On April 19, 2013 the Missouri Valley Conference announced that Loyola University Chicago would be added to the conference. Loyola will become a member on July 1, 2013, filling a gap left by Creighton University, who will depart the conference for the new Big East on the same day.
Established in 1907, the Missouri Valley Conference is the second oldest conference in college sports after the Big 10. Its 10 members will include Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois; Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa; the University of Evansville in Evansville, Indiana; Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois; Indiana State University in Terre Haute, Indiana; Loyola University Chicago in Chicago, Illinois; Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri; the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa; Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois; and Wichita State University in Wichita, Kansas.
The Missouri Valley Conference has consistently been one of the top “mid major” conferences in the country (often defined as the top non-BCS football conferences), routinely placing multiple teams in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament and earning notoriety in many non-revenue sports.
Loyola was a co-founder in 1979 of what eventually became the Horizon League, its only conference affiliation in its 100+ years of intercollegiate sports competition. With the departure of Butler University from the Horizon League last year, Loyola is the only remaining co-founder of the conference—which has become dominated by large public commuter universities. In joining the Missouri Valley, Loyola takes an ambitious step up in the level of their competition and joins a conference known for the passion and loyalty of its fans.
In its last season in the Horizon League, Loyola is leading the conference in the all sports competition, with top showings in women’s basketball, golf, track and field, cross country, and soccer. The university has invested nearly $100 million in new athletic facilities over the past two years, a factor cited by Missouri Valley Commissioner Doug Elgin in selecting Loyola as a member. Loyola also provides the Missouri Valley with a large market presence in an environment rich with recruiting opportunities.
