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Ohio Valley Conference
US college athletic conference
US college athletic conference
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Ohio Valley Conference |
| color | #9C243F; |
| font_color | #FFFFFF |
| logo | Ohio Valley Conference logo.svg |
| logo_size | 200 |
| founded | |
| association | NCAA |
| division | Division I |
| subdivision | FCS |
| teams | 11 (9 in 2026) |
| sports | 20 |
| mens | 9 |
| womens | 10 |
| coed | 1 |
| region | Midwest and South |
| headquarters | Brentwood, Tennessee |
| commissioner | Beth DeBauche |
| since | 2009 |
| TV | ESPN |
| website | |
| map | Ohio Valley Conference Map.svg |
| map_size | 250 |
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The Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) is a collegiate athletic conference which operates in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. It participates in Division I of the NCAA; the conference's football programs compete in partnership with the Big South Conference in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS; formerly known as Division I-AA), the lower of two levels of Division I football competition. The OVC has 11 members, seven of which compete in football in the conference.
History
Primary source:
The Ohio Valley Conference can trace its roots to 1941 when Murray State athletic director Roy Stewart, Eastern Kentucky athletic director Charles "Turkey" Hughes, and Western Kentucky public relations director Kelly Thompson first formulated the idea of establishing a regional athletics conference. The plan was put on hold due to World War II, but it was resurrected after the conclusion of the war. In 1948, the three schools joined with Louisville, Morehead State, and Evansville to form the Ohio Valley Conference. While many collegiate conferences are struggling today with the question of whether their policies and rules should be determined by the athletic departments or by the institutional heads, from the very beginning, the OVC has been run by the presidents of its member schools.
Historically, the OVC was a pioneer in racial desegregation, with Morehead State signing the conference's first Black athlete, Marshall Banks, in 1958. The rest of the OVC soon followed in Morehead State's wake. From 1986 to 2018, the OVC was unique among NCAA Division I conferences in that it included one historically Black university, Tennessee State University, in a conference that otherwise consists of institutions that are not traditionally Black. During this period, every other HBCU in NCAA Division I belonged to either the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference or Southwestern Athletic Conference. That distinction changed when both Hampton University and North Carolina A&T State University joined the Big South Conference in 2018 and 2021, respectively; both schools have since joined the Coastal Athletic Association.
The OVC has also been a leader in advancement of sports opportunities for women. The conference began adding championship competitions for women in 1977 several years after the AIAW began sponsoring national championships for women, but seven years before the NCAA was ready to move into the field. Since 2009, the OVC has been led by Commissioner Beth DeBauche, one of only six female commissioners for the thirty-two Division I conferences.
Athletic rivalries, really close colleges and especially when competitors are in relatively close proximity, can generate problems with fan behavior, and the conference leadership struggled with controlling the issue for many years. When the national debate on the problem reached its apex in the mid-1990s, the OVC unveiled the national first of its kind "Sportsmanship Statement" in 1995, stating the conference's policy on, "... principles of fair play, ethical conduct and respect for one's opponent." Since then, the OVC has also introduced individual, team (for each sport), and institutional sportsmanship awards.
Founded by six schools, the expansions of 2007 and 2011 brought the Ohio Valley Conference membership to twelve schools, the most in its history. The OVC dropped to 10 members after the 2020–21 school year, when founding member Eastern Kentucky and Jacksonville State left for the Atlantic Sun Conference (then branded as the ASUN Conference; "ASUN" is still the official abbreviation). At that time, the OVC was searching for teams to replace both.
The OVC lost three more members after the 2021–22 school year. Football-sponsoring Austin Peay left for the ASUN, which ultimately launched its own football league in 2022. Non-football Belmont left for the Missouri Valley Conference. Another football school, founding member Murray State, left for the MVC. When announcing its move to the MVC, Murray State announced that it was seeking membership in the football-only Missouri Valley Football Conference, and also announced that it would continue to house its rifle team in the OVC. In a separate statement, Murray State's president indicated that the football team would remain in the OVC in the 2022 season, ensuring that the OVC would retain its automatic bid to the FCS playoffs in that season and giving the league more time to add new football members. Murray State would eventually be accepted by the MVFC effective in 2023.
Also in July 2022, the OVC added two non-football members in the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, athletically known as Little Rock, and the University of Southern Indiana, which started a transition from NCAA Division II, plus a new football-sponsoring member in Lindenwood University, also transitioning from D-II.
According to a report from Matt Brown of the Extra Points college sports blog, the OVC expected to lose Murray State, and was considering multiple expansion candidates, with Southern Indiana among them. Other schools named by Brown's sources as possible candidates were FCS programs Arkansas–Pine Bluff and Western Illinois, plus potential Division II upgraders Grand Valley State, Hillsdale, and Lincoln Memorial.
On February 22, 2022, the conference announced its intent to combine its football membership with the Big South Conference beginning in 2023 and operate as the OVC–Big South Football Association. The alliance follows the model that the ASUN and Western Athletic Conference used in 2021 and 2022 before merging their football leagues in 2023 as the United Athletic Conference.
Shortly after the 2022 membership changes took effect, the OVC and the Horizon League jointly announced that they would merge their men's tennis leagues under the Horizon banner, effective immediately. All five OVC members that sponsored men's tennis became Horizon affiliates in that sport.
