Missouri Valley Conference

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Missouri Valley Conference
AssociationNCAA
Founded1907 (1907)
CommissionerJeff Jackson (since 2021)
Sports fielded
  • 18
    • men's: 8
    • women's: 10
DivisionDivision I
Subdivisionnon-football
No. of teams11
HeadquartersSt. Louis, Missouri
RegionMidwestern & Southern United States
BroadcastersESPN

CBS/CBSSN

Gray Media
Websitemvc-sports.com
Locations

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 though with substantial extension into the South in states like Kentucky, Tennessee, and Arkansas, along with one affiliate university in Massachusetts.

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 (MVIAA), 12 years after the Big Ten Conference, 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's 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, 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]

On May 10, 2024, Missouri State announced it would leave the MVC to transition to the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and join Conference USA, effective for the 2025–26 season.[18]

The MVC's decades-long ties with the MVFC were formalized when the latter announced a new conference structure on May 5, 2025, taking effect that July. Under the new structure, the MVFC's top two administrative positions will be filled by the commissioners of the MVC and the also non-football Summit League, and both multisport conferences will share administrative operations. The MVC and Summit are the full-time conference homes of all but one of the MVFC's 10 members in the 2025 season.[19]

Member schools

Missouri Valley Conference
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Maps: terms of use
220km
137miles
Missouri State
Miami
Ball State
Bowling Green
Western Michigan
Northern Illinois
Little Rock
Murray State
UIC
Belmont
Valparaiso
Southern Illinois
Northern Iowa
UMass Amherst
Indiana State
Illinois State
Evansville
Drake
Bradley
Location of MVC members:
full member affiliate member
Not shown: current affiliate UMass

Current full members

Institution Location Founded Type Enrollment[20] Endowment
(millions)		 Nickname Joined[a] Colors
Belmont University Nashville, Tennessee 1890 Nondenominational 8,700 $356.8 Bruins 2022[b]      
Bradley University Peoria, Illinois 1897 Nonsectarian 5,451 $350.0 Braves 1948    
1955[c]
Drake University Des Moines, Iowa 1881 Nonsectarian 5,270 $219.8 Bulldogs 1907    
1956[c]
University of Evansville Evansville, Indiana 1854 United Methodist 2,526 $157.0 Purple Aces 1994      
University of Illinois Chicago Chicago, Illinois 1946 Public 30,539 $527.9[21] Flames 2022    
Illinois State University Normal, Illinois 1857 Public 20,683 $246.4[22] Redbirds 1980[d]    
Indiana State University Terre Haute, Indiana 1865 Public 13,584 $102.9[23] Sycamores 1976[e]    
Murray State University Murray, Kentucky 1922 Public 10,495 $100.2 Racers 2022    
University of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls, Iowa 1876 Public 12,273 $163.0 Panthers 1991    
Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Illinois 1869 Public 11,695 $171.8 Salukis 1974[f]    
Valparaiso University Valparaiso, Indiana 1859 Lutheran 2,900 $254.2 Beacons[g] 2017[h]    
Notes
  1. Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
  2. Belmont previously competed in the MVC as an affiliate member for men's and women's soccer only during the 2000 fall season (2000–01 school year).
  3. 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).
  4. The Illinois State men's basketball team joined the MVC a year after becoming a full member for other sports (1981–82).
  5. The Indiana State men's basketball team joined the MVC a year after becoming a full member for other sports (1977–78).
  6. The Southern Illinois men's basketball team joined the MVC a year after becoming a full member for other sports (1975–76).
  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.
  8. Valparaiso previously competed in the MVC as an affiliate member for women's soccer from the 1996 to the 1998 fall seasons (1996–97 to 1998–99 school years).

