THIS IS
1
HISTORY AND TRADITION The Valley has great tradition and is the second-oldest NCAA Division I conference. Dr. James Naismith, the inventor of the game of basketball, was one of the MVC’s ‘founding fathers’ when the league was established in 1907. Only the Big Ten Conference (founded in 1896) is older.
1
Continuity and stability In a current climate of conference realignment in which many institutions have disregarded geography, traditional in-region rivalries, and the importance of keeping student-athletes in class, The Valley has remained remarkably stable. Prior to Creighton’s departure, The Valley was one of only two conferences whose membership was unchanged since 1996 – the other being the Ivy League.
2
Athletic facilities Few conferences can boast of tremendous state-of-the-art basketball and athletics facilities like The Valley can. Top to bottom, the Missouri Valley membership has excellent competition and practice venues – every Conference institution has prioritized facility development over the past 15 years. Since 2000, MVC institutions and their cities have invested nearly $900 million in athletics facilities that play host to conference athletics competition or practice and conditioning. Every basketball coach in The Valley can proudly show their facilities to recruits and their families.
3
Great attendance Another sign of strength in the Conference is the strong attendance – the Missouri Valley ranked eighth overall in regular season attendance in 2011-12, averaging more than 7,000 fans at home games, by far the highest among non-BCS leagues. With respect to conference tournament attendance, The Valley ranked seventh overall in total championship attendance, averaging 12,457 per session. Wichita State sold out for most of the season and the 10,391 fans the Shockers averaged placed them 38th. Three other Valley schools ranked among the top 100 – Bradley (68th, 7,640 average), Missouri State (75th, 7,050 average) and Indiana State (96th, 5,433 average).
4
ARCH MADNESS IS A STRONG NATIONAL BRAND The Missouri Valley Tournament has earned a place among the best college basketball tournaments and is clearly one of the strongest, most recognizable brands in the sport. Only the Big East Tournament – which has been staged in New York City for the past 30 years – has enjoyed a longer run at a neutral site than our showcase, which will be played in St. Louis next March for the 24th consecutive year.
5
National exposure The Valley had its men’s basketball tournament championship game televised on CBS for the eighth-consecutive season. CBS has secured the rights to the title game of Arch Madness through 2016, and the Missouri Valley is one of only five conferences to have its championship game aired on the network, joining the Big Ten, C-USA, Mountain West and Atlantic 10 in that elite group.
6
NCAA Tournament success Since 1994, Valley men’s basketball teams have wreaked havoc in the NCAA tournament brackets. MVC teams have won 27 games in the Big Dance in those 20 years. Nine MVC teams have advanced to the Sweet Sixteen, including six different schools (Tulsa (twice), Missouri State, SIU (twice), Bradley, Wichita State (twice) and Northern Iowa). All told, the MVC has earned multiple NCAA bids 13 times in that span – including three bids in three different years and four bids in 2006. Wichita State’s 2013 NCAA Tournament run marked the 17th trip to the Final Four for an MVC member and second in WSU’s history. The Valley is one of those rare conferences that has geographical integrity – regional rivalries that are both intense and respectful, and a unity and cohesiveness that ties member schools tightly together despite tremendous disparity in enrollment and market size and institutional mission. Very few Division I conferences have displayed the kind of institutional camaraderie that is apparent in the Missouri Valley among its administrators, coaches, teams and fan bases, as evidenced at NCAA tournament sites.
7
Great coaches Over the past century, The Valley has become a ‘cradle of coaches’ in providing a setting for producing some of the greatest success stories. Current day Valley coaches have earned national acclaim and respect, and many who have gone on to great success in other conferences have coaching roots in The Valley.
ur, Final F o (NCA A 19 6 9) e k ra D , ohn ar in Maury J oach of the Ye lC Nationa
W ill Robinson , Illinois State (first NCA A Division I Afric an-A merican head coach)
Cheryl Bur
nett, Misso
NCA A Fi uri State (2
nal Fours, M
Henry Ib a, O 19 4 5 and klahoma State (N in 19 4 6, Basketba CA A titles in ll Hall of Fame)
Fame) VC Hall of
Iradge Ahrabi -Fard, UNI (A VCA Hall of Fame, 19 99 N ational Coach of the Year)
Lew Hartzog, Southern Illinois (U.S. Track & Field Hall of Fame, NCAA Coach of the Year in 1982 & 1984)
8
Great talent Men’s basketball, perhaps, has the league’s most storied tradition, boasting 12 Valley coaches and student-athletes who have been inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. But The Valley has produced national-caliber student-athletes in its other sponsored sports.
