The Mid-States Football Association (MSFA) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the NAIA. Member institutions are located in

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

, and

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

. The MSFA was organized in 1993, and on-field competition began in 1994. The MSFA is divided into two leagues, the Mideast and the Midwest. MSFA member schools have won eight NAIA National Championships since the inception of the league in 1993. An MSFA team has played in each of the last seven championships, winning six of the seven, including each of the last three. The two MSFA division champions earn an automatic bid to the NAIA National Championship Series.

History

Chronological timeline

* 1994 - The Mid-States Football Association (MSFA) was founded. Charter members included the following:

Geneva College Geneva College is a private Christian college in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1848, in Northwood, Ohio, the college moved to its present location in 1880, where it continues to educate a student body of about 1400 traditional undergra ...

, Malone College (now Malone University),

Tiffin University Tiffin University is a private university in Tiffin, Ohio. It was founded in 1888 and is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. The university offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs at the main campus in Tiffin, Ohio; the Unive ...

Urbana University Urbana University was a private university specializing in liberal arts education and located in Urbana, Ohio. In its final few years, it was purchased by Franklin University and was a branch campus of that university. History Urbana University ...

, and Westminster College representing the Mideast League, while the University of Findlay,

Lindenwood College Lindenwood University is a private university in St. Charles, Missouri. Founded in 1827 by George Champlin Sibley and Mary Easton Sibley as The Lindenwood School for Girls, it is the second-oldest higher-education institution west of the Missis ...

(now Lindenwood University), Olivet Nazarene University, Saint Xavier University,

Taylor University Taylor University is a private, interdenominational, evangelical Christian university in Upland, Indiana. Founded in 1846, it is one of the oldest evangelical Christian universities in the country. The university is named after Bishop William ...

and

Trinity International University Trinity International University (TIU) is an evangelical Christian university headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois. It comprises Trinity College, Trinity Graduate School, a theological seminary (Trinity Evangelical Divinity School), a law school ...

representing the Midwest League, effective beginning the 1994 fall season (1994-95 academic year). * 1996 - Lindenwood left the MSFA to move its football program with its other sports when it joined the

Heart of America Athletic Conference The Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC or The Heart) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Member institutions are located in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska in ...

(HAAC), effective after the 1995 fall season (1995-96 academic year). * 1996 -

Tri-State University Trine University is a private university in Angola, Indiana. It was founded in 1884 and offers degrees in the arts and sciences, business, education, and engineering. Trine University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. History Tri ...

(now Trine University) and Walsh University joined the MSFA to represent the Mideast League, while Iowa Wesleyan College (now Iowa Wesleyan University) and

St. Ambrose University St. Ambrose University is a private Catholic university in Davenport, Iowa. It was founded as a school of commerce for young men in 1882. History Foundation St. Ambrose was founded as a seminary and school of commerce for young men in 1882, know ...

joined the MSFA to represent the Midwest League, effective in the 1996 fall season (1996-97 academic year). * 1998 - Findlay and Westminster (Pa.) left the MSFA to move their football programs to the Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference (MIFC), along with their other sports when both joined the Division II ranks of the

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

(NCAA) and the

Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) is a competitive List of NCAA conferences, college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the NCAA Division II, Division II level. ...

(GLIAC), effective after the 1997 fall season (1997-98 academic year). * 1998 - The University of Saint Francis of Indiana joined the MSFA to represent the Mideast League, while McKendree College (now McKendree University) joined the MSFA to represent the Midwest League, effective in the 1998 fall season (1998-99 academic year). * 1999 - St. Ambrose left the MSFA, effective after the 1998 fall season (1998-99 academic year). * 1999 - The

University of St. Francis The University of St. Francis is a private Franciscan university with its main campus in Joliet, Illinois. It enrolls more than 3,900 students at locations throughout the country with about 1,300 students at its main campus. History The Unive ...

of Illinois joined the MSFA to represent the Mideast League, effective in the 1999 fall season (1999-2000 academic year). * 2000 - St. Ambrose returned back to the MSFA, effective in the 2000 fall season (2000-01 academic year). * 2002 - Tiffin left the MSFA to join the

Independent Football Alliance Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independen ...

