the Oklahoma Intercollegiate Conference (OIC) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 1974–75 to 1996–97.
The Central Oklahoma Bronchos football team represents the University of Central Oklahoma (UCO) in college football. The team is a member of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA), which is in Division II of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The Bronchos football program began in 1902 and has since compiled over 600 wins, two national championships, and 27 conference championships. As of 2022, the Bronchos are ranked fifth in NCAA Division II for wins. In 1962, the Bronchos went 11–0 on the season and defeated Lenoir–Rhyne University (NC) 28–13 in the Camellia Bowl to claim its first NAIA national championship. Twenty years later, Central Oklahoma defended its home turf and defeated Colorado Mesa University 14–11 in the NAIA national championship game to take its second title and finish the season with a 10–2 record. Despite its rich history in football, Central Oklahoma has struggled beginning in the late 2000s. The program has not participated in the NCAA Division II playoffs since 2003. The Bronchos play their home games at Chad Richison Stadium, a 12,000-seat football stadium built in 1965, and remodeled in 2022. The Bronchos have enjoyed nine undefeated home seasons and are 5–1 in playoff games at Wantland Stadium.
The Central Oklahoma–Northeastern State football rivalry, commonly referred to as the Battle for the President's Cup, is an American college football rivalry game played annually between the Central Oklahoma Bronchos football team of the University of Central Oklahoma from Edmond, Oklahoma, and the Northeastern State RiverHawks football team of Northeastern State University from Tahlequah, Oklahoma. Both schools currently compete in the NCAA Division II level, and are members of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA). Central Oklahoma, formerly Central State, has a 54–27–2 advantage in the series but Northeastern State has kept the series record close since the introduction of the President's cup in 1998.
Rob Robinson is an American football coach and former player. He is formerly the head football coach at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. Robinson was announced as the new head coach on December 19, 2013, replacing Kenny Evans. Before becoming head coach at Northeastern State, Robinson was an assistant coach and offensive coordinator at Washburn. It was announced in October 2018, that his contract would not be renewed. Robinson resigned on October 31, 2018, with only two season games left.
The 2015 Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association football season was contested by twelve United States collegiate athletic programs that compete in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) under the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for the 2015 college football season. The season began on Thursday, September 3, 2015.
The 1995 NAIA Division I football season was the 40th season of college football sponsored by the NAIA, was the 26th season of play of the NAIA's top division for football.
The 2014 Northeastern State RiverHawks football team represented Northeastern State University during the 2014 NCAA Division II football season, in the MIAA conference. Northeastern State lost every game, their record was 0-11. All of Northeastern State's games were in the MIAA.
The 2016 Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association football season is made up of 12 United States collegiate athletic programs that compete in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) under the NCAA Division II for the 2016 college football season. The season began on Thursday, September 1, 2016. Northwest Missouri State enters the season as the Conference and National Champions.
The 2016 Northeastern State RiverHawks football team represented Northeastern State University in the 2016 NCAA Division II football season. The RiverHawks played their home games on Gable Field in Doc Wadley Stadium in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, as they have done since 1915. 2016 was the 102nd season in school history. The RiverHawks were led by third-year head coach, Rob Robinson. Northeastern State has been a member of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association since 2012.
Eddie Griffin is a former American collegiate athletic director and collegiate wrestling coach. He served as the athletic director at the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond, Oklahoma from 2017 to 2020. Prior to this Griffin served as the athletic director at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, and the head wrestling coach at Central Oklahoma, and Clemson University.
The 2019 Emporia State Hornets football team represents Emporia State University in the 2019 NCAA Division II football season. The Hornets play their home games on Jones Field at Francis G. Welch Stadium in Emporia, Kansas, as they have done since 1937. 2019 is the 122nd season in school history. The Hornets are led by head coach Garin Higgins, who is in his 18th season overall, and 13th season at Emporia State as head coach. Emporia State has been a member of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) since 1991.
Kenneth Gwane Evans is a retired American football coach. Evans previously served as head football coach at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma and East Central High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Evans has worked as an assistant coach at Oklahoma, Florida, North Texas, and Louisiana Tech.
J. J. Eckert is an American college football coach. He was the head football coach for Northeastern State University from 2019 to 2023. He was previously head coach at Kilgore College in Texas and Garden City Community College in Kansas. Eckert is also the son of long-time Northeastern State head coach Tom Eckert.