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 Type Enrollment Nickname Joined[a] MVC
sport(s)		 Primary
conference
University of Arkansas at Little Rock[b]
(Little Rock[c])		 Little Rock, Arkansas 1927 Public 13,167 Trojans 2013 Women's swimming & diving Ohio Valley (OVC)
(United (UAC) in 2026)
Ball State University Muncie, Indiana 1918 Public 21,597 Cardinals 2024 Men's swimming & diving Mid-American (MAC)
Bowling Green State University
(Bowling Green)		 Bowling Green, Ohio 1910 Public 18,142 Falcons 2023[d] Men's soccer Mid-American (MAC)
University of Massachusetts Amherst
(UMass)		 Amherst, Massachusetts 1863 Public 27,420 Minutemen 2025 Men's swimming & diving Mid-American (MAC)
Miami University Oxford, Ohio 1809 Public 18,880 RedHawks 2024 Men's swimming & diving Mid-American (MAC)
Missouri State University[e] Springfield, Missouri 1905 Public 26,000[26] Bears &
Lady Bears		 2025[f] Men's swimming & diving Conf. USA (CUSA)
Women's swimming & diving
Northern Illinois University DeKalb, Illinois 1895 Public 16,769 Huskies 2023 Men's soccer Mid-American (MAC)
(Horizon in 2026)
Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, Michigan 1903 Public 19,887 Broncos 2023 Men's soccer Mid-American (MAC)
Notes
  1. Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
  2. Arkansas–Little Rock (formerly as UALR, now as Little Rock) previously competed in the MVC as an affiliate member for women's soccer from the 1998 to 1999 fall seasons (1998–99 to 1999–2000 school years).
  3. Formerly branded athletically as Arkansas–Little Rock (or UALR).
  4. 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.[24][25]
  5. Missouri State was a full member of the MVC from 1990–91 to 2024–25.
  6. Measured from Missouri State's departure from full MVC membership.

Former members

Former full members

Institution Location Founded Type Nickname Joined[a] Left[b] Current
conference
Butler University Indianapolis, Indiana 1855 Nonsectarian Bulldogs 1932 1934 Big East
University of Cincinnati Cincinnati, Ohio 1819 Public Bearcats 1957 1970 Big 12
Creighton University Omaha, Nebraska 1878 Catholic
(Jesuit)		 Bluejays 1928 1948 Big East
1976[c][d] 2013
University of Detroit[e] Detroit, Michigan 1877 Catholic
(Jesuit)		 Titans 1949 1956 Horizon
Grinnell College Grinnell, Iowa 1846 Nonsectarian[f] Pioneers 1918 1939 Midwest (MWC)[g]
University of Houston Houston, Texas 1927 Public Cougars 1951 1959 Big 12
University of Iowa Iowa City, Iowa 1847 Public Hawkeyes 1907 1908 Big Ten (B1G)
Iowa State College[h] Ames, Iowa 1858 Public Cyclones 1907 1928 Big 12
University of Kansas Lawrence, Kansas 1865 Public Jayhawks 1907 1928 Big 12
Kansas State College[i] Manhattan, Kansas 1863 Public Wildcats 1913 1928 Big 12
University of Louisville Louisville, Kentucky 1798 Public Cardinals 1963[j] 1975 Atlantic Coast (ACC)
Loyola University Chicago Chicago, Illinois 1870 Catholic
(Jesuit)		 Ramblers 2013 2022 Atlantic 10 (A10)
Memphis State University[k] Memphis, Tennessee 1912 Public Tigers 1968 1973 The American
University of Missouri Columbia, Missouri 1839 Public Tigers 1907 1928 Southeastern (SEC)
Missouri State University[l][m] Springfield, Missouri 1905 Public Bears &
Lady Bears[n]		 1990 2025 Conf. USA (CUSA)
University of Nebraska Lincoln, Nebraska 1869 Public Cornhuskers 1907 1919 Big Ten (B1G)
1921 1928
New Mexico State University Las Cruces, New Mexico 1888 Public Aggies 1970[o] 1983 Conf. USA (CUSA)
North Texas State University[p] Denton, Texas 1890 Public Mean Green 1957 1975 The American
University of Oklahoma Norman, Oklahoma 1890 Public Sooners 1919 1928 Southeastern (SEC)
Oklahoma A&M College[q] Stillwater, Oklahoma 1890 Public Aggies &
Cowboys[r]		 1925 1956 Big 12
Saint Louis University St. Louis, Missouri 1818 Catholic
(Jesuit)		 Billikens 1937 1974 Atlantic 10 (A10)
University of Tulsa[s] Tulsa, Oklahoma 1894 Nonsectarian[t] Golden Hurricane 1935 1996 The American
Washburn University Topeka, Kansas 1865 Public Ichabods 1935 1942 Mid-America (MIAA)[u]
Washington University in St. Louis St. Louis, Missouri 1853 Nonsectarian Bears 1907 1942 University (UAA)[g]
West Texas State University[v] Canyon, Texas 1910 Public Buffaloes 1970[w] 1986 Lone Star (LSC)[u]
Wichita State University Wichita, Kansas 1895 Public Shockers 1949 2017 The American
Notes
  1. Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
  2. Represents the calendar year when spring sports competition ends.
  3. Creighton previously withdrew from the MVC from 1948–49 to 1975–76.
  4. The Creighton men's basketball team joined the MVC a year after becoming a full member for other sports (1977–78).
  5. Currently known as the University of Detroit Mercy.
  6. Historically related to the United Church of Christ.
  7. Currently an NCAA Division III athletic conference.
  8. Currently known as Iowa State University.
  9. Currently known as Kansas State University.
  10. The Louisville men's basketball team joined the MVC a year after becoming a full member for other sports (1964–65).
  11. Currently known as the University of Memphis.
  12. Formerly known as Southwest Missouri State University until 2005.
  13. Missouri State remains in the MVC as an affiliate member for men's and women's swimming & diving.
  14. In beach volleyball, a sport not sponsored by the MVC, Missouri State uses Beach Bears instead of Lady Bears.
  15. 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).
  16. Currently known as the University of North Texas.
  17. Currently known as Oklahoma State University.
  18. 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.
  19. Tulsa would later rejoin the MVC as a men's soccer associate from the 2000 to 2004 fall seasons (2000–01 to 2004–05 school years).
  20. Historically affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (PCUSA).
  21. Currently an NCAA Division II athletic conference.
  22. Currently known as West Texas A&M University.
  23. The West Texas A&M men's basketball team joined the MVC two years after becoming a full member for other sports (1972–73).

