Missouri Valley Conference

For the related football-only conference, see Missouri Valley Football Conference.

Missouri Valley Conference

Association	NCAA
Founded	1907;117 years ago (1907)
Commissioner	Jeff Jackson (since 2021)
Sports fielded	17 men's: 7 women's: 10
Division	Division I
Subdivision	non-football
No. of teams	12
Headquarters	St. Louis, Missouri
Region	Midwestern & Southern United States
Official website	www.mvc-sports.com
Locations

Missouri Valley Conference

300km
200miles

Miami

Ball State

Bowling Green

Western Michigan

Northern Illinois

Little Rock

Murray State

UIC

Belmont

Valparaiso

Southern Illinois

Northern Iowa

Missouri State

Indiana State

Illinois State

Evansville

Drake

Bradley

  

Location of MVC members: full member, current affiliate member, future affiliate member

The Missouri Valley Conference (also called MVC or simply "The Valley") is the fourth-oldest collegiate athletic conference in the United States. The conference's members are primarily located in the midwest.

History

The MVC was established in 1907 (its charter member schools: the University of Kansas, University of Missouri, University of Nebraska, and Washington University in St. Louis) as the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association or MVIAA, 12 years after the Big Ten, the only Division I conference that is older. It is the fourth oldest college athletic conference in the United States, after the Big Ten Conference and the NCAA Division III Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) and Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC). ^{[1] [2]}

The MVIAA split in 1928, with most of the larger schools (the University of Kansas, University of Missouri, University of Nebraska, Iowa Agricultural College (now Iowa State University), Kansas State University, and University of Oklahoma) forming a conference that retained the MVIAA name; this conference evolved into the Big Eight Conference. The Big Eight merged with four Texas schools of the Southwest Conference to form the Big 12 Conference in 1996. ^[3]

The smaller MVIAA schools (Drake, Grinnell and Washington University in St. Louis), plus Oklahoma A&M (now Oklahoma State University–Stillwater, which joined the Big Eight in 1957), were joined by Creighton to form the MVC, which retained the old MVIAA's administrative staff.

To this day, it has never been definitively established which conference was the original and which was the spinoff, though the Big Eight would go on to become the more prestigious of the two. During the Big Eight's run, both conferences claimed 1907 as their founding date, and the same history through 1927.

MVC teams held a 74–27 non-conference record during the 2006–07 college basketball season, including a record of 44–1 at home. The Valley finished in the top six of the RPI and ahead of a BCS conference for the second consecutive year, while also garnering multiple NCAA bids for the ninth straight year and 12th of 14. ^[4]

The MVC has not sponsored football since 1985, when it was a hybrid I-A/I-AA (now FBS and FCS, respectively) conference. However, five members have football programs in the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) (known as the Gateway from 1985 to 2008) of Division I FCS, and two others compete in another FCS conference, the Pioneer Football League. The Missouri Valley Conference shares its name with the MVFC, and all three conferences operate from the same headquarters complex in St. Louis; however, the three are separate administratively.

After weeks of speculation, ^{[5] [6]} Wichita State announced on April 7, 2017, that it would leave the conference to join the American Athletic Conference starting with the 2017–18 season. ^[7] The conference announced it extended an invitation to Valparaiso University on May 9, 2017; ^[8] and on May 25, the MVC announced that Valparaiso would officially join the following July 1. ^[9]

The most recent changes to the core MVC membership were announced during the 2021–22 school year. On September 28, 2021, the MVC and Belmont University jointly announced that the school would leave the Ohio Valley Conference for the MVC effective July 1, 2022. ^[10] Then, on November 16, Loyola University Chicago announced it would leave the MVC at the same time, joining the Atlantic 10 Conference. ^[11] On the same day Loyola announced its departure, CBS Sports reported that the MVC was actively pursuing further expansion, having entered into talks with the University of Missouri–Kansas City (known athletically as Kansas City), Murray State University, and the University of Texas at Arlington (UT Arlington). The report indicated that the latter two were considered the strongest candidates, but that all three were likely to receive invitations in the coming months. ^[12] On January 7, 2022, the MVC announced that Murray State would officially join the conference on July 1 of that year. ^[13] UT Arlington would soon remove itself from the list of candidates by announcing a 2022 move to the Western Athletic Conference. ^[14]

Shortly before Murray State was officially announced as an incoming MVC member, Matt Brown of the Extra Points college sports blog reported that the MVC was also in membership discussions with the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC), then a member of the Horizon League. On the same weekend that Murray State's arrival was officially announced, MVC officials made a site visit to UIC. Brown's sources indicated that an invitation to UIC was likely. Brown noted that with the MVC losing Loyola, league officials believed that maintaining a presence in the city was a top priority, stating (emphasis in original): ^[15]

Throughout this process, multiple administrators at MVC institutions stressed the importance of getting access to new urban areas to recruit more students, not just athletes. With so many schools depending heavily on Chicago, and especially Chicago's suburbs, for enrollment, continuing to have a presence in the city was seen as a major priority.

