The Midland Empire Conference (also called MEC) is a high school athletic conference whose members are located in northwest Missouri. The conference participates in the MSHSAA.
The conference was created during a March 1962 meeting at Armstrong's Restaurant in Maryville, Missouri and took effect in the 1962-63 school year. The original five schools were four schools from St. Joseph, Missouri (Benton, Christian Brothers (which would fold into LeBlond), and Lafayette) and two other schools from northwest Missouri (Maryville and Savannah). The arrangement created a league of schools of comparable size (the St. Joseph schools earlier competed in the Pony Express Conference which included the much larger St. Joseph Central High School as well as larger suburban Kansas City schools while Savannah and Maryville competed in the Northwest Missouri Conference with much smaller schools since 1937 . [1] [2]
Discussions of creating a conference of larger comparable sized schools in northwest Missouri had been discussed since at least 1925 but never quite materialized. [3]
In 2018, Smithville left the conference for the Suburban Kansas City Conference and was replaced by St. Pius X in Kansas City.
School | Mascot | Colors | City | County | School Type | Year Joined |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Benton | Cardinals | St. Joseph | Buchanan | Public | 1962 | |
Bishop LeBlond | Golden Eagles | St. Joseph | Buchanan | Private | 1962 | |
Cameron | Dragons | Cameron | Clinton | Public | 1998 [4] | |
Chillicothe | Hornets | Chillicothe | Livingston | Public | 1985 [5] | |
Lafayette | Fighting Irish | St. Joseph | Buchanan | Public | 1962 | |
Maryville | Spoofhounds | Maryville | Nodaway | Public | 1962 | |
Savannah | Savages | Savannah | Andrew | Public | 1962 | |
St. Pius X | Warriors | Kansas City | Clay | Private | 2018 [6] |
Full membersFull members (non-football)
Nodaway County is a county located in the northwest part of Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the population was 21,241. Its county seat is Maryville. The county was organized February 14, 1845, and is named for the Nodaway River. It is the largest in area of the counties added to Missouri in the 1836 Platte Purchase and the fourth-largest county by area in Missouri.
Maryville is a city and county seat of Nodaway County, Missouri, United States. Located in the "Missouri Point" region, As of the 2020 census, the city population was 10,633. Maryville is home to Northwest Missouri State University and Northwest Technical School. Maryville is the second-largest city wholly within the boundaries of the 1836 Platte Purchase which expanded Missouri's borders into former Indian Territory in northwest Missouri.
Northwest Missouri State University is a public university in Maryville, Missouri, United States. It has an enrollment of about 8,505 students. Founded in 1905 as a teachers college, its campus is based on the design for Forest Park at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair and is the official Missouri State Arboretum. The school is governed by a state-appointed Board of Regents and headed by President Lance Tatum.
Missouri Western State University is a public university in St. Joseph, Missouri. As of 2023, it enrolled 3,815 students.
Maryville High School is the public high school for Maryville, Missouri. It is the only institution to have the Spoofhound for a mascot. It is a Missouri State High School Activities Association Class III school. The present high school building on the southwest side of Maryville opened in the 1965-66 school year.
Raymond Gunn was a black man killed by a mob in Maryville, Missouri, United States, after being accused of killing a white woman.
Mel Tjeerdsma is a retired American football coach and athletic director at Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, Missouri. He served as the head coach at Austin College in Sherman, Texas from 1984 to 1993 and at Northwest Missouri State University from 1994 until his retirement after the 2010 season. In his 27 years as a head coach, Tjeerdsma compiled a career college football record of 242–82–4. He led the Northwest Missouri State Bearcats to three NCAA Division II Football Championship titles and four additional NCAA Division II titles games.
The News-Press & Gazette Company (NPG) is a media company based in St. Joseph, Missouri, wholly owned and operated by the Bradley family. It is presided by Brian Bradley and David R. Bradley, with Hank Bradley (retired), Eric Bradley, and Kit Bradley serving on its board of directors. All are descendants of family patriarch Henry D. Bradley and his son, David Bradley Sr.