Former affiliate members

This list does not include current full members Belmont and Valparaiso. As noted above, the Bruins played men's and women'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 Type Nickname Joined[a] Left[b] MVC
sport(s)		 Primary
conference
University of Arkansas at Little Rock[c]
(Little Rock[d])		 Little Rock, Arkansas 1927 Public Trojans 1998 2000 Women's soccer Ohio Valley (OVC)
University of Central Arkansas Conway, Arkansas 1907 Public Bears 2010 2019 Men's soccer Atlantic Sun (ASUN)
Dallas Baptist University
(DBU)		 Dallas, Texas 1898 Baptist Patriots 2013 2022 Baseball[e] Lone Star (LSC)[f]
Drury University Springfield, Missouri 1873 UCC & DOC Panthers 1999 2005 Women's soccer Great Lakes Valley (GLVC)[f]
Eastern Illinois University
(EIU)		 Charleston, Illinois 1895 Public Panthers 1996 2011 Men's soccer Ohio Valley (OVC)
1996 1999 Women's soccer
University of Hartford Hartford, Connecticut 1877 Nonsectarian Hawks 2014 2016 Men's tennis[g] C. New England (CNE)[h]
Marshall University Huntington, West Virginia 1837 Public Thundering
Herd		 2022[27][i] 2023[i] Women's swimming Sun Belt (SBC)
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
(UMBC)		 Catonsville, Maryland[j] 1966 Public Retrievers 2014 2016 Men's tennis[k] America East (AmEast)
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville[29]
(SIUE)		 Edwardsville, Illinois 1957 Public Cougars 2010 2017 Men's soccer Ohio Valley (OVC)
2021 2023
Southern Methodist University
(SMU)		 University Park, Texas[l] 1911 Nonsectartian[m] Mustangs 2000 2005 Men's soccer Atlantic Coast (ACC)
Stony Brook University[n] Stony Brook, New York 1957 Public Seawolves 2014 2017 Men's tennis[o] Coastal (CAA)
2014 2022 Women's tennis[o]
Texas Christian University
(TCU)		 Fort Worth, Texas 1873 Disciples
of Christ		 Horned Frogs 2000 2001 Men's soccer[p] Big 12
University of Tulsa[q] Tulsa, Oklahoma 1894 Nondenominational[r] Golden
Hurricane		 2000 2005 Men's soccer The American
Vanderbilt University Nashville, Tennessee 1873 Nonsectarian Commodores 1997 2006 Men's soccer[s] Southeastern (SEC)
Western Kentucky University
(WKU)		 Bowling Green, Kentucky 1906 Public Hilltoppers 1997 2008 Men's soccer[t] Conf. USA (CUSA)
Notes
  1. Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
  2. Represents the calendar year when spring sports competition ends.
  3. Arkansas–Little Rock (formerly as UALR, now as Little Rock), rejoined the MVC as an affiliate member for women's swimming & diving since the 2013–14 school year.
  4. Formerly branded athletically as Arkansas–Little Rock (or UALR).
  5. Dallas Baptist currently competes in Conference USA (CUSA) as an affiliate member for baseball.
  6. Currently an NCAA Division II athletic conference.
  7. Hartford dropped men's tennis after the 2015–16 school year.
  8. Currently an NCAA Division III athletic conference.
  9. Marshall joined the MVC as an affiliate member for women's swimming & diving, but only during the 2022–23 school year. Marshall's primary conference home (the Sun Belt Conference) has added women's swimming & diving since 2023–24.[28]
  10. The campus has a Baltimore mailing address.
  11. UMBC dropped men's tennis after the 2015–16 school year.
  12. The campus has a Dallas mailing address.
  13. Historically affiliated with the United Methodist Church.
  14. Also known as the State University of New York at Stony Brook.
  15. Stony Brook dropped men's tennis after the 2016–17 school year. The school's women's tennis team remained an MVC affiliate, but left when it joined the CAA in July 2022.[30]
  16. TCU dropped men's soccer after the 2002 fall season (2002–03 school year).
  17. Tulsa was a full member from 1935–36 to 1995–96, but rejoined the MVC as a men's soccer associate from the 2000 to 2004 fall seasons (2000–01 to 2004–05 school years).
  18. Historically affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (PCUSA).
  19. Vanderbilt dropped men's soccer after the 2005 fall season (2005–06 school year).
  20. Western Kentucky dropped men's soccer after the 2007 fall season (2007–08 school year).