Larr y Bird, Indi ana State (Nai smith Award Wooden Awar and John d winner. A tw o-time consen American and sus Alltwice named the Most Valu in the Missour able Player i Valley Confer ence.
Jackie Stiles, Missouri Stat e (all-time lead in NCA A Divi ing scorer sion I women ’s basketball)
Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati (3-time National Player of the Year)
Dani Tyler, Dr ake (sof tball All-A merican US Olympic Te , 19 96 Gold M am) edal on
s seve Holli Hyche, Indiana State (own ) field & k trac in s sprint title
9
n national
Hersey Hawki ns, Bradley (1 98 8 National of the Year, al Player l-time M VC sc oring leader)
Other sports Baseball • Last year, five different Valley teams won 30 or more games and three teams represented the Conference in the NCAA Championship.
the 19 8 9 captured ionship te ta S a W ichit ll Champ l B as eb a Nationa
• The league owns a 1989 national championship (Wichita State) a Valley team has reached the College World Series 19 times. • Countless Valley players have dotted major league rosters, with Ryan Howard of Missouri State one of the most notable in recent years.
Ryan Howard, Missouri Stat e -- Fastest player to reac h both the 10 0 and 20 0 home run mile stones in MLB histor y
Men’s Soccer • In the past decade, Bradley and Drake have joined Creighton as teams that have represented The Valley in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Men’s Soccer Championship. • Seven different teams have represented The Valley in the NCAA Championship, and the league has had two or more NCAA bids in men’s soccer in 16 of the past 17 seasons.
Wanda Fo rd, Drake – ranks se in NCA A co history in career reb nd all-time ounds.
Women’s Basketball • Two league teams represented The Valley in the 2013 NCAA Championship, and the league has a strong tradition in women’s basketball. Missouri State (1992 and 2001) has reached the Final Four twice. • Eight different league teams have represented The Valley in the NCAA Tournament, and the league also owns two WNIT national titles.
Gavin Glinton, Bradley – first MVC four-time first-team selection, eight seasons in the MLS
Softball • In the past 10 years, the league has earned multiple NCAA berths eight times, including a league-best three bids in three-straight years (2005, 2006 and 2007). • Five different teams have won the tournament title in the past five years, and four different teams won the regular-season title in that span. • The Valley has had 15 NFCA All-Americans, including six in the past five seasons.
10
nks 20 th Fischer ra wins. a d n li e ch M reer tate coa h 9 2 2 ca Illinois S ve coaches wit ti c am o n g a
Other sports (Continued) Volleyball • In 2012, three league teams represented The Valley in the NCAA Volleyball Championship, and Wichita State advanced to the Sweet 16. It marked the seventh-straight season that multiple MVC teams were invited to the Dance. • In fact, the league has had three or more bids in four of the past five years, receiving a league record four NCAA berths in 2007.
Tim Glover, Ill inois State – Glo 2011 and 20 12, is the mos ver, back-to-back javelin titles in t recent mul in the league ti-year NCA ’s highly deco A champion rated histor y in track & fie ld.
Track & Field • The Valley has produced 13 national champions in the sport in the past six years, including three last year. • Over time, Valley men have established nine World records, and the women have produced 14 World records in various events. • A total of 68 Valley student-athletes own NCAA national titles in track & field.
Molly O’Brien, UNI (MVC Hal l of Famer). UNI has reached seven-stra ight NCA A Championships and has Sw eet 16 trips in 199 9, 2001, and 200 2.
Men’s Golf • Wichita State won its fifth-striaght title last year in MVC men’s golf, and the Shockers have won a league-best 17 men’s golf titles. • The MVC owns five NCAA men’s golf titles, and five different Valley teams have represented the league in the NCAA Regionals in the past 20 years. • The league plays its championship at neutral national caliber sites, which has included Prairie Dunes Country Club, the site of the 2014 NCAA Men’s Golf Championship.
