Midwestern Conference

{{Infobox sports league

| name = Midwestern Conference

| founded = 1970

| dissolved = 1972

| association = NCAA

| division = Division I

| subdivision = non-football

| teams = 5

| sports = 9

| mens = 9

| region = Midwestern United States

| headquarters = Indianapolis, Indiana

| commissioner = Jack McClelland

}}

The Midwestern Conference, alternatively Conference of Midwestern Universities,{{cite book|author1=Anthony O. Edmonds|author2=C. Warren Vander Hill|title=Ball State Men's Basketball 1918-2003|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xsQg3WanaRAC&pg=PA46|year=2003|publisher=Arcadia Publishing|isbn=978-0-7385-3163-2|pages=46–}} was a college athletic conference which operated in Illinois and Indiana from 1970 to 1972. It was composed of schools which had recently moved from Division II (then known as the College Division) to Division I (known as the University Division) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The conference sponsored only men's sports; awarding championships in baseball, basketball, cross-country, golf, swimming, tennis, indoor & outdoor track and field, and wrestling.

The first conference championship was in cross country in the fall of 1970. Southern Illinois won that championship and almost made a clean sweep by winning championships in basketball, wrestling, swimming, baseball, tennis, and both indoor and outdoor track. Only Ball State prevented a sweep by winning the golf championship that spring.

At that time (as is generally still the case now), in order to be recognized by the NCAA, a conference was required to have six or more member institutions. The Midwestern Conference had only five members and was unable to find a sixth, so it ceased operations after only two years. The five member schools eventually affiliated with other conferences.

The conference commissioner was Jack McClelland, the former Drake Bulldogs basketball coach and athletic director, who had resigned as commissioner of the North Central Conference in order to accept the position with the Midwestern Conference.{{Cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1314&dat=19700423&id=S8JWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=dusDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2213,2724413&hl=en|title = The Spokesman-Review - Google News Archive Search}}

Member schools

The onetime members of the Midwestern Conference and the conferences they later joined are:

class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
Institution ! Location ! Founded ! Affiliation ! Enrollment{{cite web\|url=https://www.usnews.com/education\|title=US News Education – Best Colleges – Best Graduate Schools – Online Schools – US News\|work=U.S. News & World Report\|access-date=23 February 2016\|url-status=live\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160222195031/http://www.usnews.com/education\|archive-date=22 February 2016}}{{Cite web \|title=National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Home Page, part of the U.S. Department of Education \|url=https://nces.ed.gov/ \|access-date=2022-06-07 \|website=nces.ed.gov \|language=EN}} ! Nickname ! Joined ! Left ! class="unsortable" \| Colors ! Subsequent conference(s) ! Current conference
Ball State University{{Cite web \|url=http://www.ballstatesports.com/fls/14200/MBB/PDFs/All-Time-Results.pdf?SPSID=62158&SPID=6786&DB_OEM_ID=14200 \|title=Ball State Men's Basketball \|access-date=2012-02-24 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130601052834/http://www.ballstatesports.com/fls/14200/MBB/PDFs/All-Time-Results.pdf?SPSID=62158&SPID=6786&DB_OEM_ID=14200 \|archive-date=2013-06-01 \|url-status=dead }} \| Muncie, Indiana \| 1918 \| Public \| 21,597 \| Cardinals \| 1970 \| 1972 \| {{college color boxes\|Ball State Cardinals}} \| NCAA D-I Independent (1972–73) \| Mid-American (MAC) (1973–present){{Cite web \|url=http://www.mac-sports.com/ \|title=Official Site of the Mid-American Conference \|access-date=2012-02-24 \|archive-date=2017-08-29 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170829214423/http://mac-sports.com/ \|url-status=dead }}
Illinois State University{{Cite web\|url=http://catalog.e-digitaleditions.com/issue/44431\|title=Illinois State - 2011-12 Mens Basketball Virtual Guide}} \| Normal, Illinois \| 1857 \| Public \| 20,683 \| Redbirds \| 1970 \| 1972 \| {{college color boxes\|Illinois State Redbirds}} \| NCAA D-I Independent (1972–81) \| Missouri Valley (MVC) (1981–present){{cite web \|title=2023-2024 Missouri Valley Conference Men's Basketball \|url=https://s3.amazonaws.com/sidearm.sites/mvc.sidearmsports.com/documents/2023/10/19/MVC_Information.pdf \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240707010023/https://s3.amazonaws.com/sidearm.sites/mvc.sidearmsports.com/documents/2023/10/19/MVC_Information.pdf \|archive-date=2024-07-07 \|page=5 \|url-status=live}}
Indiana State University{{Cite web \|url=http://www.gosycamores.com/fls/15200//1112FullYearbook.pdf?SPSID=65149&SPID=7259&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=15200 \|title=2011-12 Indiana State Basketball \|access-date=2012-02-24 \|archive-date=2016-03-03 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303231314/http://www.gosycamores.com/fls/15200//1112FullYearbook.pdf?SPSID=65149&SPID=7259&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=15200 \|url-status=dead }} \| Terre Haute, Indiana \| 1865 \| Public \| 13,584 \| Sycamores \| 1970 \| 1972 \| {{college color boxes\|Indiana State Sycamores}} \| NCAA D-I Independent (1972–76) \| Missouri Valley (MVC) (1976–present)
Northern Illinois University{{cite web \|title=Northern Illinois 2011-12 Men's Basketball Information Guide \|url=http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/niu/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/2011-12/misc_non_event/1112-info-guide.pdf \|publisher=Northern Illinois University \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105072749/http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/niu/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/2011-12/misc_non_event/1112-info-guide.pdf \|archive-date=2012-11-05 \|url-status=dead}} \| DeKalb, Illinois \| 1895 \| Public \| 16,769 \| Huskies \| 1970 \| 1972 \| {{college color boxes\|Northern Illinois Huskies}} \| various{{efn\|group=final\|Northern Illinois (NIU) had joined the following subsequent conferences: as an NCAA D-I Independent from 1972–73 to 1974–75, and again later from 1986–87 to 1989–90; the Mid-Continent Conference (now the Summit League) from 1990–91 to 1993–94; and the Midwestern Collegiate Conference (now the Horizon League) from 1994–95 to 1996–97.}} \| Mid-American (MAC) (1975–86; 1997–present)
Southern Illinois University{{cite web \|title=Southern Illinois 2011-12 Media Guide \|url=http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/silu/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/2011-12/prospectus/prospectus.pdf \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304091559/http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/silu/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/2011-12/prospectus/prospectus.pdf \|archive-date=2016-03-04 \|url-status=dead}} \| Carbondale, Illinois \| 1869 \| Public \| 11,695 \| Salukis \| 1970 \| 1972 \| {{college color boxes\|Southern Illinois Salukis}} \| NCAA D-I Independent (1972–75) \| Missouri Valley (MVC) (1975–present)

class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"

Institution

! Location

! Founded

! Affiliation

! Enrollment{{cite web|url=https://www.usnews.com/education|title=US News Education – Best Colleges – Best Graduate Schools – Online Schools – US News|work=U.S. News & World Report|access-date=23 February 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160222195031/http://www.usnews.com/education|archive-date=22 February 2016}}{{Cite web |title=National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Home Page, part of the U.S. Department of Education |url=https://nces.ed.gov/ |access-date=2022-06-07 |website=nces.ed.gov |language=EN}}

! Nickname

! Joined

! Left

! class="unsortable" | Colors

! Subsequent
conference(s)

