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Missouri Valley Conference

US college athletic conference

Field	Value
name	Missouri Valley Conference
color	#003976;
font_color	white
title	Missouri Valley Conference
logo	Missouri Valley Conference logo.svg
logo_size	180
founded
association	NCAA
division	Division I
subdivision	non-football
teams	11
sports	18
mens	8
womens	10
region	Midwestern & Southern United States
headquarters	St. Louis, Missouri
commissioner	Jeff Jackson
since	2021
TV	ESPN

website
map	[[File:Missouri Valley Conference map.svg	200px]]
map_size	600

CBS/CBSSN

Gray Media

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).

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.

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.

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, 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. The conference announced it extended an invitation to Valparaiso University on May 9, 2017; and on May 25, the MVC announced that Valparaiso would officially join the following July 1.

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. Then, on November 16, Loyola University Chicago announced it would leave the MVC at the same time, joining the Atlantic 10 Conference. 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. On January 7, 2022, the MVC announced that Murray State would officially join the conference on July 1 of that year. UT Arlington would soon remove itself from the list of candidates by announcing a 2022 move to the Western Athletic Conference.

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):

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. UIC's entry was officially announced on January 26.

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.

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.

Member schools

Current full members

Institution	Location	Founded	Joined	Type	url=https://www.usnews.com/education	title=US News Education – Best Colleges – Best Graduate Schools – Online Schools – US News	work=U.S. News & World Report
(millions)	Nickname	Colors
Belmont University	Nashville, Tennessee	1890	2022	Private	8,700	$356.8	Bruins
Bradley University	Peoria, Illinois	1897	1948,
1955	Private	5,451	$350	Braves
Drake University	Des Moines, Iowa	1881	1907,
1956	Private	5,270	$219.8	Bulldogs
	Evansville, Indiana	1854	1994	Private	2,526	$157	Purple Aces
	Chicago, Illinois	1946	2022	Public	30,539	$3,380	Flames
Illinois State University	Normal, Illinois	1857	1981	Public	20,683	$240	Redbirds
Indiana State University	Terre Haute, Indiana	1865	1976	Public	13,584	$102.9	Sycamores
Murray State University	Murray, Kentucky	1922	2022	Public	10,495	$100.2	Racers
	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	Private	2,900	$254.2	Beacons

;Notes

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)

(Little Rock)	Little Rock, Arkansas	1927	2013–14	Public	13,167	Trojans	OVC	women's swimming
Ball State University	Muncie, Indiana	1918	2024–25	Public	21,597	Cardinals	MAC	men's swimming and diving
	Bowling Green, Ohio	1910	2023–24	18,142	Falcons	men's soccer
	Amherst, Massachusetts	1863	2025–26	27,420	Minutemen	men's swimming and diving
Miami University	Oxford, Ohio	1809	2024–25	18,880	RedHawks	men's swimming and diving
	Springfield, Missouri	1905	2025–26	26,000	Bears/Lady Bears	CUSA	men's and women's swimming & diving
	DeKalb, Illinois	1895	2023–24	16,769	Huskies	MAC	men's soccer
	Kalamazoo, Michigan	1903	2023–24	19,887	Broncos	MAC	men's soccer

;Notes

Institution	Location	Founded	Joined	Type	Enrollment	Nickname	Primary
conference	MVC
sport(s)

Former members

Former full members (26)