(IFA), effective after the 2001 fall season (2001-02 academic year). * 2002 - William Penn University joined the MSFA to represent the Midwest League, effective in the 2002 fall season (2002-03 academic year). * 2003 - Trine left the MSFA to move its football program with its other sports when it joined the

NCAA Division III NCAA Division III (D-III) is a division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States. D-III consists of athletic programs at colleges and universities that choose not to offer athletic scholarships to their stu ...

ranks, effective after the 2002 fall season (2002-03 academic year). * 2003 -

Quincy University Quincy University (formerly known as St. Francis Solanus College, and today abbreviated as QU) is a private Franciscan university in Quincy, Illinois. It was founded in 1860 and enrolls about 1,100 students. History A small group of Franciscan ...

joined the MSFA to represent the Mideast League, effective in the 2003 fall season (2003-04 academic year). * 2004 -

Ohio Dominican University Ohio Dominican University is a Private university, private Dominican Order, Dominican liberal arts university in Columbus, Ohio. The university has approximately 1,700 students and offers undergraduate degrees in 40 majors as well as nine graduat ...

joined the MSFA to represent the Mideast League, effective in the 2004 fall season (2004-05 academic year). * 2006 - Quincy moved to the Midwest League, effective in the 2006 fall season (2006-07 academic year). * 2007 - Geneva left the MSFA to move its football program with its other sports when it joined the NCAA Division III ranks and the

Presidents' Athletic Conference The Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) is an athletic conference which competes in the NCAA's Division III. Of its 11 current member schools, all private, liberal arts institutions of higher learning, nine are located in Western Pennsylvania. Th ...

(PAC), effective after the 2006 fall season (2006-07 academic year). * 2007 - Marian University joined the MSFA to represent the Mideast League, effective in the 2007 fall season (2007-08 academic year). * 2007 - Saint Xavier (Ill.) moved to the Mideast League, effective in the 2007 fall season (2007-08 academic year). * 2008 - Urbana left the MSFA to move its football program with its other sports when it joined the NCAA Division III ranks and the

(PAC), effective after the 2007 fall season (2007-08 academic year). * 2009 - Ohio Dominican left the MSFA to move its football program with its other sports when it joined the NCAA Division II ranks, effective after the 2008 fall season (2008-09 academic year). * 2009 - Grand View University and

Waldorf University Waldorf University is a private for-profit university in Forest City, Iowa. It was founded in 1903 and associated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and its predecessors. In 2010, it was sold to Columbia Southern University and beca ...

joined the MSFA to represent the Midwest League, effective in the 2009 fall season (2009-10 academic year). * 2009 - Olivet Nazarene and Trinity International moved to the Mideast League, effective in the 2009 fall season (2009-10 academic year). * 2011 - Three institutions left the MSFA to move their football programs with their other sports when they joined the NCAA Division II ranks: Malone and Walsh to the GLIAC, and McKendree to the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC), effective after the 2010 fall season (2010-11 academic year). * 2011 - Concordia University Ann Arbor joined the MSFA to represent in the Mideast League, effective in the 2011 fall season (2011-12 academic year). * 2011 - Quincy returned back to the Mideast League, while Olivet Nazarene and Trinity International returned back to the Midwest League, effective in the 2011 fall season (2011-12 academic year). * 2012 - Two institutions left the MSFA to move their football programs with their other sports when they joined the NCAA ranks: Quincy to D-II and the GLVC, and Iowa Wesleyan to D-III, effective after the 2011 fall season (2011-12 academic year). * 2012 - Siena Heights University joined the MSFA to represent in the Mideast League, effective in the 2012 fall season (2012-13 academic year). * 2013 -

Robert Morris University Illinois Robert Morris University Illinois, formerly Robert Morris College, was a private university with its main campus in Chicago, Illinois. It was founded in 1965 but its oldest ancestor was the Moser School founded in 1913. It changed its name to ...

joined the MSFA to represent in the Mideast League, effective in the 2013 fall season (2013-14 academic year). * 2013 - Saint Xavier (Ill.) returned back to the Mideast League, while Saint Francis (Ill.) moved to the Midwest League, effective in the 2013 fall season (2013-14 academic year). * 2014 - Waldorf left the MSFA to join the

North Star Athletic Association The North Star Athletic Association (NSAA) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) that began play in the 2013–14 school year. The conference currently has eight full member ...