Membership timeline

 Full member (all sports)   Full member (non-football)   Associate member (football)   Associate member (sport)  Other Conference  Other Conference 

Commissioners

  1. C. E. McClung (1907–19??)[31]
  2. Arthur (Artie) E. Eilers (1925–1957)[31]
  3. Norvell Neve (1957–1969)[31][32]
  4. DeWitt T. Weaver (1969–1972)[31]
  5. Mickey Holmes (1972–1979)[33][31]
  6. David Price (1979–1981)[34][31]
  7. Richard D. Martin (1981–1985)[31]
  8. James A. Haney (1985–1988)[35][31]
  9. Doug Elgin (1988–2021)[31][36]
  10. Jeff Jackson (2021–present)

Sports

Former Missouri Valley Conference logo

The Missouri Valley Conference sponsors championship competition in eight men's and ten women's NCAA sanctioned sports.[37] Ball State (men), Little Rock (women), and Miami (OH) (men) are affiliates in swimming and diving, and Bowling Green, Northern Illinois, and Western Michigan are affiliates in men's soccer.

The most recent change to the roster of sports came in the 2024–25 school year, when the MVC reinstated men's swimming & diving after a 22-year absence. The inaugural season of the relaunched league features 7 sponsoring members, with full members Evansville, UIC, Missouri State, Southern Illinois, and Valparaiso joined by new affiliates Ball State and Miami (OH)— previously, all these programs were housed in the Mid-American Conference.[38]

Teams in Missouri Valley Conference competition
SportMen'sWomen's
Baseball
9
–
Basketball
11
11
Cross country
11
11
Golf
9
11
Soccer
8
10
Softball
–
11
Swimming & diving
8
9
Tennis
–
8
Track and field (indoor)
10
11
Track and field (outdoor)
10
11
Volleyball
–
11

Men's sponsored sports by school

SchoolBaseballBasketballCross
country		GolfSoccerSwimming
& diving		Track & field
(indoor)		Track & field
(outdoor)		Total MVC
sports
BelmontYesYesYesYesYesNoYesYes7
BradleyYesYesYesYesYesNoYesYes7
DrakeNoYesYesYesYesNoYesYes6
EvansvilleYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes8
UICYesYesYesNoYesYesYesYes7
Illinois StateYesYesYesYesNoNoYesYes6
Indiana StateYesYesYesNoNoNoYesYes5
Murray StateYesYesYesYesNoNoNoNo4
Northern IowaNoYesYesYesNoNoYesYes5
Southern IllinoisYesYesYesYesNoYesYesYes7
ValparaisoYesYesYesYesNoYes[a]YesYes7
Totals9111195+3[b]4+4[c]101069+7
  1. Valparaiso does not include diving in its intercollegiate aquatics program.
  2. Men's soccer associate members Bowling Green, Northern Illinois, and Western Michigan; NIU will leave following the 2025 season when it rejoins the Horizon League, which sponsors that sport.
  3. Men's swimming & diving associate members Ball State, UMass, Miami (Ohio), and Missouri State.