On January 22, 2022, Matt Norlander of CBSSports.com reported that UIC's July entry to the MVC was "a done deal", with his sources indicating that the MVC wanted to announce the move before the Conference Commissioners Association held its annual meeting in Naples, Florida in early February. ^[16] UIC's entry was officially announced on January 26. ^[17]

Member schools

Current full members

Institution	Location	Founded	Joined	Type	Enrollment [18]	Endowment (millions)	Nickname	Colors
Belmont University	Nashville, Tennessee	1890	2022 [lower-alpha 1]	Private (Christian)	8,700	$356.8	Bruins
Bradley University	Peoria, Illinois	1897	1948, 1955 [lower-alpha 2]	Private	5,451	$350	Braves
Drake University	Des Moines, Iowa	1881	1907, 1956 [lower-alpha 2]	Private	5,270	$219.8	Bulldogs
University of Evansville	Evansville, Indiana	1854	1994	Private (UMC)	2,526	$93.4	Purple Aces
University of Illinois Chicago	Chicago, Illinois	1946	2022	Public	30,539	$3,380 [lower-alpha 3]	Flames
Illinois State University	Normal, Illinois	1857	1981	Public	20,683	$204	Redbirds
Indiana State University	Terre Haute, Indiana	1865	1976 [lower-alpha 4]	Public	13,584	$79.6	Sycamores
Missouri State University	Springfield, Missouri	1905	1990	Public	26,000 [19]	$193	Bears Lady Bears [lower-alpha 5]
Murray State University	Murray, Kentucky	1922	2022	Public	10,495	$100.2	Racers
University of Northern Iowa	Cedar Falls, Iowa	1876	1991	Public	12,273	$163	Panthers
Southern Illinois University	Carbondale, Illinois	1869	1975	Public	11,695	$171.8	Salukis
Valparaiso University	Valparaiso, Indiana	1859	2017 [lower-alpha 6]	Private (Lutheran)	2,900	$254.2	Beacons [lower-alpha 7]

Notes

1. Belmont had been an MVC affiliate in men's soccer for the 2000 fall season (2000–01 school year).
2. Bradley and Drake both withdrew from the MVC during the 1951–52 school year in protest over the Johnny Bright incident, a racially motivated on-field attack by an Oklahoma A&M football player against Drake player Johnny Bright in a 1951 game. Bradley returned to the MVC for non-football sports in the 1955–56 school year, with Drake doing the same a year later (1956–57 school year). However, Bradley never returned to MVC football, dropping the sport after the 1970 fall season (1970–71 school year), and Drake did not return for football until the 1971 fall season (1971–72 school year).
3. Entire U of I system.
4. The Indiana State men's basketball team joined the MVC a year after becoming a full member for other sports (1977–78).
5. In beach volleyball, a sport not sponsored by the MVC, Missouri State uses Beach Bears instead of Lady Bears.
6. Valparaiso had been an MVC affiliate in women's soccer from the 1996 to the 1998 fall seasons (1996–97 to 1998–99 school years).
7. Valparaiso officially adopted the "Beacons" nickname shortly before the start of classes in the 2021–22 school year after abandoning its previous nickname of Crusaders due to unfavorable connotations.

Affiliate members

Note: In the case of spring sports, the year of joining is the calendar year before the start of competition.

Institution	Location	Founded	Joined	Type	Enrollment	Nickname	Primary conference	MVC sport(s)
University of Arkansas at Little Rock	Little Rock, Arkansas	1927	2013–14	Public	13,167	Trojans	OVC	women's swimming
Bowling Green State University	Bowling Green, Ohio	1910	2023–24 [lower-alpha 1]	Public	18,142	Falcons	MAC	men's soccer
Northern Illinois University	DeKalb, Illinois	1895			16,769	Huskies
Western Michigan University	Kalamazoo, Michigan	1903			19,887	Broncos

Future affiliate members

Institution	Location	Founded	Joining	Type	Enrollment	Nickname	Primary conference	MVC sport(s)
Ball State University	Muncie, Indiana	1918	2024–25	Public	21,597	Cardinals	MAC	men's swimming and diving
Miami University	Oxford, Ohio	1809			18,880	RedHawks

Notes

1. Bowling Green, Northern Illinois, and Western Michigan's full-time home of the Mid-American Conference suspended men's soccer as a conference sport after the conclusion of the 2022 season. ^{[20] [21]}

