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, Murray State University, who had previously been announced as a new MVC member effective in July 2022, joined the MVFC in 2023, bringing the league up to a record high of 12 active members. [12] This was short-lived however, as on May 12, 2023, founding member Western Illinois announced that they 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] Almost exactly a year after that, on May 10, 2024, fellow founding member 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
Illinois State University Normal, Illinois 18571985 Public 20,989$204 million Redbirds     Missouri Valley
Indiana State University Terre Haute, Indiana 1865198612,144$103.1 million Sycamores    
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 1883202015,019$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 1862201210,619$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     Mid-Continent Ohio Valley
Western Illinois University Macomb, Illinois 189919852024 Leathernecks     Summit Ohio Valley
Western Kentucky University Bowling Green, Kentucky 190620012007 Hilltoppers     Sun Belt CUSA

Membership timeline

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

Current membersFormer membersDual members (list additional conferences)

Conference champions

12 different teams have won MVFC championships. The most recent champions are South Dakota State, North Dakota State, and South Dakota. 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 11 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 29 Oklahoma State [16] 2022–2024
4.North Dakota State14 South Dakota State 2015–2016
5. Western Kentucky 13 Auburn 2002–2003
Northern Iowa 13 Delaware 2006–2007

† FCS Record [17]

Consecutive conference wins

  1. North Dakota State, 19 (2017–2020)
  2. South Dakota State, 19 (2022–2024)
  3. North Dakota State, 18 (2012–2014)

Facilities

SchoolStadiumCapacity
Illinois State [18] Hancock Stadium 13,391
Indiana State [19] Memorial Stadium 12,764
Missouri State [20] Robert W. Plaster Stadium 17,500
Murray State [21] Roy Stewart Stadium 16,800
North Dakota [22] Alerus Center 12,283
North Dakota State [23] Fargodome 19,000
Northern Iowa [24] UNI-Dome 16,324
South Dakota [25] DakotaDome 9,100
South Dakota State [26] Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium 19,300
Southern Illinois [27] Saluki Stadium 15,000
Youngstown State [28] Stambaugh Stadium 20,630

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North Dakota State made it to the National Championship and won their 9th FCS title in program history. South Dakota State made the playoffs unseeded, and won their way into the semifinals where they lost to 8th seeded Montana State. Southern Illinois also made it to the playoffs, and beat fellow MVFC member South Dakota in the first round, but would fall to eventual champion North Dakota State in the second round. Northern Iowa also made it to the playoffs, but lost to Eastern Washington in the first round.

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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. January 24, 2017. 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". February 27, 2021.
  16. ↑ "Oklahoma State snaps South Dakota State's 29-game winning streak". siouxfallslive.com. Forum Communications. August 31, 2024. Retrieved August 31, 2024.
  17. ↑ "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.
  18. ↑ Facilities at GoRedbirds.com, URL accessed July 1, 2024.
  19. ↑ Facilities at GoSycamores.com, URL accessed July 1, 2024.
  20. ↑ Facilities at MissouriStateBears.com, URL accessed July 1, 2024.
  21. ↑ Facilities at GoRacers.com, URL accessed July 1, 2024.
  22. ↑ Facilities at FightingHawks.com, URL accessed July 1, 2024.
  23. ↑ Facilities at GoBison.com, URL accessed July 1, 2024.
  24. ↑ Facilities at UNIPanthers.com, URL accessed July 1, 2024.
  25. ↑ Facilities at GoYotes.com, URL accessed July 1, 2024.
  26. ↑ Facilities at GoJacks.com, URL accessed July 1, 2024.
  27. ↑ Facilities at SIUSalukis.com, URL accessed July 1, 2024.
  28. ↑ YSU Athletics Facilities at YSUSports.com, URL accessed July 1, 2024.

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