The Missouri Valley Football Conference capped its 40th season with its 14th NCAA Division I FCS title on Jan. 6, 2025.  To celebrate the league's 40 years, fans voted for 40 days to recognize the league's all-time best players.  More than 2,000 ballots were cast.

Founded in 1985, the Missouri Valley Football Conference is the nation’s premier NCAA FCS conference.  

Last season, the MVFC extended its FCS-record to 14-straight title game appearances as North Dakota State defeated No. 2 seed Montana State in Frisco, Texas, for the crown.  Notably, the 2024 season marked the 20th title appearance for a league team. The league is 14-6 in title games, although Youngstown State (1991, 1992, 1993, 1994) and Southern Illinois (1983) both played in the championship prior to joining the league.  All 20 of the league’s title-game appearances have occurred since 1997.

There’s not much that has eluded the Missouri Valley Football Conference in its first 40 seasons of competition.  The league’s first four decades have included national championships, national players of the year, national coaches of the year, No. 1 national rankings, and countless All-Americans.  League member North Dakota State earned five-straight national championships from 2011-15 and three-straight from 2017-19.  The league also has NCAA titles in 1997 (YSU), 2002 (WKU), 2021 and 2024 (NDSU), and 2022 and 2023 (SDSU).

Strong coaching and great players have helped make the league a national force, but the stability and leadership of Commissioner Patty Viverito -- the only commissioner the league has ever known -- has helped make the Missouri Valley Football Conference a standard bearer on the FCS scene.  

The Gateway Conference football division was born on August 21, 1985, when the Gateway Conference President’s Council voted to add an FCS football division for six of its members to the previously all-women’s athletics organization.  Founding members of the football division were Eastern Illinois, Illinois State, UNI, Southern Illinois, Southwest Missouri State (now Missouri State), and Western Illinois.  The creation of the football division marked the first time in college annals that football was added to a women’s conference.  In June of 1986, Indiana State became the seventh member of the conference.

In the 40 years of the football division, league membership has been relatively stable.  Eastern Illinois left the league to join the Ohio Valley Conference in 1996, while Youngstown State joined the conference in 1997 to return league membership to its original seven-member status.  League membership reached what was then an all-time high of eight members for the start of the 2001 season with the addition of Western Kentucky.  The Hilltoppers left the league after six years to join the Sun Belt (FBS).  North Dakota State and South Dakota State joined for the start of the 2008 season, giving the league nine members for the first time.  And the league expanded to 10 members in 2012 after the University of South Dakota was admitted.  The University of North Dakota joined the MVFC for the start of the 2020 campaign to expand league membership to 11 institutions.  Murray State University joined the league for the start of the 2023 football campaign, bringing league membership to an all-time high of 12 schools. Western Illinois played its final MVFC season in 2023 after departing for the Ohio Valley Conference for the 2024 campaign. And Missouri State finished its final MVFC season in 2024 as it joins Conference USA (FBS) for all sports of the 2025-26 season.

40TH ANNIVERSARY TEAM SELECTIONS (AS VOTED BY FANS)

QUARTERBACKS
Taryn Christion, South Dakota State, 2015-18 
Mark Gronowski, South Dakota State, 2020-24
Brock Jensen, North Dakota State, 2010-13
Trey Lance, North Dakota State, 2019-20
Russ Michna, Western Illinois, 2000-03
Cam Miller, North Dakota State, 2020-24
Tre Roberson, Illinois State, 2013-15
Joel Sambursky, Southern Illinois, 2002-05
Eric Sanders, UNI, 2004-07
Easton Stick, North Dakota State, 2015-18
Kurt Warner, UNI, 1990-93
Carson Wentz, North Dakota State, 2012-15

RUNNING BACKS
Shakir Bell, Indiana State, 2010-13
Jamaine Cook, Youngstown State, 2009-12
Marshaun Coprich, Illinois State, 2012-15
John Crockett, North Dakota State, 2012-14
Isaiah Davis, South Dakota State, 2020-23
Herb Donaldson, Western Illinois, 2005-08
Brandon Jacobs, Southern Illinois, 2004
David Johnson, UNI, 2010-14
Tom Koutsos, Southern Illinois, 1999-03
Hunter Luepke, North Dakota State, 2018-22
Jaleel McLaughlin, Youngstown State, 2020-22
James Robinson, Illinois State, 2016-19
Pierre Strong Jr., South Dakota State, 2018-21
Zach Zenner, South Dakota State, 2011-14

WIDE RECEIVERS
Don Beebe, Western Illinois, 1986-88
Bo Belquist, North Dakota, 2020-24
Cornell Craig, Southern Illinois, 1996-99
Mike Furrey, UNI, 1997-98
Jadon Janke, South Dakota State, 2018-23
Jaxon Janke, South Dakota State, 2018-23
Laurént Robinson, Illinois State, 2003-06
Kenny Shedd, UNI, 1989-92
Darrius Shepherd, North Dakota State, 2015-18
Dedric Ward, UNI, 1993-96
Christian Watson, North Dakota State, 2017-21
Jake Wieneke, South Dakota State, 2014-17

