• OVC Member Institutions
With the calendar turning to July 1, the OVC is proud to officially welcome its newest member to the Conference with the addition of Western Illinois.
The Fighting Leathernecks mark only the 25th full-time member in the history of the Ohio Valley Conference. The OVC was founded in 1948, making it the eighth-oldest Division I Conference, and celebrated its 75th Anniversary a year ago.
ABOUT THE OVC
The Ohio Valley Conference was founded in 1948, making it the eighth-oldest Division I athletic conference. Over the years OVC teams have garnered national championships in football along with national team or individual titles in the sports of rifle, cross country, track and golf. In the 1950s the OVC became a pioneer when Morehead State became one of the first non-traditionally Black mid-southern institutions to accept an African American student. Soon after the passing of Title IX legislation, the OVC began formulating plans for women's athletics, which began in 1977. The OVC has long been a national leader in sportsmanship and in 1995 implemented a first-of-its-kind Sportsmanship Statement, a policy that promotes principles of fair play, ethical conduct and respect for one's opponent. The OVC has a multi-year media rights agreement with ESPN as well as a sponsorship agreement with LEARFIELD.
The Ohio Valley Conference sponsors 19 championship sports. The league consists of 11 member institutions in six states, including include Eastern Illinois University, Lindenwood University, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Morehead State University (charter member), Southeast Missouri State University, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, University of Southern Indiana, Tennessee State University, Tennessee Technological University, the University of Tennessee at Martin and Western Illinois University.
ABOUT WESTERN ILLINOIS
• Website:
GoLeathernecks.com
• Twitter:
@WIUAthletics
Located in Macomb, Illinois, Western Illinois was announced as the newst OVC member on May 12. WIU sponsored 17 of the OVC's championship sports. Football (MVFC) and men's soccer (Summit) will compete one more year in their respective conferences before joining the OVC in the 2024-25 academic year.
"This represents a new start, and a new era for Leatherneck Athletics against some old rivalries, as well as some new teams in our geographic footprint," said Paul A. Bubb, Western Illinois Director of Athletics. "When you look at the schools in the Ohio Valley Conference, you see schools which are similar in enrollment, the size of communities where they exist, the academic programs they offer and the athletic budgets each has to work with at the Division I level."