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

SchoolFootballRifle[a]TennisWrestling
BelmontNoNoHorizonNo
DrakePioneer LeagueNoSummitNo
UICNoNoMACNo
Illinois StateMVFCNoSummitNo
Indiana StateMVFCNoNoNo
Murray StateMVFCOVC[b]No[c]No
Northern IowaMVFCNoNoBig 12
Southern IllinoisMVFCNoNoNo
ValparaisoPioneer LeagueNoNoNo
  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.
  3. Murray State will reinstate men's tennis, possibly as early as 2027–28. It has yet to announce a conference affiliation.[39]

Women's sponsored sports by school

SchoolBasketballCross
country		GolfSoccerSoftballSwimmingTennisTrack & field
(indoor)		Track & field
(outdoor)		VolleyballTotal MVC
sports
BelmontYesYesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesYes9
BradleyYesYesYesNoYesNoYesYesYesYes8
DrakeYesYesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesYes9
EvansvilleYesYesYesYesYesYesNoYesYesYes9
UICYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes10
Illinois StateYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes10
Indiana StateYesYesYesYesYesYesNoYesYesYes9
Murray StateYesYesYesYesYesNoYesYesYesYes9
Northern IowaYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes10
Southern IllinoisYesYesYesYesYesYesNoYesYesYes9
ValparaisoYesYesYesYesYesYes[a]YesYesYesYes10
Totals11111110117+2[b]8111111102+2
  1. Valparaiso does not include diving in its intercollegiate aquatics program for either men or women.
  2. Swimming & diving associates Little Rock and Missouri State

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

SchoolBeach volleyballBowlingGymnasticsRifle[a]RowingStunt
DrakeNoNoNoNoMetroNo
Illinois StateNoNoMICNoNoNo
Murray StateNo[b]No[b]NoOVC[c]No[b]No[b]
ValparaisoNoCUSANoNoNoNo
  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 will add beach volleyball, bowling, and stunt, and also reinstate rowing, as early as 2027–28.[39]
  3. Murray State fields a single coeducational rifle team.

Facilities

School Soccer Field Capacity Basketball Center Capacity Softball Complex Capacity Baseball Stadium Capacity
Belmont[40] E. S. Rose Park 300 Curb Event Center 5,085 E. S. Rose Park 250 E. S. Rose Park 750
Bradley[41] Shea Stadium 3,800 Men: Carver Arena
Women: Renaissance Coliseum		 11,060
4,200		 Louisville Slugger Sports Complex 1,000 Dozer Park 8,500
Drake[42] Mediacom Stadium 4,000 The Knapp Center 6,424 Ron Buel Field 500 Non-baseball school
Evansville[43] Arad McCutchan Stadium 2,500 Men: Ford Center
Women: Meeks Family Fieldhouse		 10,000
1,087		 James & Dorothy
Cooper Stadium		 650 Charles H. Braun Stadium 1,200
UIC[44] Flames Field 1,200 Credit Union 1 Arena 8,000 Flames Field 500 Curtis Granderson Stadium 2,000
Illinois State[45] Adelaide Street Field 1,000 CEFCU Arena 10,200 Marian Kneer Softball Stadium 1,050 Duffy Bass Field 1,000
Indiana State[46] Memorial Stadium 12,764 Hulman Center 9,000 Eleanor Forsythe St. John Softball Complex 700 Sycamore Stadium 2,000
Murray State[47] Cutchin Field 250 CFSB Center 8,600 Racer Field 500 Johnny Reagan Field 800
Northern Iowa[48] UNI Soccer Field —N/a McLeod Center 6,500 Robinson-Dresser Sports Complex —N/a Non-baseball school
Southern Illinois[49] Saluki Stadium 15,000 Banterra Center 8,339 Charlotte West Stadium 502 Itchy Jones Stadium 2,000
Valparaiso[50] Brown Field 5,000 Athletics–Recreation Center 5,000 Valpo Softball Complex —N/a Emory G. Bauer Field 500
Affiliate members
Bowling Green[51] Mickey Cochrane Stadium 1,500 Men's soccer-only member
Northern Illinois[52] NIU Soccer and Track & Field Complex 1,500
Western Michigan[53] WMU Soccer Complex 1,000
Note
  1. For football venues of the member schools who participate in the sport, see Missouri Valley Football Conference | Facilities and Pioneer Football League | Conference facilities.

Basketball tournament champions by year

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.