On March 28, 2023, the OVC announced it was adding men's soccer as its 19th championship sport. The four OVC members sponsoring the sport in other conferences were joined by Chicago State University, Houston Christian University, University of the Incarnate Word, and Liberty University. Chicago State was also announced as an incoming men's and women's golf associate on that day. Chicago State's OVC teams left the conference at the end of the 2023–24 school year when the university joined the Northeast Conference, which sponsors all sports that CSU housed in the OVC.
On May 12, 2023, it was announced that Western Illinois University would join the OVC from the Summit League in most non-football sports beginning for the 2023 season. Western Illinois football, which was then a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference, played the 2023 season in that league before joining the university's other sports in the OVC for the 2024 season. Western later announced its men's soccer team would also play the 2023 season in its former all-sports home of the Summit League before joining the OVC in 2024.
OVC Digital Network
In August 2012, the OVC announced that it had launched the OVC Digital Network as a replacement for and improvement over the conference's former efforts to provide streaming video coverage of many athletic events that had been in place since 2006. This website carried live, student-produced coverage of most conference games and some non-conference games in baseball, men's and women's basketball, football, soccer, softball, and volleyball as well as some coaches' shows, special presentations, and archived game-casts available for later viewing.
In its first two years, the network provided well over 600,000 viewings of streamed live video of more than 1,400 events.
In the 2018–19 school year, the coverage previously carried on the OVC Digital Network was switched over to ESPN+.
Member schools
Full members
| Institution | Location | Founded | Joined | Type | Enrollment | Endowment | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (millions) | Nickname | Colors | ||||||
| Little Rock, Arkansas | 1927 | 2022 | Public | 8,197 | $80 | Trojans | ||
| Eastern Illinois University | Charleston, Illinois | 1895 | 1996 | Public | 8,107 | $87.3 | Panthers | |
| St. Charles, Missouri | 1827 | 2022 | Private | 7,288 | $143.4 | Lions | ||
| Morehead State University | Morehead, Kentucky | 1887 | 1948 | Public | 8,618 | $71 | Eagles | |
| Southeast Missouri State University | Cape Girardeau, Missouri | 1873 | 1991 | 9,686 | $84.2 | Redhawks | ||
| Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | Edwardsville, Illinois | 1957 | 2008 | 12,045 | $27.4 | Cougars | ||
| Evansville, Indiana | 1965 | 2022 | 9,282 | $103 | Screaming Eagles | |||
| Tennessee State University | Nashville, Tennessee | 1912 | 1986 | 8,198 | $91.1 | Tigers/Lady Tigers | ||
| Tennessee Tech University | Cookeville, Tennessee | 1915 | 1949 | Public | 10,117 | $96.2 | Golden Eagles | |
| University of Tennessee at Martin | Martin, Tennessee | 1927 | 1992 | Public | 6,941 | $51 | Skyhawks | |
| Western Illinois University | Macomb, Illinois | 1899 | 2023 | 5,337 | $63.6 | Leathernecks |
;Notes
| Institution | Location | Founded | Joining | Type | Enrollment | Nickname | Colors | Current |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| conference | Football | |||||||
| member? |
Affiliate members
Years listed in this table are calendar years. For schools that play only spring sports (such as beach volleyball) in the OVC, the calendar year of arrival precedes the first season of competition.
| Institution | Location | Founded | Joined | Type | Enrollment | Nickname | Colors | OVC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| sport(s) | Primary | ||||||||
| conference | |||||||||
| Bryant University | Smithfield, Rhode Island | 1863 | 2024 | Private | 3,751 | Bulldogs | men's golf | America East | |
| women's golf | |||||||||
| women's tennis | |||||||||
| Houston Christian University | Houston, Texas | 1960 | 2023 | Private | 2,567 | Huskies | men's soccer | Southland | |
| University of the Incarnate Word | San Antonio, Texas | 1881 | 2023 | Private | 9,366 | Cardinals | |||
| Liberty University | Lynchburg, Virginia | 1971 | 2023 | Private | 16,000 | Flames | men's soccer | CUSA | |
| Murray State University | Murray, Kentucky | 1922 | 2022 | Public | 10,495 | Racers | rifle | MVC | |
| University of Tennessee at Chattanooga | Chattanooga, Tennessee | 1886 | 2020 | Public | 11,388 | Mocs | beach volleyball | SoCon |
Future affiliate members
| Institution | Location | Founded | Joining | Type | Enrollment | Nickname | Colors | OVC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| sport(s) | Primary | ||||||||
| conference | |||||||||
| University of Texas Rio Grande Valley | |||||||||
| (UTRGV) | Edinburg, Texas | 2013 | 2026 | Public | 32,419 | Vaqueros | men's soccer | Southland |
Former full members
| Institution | Location | Founded | Joined | Left | Type | Nickname | Colors | Conference | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| they joined | |||||||||