Institution	Location	Founded	Joined	Left	Type	Enrollment	Nickname	Current
conference
Butler University	Indianapolis, Indiana	1855	1932	1934	Private	4,667	Bulldogs	Big East
	Cincinnati, Ohio	1819	1957	1970	Public	42,421	Bearcats	Big 12
Creighton University	Omaha, Nebraska	1878	1928,
1976	1948,
2013	Private	7,730	Bluejays	Big East
	Detroit, Michigan	1877	1949	1956	Private	5,450	Titans	Horizon
Grinnell College	Grinnell, Iowa	1846	1918	1939	Private	1,688	Pioneers	Midwest
	Houston, Texas	1927	1951	1959	Public	39,820	Cougars	Big 12
	Iowa City, Iowa	1847	1907	1908	Public	30,328	Hawkeyes	Big Ten
Iowa State College	Ames, Iowa	1858	1907	1928	Public	29,887	Cyclones	Big 12
	Lawrence, Kansas	1865	1907	1928	Public	29,462	Jayhawks	Big 12
Kansas State College	Manhattan, Kansas	1863	1913	1928	Public	23,863	Wildcats	Big 12
	Louisville, Kentucky	1798	1963	1975	Public	19,743	Cardinals	ACC
Loyola University Chicago	Chicago, Illinois	1870	2013	2022	Private	16,437	Ramblers	Atlantic 10
Memphis State University	Memphis, Tennessee	1912	1968	1973	Public	23,031	Tigers	The American
	Columbia, Missouri	1839	1907	1928	Public	33,805	Tigers	SEC
	Springfield, Missouri	1905	1990	2025	Public	26,000	Bears/Lady Bears	CUSA
	Lincoln, Nebraska	1869	1907,
1921	1919,
1928	Public	24,593	Cornhuskers	Big Ten
New Mexico State University	Las Cruces, New Mexico	1888	1970	1983	Public	18,497	Aggies	CUSA
North Texas State University	Denton, Texas	1890	1957	1975	Public	35,694	Mean Green	The American
	Norman, Oklahoma	1890	1919	1928	Public	30,303	Sooners	SEC
Oklahoma A&M College	Stillwater, Oklahoma	1890	1925	1956	Public	21,419	Aggies/Cowboys	Big 12
Saint Louis University	St. Louis, Missouri	1818	1937	1974	Private	13,785	Billikens	Atlantic 10
	Tulsa, Oklahoma	1894	1935	1996	Private	4,165	Golden Hurricane	The American
Washburn University	Topeka, Kansas	1865	1935	1942	Public	7,303	Ichabods	MIAA
Washington University in St. Louis	St. Louis, Missouri	1853	1907	1942	Private	14,070	Bears	UAA
West Texas State University	Canyon, Texas	1910	1972	1986	Public	7,843	Buffaloes	Lone Star
Wichita State University	Wichita, Kansas	1895	1949	2017	Public	14,495	Shockers	The American

;Notes:

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)
	Little Rock, Arkansas	1927	1998–99	1999–2000	Public	13,167	Trojans	OVC	women's soccer
	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	baseball
Drury University	Springfield, Missouri	1873	1999–2000	2004–05	Private	5,474	Panthers	GLVC	women's soccer
Eastern Illinois University	Charleston, Illinois	1895	1996–97	2010–11	Public	11,651	Panthers	OVC	men's soccer
	Hartford, Connecticut	1877	2014–15	2015–16	Private	6,935	Hawks	CNE	men's tennis
Marshall University	Huntington, West Virginia	1837	2022–23	2023–24	Public	11,926	Thundering Herd	Sun Belt	women's swimming
	Catonsville, Maryland	1966	2014–15	2015–16	Public	13,908	Retrievers	America East	men's tennis
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville	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	ACC	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
Texas Christian University	Fort Worth, Texas	1873	2000–01	2000–01	Private	9,518	Horned Frogs	Big 12	men's soccer
	Tulsa, Oklahoma	1894	2000–01	2004–05	Private	4,165	Golden Hurricane		men's soccer
Vanderbilt University	Nashville, Tennessee	1873	1997–98	2005–06	Private	12,714	Commodores	SEC	men's soccer
Western Kentucky University	Bowling Green, Kentucky	1906	1997–98	2007–08	Public	21,048	Hilltoppers	CUSA	men's soccer

;Notes:

Membership timeline

DateFormat = yyyy ImageSize = width:1000 height:auto barincrement:18 Period = from:1907 till:2029 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal PlotArea = right:20 left:0 bottom:50 top:5 # to display a count on left side of graph, use "left:20" to suppress the count, use "left:20"

Colors = id:barcolor value:rgb(0.99,0.7,0.7) id:line value:black id:bg value:white

id:FullxF value:rgb(0.551,0.824,0.677) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports id:Full value:rgb(0.742,0.727,0.852) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports except for football id:AssocF value:rgb(0.98,0.5,0.445) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member for football only id:AssocOS value:rgb(0.3,0.691,0.824) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in some sports, but not all (consider identifying in legend or a footnote) id:OtherC1 value:rgb(0.996,0.996,0.699) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved to another conference id:OtherC2 value:rgb(0.988,0.703,0.383) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved to another conference where OtherC1 has already been used, to distinguish the two