TIGHT ENDS 
Josh Babicz, North Dakota State, 2017-21
Ben Ellefson, North Dakota State, 2015-19
J.J. Galbreath, South Dakota, 2021-24
Noah Gindorff, North Dakota State, 2018-2022
Dallas Goedert, South Dakota State, 2014-17
Ryan Hannam, UNI, 1998-01
Clay Harbor, Missouri State, 2006-09
Damon Jones, Southern Illinois, 1993-96
Tucker Kraft, South Dakota State, 2019-22
James O’Shaugnessy, Illinois State, 2010-14
MyCole Pruitt, Southern Illinois, 2011-14
Robert Tonyan, Indiana State, 2012-16

OFFENSIVE LINEMEN
Spencer Brown, UNI, 2016-20
Garret Greenfield, South Dakota State, 2018-23
Joe Haeg, North Dakota State, 2012-15
Zack Johnson, North Dakota State, 2012-16
Cody Mauch, North Dakota State, 2017-22
Mason McCormick, South Dakota State, 2018-23
Brad Meester, UNI, 1996-99
Trevor Penning, UNI, 2017-21
Dillon Radunz, North Dakota State, 2016-20
Brad Samsa, Youngstown State, 2005-08
Billy Turner, North Dakota State, 2010-13
Cordell Volson, North Dakota State, 2016-21
Frank Winters, Western Illinois, 1985-86

PLACEKICKERS
Travis Brawner, Missouri State, 1997-99
Craig Coffin, Southern Illinois, 2002-06
Matthew Cook, UNI, 2019-23
Griffin Crosa, North Dakota State, 2019-24
Hunter Dustman, South Dakota State, 2020-24
Billy Hallgren, UNI, 2007-10
Adam Keller, North Dakota State, 2011-14
Justin Langan, Western Illinois, 2001-04
Brian Mitchell, UNI, 1989-91
Cam Pedersen, North Dakota State, 2015-18
Tyler Sievertsen, UNI, 2010-13
Chase Vinatieri, South Dakota State, 2016-19

DEFENSIVE LINEMEN
Khristian Boyd, UNI, 2018-23
Jared Brinkman, UNI, 2017-21
Kyle Emanuel, North Dakota State, 2011-14
Cole Jirik, North Dakota State, 2010-13
Greg Menard, North Dakota State, 2014-18
James Ruffin, UNI, 2006-09
Caleb Sanders, South Dakota State, 2018-22
Khalen Saunders, Western Illinois, 2014-18
Mychal Savage, Youngstown State, 2005-09
Karter Schult, UNI, 2013-16
Derrek Tuszka, North Dakota State, 2016-19
Spencer Waege, North Dakota State, 2018-22
Xavier Williams, UNI, 2011-14

LINEBACKERS
Andre Allen, UNI, 1991-94
Adam Bock, South Dakota State, 2019-24
Jabril Cox, North Dakota State, 2017-19
Nick DeLuca, North Dakota State, 2013-17
Boomer Grigsby, Illinois State, 2001-04
Edgerton Hartwell, Western Illinois, 1998-00
Tim Johnson, Youngstown State, 1999-00
James Milton, Western Illinois, 1995-98
Richard Moss, Indiana State, 1993-96
Grant Olson, North Dakota State, 2010-13
Bryce Paup, UNI, 1986-89
Christian Rozeboom, South Dakota State, 2015-19
Bart Scott, Southern Illinois, 1998-01

DEFENSIVE BACKS
Willie Beamon, UNI, 1989-90, 1992
Montrae Braswell, Missouri State, 2020-22
Jeremy Chinn, Southern Illinois, 2016-19
Bryan Cox, Western Illinois, 1987-90 (LB in NFL)
Tre Dempsey, North Dakota State, 2014-17
Robbie Grimsley, North Dakota State, 2015-18
Myles Harden, South Dakota, 2020-23
Rodney Harrison, Western Illinois, 1991-93
Caleb Schaffitzel, Missouri State, 2011-14
Alex Sewall, Indiana State, 2008-11
Marcus Shipp, Missouri State, 1989-91
Ty Talton, UNI, 1995-98
Michael Tutsie, North Dakota State, 2018-22
Marcus Williams, North Dakota State, 2010-13 

PUNTERS
Miles Bergner, South Dakota, 2013-16
JT Bohlken, Illinois State, 2017-21 
Grant Burkett, Missouri State, 2020-24
Mark Gagliano, Southern Illinois, 1993-96
Lucas Hileman, Indiana State, 2011-12
Mike Krause, Western Illinois, 1986-89
Ben LeCompte, North Dakota State, 2012-15
Tim Mosley, UNI, 1990-93
John Prelvitz, North Dakota State, 2008-10
Mike Scifres, Western Illinois, 1999-02
Brady Schutt, South Dakota, 2017-21
Garret Wegner, North Dakota State, 2017-20