| after leaving | |||||||||
| the OVC | Current | ||||||||
| conference | |||||||||
| Akron, Ohio | 1870 | 1980 | 1987 | Public | Zips | NCAA D-I Independent | MAC | ||
| Austin Peay State University | Clarksville, Tennessee | 1927 | 1962 | 2022 | Governors | ASUN | |||
| (UAC in 2026) | |||||||||
| Belmont University | Nashville, Tennessee | 1890 | 2012 | Private | Bruins | Missouri Valley | |||
| East Tennessee State University | Johnson City, Tennessee | 1911 | 1958 | 1978 | Public | Buccaneers/ | |||
| Lady Buccaneers | SoCon | ||||||||
| Eastern Kentucky University | Richmond, Kentucky | 1906 | 1948 | 2021 | Colonels | ASUN | |||
| (UAC in 2026) | |||||||||
| Evansville, Indiana | 1854 | 1952 | Private | Purple Aces | ICC | ||||
| (NCAA Division II) | Missouri Valley | ||||||||
| Jacksonville State University | Jacksonville, Alabama | 1883 | 2003 | 2021 | Public | Gamecocks | ASUN | CUSA | |
| University of Louisville | Louisville, Kentucky | 1798 | 1948 | 1949 | Cardinals | NCAA Independent | ACC | ||
| Marshall University | Huntington, West Virginia | 1837 | 1949 | 1952 | Thundering Herd | NCAA Independent | Sun Belt | ||
| Middle Tennessee State University | Murfreesboro, Tennessee | 1911 | 1952 | 2000 | Blue Raiders | Sun Belt | CUSA | ||
| Murray State University | Murray, Kentucky | 1922 | 1948 | 2022 | Racers | Missouri Valley | |||
| Samford University | Homewood, Alabama | 1841 | 2003 | 2008 | Private | Bulldogs | SoCon | ||
| Western Kentucky University | Bowling Green, Kentucky | 1906 | 1948 | 1982 | Public | Hilltoppers/ | |||
| Lady Toppers | Sun Belt | CUSA | |||||||
| Youngstown State University | Youngstown, Ohio | 1908 | 1981 | 1988 | Penguins | Mid-Continent | Horizon | ||
| NCAA I-AA Independent | |||||||||
| (football) | MVFC | ||||||||
| (football) |
;Notes:
Former affiliate members
| Institution | Location | Founded | Joined | Left | Type | Nickname | Colors | Sport | Current |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| primary | |||||||||
| conference | Current | ||||||||
| conference | |||||||||
| in former | |||||||||
| OVC sport | |||||||||
| Chicago State University | Chicago, Illinois | 1867 | 2023–24 | 2024–25 | Public | Cougars | men's soccer, | ||
| men's golf | |||||||||
| women's golf | NEC | ||||||||
| Columbus State University | Columbus, Georgia | 1958 | 2012–13 | 2014–15 | Public | Cougars | Rifle | Peach Belt | |
| (NCAA D-II) | none | ||||||||
| Murray State University | Murray, Kentucky | 1922 | 2022–23 | 2023–24 | Public | Racers | Football | MVC | |
| (NCAA D-I) | MVFC |
;Notes:
Membership timeline
DateFormat = yyyy
ImageSize = width:1000 height:auto barincrement:20
Period = from:1948 till:2036
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:current value:tan2
id:former value:tan1
id:line value:black
id:bg value:white id:Full value:rgb(0.742,0.727,0.852) # all sports id:FullxF value:rgb(0.551,0.824,0.777) # all sports except for football id:AssocF value:rgb(0.98,0.5,0.445) # football only id:AssocOS value:rgb(0.5,0.691,0.824) # 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:Full from:1948 till:1949 text:Louisville (1948–1949) bar:1 shift:(100) color:OtherC1 from:1949 till:1964 text:Independent bar:1 color:OtherC2 from:1964 till:1975 text:MVC bar:1 color:OtherC1 from:1975 till:1995 text:Metro bar:1 color:OtherC2 from:1995 till:2005 text:C-USA bar:1 color:OtherC1 from:2005 till:2013 text:Big East bar:1 shift:(-10) color:OtherC2 from:2013 till:2014 text:AAC bar:1 color:OtherC1 from:2014 till:end text:ACC
bar:2 color:Full from:1948 till:1952 text:Evansville (1948–1952) bar:2 shift:(70) color:OtherC1 from:1952 till:1977 text:Indiana Collegiate Conference bar:2 color:OtherC1 from:1977 till:1979 text:DI bar:2 color:OtherC2 from:1979 till:1994 text:MCC bar:2 color:OtherC1 from:1994 till:end text:MVC
bar:3 color:Full from:1948 till:1982 text:Western Kentucky (1948–1982) bar:3 color:OtherC1 from:1982 till:1999 text:Sun Belt bar:3 color:AssocF from:1999 till:2001 text:('99–'01 in football) bar:3 color:OtherC1 from:2001 till:2014 bar:3 color:OtherC2 from:2014 till:end text:C-USA
bar:4 color:Full from:1948 till:1996 text:Morehead State (1948–present) bar:4 color:FullxF from:1996 till:end
bar:5 color:Full from:1948 till:2021 text:Eastern Kentucky (1948–2021) bar:5 color:OtherC1 from:2021 till:2026 text:ASUN bar:5 color:OtherC2 from:2026 till:end text:UAC
bar:6 color:Full from:1948 till:2022 text:Murray State (1948–2022) bar:6 color:AssocF from:2022 till:2023 text:('22–'23 in football) bar:6 color:AssocOS from:2023 till:end text:
bar:7 color:OtherC1 from:1948 till:1949 bar:7 color:Full from:1949 till:1952 text:Marshall (1949–1952) bar:7 color:OtherC2 from:1952 till:1954 bar:7 shift:(55) color:OtherC1 from:1954 till:1969 text:MAC bar:7 color:OtherC2 from:1969 till:1976 text:Independent bar:7 color:OtherC1 from:1976 till:1997 text:SoCon bar:7 color:OtherC2 from:1997 till:2005 text:MAC bar:7 color:OtherC1 from:2005 till:2022 text:C-USA bar:7 color:OtherC2 from:2022 till:end text:Sun Belt