PlotData=

width:15 textcolor:black shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:s

bar:1 color:FullxF from:1907 till:1908 text:Drake (1907–1952) bar:1 color:Full from:1908 till:1951 bar:1 color:AssocF from:1951 till:1952 bar:1 color:OtherC1 from:1952 till:1957 text:Indep. bar:1 color:FullxF from:1957 till:1971 text:(1956–present) bar:1 color:Full from:1971 till:1986 bar:1 color:FullxF from:1986 till:end

bar:2 color:AssocF from:1907 till:1911 text:Iowa (1907–1911) bar:2 shift:70 color:OtherC1 from:1911 till:end text:Big Ten

bar:3 color:FullxF from:1907 till:1908 text:Iowa State (1907–1928) bar:3 color:Full from:1908 till:1928 bar:3 color:OtherC1 from:1928 till:1996 text:Big Eight bar:3 color:OtherC2 from:1996 till:end text:Big 12

bar:4 color:Full from:1907 till:1928 text:Kansas (1907–1928) bar:4 color:OtherC1 from:1928 till:1996 text:Big Eight bar:4 color:OtherC2 from:1996 till:end text:Big 12

bar:5 color:Full from:1907 till:1928 text:Missouri (1907–1928) bar:5 color:OtherC1 from:1928 till:1996 text:Big Eight bar:5 color:OtherC2 from:1996 till:2012 text:Big 12 bar:5 color:OtherC1 from:2012 till:end text:SEC

bar:6 color:Full from:1907 till:1919 text:Nebraska (1907–1919, 1921–1928) bar:6 color:OtherC1 from:1919 till:1921 bar:6 color:Full from:1921 till:1928 bar:6 color:OtherC1 from:1928 till:1996 text:Big Eight bar:6 color:OtherC2 from:1996 till:2011 text:Big 12 bar:6 color:OtherC1 from:2011 till:end text:Big Ten

bar:7 color:Full from:1907 till:1943 text:Washington U. (1907–1947) bar:7 color:FullxF from:1943 till:1947 bar:7 color:OtherC1 from:1947 till:1962 text:Independent bar:7 color:OtherC2 from:1962 till:1972 text:SCAC (D-III) bar:7 color:OtherC1 from:1972 till:1986 text:Independent bar:7 color:OtherC2 from:1986 till:end text:UAA (D-III)

bar:8 color:Full from:1913 till:1928 text:Kansas State (1913–1928) bar:8 shift:(10) color:OtherC1 from:1928 till:1996 text:Big Eight bar:8 color:OtherC2 from:1996 till:end text:Big 12

bar:9 color:Full from:1918 till:1939 text:Grinnell (1918–1939) bar:9 color:OtherC1 from:1939 till:end text:Midwest (D-III)

bar:10 color:Full from:1919 till:1928 text:Oklahoma (1919–1928) bar:10 shift:(50) color:OtherC1 from:1928 till:1996 text:Big Eight bar:10 color:OtherC2 from:1996 till:2024 text:Big 12 bar:10 color:OtherC1 from:2024 till:end text:SEC

bar:11 color:Full from:1925 till:1958 text:Oklahoma A&M (1925–1958) bar:11 color:OtherC1 from:1958 till:1996 text:Big Eight bar:11 color:OtherC2 from:1996 till:end text:Big 12

bar:12 color:Full from:1928 till:1943 text:Creighton (1928–1948) bar:12 color:FullxF from:1943 till:1948 bar:12 color:OtherC1 from:1948 till:1976 text:Independent bar:12 color:FullxF from:1976 till:2013 text:(1976–2013) bar:12 color:OtherC1 from:2013 till:end text:Big East