(NSAA) as an affiliate member for football, effective after the 2013 fall season (2013-14 academic year). * 2015 - Grand View and William Penn left the MSFA to move their football programs with their other sports when both joined the HAAC, effective after the 2014 fall season (2014-15 academic year). * 2015 -

Lindenwood University – Belleville The Belleville Learning Center, previously known as Lindenwood University–Belleville and Lindenwood Belleville, is a defunct satellite campus A satellite campus or branch campus or regional campus is a campus of a university or college t ...

and

Missouri Baptist University Missouri Baptist University (MBU) is a private Southern Baptist university in Creve Coeur, Missouri. It is one of three universities of the Missouri Baptist Convention. The main campus is located on a 68-acre site near Creve Coeur and Town and ...

joined the MSFA to represent the Mideast League, effective in the 2015 fall season (2015-16 academic year). * 2015 - Saint Francis (Ill.) returned back to the Mideast League, effective in the 2015 fall season (2015-16 academic year). * 2018 - Lindenwood–Belleville left the MSFA, effective after the 2017 fall season (2017-18 academic year). * 2019 - Robert Morris (Ill.) left the MSFA, effective after the 2018 fall season (2018-19 academic year). * 2019 - Indiana Wesleyan University and

Lawrence Technological University Lawrence Technological University (LTU) (Lawrence Tech) is a private university in Southfield, Michigan. It was founded in 1932 in Highland Park, Michigan, as the Lawrence Institute of Technology (LIT) by Russell E. Lawrence. The university move ...

joined the MSFA to represent the Mideast League, effective in the 2019 fall season (2019-20 academic year). * 2019 - Missouri Baptist moved to the Midwest League, effective in the 2019 fall season (2019-20 academic year). * 2020 -

Madonna University Madonna University is a private Roman Catholic university in Livonia, Michigan. It was founded as the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Junior College by the Felician Sisters in 1937. It became Madonna College in 1947 and Madonna Univers ...

joined the MSFA to represent the Mideast League, while Roosevelt University joined the MSFA to represent the Midwest League, effective in the 2020 fall season (2020-21 academic year). * 2021 - Judson University joined the MSFA to represent the Midwest League, effective in the 2021 fall season (2021-22 academic year). * 2022 - Two institutions announced that they will leave the MSFA to move their football programs with their other sports: Roosevelt to D-II and the GLIAC, and Missouri Baptist to the HAAC, effective after the 2022 fall season (2022-23 academic year).

National Championship appearances

Member schools

Current members

The MSFA currently has 16 member schools, all of them are

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

schools. In 2021, Madonna began conference play as a member of the Mideast League, and Judson has competed in the Midwest. ;Notes:

Former members

;Notes:

Membership timeline

DateFormat = yyyy ImageSize = width:900 height:auto barincrement:20 Period = from:1994 till:2030 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal PlotArea = right:5 left:5 bottom:40 top:5 Colors = id:line value:black PlotData = width:15 textcolor:darkblue shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:s bar:1 color:yelloworange from:1994 till:1998 text:Findlay (1994–1998) bar:2 color:redorange from:1994 till:2007 text:Geneva (1994–2007) bar:3 color:yelloworange from:1994 till:1996 text:Lindenwood (1994–1996) bar:4 color:redorange from:1994 till:2011 text:Malone (1994–2011) bar:5 color:yelloworange from:1994 till:2009 text:Olivet Nazarene (1994–2009) bar:5 color:redorange from:2009 till:2011 text:(2009–2011) bar:5 shift:(20) color:yelloworange from:2011 till:end text:(2011–present) bar:6 color:yelloworange from:1994 till:2007 text:Saint Xavier (IL) (1994–2007) bar:6 color:redorange from:2007 till:2013 text:(2007–2013) bar:6 color:yelloworange from:2013 till:end text:(2013–present) bar:7 color:yelloworange from:1994 till:2002 text:Taylor (1994–2002) bar:7 color:redorange from:2002 till:end text:(2002–present) bar:8 color:redorange from:1994 till:2002 text:Tiffin (1994–2002) bar:9 color:yelloworange from:1994 till:2009 text:Trinity International (1994–2009) bar:9 color:redorange from:2009 till:2011 text:(2009–2011) bar:9 shift:(20) color:yelloworange from:2011 till:end text:(2011–present) bar:10 color:redorange from:1994 till:2008 text:Urbana (1994–2008) bar:11 color:redorange from:1994 till:1998 text:Westminster (PA) (1994–1998) bar:12 color:yelloworange from:1996 till:2012 text:Iowa Wesleyan (1996–2012) bar:13 color:yelloworange from:1996 till:1999 text:St. Ambrose (1996–1999) bar:13 shift:(30) color:yelloworange from:2000 till:end text:(2000–present) bar:14 color:redorange from:1996 till:2003 text:Trine (1996–2003) bar:15 color:redorange from:1996 till:2011 text:Walsh (1996–2011) bar:16 color:yelloworange from:1998 till:2011 text:McKendree (1998–2011) bar:17 color:redorange from:1998 till:end text:Saint Francis (IN) (1998–present) bar:18 color:yelloworange from:1999 till:2013 text:St. Francis (IL) (1999–2013) bar:18 color:redorange from:2013 till:2015 text:(2013–2015) bar:18 shift:(20) color:yelloworange from:2015 till:end text:(2015–present) bar:19 color:yelloworange from:2002 till:2015 text:William Penn (2002–2015) bar:20 color:redorange from:2003 till:2006 text:Quincy (2003–2006) bar:20 shift:(30) color:yelloworange from:2006 till:2011 text:(2006–2011) bar:20 color:redorange from:2011 till:2012 text:(2011–2012) bar:21 color:redorange from:2004 till:2009 text:Ohio Dominican (2004–2009) bar:22 color:redorange from:2007 till:end text:Marian (2007–present) bar:23 color:yelloworange from:2009 till:2014 text:Waldorf (2009–2014) bar:24 color:yelloworange from:2009 till:2015 text:Grand View (2009–2015) bar:25 color:redorange from:2011 till:end text:Concordia–Michigan (2011–present) bar:26 color:redorange from:2012 till:end text:Siena Heights (2012–present) bar:27 color:redorange from:2013 till:2015 text:Robert Morris (2013–2015) bar:27 shift:(90) color:yelloworange from:2015 till:2019 text:(2015–2019) bar:28 color:redorange from:2015 till:2018 text:Lindenwood–Belleville (2015–2018) bar:29 color:redorange from:2015 till:end text:Missouri Baptist (2015–2019) bar:29 shift:(50) color:yelloworange from:2019 till:end text:(2019–present) bar:30 color:redorange from:2019 till:end text:Indiana Wesleyan (2019–present) bar:31 color:redorange from:2019 till:end text:Lawrence Tech (2019–present) bar:32 color:redorange from:2020 till:end text:Madonna (2020–present) bar:33 color:yelloworange from:2020 till:end text:Roosevelt (2020–present) bar:34 color:yelloworange from:2021 till:end text:Judson (2021–present) ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:2 start:1994 TextData = fontsize:M textcolor:black pos:(0,25) tabs:(400-center) text:^"Mid-States Football Association membership history"

Sports

The MSFA sponsors teams only in

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

. For other sports, MSFA-member schools are affiliated with a variety of other conferences; including the American Midwest Conference, the

Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference The Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Its 14 members are located in the Midwestern United States. In many sports, the ...

, the

Crossroads League The Crossroads League (formerly the Mid-Central College Conference) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Its members are private Christian colleges in Indiana, Michigan, an ...

, and the Wolverine–Hoosier Athletic Conference.

References

External links

* {{College football Sports in the Midwestern United States Sports organizations established in 1993 1993 establishments in the United States Articles which contain graphical timelines