bar:8 color:OtherC1 from:1948 till:1949 bar:8 color:Full from:1949 till:2026 text:Tennessee Tech (1949–2026) bar:8 color:OtherC1 from:2026 till:end text:SoCon
bar:9 color:OtherC1 from:1948 till:1952 text:VSAC bar:9 color:Full from:1952 till:1999 text:Middle Tennessee State (1952–2000) bar:9 color:FullxF from:1999 till:2000 bar:9 color:OtherC2 from:2000 till:2013 text:Sun Belt bar:9 color:OtherC1 from:2013 till:end text:C-USA
bar:10 color:OtherC1 from:1948 till:1950 text:SMC bar:10 color:OtherC2 from:1950 till:1951 bar:10 color:OtherC1 from:1951 till:1957 text:VSAC bar:10 color:Full from:1957 till:1978 text:East Tennessee State (1957–1978) bar:10 color:OtherC1 from:1978 till:2005 text:SoCon bar:10 color:OtherC2 from:2005 till:2014 text:ASUN bar:10 color:OtherC1 from:2014 till:endtext:SoCon
bar:11 color:OtherC1 from:1948 till:1962 text:VSAC bar:11 color:Full from:1962 till:1997 text:Austin Peay (1962–2022) bar:11 color:FullxF from:1997 till:2007 bar:11 color:Full from:2007 till:2022 bar:11 color:OtherC1 from:2022 till:2026 text:ASUN bar:11 color:OtherC2 from:2026 till:end text:UAC
bar:12 color:OtherC1 from:1948 till:1966 text:OAC bar:12 color:OtherC2 from:1966 till:1978 text:Independent bar:12 shift:(-5) color:OtherC1 from:1978 till:1980 text:MCC bar:12 color:Full from:1980 till:1987 text:Akron (1980–1987) bar:12 shift:(15) color:OtherC1 from:1987 till:1990 text:Ind. bar:12 color:OtherC2 from:1990 till:1992 text:MCC bar:12 shift:(10) color:OtherC1 from:1992 till:end text:MAC
bar:13 color:OtherC1 from:1948 till:1981 text:Independent bar:13 color:Full from:1981 till:1988 text:Youngstown State (1981–1988) bar:13 color:OtherC1 from:1988 till:1992 bar:13 shift:(30) color:OtherC2 from:1992 till:2001 text:MCC bar:13 color:OtherC1 from:2001 till:end text:Horizon
bar:14 color:OtherC1 from:1948 till:1966 text:Midwest bar:14 color:OtherC2 from:1966 till:1986 text:Independent bar:14 color:FullxF from:1986 till:1988 text:Tennessee State (1986–present) bar:14 color:Full from:1988 till:end
bar:15 color:OtherC1 from:1948 till:1991 text:MIAA bar:15 color:Full from:1991 till:end text:Southeast Missouri State (1991–present)
bar:16 color:OtherC1 from:1948 till:1951 text:Indep. bar:16 color:OtherC2 from:1951 till:1971 text:VSAC bar:16 color:OtherC1 from:1971 till:1991 text:GSC bar:16 shift:(-10) color:OtherC2 from:1991 till:1992 text:Ind. bar:16 color:Full from:1992 till:end text:Tennessee-Martin (1992–present)
bar:17 color:OtherC1 from:1948 till:1970 text:IIAC bar:17 color:OtherC2 from:1970 till:1982 text:Independent bar:17 color:OtherC1 from:1982 till:1989 text:AMCU bar:17 color:OtherC1 from:1989 till:1996 text:MCC bar:17 color:Full from:1996 till:end text:Eastern Illinois (1996–present)
bar:18 color:OtherC1 from:1948 till:1954 text:Dixie bar:18 color:OtherC2 from:1954 till:1978 text:Independent bar:18 color:OtherC1 from:1978 till:2003 text:TAAC/A-Sun bar:18 color:Full from:2003 till:2008 text:Samford (2003–2008) bar:18 shift:(60) color:OtherC1 from:2008 till:end text:SoCon
bar:19 color:OtherC1 from:1948 till:1959 text:AIC bar:19 color:OtherC1 from:1959 till:1971 text:ACC bar:19 color:OtherC2 from:1971 till:1993 text:GSC bar:19 color:OtherC1 from:1993 till:1995 text:Ind. bar:19 color:OtherC2 from:1995 till:2003 text:TAAC/A-Sun bar:19 color:Full from:2003 till:2021 text:Jacksonville State (2003–2021) bar:19 shift:(-10) color:OtherC1 from:2021 till:2023 text:ASUN bar:19 color:OtherC2 from:2023 till:end text:C-USA
bar:20 color:OtherC1 from:1967 till:1995 text:Independent bar:20 color:OtherC2 from:1995 till:2008 text:GLVC bar:20 color:FullxF from:2008 till:end text:SIUE (2008–present)
bar:21 color:OtherC1 from:1952 till:1985 text:VSAC bar:21 color:OtherC2 from:1985 till:1996 text:TCAC bar:21 color:OtherC1 from:1996 till:2001 text:Indep. bar:21 shift:(10) color:OtherC2 from:2001 till:2012 text:A-Sun bar:21 color:FullxF from:2012 till:2022 text:Belmont (2012–2022) bar:21 color:OtherC1 from:2022 till:end text:MVC
bar:24 color:OtherC1 from:1970 till:1993 text:NAIA Independent bar:24 color:OtherC2 from:1993 till:1996 text:AMC bar:24 color:OtherC1 from:1996 till:2011 text:HAAC bar:24 shift:(-5) color:OtherC2 from:2011 till:2012 text:Ind. bar:24 color:OtherC1 from:2012 till:2019 text:MIAA bar:24 color:OtherC2 from:2019 till:2022 text:GLVC bar:24 color:Full from:2022 till:end text:Lindenwood (2022–present)
bar:25 color:OtherC1 from:1948 till:1961 text:Independent bar:25 color:OtherC2 from:1961 till:1977 text:AIC bar:25 color:OtherC1 from:1977 till:1979 text:Ind. bar:25 color:OtherC2 from:1979 till:1991 text:TAAC bar:25 color:OtherC1 from:1991 till:2022 text:Sun Belt bar:25 color:FullxF from:2022 till:2026 text:Little Rock (2022–2026) bar:25 shift:(80) color:OtherC1 from:2026 till:end text:UAC
bar:26 color:OtherC1 from:1970 till:1978 text:Independent bar:26 color:OtherC2 from:1978 till:2022 text:GLVC bar:26 color:FullxF from:2022 till:end text:Southern Indiana (2022–present)