bar:13 color:Full from:1932 till:1934 text:Butler (1932–1934) bar:13 shift:(90) color:OtherC1 from:1934 till:1950 text:IIC bar:13 color:OtherC2 from:1950 till:1978 text:ICC bar:13 color:OtherC1 from:1978 till:1979 bar:13 color:OtherC2 from:1979 till:2001 text:MCC bar:13 color:OtherC2 from:2001 till:2012 text:Horizon bar:13 shift:(-10) color:OtherC1 from:2012 till:2013 text:A-10 bar:13 color:OtherC2 from:2013 till:end text:Big East

bar:14 color:FullxF from:1934 till:1935 text:Tulsa (1934–1996) bar:14 color:Full from:1935 till:1986 bar:14 color:FullxF from:1986 till:1996 bar:14 color:OtherC1 from:1996 till:2000 text:WAC bar:14 color:AssocOS from:2000 till:2005 text:(Men's soccer, 2000–2005) bar:14 color:OtherC1 from:2005 till:2014 bar:14 shift:(20) color:OtherC2 from:2014 till:end text:American

bar:15 color:Full from:1935 till:1941 text:Washburn (1935–1943) bar:15 color:FullxF from:1941 till:1943 bar:15 shift:(60) color:OtherC1 from:1943 till:1967 text:CIC bar:15 color:OtherC2 from:1967 till:1972 text:RMAC bar:15 color:OtherC1 from:1972 till:1976 text:CPAC bar:15 color:OtherC2 from:1976 till:1989 text:CSIC (NAIA) bar:15 color:OtherC1 from:1989 till:end text:MIAA (D-II)

bar:16 color:Full from:1937 till:1950 text:St. Louis (1937–1974) bar:16 color:FullxF from:1950 till:1974 bar:16 color:OtherC1 from:1974 till:1975 bar:16 color:OtherC2 from:1975 till:1982 text:Metro bar:16 color:OtherC1 from:1982 till:1991 text:MCC bar:16 color:OtherC2 from:1991 till:1995 text:GMC bar:16 color:OtherC1 from:1995 till:2005 text:C-USA bar:16 color:OtherC2 from:2005 till:end text:A-10

bar:17 color:Full from:1945 till:1964 text:Wichita (1945–2017) bar:17 color:Full from:1964 till:1986 text:Wichita State bar:17 color:FullxF from:1986 till:2017 bar:17 color:OtherC1 from:2017 till:end text:American

bar:18 color:FullxF from:1948 till:1949 text:Bradley (1948–1952, 1955–present) bar:18 color:Full from:1949 till:1951 bar:18 color:AssocF from:1951 till:1952 bar:18 color:OtherC1 from:1952 till:1955 bar:18 color:FullxF from:1955 till:end

bar:19 color:Full from:1949 till:1957 text:Detroit (1949–1957) bar:19 shift:(40) color:OtherC1 from:1957 till:1980 text:Independent bar:19 color:OtherC2 from:1980 till:2001 text:MCC bar:19 color:OtherC2 from:2001 till:end text:Horizon

bar:20 color:Full from:1951 till:1960 text:Houston (1951–1960) bar:20 shift:(40) color:OtherC1 from:1960 till:1972 text:Independent bar:20 color:OtherC2 from:1972 till:1996 text:SWC bar:20 color:OtherC1 from:1996 till:2013 text: C-USA bar:20 color:OtherC2 from:2013 till:2023 text: American bar:20 color:OtherC1 from:2023 till:end text:Big 12

bar:21 color:Full from:1957 till:1970 text:Cincinnati (1957–1970) bar:21 shift:(10) color:OtherC1 from:1970 till:1975 text:Indep. bar:21 color:OtherC2 from:1975 till:1991 text:Metro bar:21 color:OtherC1 from:1991 till:1995 text:GMC bar:21 color:OtherC2 from:1995 till:2005 text: C-USA bar:21 color:OtherC1 from:2005 till:2013 text: Big East bar:21 color:OtherC2 from:2013 till:2023 text: American bar:21 color:OtherC1 from:2023 till:end text:Big 12