Former members

Former full members (25)

Institution	Location	Founded	Joined	Left	Type	Enrollment	Nickname	Current conference
Butler University	Indianapolis, Indiana	1855	1932	1934	Private	4,667	Bulldogs	Big East
University of Cincinnati	Cincinnati, Ohio	1819	1957	1970	Public	42,421	Bearcats	Big 12
Creighton University	Omaha, Nebraska	1878	1928, 1976 [lower-alpha 1]	1948, 2013	Private	7,730	Bluejays	Big East
University of Detroit [lower-alpha 2]	Detroit, Michigan	1877	1949	1956	Private	5,450	Titans	Horizon
Grinnell College	Grinnell, Iowa	1846	1918	1939	Private	1,688	Pioneers	Midwest (NCAA Division III)
University of Houston	Houston, Texas	1927	1951	1959	Public	39,820	Cougars	Big 12
University of Iowa	Iowa City, Iowa	1847	1907	1908	Public	30,328	Hawkeyes	Big Ten
Iowa State College [lower-alpha 3]	Ames, Iowa	1858	1907	1928	Public	29,887	Cyclones	Big 12
University of Kansas	Lawrence, Kansas	1865	1907	1928	Public	29,462	Jayhawks	Big 12
Kansas State College [lower-alpha 4]	Manhattan, Kansas	1863	1913	1928	Public	23,863	Wildcats	Big 12
University of Louisville	Louisville, Kentucky	1798	1963 [lower-alpha 5]	1975	Public	19,743	Cardinals	ACC
Loyola University Chicago	Chicago, Illinois	1870	2013	2022	Private	16,437 [22]	Ramblers	Atlantic 10
Memphis State University [lower-alpha 6]	Memphis, Tennessee	1912	1968	1973	Public	23,031	Tigers	The American
University of Missouri	Columbia, Missouri	1839	1907	1928	Public	33,805	Tigers	SEC
University of Nebraska	Lincoln, Nebraska	1869	1907, 1921	1919, 1928	Public	24,593	Cornhuskers	Big Ten
New Mexico State University [lower-alpha 7]	Las Cruces, New Mexico	1888	1970	1983	Public	18,497	Aggies	C-USA
North Texas State University [lower-alpha 8]	Denton, Texas	1890	1957	1975	Public	35,694	Mean Green	The American
University of Oklahoma	Norman, Oklahoma	1890	1919	1928	Public	30,303	Sooners	Big 12 (SEC in 2024)
Oklahoma A&M College [lower-alpha 9]	Stillwater, Oklahoma	1890	1925	1956	Public	21,419	Aggies/Cowboys [lower-alpha 10]	Big 12
Saint Louis University	St. Louis, Missouri	1818	1937	1974	Private	13,785	Billikens	Atlantic 10
University of Tulsa	Tulsa, Oklahoma	1894	1935	1996	Private	4,165	Golden Hurricane	The American
Washburn University	Topeka, Kansas	1865	1935	1942	Public	7,303	Ichabods	MIAA (NCAA Division II)
Washington University in St. Louis	St. Louis, Missouri	1853	1907	1942	Private	14,070	Bears	UAA (NCAA Division III)
West Texas State University [lower-alpha 11]	Canyon, Texas	1910	1972	1986	Public	7,843	Buffaloes	Lone Star (NCAA Division II)
Wichita State University	Wichita, Kansas	1895	1949	2017	Public	14,495	Shockers	The American

Notes

1. Creighton previously withdrew from the MVC from 1948–49 to 1975–76.
2. Currently known as the University of Detroit Mercy.
3. Currently known as Iowa State University.
4. Currently known as Kansas State University.
5. The Louisville men's basketball team joined the MVC a year after becoming a full member for other sports (1964–65).
6. Currently known as the University of Memphis.
7. The New Mexico State football team joined the MVC a year after becoming a full member for other sports (1971–72); while its men's basketball team joined the MVC two years after (1972–73).
8. Currently known as the University of North Texas.
9. Currently known as Oklahoma State University–Stillwater.
10. During Oklahoma A&M's tenure in the MVC, the nicknames "Aggies" and "Cowboys" were used interchangeably. When the school adopted its current name in 1957, the "Cowboys" nickname was exclusively adopted.
11. Currently known as West Texas A&M University.

Former affiliate members

This list does not include current full members Belmont and Valparaiso. As noted above, the Bruins played men's soccer in the MVC for the 2000 fall season (2000–01 school year), and the Beacons, then known as the Crusaders, played women's soccer in the MVC from the 1996 to 1998 fall seasons (1996–97 to 1998–99 school years).