bar:27 color:OtherC1 from:1948 till:1970 text:IIAC bar:27 color:OtherC2 from:1970 till:1982 text:Independent bar:27 color:OtherC1 from:1982 till:1989 text:AMCU bar:27 color:OtherC1 from:1989 till:2007 text:MCC bar:27 color:OtherC1 from:2007 till:2023 text:Summit bar:27 color:FullxF from:2023 till:2024 text:Western Illinois (2023–present) bar:27 color:Full from:2024 till:end
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TextData = fontsize:L textcolor:black pos:(0,30) tabs:(400-center) text:^"Ohio Valley Conference 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.
Comments
- Morehead State's football team competes in the Pioneer Football League, a Division I FCS football-only conference whose members choose not to offer athletic scholarships for football.
- Austin Peay's football team left the OVC after the 1996 season to compete as an NCAA D-I FCS Independent. After four seasons as an Independent, the team joined the Pioneer Football League in 2001, and remained there through the 2005 season. Austin Peay then returned to scholarship football, spending the 2006 season as an Independent before re-entering OVC football competition in 2007.
Conference divisions
Starting with the 2012–13 school year, the twelve member schools were split into two divisions for those sports where all schools competed. In the 2014–15 season, women's sports with twelve teams returned to a single league table, while continuing to play a divisional schedule. Men's basketball moved to an 18-game schedule in 2017–18, and they continued to play home-and-home versus the former divisional rivals, and they play home-and-home versus two teams from the other division, with those opponents on a rotation that sets up different pairs from year-to-year. The OVC returned to a single-table format after Eastern Kentucky and Jacksonville State left in 2021.
| East Division | West Division |
|---|---|
| Belmont | Austin Peay |
| Eastern Kentucky | Eastern Illinois |
| Jacksonville State | Murray State |
| Morehead State | SIU Edwardsville |
| Tennessee State | Southeast Missouri |
| Tennessee Tech | UT Martin |
Sports offered
The Ohio Valley Conference currently offers championship competition in 19 NCAA sanctioned sports, with eight for men, 10 for women, and rifle for men's, women's, and coed teams.
| Sport | Men's | Women's | Coed | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baseball | ||||||
| Basketball | ||||||
| Beach Volleyball | ||||||
| Cross Country | ||||||
| Football | ||||||
| Golf | ||||||
| Rifle | ||||||
| Soccer | ||||||
| Softball | ||||||
| Tennis | ||||||
| Track and Field (Indoor) | ||||||
| Track and Field (Outdoor) | ||||||
| Volleyball |
Men's sponsored sports by school
Departing members are displayed in red.
| School | Baseball | Basketball | Cross | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country | Football | Golf | Rifle | Soccer | Track | ||||||||||||||||
| & Field | |||||||||||||||||||||
| (Indoor) | Track | ||||||||||||||||||||
| & Field | |||||||||||||||||||||
| (Outdoor) | Total | ||||||||||||||||||||
| OVC | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Sports | Totals | 10 | 11 | 11 | 7 | 11 | 3 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 77 | ||||||||||
| Eastern Illinois | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Lindenwood | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Little Rock | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Morehead State | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| SIU Edwardsville | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Southeast Missouri | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Southern Indiana | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Tennessee State | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Tennessee Tech | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| UT Martin | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Western Illinois | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Associate members | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Bryant | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Houston Christian | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Incarnate Word | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Liberty | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Murray State | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Future members -- | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Future associate members | |||||||||||||||||||||
| UTRGV | 1 |
;Notes
;Men's varsity sports not sponsored by the Ohio Valley Conference which are played by OVC schools
| School | Ice Hockey | Swimming & Diving | Rodeo | Tennis | Volleyball | Wrestling |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Illinois | – | Summit | – | – | – | – |
| Lindenwood | Independent | – | – | – | MIVA | – |
| Little Rock | – | – | – | – | – | Pac-12 |
| SIU Edwardsville | – | – | – | – | – | MAC |
| Southern Indiana | – | Summit | – | Horizon | – | – |
| Tennessee State | – | – | Horizon | – | – | |
| Tennessee Tech | – | – | – | Horizon | – | – |
| UT Martin | – | – | NIRA | – | – | – |
;Notes
Women's sponsored sports by school
Departing members in red.