bar:22 color:Full from:1957 till:1975 text:North Texas State (1957–1975) bar:22 color:OtherC1 from:1975 till:1982 text:Indep. bar:22 color:OtherC2 from:1982 till:1996 text:SLC bar:22 shift:(-10) color:OtherC1 from:1996 till:2000 text:Big West bar:22 color:OtherC2 from:2000 till:2013 text:Sun Belt bar:22 color:OtherC1 from:2013 till:2023 text:C-USA bar:22 color:OtherC2 from:2023 till:end text:American

bar:23 color:AssocOS from:1963 till:1964 text:Louisville (1963–1975) bar:23 color:Full from:1964 till:1975 text: bar:23 shift:(20) color:OtherC1 from:1975 till:1995 text:Metro bar:23 color:OtherC2 from:1995 till:2005 text:C-USA bar:23 color:OtherC1 from:2005 till:2013 text:Big East bar:23 shift:(-10) color:OtherC2 from:2013 till:2014 text:AAC bar:23 color:OtherC1 from:2014 till:end text:ACC

bar:24 shift:(-95) color:Full from:1968 till:1973 text:Memphis State (1968–1973) bar:24 shift:(-2) color:OtherC1 from:1973 till:1975 text: Ind. bar:24 color:OtherC2 from:1975 till:1995 text:Metro bar:24 color:OtherC1 from:1995 till:2013 text:C-USA bar:24 color:OtherC2 from:2013 till:end text:American

bar:25 color:FullxF from:1970 till:1972 text:New Mexico State (1970–1983) bar:25 color:Full from:1972 till:1983 text: bar:25 color:AssocF from:1983 till:1984 text: bar:25 shift:(45) color:OtherC1 from:1984 till:2000 text:PCAA/Big West bar:25 color:OtherC2 from:2000 till:2005 text:Sun Belt bar:25 shift:(10) color:OtherC1 from:2005 till:2023 text:WAC bar:25 color:OtherC2 from:2023 till:end text:C-USA

bar:26 color:Full from:1972 till:1986 text:West Texas State (1972–1986) bar:26 color:OtherC1 from:1986 till:1991 bar:26 color:OtherC2 from:1991 till:1994 text:D-II Ind. bar:26 shift:(20) color:OtherC1 from:1994 till:end text:LSC (D-II)

bar:27 color:Full from:1975 till:1986 text:Southern Illinois (1975–present) bar:27 color:FullxF from:1986 till:end

bar:28 color:Full from:1976 till:1986 text:Indiana State (1976–present) bar:28 color:FullxF from:1986 till:end

bar:29 color:FullxF from:1980 till:1981 text:Illinois State (1980–present) bar:29 color:Full from:1981 till:1986 bar:29 color:FullxF from:1986 till:end

bar:30 color:FullxF from:1990 till:2025 text:Southwest Missouri State/Missouri State (1990–2025) bar:30 color:AssocOS from:2025 till:end text:CUSA (Men's & Women's Swimming & Diving, 2025-present)

bar:31 color:FullxF from:1991 till:end text:Northern Iowa (1991–present)

bar:32 color:FullxF from:1994 till:end text:Evansville (1994–present)

bar:33 shift:(-170) color:AssocOS from:1996 till:1999 text:Valparaiso (Women's soccer, 1996–1999) bar:33 color:OtherC1 from:1999 till:2007 text:Mid-Con bar:33 color:OtherC2 from:2007 till:2017 text:Horizon bar:33 color:FullxF from:2017 till:end text:(2017–present)

bar:34 shift:(-160) color:AssocOS from:2000 till:2001 text:Belmont (Men's soccer, 2000–2001) bar:34 color:OtherC1 from:2001 till:2012 text:ASUN bar:34 color:OtherC2 from:2012 till:2022 text:OVC bar:34 shift:(-20) color:FullXF from:2022 till:end text:(2022–present)

bar:40 shift:(-40) color:FullxF from:2013 till:2022 text:Loyola Chicago (2013–2022) bar:40 shift:(30) color:OtherC1 from:2022 till:end text:A-10

bar:42 shift:(-80) color:FullxF from:2022 till:end text:Murray State (2022–present)

bar:43 shift:(-40) color:FullxF from:2022 till:end text:UIC (2022–present)

ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:5 start:1910 TextData = fontsize:M textcolor:black pos:(0,30) tabs:(400-center) text:^"Missouri Valley Membership History"

If the chart uses more than one bar color, add a legend by selecting the appropriate fields from the following six options (use only the colors that are used in the graphic.) Leave a blank line after the end of the timeline, then add a line with the selected values from the list, separated by a space.