Institution	Location	Founded	Joined	Left	Type	Enrollment	Nickname	Primary conference	MVC sport(s)
University of Arkansas at Little Rock	Little Rock, Arkansas	1927	1998–99	1999–2000	Public	13,167	Trojans	OVC	women's soccer
University of Central Arkansas	Conway, Arkansas	1907	2010–11	2018–19	Public	13,863	Bears	ASUN	men's soccer
Dallas Baptist University	Dallas, Texas	1898	2013–14	2022–23	Private	5,545	Patriots	Lone Star (NCAA Division II) (C-USA for baseball)	baseball
Drury University	Springfield, Missouri	1873	1999–2000	2004–05	Private	5,474	Panthers	GLVC (NCAA Division II)	women's soccer
Eastern Illinois University	Charleston, Illinois	1895	1996–97	2010–11	Public	11,651	Panthers	OVC	men's soccer
University of Hartford	Hartford, Connecticut	1877	2014–15	2015–16	Private	6,935	Hawks	CCC (NCAA Division III)	men's tennis [lower-alpha 1]
Marshall University	Huntington, West Virginia	1837	2022–23 [23] [lower-alpha 2]	2023-24	Public	11,926	Thundering Herd	Sun Belt	women's swimming
University of Maryland, Baltimore County	Catonsville, Maryland	1966	2014–15	2015–16	Public	13,908	Retrievers	America East	men's tennis [lower-alpha 3]
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville [25]	Edwardsville, Illinois	1957	2010-11 2021–22	2017-18 2023-24	Public	14,000	Cougars	OVC	men's soccer
Southern Methodist University	University Park, Texas	1911	2000–01	2004–05	Private	12,000	Mustangs	The American (ACC in 2024)	men's soccer
Stony Brook University	Stony Brook, New York	1957	2014–15	2022–23	Public	24,594	Seawolves	CAA	men's tennis (until 2016–17), women's tennis [lower-alpha 4]
Texas Christian University	Fort Worth, Texas	1873	2000–01	2000–01	Private	9,518	Horned Frogs	Big 12	men's soccer [lower-alpha 5]
University of Tulsa [lower-alpha 6]	Tulsa, Oklahoma	1894	2000–01	2004–05	Private	4,165	Golden Hurricane	The American	men's soccer
Vanderbilt University	Nashville, Tennessee	1873	1997–98	2005–06	Private	12,714	Commodores	SEC	men's soccer [lower-alpha 7]
Western Kentucky University	Bowling Green, Kentucky	1906	1997–98	2007–08	Public	21,048	Hilltoppers	C-USA	men's soccer [lower-alpha 8]

Notes

1. Hartford dropped men's tennis after the 2015–16 school year.
2. Marshall will be an MVC affiliate for the 2022–23 season only. Marshall's full-time home of the Sun Belt Conference will add women's swimming & diving in 2023–24. ^[24]
3. UMBC dropped men's tennis after the 2015–16 season.
4. Stony Brook dropped men's tennis after the 2016–17 season. The school's women's tennis team remained an MVC affiliate, but left when it joined the CAA in July 2022. ^[26]
5. TCU dropped men's soccer after the 2002 fall season (2002–03 school year).
6. Tulsa was a full member from 1935–36 to 1995–96, but re-joined the MVC as a men's soccer associate from the 2000 to 2004 fall seasons (2000–01 to 2004–05 school years).
7. Vanderbilt dropped men's soccer after the 2005 fall season (2005–06 school year).
8. Western Kentucky dropped men's soccer after the 2007 fall season (2007–08 school year).

Membership timeline

Full members Full members (non-football) Assoc. members (football only) Assoc. member (other sports) Other Conference Other Conference 

Commissioners

1. C. E. McClung (1907–19??) ^[27]
2. Arthur (Artie) E. Eilers (1925–1957) ^[27]
3. Norvell Neve (1957–1969) ^{[27] [28]}
4. DeWitt T. Weaver (1969–1972) ^[27]
5. Mickey Holmes (1972–1979) ^{[29] [27]}
6. David Price (1979–1981) ^{[30] [27]}
7. Richard D. Martin (1981–1985) ^[27]
8. James A. Haney (1985–1988) ^{[31] [27]}
9. Doug Elgin (1988 – 2021) ^{[27] [32]}
10. Jeff Jackson (2021 – Present)

Sports

Former Missouri Valley Conference logo

The Missouri Valley Conference sponsors championship competition in seven men's and ten women's NCAA sanctioned sports. ^[33] Little Rock and Marshall are affiliates for swimming and diving and SIU Edwardsville is an affiliate in men's soccer.