| School | Basketball | Beach Volleyball | Cross Country | Golf | Rifle | Soccer | Softball | Tennis | Track & Field | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (Indoor) | Track & Field | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Outdoor) | Volleyball (Indoor) | Total OVC Sports | Totals | 11 | 6 | 11 | 9 | 4 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 100 | ||||||||||||
| Eastern Illinois | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lindenwood | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Little Rock | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Morehead State | † | 10 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Southeast Missouri | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Southern Indiana | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SIU Edwardsville | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tennessee State | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tennessee Tech | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UT Martin | x2† | 7 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western Illinois | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Associate members | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bryant | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chattanooga | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Murray State | † | 1 |
;Women's varsity sports not sponsored by the Ohio Valley Conference which are played by OVC schools
| School | Equestrian | Gymnastics | Ice Hockey | Lacrosse | Rodeo | Stunt | Swimming & Diving | Wrestling |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Illinois | — | — | — | — | — | — | Summit | – |
| Lindenwood | — | — | AHA | ASUN | — | — | — | Independent |
| Little Rock | — | — | — | — | — | — | MVC | – |
| Southeast Missouri | — | MIC | — | — | — | — | – | – |
| Southern Indiana | – | – | – | – | – | — | Summit | – |
| Tennessee State | – | – | – | – | – | — | – | |
| UT Martin | ECAC | — | — | — | NIRA | Independent | — | — |
Conference champions
Football
This is a list of the champions between 2010 and the 2023 establishment of the OVC–Big South Football Association. For the complete history, see List of Ohio Valley Conference football champions.
| Year | Regular season champion | Record | FCS Championship Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Southeast Missouri State | 7–1 | Second Round |
| 2011 | Tennessee Tech* | ||
| Eastern Kentucky | |||
| Jacksonville State | 6–2 | ||
| 6–2 | |||
| 6–2 | First Round | ||
| First Round | |||
| DNP | |||
| 2012 | Eastern Illinois | 6–1 | First Round |
| 2013 | Eastern Illinois | 8–0 | Quarterfinals |
| 2014 | Jacksonville State | 8–0 | Second Round |
| 2015 | Jacksonville State | 8–0 | FCS Championship Runner Up |
| 2016 | Jacksonville State | 7–0 | First Round |
| 2017 | Jacksonville State | 8–0 | Second Round |
| 2018 | Jacksonville State | 7–1 | Second Round |
| 2019 | Austin Peay**Southeast Missouri State | 7–1 | Quarterfinals First Round |
| 2020 | Jacksonville State | 6–1 | Quarterfinals |
| 2021 | UT Martin | 5–1 | Second Round |
| 2022 | Southeast Missouri State*** | ||
| UT Martin | 5–0 | First Round |
- – Tennessee Tech won the tie-breaker and received the automatic bid to the FCS playoffs.
- – Austin Peay won the tie-breaker and received the automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs.
- – Southeast Missouri won the tie-breaker and received the automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs.
- – Austin Peay won the tie-breaker and received the automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs.
Basketball
This is a list of the champions since 2010. For the complete men's history, see List of Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball champions.
| Year | Men's | Women's | Regular season champion | Record | Tournament champion | Regular season champion | Record | Tournament champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010–11 | Murray State | 14–4 | Morehead State Tourney | Tennessee Tech | 15–3 | UT Martin | ||
| 2011–12 | Murray State | 15–1 | Murray State Tourney | UT Martin | 15–1 | UT Martin | ||
| 2012–13 | East: Belmont | |||||||
| West: Murray State | 14–2 | |||||||
| 10–6 | Belmont Tourney | East: Tennessee Tech | ||||||
| West: Eastern Illinois | 12–4 | |||||||
| 12–4 | UT Martin | |||||||
| 2013–14 | East: Belmont | |||||||
| West: Murray State | 14–2 | |||||||
| 13–3 | Eastern Kentucky Tourney | East: Belmont | ||||||
| West: UT Martin | 10–6 | |||||||
| 15–1 | UT Martin | |||||||
| 2014–15 | East: Eastern Kentucky & Belmont | |||||||
| West: Murray State | 11–5 | |||||||
| 16–0 | Belmont Tourney | UT Martin | 16–0 | Tennessee State | ||||
| 2015–16 | East: Belmont | |||||||
| West: UT Martin & Murray State | 12–4 | |||||||
| 10–6 | Austin Peay Tourney | UT Martin | 14–2 | Belmont | ||||
| 2016–17 | East: Belmont | |||||||
| West: UT Martin | 15–1 | |||||||
| 10–6 | Jacksonville State Tourney | Belmont | 16–0 | Belmont | ||||
| 2017–18 | Murray State | 15–2 | Murray State Tourney | Belmont | 18–0 | Belmont Tourney | ||
| 2018–19 | Belmont | |||||||
| Murray State | 16–2 | Murray State Tourney | Belmont | 16–2 | Belmont Tourney | |||
| 2019–20 | Belmont | |||||||
| Murray State | 15–3 | Belmont Tourney | Belmont | |||||
| UT Martin | 16–2 | Southeast Missouri State Tourney | ||||||
| 2020–21 | Belmont | 18–2 | Morehead State Tourney | UT Martin | 17–4 | Belmont Tourney | ||
| 2021–22 | Murray State | 18–0 | Murray State Tourney | Belmont | 16–2 | Belmont Tourney | ||
| 2022–23 | Morehead State | 14–4 | Southeast Missouri Tourney | Little Rock | 17–1 | Tennessee Tech Tourney | ||
| 2023–24 | Little Rock | |||||||
| Morehead State | ||||||||
| UT Martin | 14–4 | Morehead State Tourney | Southern Indiana | 17–1 | Southern Indiana Tourney | |||
| 2024–25 | Southeast Missouri | 15–5 | SIUE Tourney | Tennessee Tech | 18–2 | Tennessee Tech Tourney |
Baseball
This is a list of the champions since 2010.
