Missouri Valley Conference

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Missouri Valley Conference
Missouri Valley Conference
Data
Established 1907
Members 10
Sports fielded 19 (9 men's, 10 women's)
Country United States
Region Midwest
States 6 - Illinois, Indiana, Iowa,
Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska
Headquarters St. Louis, Missouri
Commissioner Doug Elgin
Locations
Former Missouri Valley Conference logo
Former Missouri Valley Conference logo

The Missouri Valley Conference (also called MVC or simply "The Valley") is a college athletic conference whose members are located in the midwestern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I and is generally considered one of the best mid-major conferences in the country[citation needed], although many observers are beginning to grant the conference "high-major" status in men's basketball--[1]a status it held for most of the time from the 1930s through the early 1960s.

Founded in 1907, the MVC is the nation's second oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference. Some consider the MVC formed from the split of the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MVIAA) in 1928. Several schools of that conference formed the MVC, while others retained the MVIAA name, which would ultimately become the Big Eight Conference. During the Big Eight's existence, both conferences claimed 1907 as their founding date, as well as the same history through 1927. There was considerable debate over which conference was the original and which was the spin-off.

During the 2006-2007 college basketball season, MVC teams held a 74-27 non-conference record, including a record of 44-1 at home. The Valley finished in the Top 6 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. [2]

The MVC has not sponsored football since 1985, but five members have football programs in the Missouri Valley Football Conference (known as the Gateway from 1985-2008) of Division I FCS (formerly I-AA), and a sixth competes in another FCS conference, the Pioneer Football League. While the Missouri Valley Conference shares its name with the Missouri Valley Football Conference, the two are separate administratively.

Contents

[edit] Membership

Institution Location - City Location - State Founded Affiliation Enrollment Nickname
Bradley University Peoria Illinois 1897 Private/Non-sectarian 6,105 Braves
Creighton University Omaha Nebraska 1878 Private/Catholic(Jesuit) 6,716 Bluejays
Drake University Des Moines Iowa 1881 Private/Non-sectarian 5,221 Bulldogs
University of Evansville Evansville Indiana 1854 Private/Methodist 2,350 Purple Aces
Illinois State University Normal Illinois 1857 Public 20,757 Redbirds
Indiana State University Terre Haute Indiana 1865 Public 10,760 Sycamores
Missouri State University Springfield Missouri 1905 Public 22,785 Bears & Lady Bears
University of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls Iowa 1876 Public 14,070 Panthers
Southern Illinois University Carbondale Illinois 1869 Public 21,000 Salukis
Wichita State University Wichita Kansas 1895 Public 15,000 Shockers

[edit] Affiliate members

[edit] Former members

[edit] Basketball tournament champions by year

The Missouri Valley Conference Men's Basketball Championship 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".

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 Missouri State
1992 Missouri State Missouri State
1993 Southern Illinois Missouri State
1994 Southern Illinois Missouri State
1995 Southern Illinois Drake
1996 Tulsa Missouri State
1997 Illinois State Drake
1998 Illinois State Drake
1999 Creighton Evansville
2000 Creighton Drake
2001 Indiana State Missouri State
2002 Creighton Creighton
2003 Creighton Missouri State
2004 Northern Iowa Missouri State
2005 Creighton Illinois State
2006 Southern Illinois Missouri State
2007 Creighton Drake
2008 Drake Illinois State

NB: Missouri State was known as Southwest Missouri State until August 2005.

[edit] Conference facilities

School Football stadium Capacity Basketball arena Capacity
Bradley Non-Football School N/A Carver Arena 11,433
Creighton Non-Football School N/A Qwest Center Omaha 17,560
Drake Drake Stadium 14,000 Knapp Center 7,002
Evansville Non-Football School N/A Roberts Stadium 13,252
Illinois State Hancock Stadium 15,000 Redbird Arena 10,200
Indiana State Memorial Stadium 12,764 Hulman Center 10,200
Missouri State Robert W. Plaster Sports Complex 16,300 Hammons Student Center 8,846
Northern Iowa UNI-Dome 16,000 McLeod Center 7,000
Southern Illinois McAndrew Stadium 17,000 SIU Arena 9,628
Wichita State Non-Football School[3] N/A Charles Koch Arena 10,478

[edit] Men's basketball attendance

2006-2007 Average Men's Basketball Attendance
School Average Attendance
Creighton 15,909
Wichita State 10,478
Bradley 9,817
Southern Illinois 7,743
Missouri State 7,359
Northern Iowa 6,298
Evansville 5,494
Drake 5,458
Illinois State 5,092
Indiana State 4,328

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. One member (Wichita State) sold out every single game for the 2006-07 season, while another member (Creighton) continues to reset the state of Nebraska attendance record for a college basketball game every season.

In 2006-07, the Valley maintained its position as the eighth ranked conference in average attendance. Official NCAA attendance figures

[edit] Football champions by year

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

[edit] References

  1. ^ Katz, Andy (2006-11-07). The MVC is entrenching itself with the big boys. ESPN.com. Retrieved on 2006-11-07.
  2. ^ MVC in the NCAA and NIT.
  3. ^ Wichita State discontuined program in 1986, Cessna Stadium (30,000) still in use for track and field.

[edit] External links

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