Zach Johnson, Drake – 200
11
7 Master’s Champion and
current PGA professional
Student-athlete academic recognition The Missouri Valley Conference recognizes the academic accomplishments of its student-athletes in a numbers of ways during the academic year. These honors include: •
MVC Post-Graduate Scholarship Four $5000 scholarships given annually
•
Emerson Academic Excellence Trophy The academic equivalent of our All-Sports Trophy this award, titled sponsored by Emerson, recognized the institution with the highest overall student-athlete GPA.
•
Dr. Charlotte West Award Recognizes outstanding achievement in academics, athletics, service and leadership. Awarded to one male and female who has completed intercollegiate eligibility.
•
Commissioner’s Academic Excellence Recognizes student-athletes who maintain a 3.5 GPA in previous two semesters and a 3.2 cumulative GPA while participating in athletics.
•
MVC Elite 18 (Sport Specific) Recognizes student-athletes with the highest GPA at the conference championship.
•
•
Fall, Winter and Spring MVC Leadership & Service Award Recognizes student-athletes that demonstrate good citizenship through good sportsmanship and significant community service.
Conference Honor Roll Recognizes student-athletes who maintain a 3.2 GPA for a specified term, a member of an athletic team and 12 hours of enrollment in the term.
•
•
Presidents Council Academic Excellence Recognizes student-athletes with miminum 3.8 GPA, participation in athletics for at least 2 years and within 18 hours of graduation.
Sport-Specific Scholar-Athlete Teams Nominees must be starters or important reserves, with at least a 3.20 cumulative grade point average. Student-athletes must have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing at their institution and must have completed at least one full academic year at their institution.
12
mvc championship experience 18 MVC Championships : Baseball Men’s Basketball Women’s Basketball Men’s Cross Country Women’s Cross Country Men’s Golf
13
Women’s Golf Men’s Individual & Team Tennis Women’s Individual & Team Tennis Men’s Indoor Track & Field Women’s Indoor Track & Field Men’s Outdoor Track & Field
Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Men’s Soccer Women’s Soccer Softball Women’s Swimming & Diving Women’s Volleyball
2012 Championships Review Comprehensive study of MVC championships program, including: • Formats • Site selection • Student-athlete experience • Academic impact • Costs • Input solicited from administrators, coaches, and student-athletes (both via SAAC and directly via survey) • Broad support for current formats and structure 95% of coaches’ responses and 97% of student-athlete responses positive
14
television & web streaming • The Valley receives eight apperances on ESPN or ESPN2 and eight live events on ESPNU. There are also a number of live events that also appear on ESPN3 and WatchESPN -- the online networks that bring live programming to computers, smart phones, tablets and XBox 360. • The Valley also airs events on FOX Sports Midwest, FOX Sports Indiana, FOX Sports Kansas City, FOX College Sports and Comcast SportsNet. These networks are seen in a total of 66 million homes. • Through its partner WebStream Productions, the Missouri Valley Conference produces webcasts from postseason championships. These are available online at no cost to fans by visiting Valley-Live.tv. In addition to the live events, the website also features on-demand content.
15
Strategic vision The Missouri Valley Conference is an association of collegiate institutions dedicated to the enhancement and sound fiscal management of men’s and women’s athletics programs within an educational environment. To that end, through the orderly establishment, education and enforcement of NCAA and Conference legislation, the Conference aims to: • Advance academic and athletics achievements of the student-athlete. • Promote the academic and athletics environments of the student-athlete within the Conference’s commitment to principles of equal opportunity and affirmative action. • Establish quality competitive opportunities for the student-athlete and continue to enhance the competitive environment of the Conference. • Foster the high ideals of fair play. • Formulate principles regarding the appropriate role of intercollegiate athletics in higher education. • Organize, control and supervise intercollegiate athletics among the member institutions in an atmosphere of mutual trust and cooperation. • Establish educational activities and enforcement of NCAA and Conference rules.
16
It’s Time To Write The Next Chapter 17