George "Speed" Palfreyman Jr. was an American college football and college basketball coach. He was the second head football coach at Fifth District Normal School—now known as Northwest Missouri State University—in Maryville, Missouri, serving for two seasons, from 1916 to 1917, and compiling a record of 2–13. He was also the school's head basketball coach from 1915 to 1918, tallying a mark of 19–10.
Russell Edwards Sprong was an American football and basketball coach. He was the fifth head football coach at Northwest Missouri State Teacher's College—now known as Northwest Missouri State University—in Maryville, Missouri, serving for one season, in 1921, and compiling a record of 2–6. Sprong was also the head basketball coach at Northwest Missouri State for the 1921–22 season, tallying a mark of 0–15.
Ryland Harp "Taffy" Milner was an American football and basketball coach. He was the ninth head football coach at Northwest Missouri State College–now known as Northwest Missouri State University— in Maryville, Missouri, serving for 21 seasons, from 1937 to 1957, and compiling a record of 91–62–13. Milner was the head basketball coach at Northwest Missouri State from 1943 to 1950, tallying a mark of 67–60. He was also the school's athletic director from 1958 to 1975.
Ivan Estill Schottel was an American football player and coach. He played professionally as an end and defensive back with the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL) in 1946 and 1948. Schottel served as the head football at St. Benedict's College—now known as Benedictine College—in Atchison, Kansas from 1953 to 1962 and Northwest Missouri State College—now known as Northwest Missouri State University—in Maryville, Missouri, compiling a career college football coaching record of 80–80–3.
The Northwest Missouri State Bearcats football program represents Northwest Missouri State University in college football. They participate in Division II sports within the NCAA. The team plays their home games at Bearcat Stadium, located on campus in Maryville, Missouri.
Wilbur Neil "Sparky" Stalcup was an American basketball coach and college athletics administrator. He served as the head basketball coach at Northwest Missouri State Teacher's College—now known as Northwest Missouri State University—from 1933 to 1943 and at the University of Missouri from 1946 to 1962, compiling a career college basketball record of 332–236. Stalcup was also the athletic director at Missouri from 1971 until his death in 1972.
Scott Bostwick was an American football player and coach. He served as the defensive coordinator at Northwest Missouri State University from 1994 to 2010 under head coach Mel Tjeerdsma, during which time the Bearcats captured three NCAA Division II Football Championships, in 1998, 1999, and 2009. In 2007, Bostwick was named the AFCA Division II Assistant Coach of the Year in 2007. He succeeded Tjeerdsma as head coach following the 2010 season, but died of a heart attack the following June.
Jayce Michael Tingler is an American professional baseball coach and manager. He is the bench coach for the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously served as manager of MLB's San Diego Padres from 2020 to 2021. He previously served as the major league player development field coordinator and assistant general manager for the Texas Rangers. He played college baseball for the Missouri Tigers.
The 1946 Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association football season was the season of college football played by the six member schools of the Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) as part of the 1946 college football season.
The 1939 Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association football season was the season of college football played by the six member schools of the Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) as part of the 1939 college football season.
The 1931 Maryville Bearcats football team, also known as the Northwest Missouri State Teachers Bearcats, was an American football team that represented Northwest Missouri State Teachers College at Maryville, Missouri, as a member of the Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) during the 1931 college football season. In their fifth season under head coach Earl A. Davis, the Bearcats compiled a perfect 9–0 record, won the MIAA championship, shut out eight of nine opponents, and outscored all opponents by a total of 190 to 6.
The 1938 Maryville Bearcats football team, also known as the Northwest Missouri State Bearcats, was an American football team that represented Maryville State Teachers College at Maryville, Missouri, as a member of the Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) during the 1938 college football season. In their second season under head coach Ryland Milner, the Bearcats compiled a perfect 9–0 record, shut out six of nine opponents, outscored all opponents by a total of 221 to 26, and won the MIAA championship. Wilbur Stalcup was the assistant coach. The 1938 season was the start of a 21-game winning streak that ended in October 1940.