| Year | Regular season champion | OVC | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| record | Season | |||||||
| record | Tournament champion | OVC | ||||||
| record | Season | |||||||
| record | ||||||||
| 2010 | Tennessee Tech | 14–6 | 31–25 | Jacksonville State | 15–8 | 32–26 | ||
| 2011 | Austin Peay | 17–6 | 34–24 | Austin Peay | 17–6 | 34–24 | ||
| 2012 | Austin Peay | |||||||
| Eastern Kentucky | 19–7 | 40–24 | ||||||
| 31–23 | Austin Peay | 19–7 | 40–24 | |||||
| 2013 | Tennessee Tech | 24–6 | 40–17 | Austin Peay | 22–7 | 47–15 | ||
| 2014 | Southeast Missouri | 23–7 | 37–20 | Jacksonville State | 18–12 | 36–27 | ||
| 2015 | Southeast Missouri | 22–8 | 36–23 | Morehead State | 20–10 | 38–22 | ||
| 2016 | Southeast Missouri | 22–8 | 39–21 | Southeast Missouri | 22–8 | 39–21 | ||
| 2017 | Tennessee Tech | 23–7 | 39–18 | Tennessee Tech | 23–7 | 39–18 | ||
| 2018 | Tennessee Tech | 27–3 | 53–12 | Morehead State | 18–12 | 37–26 | ||
| 2019 | Jacksonville State | 22–8 | 39–23 | Jacksonville State | 22–8 | 39–23 | ||
| 2020 | Canceled | |||||||
| 2021 | Southeast Missouri | 17–10 | 30–22 | Southeast Missouri | 17–10 | 30–22 | ||
| 2022 | Belmont | 18–6 | 39–20 | Southeast Missouri | 16–8 | 37–22 | ||
| 2023 | Morehead State | 16–7 | 36–20 | Eastern Illinois | 13–11 | 38–21 | ||
| 2024 | Little Rock | 19–8 | 32–24 | Southeast Missouri | 18–9 | 36–27 | ||
| 2025 | Eastern Illinois | 17–7 | 31–22 | Little Rock | 8–16 | 27–34 |
Softball
This is a list of the champions since 2010.
| Year | Regular season champion | OVC | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| record | Season | |||||
| record | Tournament champion | OVC | ||||
| record | Season | |||||
| record | ||||||
| 2010 | UT Martin | 22–3 | 47–11 | Jacksonville State | 13–6 | 30–19 |
| 2011 | Eastern Illinois | 26–4 | 40–12 | Jacksonville State | 21–9 | 40–21 |
| 2012 | UT Martin | 23–6 | 39–22 | UT Martin | 23–6 | 39–22 |
| 2013 | East– Eastern Kentucky | |||||
| West– Eastern Illinois | 19–6 | |||||
| 20–3 | 36–20 | |||||
| 36–14 | Jacksonville State | 11–11 | 30–27 | |||
| 2014 | East– Jacksonville State | |||||
| West– SIUE | 22–5 | |||||
| 19–5 | 40–15 | |||||
| 30–23 | SIUE | 19–5 | 30–23 | |||
| 2015 | SIUE | 20–6 | 43–16 | Tennessee Tech | 15–11 | 33–28 |
| 2016 | Jacksonville State | 26–0 | 43–17 | Jacksonville State | 26–0 | 43–17 |
| 2017 | Jacksonville State | 15–1 | 41–12 | Jacksonville State | 15–1 | 41–12 |
| 2018 | Eastern Kentucky | 19–3 | 45–21 | Jacksonville State | 16–6 | 35–25 |
| 2019 | Southeast Missouri State | |||||
| Jacksonville State | 17–5 | 46–18 | ||||
| 36–15 | Southeast Missouri State | 17–5 | 46–18 | |||
| 2020 | Canceled | |||||
| 2021 | Southeast Missouri | 23–6 | 30–17 | Eastern Kentucky | 22–9 | 35–17 |
| 2022 | Murray State | 21–7 | 40–18–1 | Murray State | 21–7 | 40–18–1 |
| 2023 | Southeast Missouri | 20–2 | 29–14 | Eastern Illinois | 16–6 | 34–21 |
| 2024 | Eastern Illinois | 22–5 | 40–17 | Southeast Missouri | 19–8 | 28–26 |
| 2025 | Eastern Illinois | 21–5 | 34–22 | Eastern Illinois | 21–5 | 34–22 |
Men's soccer
Men's soccer was first sponsored by the OVC in 2023.
