The Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference (MIFC) was a football-only

NCAA Division II NCAA Division II (D-II) is an intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environmen ...

conference formed for the 1990 football season. The conference was formed as the result of a merger of the football only Heartland Collegiate Conference and the football playing members of the

Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) is a competitive college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. The GLIAC was founded in June 1972. Its ele ...

(GLIAC). The membership in the MIFC was a somewhat unstable occurrence with membership ranging from 11 members when it formed in 1990 to 14 members in the final 1998 season.

Membership history

The MIFC formed as a result of the merger of the Heartland Conference with the GLIAC football playing members prior to the 1990 football season. The conference started play in 1990 with the following members. From the Heartland Conference: Saint Joseph's College,

Ashland University Ashland University is a private university in Ashland, Ohio. The university consists of a main campus and several off-campus centers throughout central and northern Ohio. Ashland was founded in 1878 as Ashland College. It is affiliated with T ...

Valparaiso University Valparaiso University (Valpo) is a private university in Valparaiso, Indiana. It is a Lutheran university with about 3,000 students from over 50 countries on a campus of . Originally named Valparaiso Male and Female College, Valparaiso Universi ...

University of Indianapolis The University of Indianapolis (UIndy) is a private United Methodist Church-affiliated university in Indianapolis, Indiana. It offers Associate, Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctoral degrees. It was founded in 1902 as Indiana Central University an ...

and

Butler University Butler University is a private university in Indianapolis, Indiana. Founded in 1855 and named after founder Ovid Butler, the university has over 60 major academic fields of study in six colleges: the Lacy School of Business, College of Communi ...

. From the GLIAC:

Ferris State University Ferris State University (FSU or Ferris) is a public university with its main campus in Big Rapids, Michigan. It was founded in 1884 and became a public institution in 1950. Ferris is the ninth-largest institutions of higher education by enroll ...

Grand Valley State University Grand Valley State University (GVSU, GV, or Grand Valley) is a public university in Allendale, Michigan. It was established in 1960 as Grand Valley State College. Its main campus is situated on approximately west of Grand Rapids. The universi ...

Hillsdale College , mottoeng = Strength Rejoices in the Challenge , established = , type = Liberal arts college , religious_affiliation = Not affiliatedBaptist (historical) , endowment = $900 million ( ...

Northern Michigan University Northern Michigan University (Northern Michigan, Northern or NMU) is a public university in Marquette, Michigan. It was established in 1899 by the Michigan Legislature as Northern State Normal School. In 1963, the state designated Northern a uni ...

Saginaw Valley State University Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU) is a public university in University Center, Michigan in Saginaw County. It was founded in 1963 as Saginaw Valley College. It is located on in Saginaw County's Kochville Township, approximately north of ...

and

Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public research university in Detroit, Michigan. It is Michigan's third-largest university. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 350 programs to nearly 25,000 ...

. Membership changes came quickly and often to the MIFC. The first change occurred after 1992 season when Butler and Valparaiso left and were replaced by

Northwood University Northwood University (NU) is a private university focused on business education with its main campus in Midland, Michigan. Opened in 1959, more than 33,000 people have graduated from the institution. History Northwood University opened as North ...

and the University of St. Francis for the 1993 season. The next change came in the 1994 season when

Michigan Technological University Michigan Technological University (Michigan Tech, MTU, or simply Tech) is a public research university in Houghton, Michigan, founded in 1885 as the Michigan Mining School, the first post-secondary institution in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. ...

joined the conference. The next change occurred after the 1995 season when St. Joseph's left the conference. The final membership change occurred in 1998 when the

University of Findlay The University of Findlay (UF) is a private Christian university in Findlay, Ohio. It was established in 1882 through a joint partnership between the Churches of God General Conference and the city of Findlay. UF has nearly 80 undergraduate p ...

Mercyhurst College (Seize the day) , former_names = Mercyhurst College (1926–2012) , established = , type = Private university , religious_affiliation = Roman Catholic (Sisters of Mercy) , endowment = $31.8 million , faculty = 136 full-time , administrat ...

, and Westminster College all joined the conference. St. Francis left the conference following the 1998 season and the MIFC was merged with the GLIAC and the GLIAC resumed sponsoring football starting with the 1999 season. When the MIFC ceased membership all members of the MIFC were all sports members of the GLIAC except Indianapolis who joined the GLIAC as a football only member of the GLIAC starting in 1999.

