Missouri Valley Conference football

This is a page on the history of Missouri Valley Conference football. The Missouri Valley Conference sponsored football from 1907 through the 1985 school year. The conference voted to drop football as a sport on April 30, 1985. At the time the Conference was a mixture of NCAA division I programs (Tulsa and Wichita State) and NCAA division I-AA programs (Drake, Illinois State, Indiana State, Southern Illinois, and West Texas State).[1]

Not to be confused with Missouri Valley Football Conference.
Missouri Valley Conference football
MVC
Established1907
Dissolved1985
AssociationNCAA
DivisionDivision I-A
Division I-AA
Members7 (final), 29 (total)
Sports fielded
  • 1 (football)
    • men's: 1
    • women's: 0
RegionMidwest
Locations

History
Houston's 1952 Missouri Valley Conference championship trophy

The Missouri Valley Conference started sponsoring football in the fall of 1907. In 1951 Drake University and Bradley University left the Missouri Valley Conference as a result of the Johnny Bright incident, a racially motivated on-field attack against Drake's black star Johnny Bright by a white Oklahoma A&M player.[2][3] Both schools returned to the MVC for non-football sports several years later (Bradley in 1955 and Drake in 1956), but Bradley never rejoined for football (dropping the sport in 1970), and Drake didn't rejoin in football until 1971.[4] Washburn University competed in football from 1935 through 1940.[5] Saint Louis University dropped football after the 1949 season.[6][7]

By the late 1960s, rising costs for football meant that basketball could no longer help subsidize football programs. According to a 2017 story in The Wichita Eagle, "The MVC looked west to find football and alienated its basketball powers." The first schools brought in during this period were New Mexico State and West Texas State (now West Texas A&M),[8] respectively joining in 1970[9] and 1971;[10] the conference also established a tie-in with the now-defunct Pasadena Bowl.[8]

The new additions almost immediately led to conflict between several established members and the conference office. Cincinnati, Louisville, and Memphis State (now Memphis) complained about travel costs, and Memphis State was bitterly opposed to a full round-robin conference schedule, wishing to play more games within its region.[8] All three schools left the MVC within a four-year period in the 1970s—Cincinnati in 1971, Memphis State in 1973, and Louisville in 1975. At the time of Memphis State's departure, Bradley's then-athletic director publicly said, "We sort of pushed Memphis out. They didn’t want to play everybody in football and we said that they must." These were not the only departures from the conference during this period; non-football member Saint Louis left in 1974, wishing to compete with urban basketball-focused schools like itself, and North Texas State (now North Texas) went independent in 1975 due to a desire for more scheduling flexibility.[8] The MVC attempted to reload by adding Southern Illinois (1974 for non-football sports, 1977 for football), Indiana State (1976), and Illinois State (1980 for non-football sports, 1981 for football).[11][8] The two schools whose arrival led to this instability would themselves leave in the 1980s—New Mexico State left after the 1982 season,[9] and West Texas State left after the conference's final football season of 1985.[10]

On December 5, 2006 the Missouri Valley Conference released its All-Centennial team.[12]

Membership timeline

This membership timeline reflects only Missouri Valley Conference football, not the Missouri Valley Conference as a whole.

Indiana State UniversityNew Mexico State UniversityUniversity of MemphisUniversity of LouisvilleUniversity of North TexasUniversity of CincinnatiUniversity of HoustonUniversity of Detroit MercyBradley UniversitySaint Louis UniversityWashburn UniversityUniversity of TulsaButler UniversityOklahoma State University–StillwaterUniversity of OklahomaGrinnell CollegeKansas State UniversityIowa State UniversityDrake UniversityWashington University in St. LouisUniversity of MissouriUniversity of KansasUniversity of Iowa

Champions by year
SeasonChampion
1907Iowa & Nebraska
1908Kansas
1909Missouri
1910Nebraska
1911Iowa State & Nebraska
1912Iowa State & Nebraska
1913Missouri & Nebraska
1914Nebraska
1915Nebraska
1916Nebraska
1917Nebraska
1918No Champion[13]
1919Missouri
1920Oklahoma
1921Nebraska
1922Nebraska
1923Nebraska
1924Missouri
1925Missouri
1926Oklahoma A&M
1927Missouri
1928Drake
1929Drake
1930Drake & Oklahoma A&M
1931Drake
1932Oklahoma A&M
1933Oklahoma A&M
1934Washington (MO)
1935Tulsa & Washington (MO)
1936Creighton & Tulsa
1937Tulsa
1938Tulsa
1939Washington (MO)
1940Tulsa
1941Tulsa
1942Tulsa
1943Tulsa
1944Oklahoma A&M
1945Oklahoma A&M
1946Tulsa
1947Tulsa
1948Oklahoma A&M
1949Detroit
1950Tulsa
1951Tulsa
1952Houston
1953Detroit & Oklahoma A&M
1954Wichita State
1955Detroit & Wichita State
1956Houston
1957Houston
1958North Texas State
1959Houston & North Texas State
1960Wichita State
1961Wichita State
1962Tulsa
1963Cincinnati & Wichita State
1964Cincinnati
1965Tulsa
1966North Texas State & Tulsa
1967North Texas State
1968Memphis State
1969Memphis State
1970Louisville
1971North Texas State & Memphis State
1972Drake, Louisville, & West Texas State
1973North Texas State & Tulsa
1974Tulsa
1975Tulsa
1976New Mexico State & Tulsa
1977West Texas State
1978New Mexico State
1979West Texas State
1980Tulsa
1981Drake & Tulsa
1982Tulsa
1983Tulsa
1984Tulsa
1985Tulsa

Championships by school
SchoolYears of
Participation		MVC
Championships		Last
MVC
Championship		Last
Outright
MVC
Championship
Iowa 1907–190811907–
Kansas 1907–1927119081908
Missouri 1907–1927619271927
Nebraska 1907–1918
1921–1927		1219231923
Washington U. 1907–1942319391939
Drake 1908–1951
1971–1985		619811931
Iowa State 1908–192721912–
Kansas State 1913–19270––
Grinnell 1919–19380––
Oklahoma 1920–1927119201920
Oklahoma A&M 1925–1956819531948
Creighton 1928–194211936–
Butler 1932–19330––
Tulsa 1935–19852519851985
Washburn 1935–19400––
Saint Louis 1937–19490––
Wichita State 1945–1985519631961
Bradley 1948–19510––
Detroit 1949–1956319551949
Houston 1951–1959[14]419591957
Cincinnati 1957–1969219641964
North Texas State 1957–1974619731971
Louisville 1963–1974[15]219721970
Memphis State 1968[16]–1972319711969
New Mexico State 1970–1982[17]219781978
West Texas State 1971–1985319791979
Southern Illinois 1974–19850––
Indiana State 1976[18]–19850––
Illinois State 1980–19850––
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References
  1. "Missouri Valley to drop football as league sport". Tulsa, Oklahoma: Gainesville Sun. May 1, 1985. p. 5D. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
  2. "DRAKE VOTES TO DROP FROM CONFERENCE". Des Moines, Iowa: The Miami Daily News. November 28, 1951. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
  3. "Drake Quits Missouri Valley Over Injury to Johnny Bright". Des Moines, Iowa: The Southeast Missourian. November 28, 1951. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
  4. "Drake Bulldogs 2008 football media guide" (PDF). Drake University. 2008. p. 41. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
  5. "2008 Washburn University football media guide" (PDF). Washburn University. 2008. p. 154. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
  6. "ST. LOUIS DROPS COLLEGE FOOTBALL". St. Louis, Missouri: Star-News. December 15, 1949. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
  7. "ST. LOUIS QUITS COLLEGE FOOTBALL". St. Louis, Missouri: Spokane Daily Chronicle. December 14, 1949. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
  8. Suellentrop, Paul (April 1, 2017). "WSU notes: Football's power started the MVC on this path in the early 1970s". The Wichita Eagle. Retrieved April 4, 2017.
  9. "2008 New Mexico State Aggies football media guide" (PDF). New Mexico State University. 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 December 2013. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
  10. "West Texas A&M Buffaloes School History". Sports-Reference.com College Football. Retrieved April 4, 2017.
  11. Missouri Valley Conference 75 1981 Football/Anniversary Issue. Missouri Valley Conference. p. 52.
  12. "Missouri Valley Conference Announces Football All-Centennial Team" (PDF). St. Louis, Missouri: Missouri Valley Conference. December 5, 2006. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 September 2012. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
  13. "BIG COLLEGES MAY GIVE UP FOOTBALL THIS YEAR". Chicago, Illinois: The Lewiston Daily Sun. September 13, 1918. pp. Page 6. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
  14. "Valley Conference Faces Familiar Problem Again". Kansas City, Missouri: St. Joseph Gazette. February 12, 1960. Retrieved 21 July 2012.
  15. "Missouri Valley Conference Getting Too Far-Flunt; Louisville Joins New League". Louisville, Kentucky: The Lewiston Daily Sun. June 14, 1975. pp. Page 18. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
  16. "Memphis St. Joins Valley Conference". Wichita, Kansas: The Pittsburgh Press. May 22, 1966. pp. Page 4, Section 4. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
  17. "New Mexico State plans to leave Missouri Valley". Tulsa, Oklahoma: Lawrence Journal-World. March 22, 1983. pp. Page 11. Retrieved 2 July 2012.
  18. "Indiana State Admitted To Missouri Valley Conference". Tulsa, Oklahoma: Herald-Journal. March 11, 1976. Retrieved 21 July 2012.
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