Ohio Valley Conference
| Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) |
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|---|---|
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| Established | 1948 |
| Association | NCAA |
| Division | Division I FCS |
| Members | 11 |
| Sports fielded | 17 (men's: 8; women's: 9) |
| Region | Midwest and South |
| Headquarters | Brentwood, Tennessee |
| Commissioner | Beth DeBauche (since 2009) |
| Website | ovcsports.com |
| Locations | |
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The Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) is a college 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 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, 9 of which compete in football in the conference.
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[edit] History
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.
Historically, OVC was a pioneer in racial desegregation. During times of racial segregation, league member Morehead State became one of the first non-traditionally black mid-southern institutions to accept a black student. In 1958, Marshall Banks received athletically-related aid at Morehead, which signed a second black athlete, Howard Murphy, a year later. In 1961, Murphy earned all-conference recognition as a halfback in football. With racial barriers broken, the rest of the institutions in the league began to provide educational and athletic opportunities to African-Americans.[1]
Today, the OVC is unique among NCAA Division I conferences in that it includes one historically black university, Tennessee State University, in a conference that otherwise consists of non-traditionally-black-institutions. All other HBCUs in NCAA Division I are members of either the MEAC or SWAC, conferences made up entirely of HBCUs.
In the wake of Title IX, the OVC established women's championships in the sports of basketball, tennis and track in 1977, with cross country and volleyball added over the next four years. Those sports were initially governed by the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women, but were continued when the NCAA became the governing body in 1982.[1]
[edit] Member schools
[edit] Future members
| Institution | Location (Population) |
Founded | Type | Enrollment | Year Joined | Football Member? |
Nickname |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belmont University | Nashville, Tennessee (619,626) |
1890 | Private/Non-denominational | 6,374[3] | 2012 | No | Bruins |
[edit] Former members
| Institution | Tenure | New Conference | Classification |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Akron | 1980–1987 | Independent (now in Mid-American) | Division I FBS |
| East Tennessee State University | 1958–1978 | Southern (now in Atlantic Sun) | Division I Non-football |
| University of Evansville | 1948–1952 | Indiana Collegiate Conference (Div.II) (now in Missouri Valley) | Division I Non-football |
| University of Louisville | 1948–1949 | Independent (now in Big East) | Division I FBS |
| Marshall University | 1949–1952 | Mid-American Conference (now in Conference USA) | Division I FBS |
| Middle Tennessee State University | 1952–1998 | Independent (now in Sun Belt) | Division I FBS |
| Samford University | 2003–2008 | Southern | Division I FCS |
| Western Kentucky University | 1948–1982, (1999–2000 for football only) | Sun Belt | Division I FBS |
| Youngstown State University | 1981–1992 (1981–1987 for football) | Mid-Continent/Football Independent (now in Horizon League/Missouri Valley Football Conference) | Division I FCS |
[edit] Membership timeline
[edit] Sports offered
The Ohio Valley Conference currently offers 17 sports, 8 for men and 9 for women.
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[edit] Conference champions
[edit] Football conference champions
This is a list of the champions since 2000. For the complete history, see List of Ohio Valley Conference football champions.
$ - Jacksonville State (6-1) had the best record in the conference, but was ineligible for the championship due to Academic Progress Ratesanctions. $$ - Tennessee Tech won the tie-breaker and received the automatic bid to the FCS playoffs.
[edit] Men's basketball
This is list of the champions since 2000. For the complete history, see List of Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball champions.
| Year | Regular Season Champion | Record | FCS Championship Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Western Kentucky | 7-0 | Quarterfinals |
| 2001 | Eastern Illinois | 6-1 | First Round |
| 2002 | Eastern Illinois Murray State |
5–1 | First Round |
| 2003 | Jacksonville State | 7-1 | First Round |
| 2004 | Jacksonville State | 7–1 | First Round |
| 2005 | Eastern Illinois | 8–0 | First Round |
| 2006 | UT Martin Eastern Illinois |
6-1 7-1 |
First Round |
| 2007 | Eastern Kentucky | 8-0 | First Round |
| 2008 | Eastern Kentucky | 7-1 | First Round |
| 2009 | Eastern Illinois $ | 6-2 | First Round |
| 2010 | Southeast Missouri State | 7-1 | First Round |
| 2011 | Tennessee Tech $$ Eastern Kentucky Jacksonville State |
6-2 6-2 6-2 |
First Round First Round DNP |
| Year | Regular Season Champion | Record | Tournament Champion |
| 2001–02 | Tennessee Tech | 15–1 | Murray State |
| 2002–03 | Austin Peay Morehead State |
13-3 | Austin Peay |
| 2003–04 | Austin Peay | 16–0 | Murray State |
| 2004–05 | Tennessee Tech | 12–4 | Eastern Kentucky |
| 2005–06 | Murray State | 17-3 | Murray State |
| 2006–07 | Austin Peay | 16–4 | Eastern Kentucky |
| 2007–08 | Austin Peay | 16–4 | Austin Peay Tournament |
| 2008–09 | UT Martin | 14-4 | Morehead State Tournament |
| 2009–10 | Murray State | 17-1 | Murray State Tournament |
| 2010–11 | Murray State | 14-4 | Morehead State Tournament |
[edit] Conference facilities
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b 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 competed in the Pioneer Football League for the 2001–2005 seasons, then became an independent for the 2006 season, and returned to OVC football competition in 2007.
- Eastern Illinois is an Associate Member of The Summit League in Swimming and Diving and Men's Soccer.
- SIU-Edwardsville is an Associate Member of the Missouri Valley Conference in Men's Soccer and of the Southern Conference in Wrestling.
[edit] References
- ^ a b Ohio Valley Conference History - OVCSports.com—Official Web Site of the Ohio Valley Conference
- ^ http://www.utm.edu/departments/univrel/archives/archive.php?id=1002
- ^ http://forum.belmont.edu/news/2011/08/24/belmont-university-here-we-grow-again/
- ^ "Conference Standings and Champions". http://web1.ncaa.org/web_files/stats/football_records/DI/2008/Pages%20427-441%20-%202007%20Standings.pdf. Retrieved 2009-03-07.
[edit] External links
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