SeasonMen's ChampionWomen's Champion
1977Southern IllinoisNo Tournament
1978CreightonNo Tournament
1979Indiana StateNo Tournament
1980BradleyNo Tournament
1981CreightonNo Tournament
1982TulsaNo Tournament
1983Illinois StateIllinois State
1984TulsaNo Tournament
1985Wichita StateNo Tournament
1986TulsaNo Tournament
1987Wichita StateSouthern Illinois
1988BradleyEastern Illinois
1989CreightonIllinois State
1990Illinois StateSouthern Illinois
1991CreightonSouthwest Missouri State
1992Southwest Missouri StateSouthwest Missouri State
1993Southern IllinoisSouthwest Missouri State
1994Southern IllinoisSouthwest Missouri State
1995Southern IllinoisDrake
1996TulsaSouthwest Missouri State
1997Illinois StateIllinois State
1998Illinois StateIllinois State
1999CreightonEvansville
2000CreightonDrake
2001Indiana StateSouthwest Missouri State
2002CreightonCreighton
2003CreightonSouthwest Missouri State
2004Northern IowaSouthwest Missouri State
2005CreightonIllinois State
2006Southern IllinoisMissouri State
2007CreightonDrake
2008DrakeIllinois State
2009Northern IowaEvansville
2010Northern IowaNorthern Iowa
2011Indiana StateNorthern Iowa
2012CreightonCreighton
2013CreightonWichita State
2014Wichita StateWichita State
2015Northern IowaWichita State
2016Northern IowaMissouri State
2017Wichita StateDrake
2018Loyola ChicagoDrake
2019BradleyMissouri State
2020BradleyCanceled (COVID-19 pandemic)
2021Loyola ChicagoBradley
2022 Loyola Chicago Illinois State
2023 Drake Drake
2024 Drake Drake
2025 Drake Murray State

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 State (8) Creighton
1984 (4) Tulsa (8) Illinois State
1985 (6) Tulsa (9) Illinois State (11) Wichita State
1986 (7) Bradley (10) Tulsa
1987 (11) Tulsa (11) Wichita State
1988 (9) Bradley (12) Wichita State
1994 (11) Southern Illinois (12) Tulsa
1995 (6) Tulsa (10) Southern Illinois
1996 (8) Bradley (11) Tulsa
1999 (10) Creighton (11) Evansville (12) Southwest Missouri State
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 State (10) Northern Iowa (11) Southern Illinois (13) Bradley
2007 (4) Southern Illinois (10) Creighton
2012 (5) Wichita State (8) Creighton
2013 (7) Creighton (9) Wichita State
2015 (5) Northern Iowa (7) Wichita State
2016 (11) Northern Iowa (11) Wichita State
2021 (8) Loyola Chicago (11) Drake

National team titles by institution

School – Number – NCAA championships

  • Belmont
  • Bradley – 2 [54]
  • Drake – 3 [54]
  • Evansville – 0+5* [54]
  • UIC - 0+2* [54]
  • Illinois State – 0+1* [54]
  • Indiana State – 1 [54]
  • Missouri State – 0 +2* [54]
  • Murray State
  • UNI – 1+2* [54]
  • Southern Illinois – 5+3* [54]
  • Valparaiso – 0[54]

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:[55][56][57]

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 conference tournament. The two sellout crowds of 22,612 for the semifinals and final of the 2007 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.[58]

Football champions by year

MVC TV Network

Since at least 1993, the MVC has produced an in-house package of sports as part of the MVC TV Network.[59]Starting in 1996, those telecasts were produced, in part, by Bally Sports Midwest (formerly Fox Sports Midwest). These games were distributed to regional sports networks including Bally Sports Indiana, Bally Sports Kansas City, Bally Sports South, Bally Sports Southeast, and NBC Sports Chicago (now Chicago Sports Network), as well as shown on Bally Sports Midwest.[60] Until the 2020–21 season, some of these telecasts also aired on Fox College Sports. Outside of regional networks these telecasts were also available on ESPN3 until the 2018–19 season; those telecasts were then migrated over to ESPN+.[61]

Starting with the 2024–25 academic year, production and distribution rights were acquired by Gray Media, with Gray Media-owned Indianapolis-based Tupelo Honey handling the actual production and distribution.[62] It is a linear over-the-air station package distributed in Gray Media markets within the MVC member states of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, and Tennessee as well as third-party broadcast partners in markets within those same states where Gray Media has no presence; in addition, simulcasts will be available live nationally (via ESPN+ and through the ESPN app) without any digital blackouts (prior contracts prohibited simulcast availability within the MVC footprint).

The MVC TV Network serves as the home for the opening and quarterfinal rounds of Arch Madness (the nickname for the MVC men's basketball tournament).

See also

References

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