The most recent change to the roster of sports will come in the 2024–25 school year, when the MVC will begin sponsoring men's swimming & diving. There will be 7 sponsoring members in the inaugural season, with full members Evansville, UIC, Missouri State, Southern Illinois, and Valparaiso being joined by new affiliates Ball State and Miami (OH)— previously, all these programs were housed in the Mid-American Conference. ^[34]

Teams in Missouri Valley Conference competition

Sport	Men's	Women's
Baseball	10	—
Basketball	12	10
Cross country	11	10
Golf	10	10
Soccer	9	9
Softball	—	10
Swimming & Diving	—	9
Tennis	—	7
Track and field (indoor)	10	10
Track and field (outdoor)	10	10
Volleyball	—	10

Men's sponsored sports by school

School	Baseball	Basketball	Cross Country	Golf	Soccer	Track & Field (Indoor)	Track & Field (Outdoor)	Total MVC Sports
Belmont	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	7
Bradley	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	7
Drake	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	6
Evansville	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	7
UIC	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	6
Illinois State	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	6
Indiana State	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	5
Missouri State	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	4
Murray State	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	4
UNI	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	5
Southern Illinois	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	6
Valparaiso	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	6
Totals	10	12	11	10	6+3 [lower-alpha 1]	10	10	69+3

1. Men's soccer associates Bowling Green, Northern Illinois, and Western Michigan.

Men's varsity sports not sponsored by the Missouri Valley Conference which are played by Valley schools:

School	Football	Rifle [lower-alpha 1]	Swimming & Diving [lower-alpha 2]	Tennis	Wrestling
Belmont	No	No	No	Horizon	No
Drake	Pioneer League	No	No	Summit	No
Evansville	No	No	MAC	No	No
Illinois State	MVFC	No	No	Summit	No
Indiana State	MVFC	No	No	No	No
Missouri State	MVFC	No	MAC	No	No
Murray State	MVFC	OVC [lower-alpha 3]	No	No	No
UNI	MVFC	No	No	No	Big 12
Southern Illinois	MVFC	No	MAC	No	No
UIC	No	No	MAC	MAC	No
Valparaiso	Pioneer League	No	MAC [lower-alpha 4]	No	No

1. Rifle is a fully coeducational sport, though the NCAA treats it as a men's sport for purposes of its sports sponsorship regulations.
2. The MVC will add men's swimming & diving in the 2024-25 academic year with Ball State and Miami (OH) as affiliate members.
3. Murray State fields a single coeducational rifle team.
4. Valparaiso does not include diving in its intercollegiate aquatics program.

Women's sponsored sports by school

School	Basketball	Cross Country	Golf	Soccer	Softball	Swimming	Tennis	Track & Field (Indoor)	Track & Field (Outdoor)	Volleyball	Total MVC Sports
Belmont	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	9
Bradley	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	8
Drake	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	9
Evansville	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	9
UIC	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	10
Illinois State	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	10
Indiana State	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	9
Missouri State	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	10
Murray State	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	9
UNI	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	10
Southern Illinois	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	8
Valparaiso	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes [lower-alpha 1]	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	10
Totals	12	12	12	11	12	7+1 [lower-alpha 2]	9	12	12	12	92+1

1. Valparaiso does not include diving in its intercollegiate aquatics program for either men or women.
2. Swimming & diving associate Little Rock

Women's varsity sports not sponsored by the Missouri Valley Conference which are played by Valley schools:

School	Beach volleyball	Bowling	Gymnastics	Rifle [lower-alpha 1]	Rowing
Drake	No	No	No	No	MAAC
Illinois State	No	No	MIC	No	No
Missouri State	C-USA	No	No	No	No
Murray State	No	No	No	OVC [lower-alpha 2]	No
Valparaiso	No	C-USA	No	No	No

1. Rifle is a fully coeducational sport, though the NCAA treats it as a men's sport for purposes of its sports sponsorship regulations.
2. Murray State fields a single coeducational rifle team.