Membership timeline

DateFormat = yyyy ImageSize = width:1000 height:auto barincrement:20 Period = from:1989 till:2001 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal PlotArea = right:0 left:0 bottom:50 top:0 Colors = id:barcolor value:rgb(0.99,0.7,0.7) id:line value:black id:bg value:white PlotData= width:15 textcolor:black shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:m bar:1 color:tan1 from:1989 till:1990 text:Heartland bar:1 color:powderblue from:1990 till:1993 text:

(1990–1993) bar:1 color:dullyellow from:1993 till:end shift: (20,-5) text: Pioneer Football League (Division I-AA) bar:2 color:tan1 from:1989 till:1990 text:Heartland bar:2 color:powderblue from:1990 till:1993 text:

(1990–1993) bar:2 color:dullyellow from:1993 till:end shift: (20,-5) text: Pioneer Football League (Division I-AA) bar:3 color:tan1 from:1989 till:1990 text:Heartland bar:3 color:powderblue from:1990 till:1996 text: Saint Joseph's College (1990–1996) bar:3 color:limegreen from:1996 till:end text: Division II Independent bar:4 color:tan1 from:1989 till:1990 text:Heartland bar:4 color:powderblue from:1990 till:1999 text:

(1990–1999) bar:4 color:tan2 from:1999 till:end text: GLIAC bar:5 color:tan1 from:1989 till:1990 text:Heartland bar:5 color:powderblue from:1990 till:1999 text:

(1990–1999) bar:5 color:tan2 from:1999 till:end text: GLIAC bar:6 color:tan2 from:1989 till:1990 text: GLIAC bar:6 color:powderblue from:1990 till:1999 text:

(1990–1999) bar:6 color:tan2 from:1999 till:end text: GLIAC bar:7 color:tan2 from:1989 till:1990 text: GLIAC bar:7 color:powderblue from:1990 till:1999 text:

(1990–1999) bar:7 color:tan2 from:1999 till:end text: GLIAC bar:8 color:tan2 from:1989 till:1990 text: GLIAC bar:8 color:powderblue from:1990 till:1999 text:

(1990–1999) bar:8 color:tan2 from:1999 till:end text: GLIAC bar:9 color:tan2 from:1989 till:1990 text: GLIAC bar:9 color:powderblue from:1990 till:1999 text:

(1990–1999) bar:9 color:tan2 from:1999 till:end text: GLIAC bar:10 color:tan2 from:1989 till:1990 text: GLIAC bar:10 color:powderblue from:1990 till:1999 text:

(1990–1999) bar:10 color:tan2 from:1999 till:end text: GLIAC bar:11 color:tan2 from:1989 till:1990 text: GLIAC bar:11 color:powderblue from:1990 till:1999 text:

(1990–1999) bar:11 color:tan2 from:1999 till:end text: GLIAC bar:12 color:drabgreen from:1989 till:1993 text: NAIA Independent bar:12 color:powderblue from:1993 till:1999 text: University of St. Francis (1993–1999) bar:12 color:pink from:1999 till:end text: MSFA (NAIA) bar:13 color:limegreen from:1989 till:1993 text: Division II Independent bar:13 color:powderblue from:1993 till:1999 text:

(1993–1999) bar:13 color:tan2 from:1999 till:end text: GLIAC bar:14 color:limegreen from:1989 till:1994 text: Division II Independent bar:14 color:powderblue from:1994 till:1999 text:

(1994–1999) bar:14 color:tan2 from:1999 till:end text: GLIAC bar:15 color:drabgreen from:1989 till:1993 text: Division III Independent bar:15 color:limegreen from:1993 till:1998 text: Division II Independent bar:15 color:powderblue from:1998 till:1999 shift:(-132,-5) text:

(1998–1999) bar:15 color:tan2 from:1999 till:end text: GLIAC bar:16 color:drabgreen from:1989 till:1994 text: NAIA Independent bar:16 color:pink from:1994 till:1998 text: MSFA (NAIA) bar:16 color:powderblue from:1998 till:1999 shift:(-139,-5) text:

(1998–1999) bar:16 color:tan2 from:1999 till:end text: GLIAC bar:17 color:drabgreen from:1989 till:1994 text: NAIA Independent bar:17 color:pink from:1994 till:1998 text: MSFA (NAIA) bar:17 color:powderblue from:1998 till:1999 shift:(-140,-5) text: Westminster College (1998–1999) bar:17 color:tan2 from:1999 till:2000 text: GLIAC bar:17 color:drabgreen from:2000 till:end text: PAC (D-III) ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:1 start:1990 TextData = fontsize:M textcolor:black pos:(150,30) # tabs:(0-center) text:"Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference membership history"

References

{{Reflist 1990 establishments in the United States 1999 disestablishments in the United States