Commissioners

C. E. McClung (1907–19??)
Arthur (Artie) E. Eilers (1925–1957)
Norvell Neve (1957–1969)
DeWitt T. Weaver (1969–1972)
Mickey Holmes (1972–1979)
David Price (1979–1981)
Richard D. Martin (1981–1985)
James A. Haney (1985–1988)
Doug Elgin (1988–2021)
Jeff Jackson (2021–present)

Sports

The Missouri Valley Conference sponsors championship competition in eight men's and ten women's NCAA sanctioned sports. 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.

Sport		style="background:lightgray"	Men's		style="background:lightgray"	Women's
Baseball
Basketball
Cross country
Golf
Soccer
Softball
Swimming & diving
	Tennis
	Track and field (indoor)
	Track and field (outdoor)
Volleyball

Men's sponsored sports by school

School	Baseball	Basketball	Cross
country	Golf	Soccer	Swimming
& diving	Track & field
(indoor)	Track & field
(outdoor)	Total MVC
sports
Belmont									7
Bradley									7
Drake									6
Evansville									8
UIC									7
Illinois State									6
Indiana State									5
Murray State									4
Northern Iowa									5
Southern Illinois									7
Valparaiso									7
Totals	9	11	11	9	5+3	4+4	10	10	69+7

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

School	Football	Rifle	Tennis	Wrestling
Belmont	No	No	Horizon	No
Drake	Pioneer League	No	Summit	No
UIC	No	No	MAC	No
Illinois State	MVFC	No	Summit	No
Indiana State	MVFC	No	No	No
Murray State	MVFC	OVC	No	No
Northern Iowa	MVFC	No	No	Big 12
Southern Illinois	MVFC	No	No	No
Valparaiso	Pioneer League	No	No	No

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											9
Bradley											8
Drake											9
Evansville											9
UIC											10
Illinois State											10
Indiana State											9
Murray State											9
Northern Iowa											10
Southern Illinois											9
Valparaiso											10
Totals	11	11	11	10	11	7+2	8	11	11	11	102+2

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

School	Bowling	Gymnastics	Rifle	Rowing
Drake	No	No	No	MAAC
Illinois State	No	MIC	No	No
Murray State	No	No	OVC	No
Valparaiso	CUSA	No	No	No

Facilities

Western Michigan Broncos}}"		WMU Soccer Complex	1,000

; Note

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

Main article: Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball tournament, 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	Southwest Missouri State
1992	Southwest Missouri State	Southwest Missouri State
1993	Southern Illinois	Southwest Missouri State
1994	Southern Illinois	Southwest Missouri State
1995	Southern Illinois	Drake
1996	Tulsa	Southwest Missouri State
1997	Illinois State	Illinois State
1998	Illinois State	Illinois State
1999	Creighton	Evansville
2000	Creighton	Drake
2001	Indiana State	Southwest Missouri State
2002	Creighton	Creighton
2003	Creighton	Southwest Missouri State
2004	Northern Iowa	Southwest Missouri State
2005	Creighton	Illinois State
2006	Southern Illinois	Missouri State
2007	Creighton	Drake
2008	Drake	Illinois State
2009	Northern Iowa	Evansville
2010	Northern Iowa	Northern Iowa
2011	Indiana State	Northern Iowa
2012	Creighton	Creighton
2013	Creighton	Wichita State
2014	Wichita State	Wichita State
2015	Northern Iowa	Wichita State
2016	Northern Iowa	Missouri State
2017	Wichita State	Drake
2018	Loyola Chicago	Drake
2019	Bradley	Missouri State
2020	Bradley	Canceled (COVID-19 pandemic)
2021	Loyola Chicago	Bradley
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

2021	(8) Loyola Chicago	(11) Drake

National team titles by institution

School – Number – NCAA championships

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

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:

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.

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 TV Network

Since at least 1993, the MVC has produced an in-house package of sports as part of the MVC TV Network.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. 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+.

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. 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).

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