Facilities

School	Soccer stadium	Capacity	Basketball arena	Capacity	Softball field	Capacity	Baseball field	Capacity
Belmont	E. S. Rose Park	300	Curb Event Center	5,085	Cheryl Holt Field	300	E. S. Rose Park	750
Bradley	Shea Stadium	3,800	Peoria Civic Center (men) Renaissance Coliseum (women)	11,433 4,200	Petersen Hotels Field [35]	1,000	Dozer Park	7,500
Drake	James W. Cownie Soccer Complex	2,000	Knapp Center	6,424	Ron Buel Field	500	Non-baseball school
Evansville	Arad McCutchan Stadium	2,500	Ford Center (men) Meeks Family Fieldhouse (women)	10,000 1,087	James & Dorothy Cooper Stadium	650	Charles H. Braun Stadium	1,200
Illinois State	Adelaide Street Field	1,000	Redbird Arena	10,200	Marian Kneer Softball Stadium	1,050	Duffy Bass Field	1,200
Indiana State	Non-soccer school		Hulman Center	10,200	Price Field At Eleanor Forsythe St. John Softball Complex	700	Sycamore Stadium	2,500
Missouri State	Betty and Bobby Allison South Stadium	1,000	JQH Arena	11,000	Killian Softball Stadium	1,200	Hammons Field	7,986
Murray State	Cutchin Field	250	CFSB Center	8,600	Racer Field	500	Johnny Reagan Field	800
Northern Iowa	Cedar Valley Soccer Complex	—	McLeod Center	7,018	Robinson-Dresser Sports Complex	—	Non-baseball school
Southern Illinois	Lew Hartzog Complex	500	Banterra Center	8,339	Charlotte West Stadium	502	Itchy Jones Stadium	2,000
UIC	Flames Field	1,000	Credit Union 1 Arena	8,000	Flames Field	500	Curtis Granderson Stadium	2,000
Valparaiso	Brown Field	5,000	Athletics–Recreation Center	5,000	Valpo Softball Complex	—	Emory G. Bauer Field	500
Affiliate members
Bowling Green	Mickey Cochrane Stadium	1,500	Men's soccer-only member
Northern Illinois	NIU Soccer Complex	1,500	Men's soccer-only member
Western Michigan	WMU Soccer Complex	1,000	Men's soccer-only member

Note

1. For the football venues of schools who participate in the sport, see Facilities of the Missouri Valley Football Conference and Facilities of the Pioneer Football League.

Basketball tournament champions by year

Main articles: Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball tournament and Missouri Valley Conference women's basketball tournament

The Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball tournament is often referred to as Arch Madness, in reference to the Gateway Arch at the tournament's present location of St. Louis, Missouri, and a play on "March Madness". The women's tournament is currently promoted as Hoops in the Heartland.

Season	Men's Champion	Women's Champion
1977	Southern Illinois	No Tournament
1978	Creighton	No Tournament
1979	Indiana State	No Tournament
1980	Bradley	No Tournament
1981	Creighton	No Tournament
1982	Tulsa	No Tournament
1983	Illinois State	Illinois State
1984	Tulsa	No Tournament
1985	Wichita State	No Tournament
1986	Tulsa	No Tournament
1987	Wichita State	Southern Illinois
1988	Bradley	Eastern Illinois
1989	Creighton	Illinois State
1990	Illinois State	Southern Illinois
1991	Creighton	Missouri State
1992	Missouri State	Missouri State
1993	Southern Illinois	Missouri State
1994	Southern Illinois	Missouri State
1995	Southern Illinois	Drake
1996	Tulsa	Missouri State
1997	Illinois State	Illinois State
1998	Illinois State	Illinois State
1999	Creighton	Evansville
2000	Creighton	Drake
2001	Indiana State	Missouri State
2002	Creighton	Creighton
2003	Creighton	Missouri State
2004	UNI	Missouri State
2005	Creighton	Illinois State
2006	Southern Illinois	Missouri State
2007	Creighton	Drake
2008	Drake	Illinois State
2009	UNI	Evansville
2010	UNI	UNI
2011	Indiana State	UNI
2012	Creighton	Creighton
2013	Creighton	Wichita State
2014	Wichita State	Wichita State
2015	UNI	Wichita State
2016	UNI	Missouri State
2017	Wichita State	Drake
2018	Loyola Chicago	Drake
2019	Bradley	Missouri State
2020	Bradley	Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2021	Loyola Chicago	Bradley
2022	Loyola Chicago	Illinois State
2023	Drake	Drake

NB: Missouri State was known as Southwest Missouri State until August 2005.