| Year | Regular season champions | Tournament champions |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | SIUE | SIUE |
| 2024 | SIUE | SIUE |
| 2025 | Lindenwood | Lindenwood |
Women's soccer
This is a list of champions since 2010.
| Year | Regular season champions | Tournament champions |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Morehead State | Morehead State |
| 2011 | Southeast Missouri | UT Martin |
| 2012 | UT Martin | UT Martin |
| 2013 | UT Martin | Morehead State |
| 2014 | Southeast Missouri | SIUE |
| 2015 | Murray State | Murray State |
| 2016 | Murray State | SIUE |
| 2017 | Murray State | Murray State |
| 2018 | UT Martin | Murray State |
| 2019 | Southeast Missouri | Belmont |
| 2020–21 | Murray State | SIUE |
| 2021 | UT Martin | SIUE |
| 2022 | Tennessee Tech | SIUE |
| 2023 | Tennessee Tech | Morehead State |
| 2024 | Tennessee Tech | Lindenwood |
| 2025 | Tennessee Tech | Tennessee Tech |
Facilities
| Western Illinois Leathernecks}}" | Hanson Field | 16,368 | John MacKenzie Alumni Field | Western Hall | 5,139 | Alfred D. Boyer Stadium | Mary Ellen McKee Stadium | Western Hall | 5,139 |
|---|
| UTRGV Vaqueros}}" | [](ut-rio-grande-valley-vaqueros) | UTRGV Soccer and Track & Field Complex |
|---|
References
References
- (July 28, 2009). "OVC History". Ohio Valley Conference.
- (July 29, 2009). "Staff Directory". Ohio Valley Conference/Sidearm Sports.
- (January 29, 2021). "ASUN Conference Announces Three New Institutions; Adds Football as 20th Sport". ASUN Conference.
- Verdun, Dan. (February 5, 2021). "With two members leaving, the Ohio Valley Conference searches for answers".
- (September 17, 2021). "ASUN Conference Welcomes Austin Peay State University as its Newest Member". ASUN Conference.
- Organ, Mike. "Belmont leaving the Ohio Valley Conference, according to report".
- (January 7, 2022). "Murray State University Joins The Missouri Valley Conference". Murray State Racers.
- Wright, John. (January 10, 2022). "Murray State accepts MVC invitation". Murray Ledger & Times.
- (April 4, 2022). "Murray State Football To Join Missouri Valley Football Conference July of 2023". Missouri Valley Football Conference.
- (December 8, 2021). "Little Rock Receives Board Approval to Join Ohio Valley Conference". Ohio Valley Conference.
- (February 9, 2022). "University of Southern Indiana to Join the Ohio Valley Conference in 2022–23". Ohio Valley Conference.
- (February 23, 2022). "Lindenwood University to Join the Ohio Valley Conference in 2022–23". Ohio Valley Conference.
- Brown, Matt. (January 5, 2022). "MVC expected to add Murray State, likely to add more".
- (February 22, 2022). "Big South and Ohio Valley Conference Announce Football Agreement". Big South Conference.
- (July 6, 2022). "Horizon League Announces Innovative Partnership with Ohio Valley Conference and Men's Tennis Programs, Adds Chicago State as an Affiliate Member for Men's and Women's Tennis". Horizon League.
- (March 28, 2023). "OVC Adds Men's Soccer as Championship Sport". Ohio Valley Conference.
- (March 28, 2023). "Chicago State to Join OVC as Affiliate for Men's & Women's Golf". Ohio Valley Conference.
- (December 5, 2023). "Windy City Welcome: Chicago State Roars Into NEC". Northeast Conference.
- (May 12, 2023). "Leatherneck Athletics Moving to Ohio Valley Conference for All Sports". Western Illinois University.
- (June 30, 2023). "Western Illinois Officially Becomes an OVC Member". Ohio Valley Conference.
- (August 22, 2012). "Ohio Valley Conference Launches OVC Digital Network". Ohio Valley Conference.
- (August 21, 2014). "OVC Digital Network Ready For Year Three". Ohio Valley Conference.
- "USI enrollment continues to grow".
- "Official Web Site of the Ohio Valley Conference". Ohio Valley Conference.
- Organ, Mike. (April 23, 2024). "Tennessee State is bringing baseball back as an NCAA-sanctioned sport". [[The Tennessean]].
- (May 12, 2025). "EIU Discontinues Men's & Women's Tennis". Eastern Illinois Panthers.
- (23 March 2022). "Lindenwood Adds NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey".
- "Tennessee State University Hockey FAQ". Tennessee State Tigers.
- (May 2, 2022). "#ASUNWLAX Announces Addition of Lindenwood for 2023 Season". ASUN Conference.
- "Conference Standings and Champions".
- (December 13, 2023). "OVC Men's Soccer Report – Final". Ohio Valley Conference.
- OVC Sports. "Ohio Valley Conference". Ohio Valley Conference.
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