! Current
conference

Ball State University{{Cite web |url=http://www.ballstatesports.com/fls/14200/MBB/PDFs/All-Time-Results.pdf?SPSID=62158&SPID=6786&DB_OEM_ID=14200 |title=Ball State Men's Basketball |access-date=2012-02-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130601052834/http://www.ballstatesports.com/fls/14200/MBB/PDFs/All-Time-Results.pdf?SPSID=62158&SPID=6786&DB_OEM_ID=14200 |archive-date=2013-06-01 |url-status=dead }}

| Muncie, Indiana

| 1918

| Public

| 21,597

| Cardinals

| 1970

| 1972

| {{college color boxes|Ball State Cardinals}}

| NCAA D-I Independent
(1972–73)

| Mid-American (MAC)
(1973–present){{Cite web |url=http://www.mac-sports.com/ |title=Official Site of the Mid-American Conference |access-date=2012-02-24 |archive-date=2017-08-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170829214423/http://mac-sports.com/ |url-status=dead }}

Illinois State University{{Cite web|url=http://catalog.e-digitaleditions.com/issue/44431|title=Illinois State - 2011-12 Mens Basketball Virtual Guide}}

| Normal, Illinois

| 1857

| Public

| 20,683

| Redbirds

| 1970

| 1972

| {{college color boxes|Illinois State Redbirds}}

| NCAA D-I Independent
(1972–81)

| Missouri Valley (MVC)
(1981–present){{cite web |title=2023-2024 Missouri Valley Conference Men's Basketball |url=https://s3.amazonaws.com/sidearm.sites/mvc.sidearmsports.com/documents/2023/10/19/MVC_Information.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240707010023/https://s3.amazonaws.com/sidearm.sites/mvc.sidearmsports.com/documents/2023/10/19/MVC_Information.pdf |archive-date=2024-07-07 |page=5 |url-status=live}}

Indiana State University{{Cite web |url=http://www.gosycamores.com/fls/15200//1112FullYearbook.pdf?SPSID=65149&SPID=7259&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=15200 |title=2011-12 Indiana State Basketball |access-date=2012-02-24 |archive-date=2016-03-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303231314/http://www.gosycamores.com/fls/15200//1112FullYearbook.pdf?SPSID=65149&SPID=7259&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=15200 |url-status=dead }}

| Terre Haute, Indiana

| 1865

| Public

| 13,584

| Sycamores

| 1970

| 1972

| {{college color boxes|Indiana State Sycamores}}

| NCAA D-I Independent
(1972–76)

| Missouri Valley (MVC)
(1976–present)

Northern Illinois University{{cite web |title=Northern Illinois 2011-12 Men's Basketball Information Guide |url=http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/niu/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/2011-12/misc_non_event/1112-info-guide.pdf |publisher=Northern Illinois University |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105072749/http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/niu/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/2011-12/misc_non_event/1112-info-guide.pdf |archive-date=2012-11-05 |url-status=dead}}

| DeKalb, Illinois

| 1895

| Public

| 16,769

| Huskies

| 1970

| 1972

| {{college color boxes|Northern Illinois Huskies}}

| various{{efn|group=final|Northern Illinois (NIU) had joined the following subsequent conferences: as an NCAA D-I Independent from 1972–73 to 1974–75, and again later from 1986–87 to 1989–90; the Mid-Continent Conference (now the Summit League) from 1990–91 to 1993–94; and the Midwestern Collegiate Conference (now the Horizon League) from 1994–95 to 1996–97.}}

| Mid-American (MAC)
(1975–86; 1997–present)

Southern Illinois University{{cite web |title=Southern Illinois 2011-12 Media Guide |url=http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/silu/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/2011-12/prospectus/prospectus.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304091559/http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/silu/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/2011-12/prospectus/prospectus.pdf |archive-date=2016-03-04 |url-status=dead}}

| Carbondale, Illinois

| 1869

| Public

| 11,695

| Salukis

| 1970

| 1972

| {{college color boxes|Southern Illinois Salukis}}

| NCAA D-I Independent
(1972–75)

| Missouri Valley (MVC)
(1975–present)

;Notes: