17 Schools•Division I•Est. 1907
The Missouri Valley Conference, known simply as The Valley, was founded on January 12, 1907, when administrators from five institutions met at the Midland Hotel in Kansas City. That makes it the second oldest NCAA Division I athletic conference in the country. Basketball became its first competitive sport in the fall of 1907, and the league has sponsored competition without interruption ever since. Women's athletics came under the Valley banner in 1992, when the Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference merged into the MVC.
Basketball built the reputation. Valley schools have claimed four NCAA national basketball championships and reached the Final Four 18 times. More than 275 players have been selected in the NBA Draft. The league counts Oscar Robertson, Larry Bird, Hersey Hawkins, and Jackie Stiles among its all time greats, and its Hall of Fame, established in 1997, honors more than 150 players, coaches, and administrators.
The depth runs well beyond the court. Valley programs have won more than 30 postseason national team championships, including a national baseball title, and have reached the College World Series 20 times. Nearly 800 players have been drafted by Major League Baseball since 1965, and league athletes have produced more than 70 NCAA individual champions.
Rivalries give the calendar its shape. Bradley and Drake own the oldest rivalry in the league, a series stretching past 170 meetings, and the Braves also share a celebrated in state feud with Illinois State. Indiana State and Valparaiso have squared off nearly 100 times as Indiana neighbors, while Belmont and Murray State carried a rivalry with them into the Valley. Everything converges each March at Arch Madness in St. Louis.
The Olympic thread runs deep too. Southern Illinois thrower Connie Price-Smith competed at four Games and later coached for Team USA, and Drake softball star Dani Tyler won gold in the sport's Olympic debut.
Official Website
The Missouri Valley Conference, known simply as The Valley, was founded on January 12, 1907, when administrators from five institutions met at the Midland Hotel in Kansas City. That makes it the second oldest NCAA Division I athletic conference in the country. Basketball became its first competitive sport in the fall of 1907, and the league has sponsored competition without interruption ever since. Women's athletics came under the Valley banner in 1992, when the Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference merged into the MVC.
Basketball built the reputation. Valley schools have claimed four NCAA national basketball championships and reached the Final Four 18 times. More than 275 players have been selected in the NBA Draft. The league counts Oscar Robertson, Larry Bird, Hersey Hawkins, and Jackie Stiles among its all time greats, and its Hall of Fame, established in 1997, honors more than 150 players, coaches, and administrators.
The depth runs well beyond the court. Valley programs have won more than 30 postseason national team championships, including a national baseball title, and have reached the College World Series 20 times. Nearly 800 players have been drafted by Major League Baseball since 1965, and league athletes have produced more than 70 NCAA individual champions.
Rivalries give the calendar its shape. Bradley and Drake own the oldest rivalry in the league, a series stretching past 170 meetings, and the Braves also share a celebrated in state feud with Illinois State. Indiana State and Valparaiso have squared off nearly 100 times as Indiana neighbors, while Belmont and Murray State carried a rivalry with them into the Valley. Everything converges each March at Arch Madness in St. Louis.
The Olympic thread runs deep too. Southern Illinois thrower Connie Price-Smith competed at four Games and later coached for Team USA, and Drake softball star Dani Tyler won gold in the sport's Olympic debut.
Official Website