Postseason History Multiple Bids

NCAA tournament Year MVC Rep. 1979 (1) Indiana State (10) New Mexico State 1981 (6) Wichita St (8) Creighton 1984 (4) Tulsa (8) Illinois State 1985 (6) Tulsa (9) Illinois State (11) Wichita St 1986 (7) Bradley (10) Tulsa 1987 (11) Wichita St (11) Tulsa 1988 (9) Bradley (12) Wichita St 1994 (11) Southern Illinois (12) Tulsa 1995 (6) Tulsa (10) Southern Illinois 1996 (8) Bradley (11) Tulsa 1999 (10) Creighton (12) Southwest Missouri State (11) Evansville 2000 (10) Creighton (12) Indiana State 2001 (10) Creighton (13) Indiana State 2002 (11) Southern Illinois (12) Creighton 2003 (6) Creighton (11) Southern Illinois 2004 (9) Southern Illinois (14) Northern Iowa 2005 (7) Southern Illinois (10) Creighton (11) Northern Iowa 2006 (7) Wichita St (10) Northern Iowa (11) Southern Illinois (13) Bradley 2007 (4) Southern Illinois (10) Creighton 2012 (5) Wichita St (8) Creighton 2013 (7) Creighton (9) Wichita St 2015 (7) Wichita St (5) Northern Iowa 2016 (11) Wichita St (11) Northern Iowa 2021 (8) Loyola Chicago (11) Drake National team titles by institution School – Number – NCAA Championships Belmont Bradley – 2 [36] Drake – 3 [36] Evansville – 0+5* [36] Illinois State – 0+1* [36] Indiana State – 1 [36] Missouri State – 0 +2* [36] UNI – 1+2* [36] Southern Illinois – 5+3* [36] Valparaiso – 0 [36] NCAA Championships as of March 2013 (*-Titles won by schools in Division II/College Division prior to their moving to Division I in the late 1960s or early 1970s.) Football poll, Helms and AIAW titles are not included in the NCAA Championship count. Men's basketball attendance Sources: [37] [38] [39] The Valley is well known for having some of the most dedicated fanbases in all of college basketball, with several members regularly selling out their large arenas on a nightly basis throughout the year. Former member (Creighton) had the sixth highest attendance for Division I in 2012–13 while Bradley, Illinois State, Missouri State, and Indiana State were all among the NCAA's top 100 teams in home attendance. In 2010–11, 2011–12, and 2012–13, the Valley maintained its position as the eighth ranked conference in average attendance. The Valley made history in March 2007 with record attendance for four days at St. Louis' Scottrade Center as 85,074 fans turned out to watch the five sessions of the tournament. The two sellout crowds of 22,612 for the semifinals and final of the 2007 State Farm Tournament set an all-time attendance record for basketball at the arena and also gave The Valley the distinction of having the largest championship crowd for any of the 30 NCAA conference tournaments in 2007. [40] Football champions by year Main article: Missouri Valley Conference football All MVC schools that currently play football are part of the Missouri Valley Football Conference except for Drake and Valparaiso, which play in the Pioneer Football League. MVC Network Since at least 1993, the MVC has produced an in-house package of sports as part of the MVC Network. [41] Since 1996, these telecasts have been produced, in part, by Bally Sports Midwest (formerly Fox Sports Midwest). These games are distributed to regional sports networks including Bally Sports Midwest, Bally Sports Kansas City, Bally Sports Indiana and NBC Sports Chicago. [42] Until the 2020-21 season, these telecasts also aired on Fox College Sports. Outside of regional networks these telecasts were also available on ESPN3 until the 2018-19 season. These telecasts are now available on ESPN+. [43] The MVC Network is home to the first two rounds of Arch Madness, the nickname for the MVC men's basketball tournament. See also Missouri Valley Conference Hall of Fame References "History of the MIAA – America's Oldest Collegiate Conference". MIAA. Retrieved November 29, 2019. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on September 4, 2019. Retrieved September 5, 2023. "Merger Creates Dynamite Dozen". Los Angeles Times. August 27, 1996. Archived from the original on October 15, 2014. Retrieved October 14, 2014. "MVC in the NCAA and NIT" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on May 8, 2018. Thamel, Pete. "Sources: Wichita State in talks to join AAC". SI.com. Archived from the original on April 1, 2017. Retrieved April 4, 2017. "Source: Wichita St. eyes 2017 move to AAC". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on April 2, 2017. Retrieved April 4, 2017. "American Athletic Conference - Wichita State to Become Member of American Athletic Conference". American Athletic Conference. February 21, 2017. Archived from the original on May 14, 2017. Retrieved May 9, 2017. "Missouri Valley Conference - The Valley Invites Valparaiso University". Mvc-sports.com. Archived from the original on May 13, 2017. Retrieved May 9, 2017. "It's Official. Welcome, Valparaiso" (Press release). Missouri Valley Conference. May 25, 2017. Archived from the original on June 12, 2017. Retrieved May 26, 2017. "Belmont University to Join Missouri Valley Conference" (Press release). Belmont Bruins. September 28, 2021. Retrieved September 28, 2021. "Atlantic 10 Conference Accepts Loyola University Chicago as Full Member Institution" (Press release). Atlantic 10 Conference. November 16, 2021. Retrieved November 16, 2021. Norlander, Matt (November 16, 2021). "Missouri Valley Conference loses Loyola Chicago but pursuing Murray State, UT Arlington and Kansas City". CBSSports.com. Retrieved November 17, 2021. "Murray State University Joins The Missouri Valley Conference" (Press release). Missouri Valley Conference. January 7, 2022. Retrieved January 7, 2022. "University of Texas at Arlington Accepts Invitation to Join WAC" (Press release). Western Athletic Conference. January 21, 2022. Retrieved January 22, 2022. Brown, Matt (January 5, 2022). "MVC expected to add Murray State, likely to add more". Extra Points. Retrieved January 7, 2022. Norlander, Matt (January 22, 2022). "UIC to join Missouri Valley Conference in July, rounding out league's expansion effort at 12 teams". CBSSports.com. Retrieved January 23, 2022. "UIC to Join the Missouri Valley Conference" (Press release). Missouri Valley Conference. January 26, 2022. Retrieved January 26, 2022. "US News Education – Best Colleges – Best Graduate Schools – Online Schools – US News". U.S. News & World Report. Archived from the original on February 22, 2016. Retrieved February 23, 2016. "Missouri State University system sets another fall enrollment record". September 21, 2016. Archived from the original on April 16, 2017. "MAC to Suspend Sponsoring Men's Soccer Following 2022 Season" (Press release). Mid-American Conference. November 11, 2022. Retrieved November 23, 2022. "Missouri Valley Conference To Expand in Men's Soccer for 2023" (Press release). Missouri Valley Conference. November 11, 2022. Retrieved November 23, 2022. "Loyola University Chicago | Loyola at a Glance Loyola at a Glance". Luc.edu. Archived from the original on October 14, 2016. Retrieved October 7, 2016. "Marshall Joins MVC As Women's Swimming & Diving Affiliate Member" (Press release). Missouri Valley Conference. September 12, 2022. Retrieved September 13, 2022. "Sun Belt Presidents/Chancellors add two sports, look into adding third" (Press release). Sun Belt Conference. June 9, 2022. Retrieved June 9, 2022. "MVC Adds SIUE As Men's Soccer Affiliate". Missouri Valley Conference. June 12, 2020. Retrieved June 13, 2020. "Stony Brook Athletics to Discontinue Men's Tennis" (Press release). Stony Brook Seawolves. March 31, 2017. Archived from the original on April 21, 2017. Retrieved April 20, 2017. "2011–12 Missouri Valley Conference women's basketball media guide" (PDF). Missouri Valley Conference. 2011. Retrieved July 29, 2012.[ permanent dead link ] "ACC Jobs Expected To Be Filled". Greensboro, North Carolina: Radford News Journal. April 29, 1969. pp. 8 (on page 5). Retrieved February 20, 2013. Gregorian, Vahe (September 10, 2012). "FCS foes could pose problems for Mizzou, Illini; Former MVC head dies". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Archived from the original on November 13, 2010. Retrieved July 15, 2012. Missouri Valley Conference 75 1981 Football/Anniversary Issue. Missouri Valley Conference. p. Page 2. Weyler, John (March 9, 1988). "Haney Expected to Get PCAA Job : Missouri Valley Commissioner May Be Named This Week". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on July 15, 2012. Retrieved July 15, 2012. "Doug Elgin, current Commissioner". MVC-Sports.com. Archived from the original on 22 October 2014. Retrieved 14 October 2014. "Missouri Valley Conference Sports". MVC-Sports.com. Archived from the original on 22 October 2014. Retrieved 14 October 2014. "MVC To Sponsor Men's Swimming & Diving in 2024-25" (Press release). Missouri Valley Conference. April 11, 2024. Retrieved April 19, 2024. Piers, Ryan (March 31, 2017). "Bradley Softball Team To Play On New Field". 1470 WMBD. Archived from the original on May 19, 2017. Retrieved May 9, 2017. "National Team Titles by Institution" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on March 20, 2014. Retrieved February 28, 2015. "NCAA Men's Basketball Attendance | NCAA.org – The Official Site of the NCAA". NCAA.org. Archived from the original on September 24, 2016. Retrieved October 7, 2016. "Official NCAA attendance figures". Archived from the original on May 11, 2008. Retrieved September 5, 2017. "2012-13 NCAA Men's Basketball Records - Attendance" (PDF). NCAA.com. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 5, 2016. Retrieved May 9, 2017. "MVC official site:"This is the MVC"". Archived from the original on March 16, 2010. "MVC To Televise 24-Game Network Package". mvc-sports.com. "MVC TV Network (PDF) - Missouri Valley Conference" (PDF). mvc-sports.com. "Everything You Need to Know About the MVC and ESPN+". mvc-sports.com. External links Official website