# Mid-States Football Association

The Mid-States Football Association (MSFA) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The conference sponsors only football. Member institutions are located in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio. The MSFA was organized in 1993, and on-field competition began in 1994. The conference is divided into two leagues, the Mideast League and the Midwest League. The two MSFA league champions each earn an automatic bid to the NAIA football national championship playoffs. MSFA member schools have won eight NAIA football national championships.
For other sports, MSFA-member schools are affiliated with a variety of other conferences including the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference, the Crossroads League, and the Wolverine–Hoosier Athletic Conference.

## History
### Chronological timeline

* 1994 - The Mid-States Football Association (MSFA) was founded. Charter members included the following: Geneva College, Malone College (now Malone University), Tiffin University, Urbana University, and Westminster College representing the Mideast League, while the University of Findlay, Lindenwood College (now Lindenwood University), Olivet Nazarene University, Saint Xavier University, Taylor University and Trinity International University representing the Midwest League 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 (HAAC) after the 1995 fall season (1995-96 academic year).
* 1996 - Tri-State University (now Trine University) and Walsh University joined the MSFA to represent the Mideast League, while Iowa Wesleyan College (later Iowa Wesleyan University) and St. Ambrose University joined the MSFA to represent the Midwest League 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 (NCAA) and the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) 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 in the 1998 fall season (1998-99 academic year).
* 1999 - St. Ambrose left the MSFA after the 1998 fall season (1998-99 academic year).
* 1999 - The University of St. Francis of Illinois joined the MSFA to represent the Mideast League in the 1999 fall season (1999-2000 academic year).
* 2000 - St. Ambrose returned to the MSFA in the 2000 fall season (2000-01 academic year).
* 2002 - Tiffin left the MSFA to join the Independent Football Alliance (IFA) after the 2001 fall season (2001-02 academic year).
* 2002 - William Penn University joined the MSFA to represent the Midwest League 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 ranks after the 2002 fall season (2002-03 academic year).
* 2003 - Quincy University joined the MSFA to represent the Mideast League in the 2003 fall season (2003-04 academic year).
* 2004 - Ohio Dominican University joined the MSFA to represent the Mideast League in the 2004 fall season (2004-05 academic year).
* 2006 - Quincy moved to the Midwest League 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 (PAC) after the 2006 fall season (2006-07 academic year).
* 2007 - Marian University joined the MSFA to represent the Mideast League in the 2007 fall season (2007-08 academic year).
* 2007 - Saint Xavier (Ill.) moved to the Mideast League 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 Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) 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 after the 2008 fall season (2008-09 academic year).
* 2009 - Grand View University and Waldorf University joined the MSFA to represent the Midwest League in the 2009 fall season (2009-10 academic year).
* 2009 - Olivet Nazarene and Trinity International moved to the Mideast League 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) after the 2010 fall season (2010-11 academic year).
* 2011 - Concordia University Ann Arbor joined the MSFA to represent in the Mideast League in the 2011 fall season (2011-12 academic year).
* 2011 - Quincy returned to the Mideast League, while Olivet Nazarene and Trinity International went back to the Midwest League 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 after the 2011 fall season (2011-12 academic year).
* 2012 - Siena Heights University joined the MSFA to represent in the Mideast League in the 2012 fall season (2012-13 academic year).
* 2013 - Robert Morris University Illinois joined the MSFA to represent in the Mideast League in the 2013 fall season (2013-14 academic year).
* 2013 - Saint Xavier (Ill.) returned to the Mideast League, while Saint Francis (Ill.) moved to the Midwest League in the 2013 fall season (2013-14 academic year).
* 2014 - Waldorf left the MSFA to join the North Star Athletic Association (NSAA) as an affiliate member for football 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 after the 2014 fall season (2014-15 academic year).
* 2015 - Lindenwood University – Belleville and Missouri Baptist University joined the MSFA to represent the Mideast League in the 2015 fall season (2015-16 academic year).
* 2015 - Saint Francis (Ill.) went back to the Mideast League in the 2015 fall season (2015-16 academic year).
* 2018 - Lindenwood–Belleville left the MSFA after the 2017 fall season (2017-18 academic year).
* 2019 - Robert Morris (Ill.) left the MSFA after the 2018 fall season (2018-19 academic year).
* 2019 - Indiana Wesleyan University and Lawrence Technological University joined the MSFA to represent the Mideast League in the 2019 fall season (2019-20 academic year).
* 2019 - Missouri Baptist moved to the Midwest League in the 2019 fall season (2019-20 academic year).
* 2020 - Madonna University joined the MSFA to represent the Mideast League, while Roosevelt University joined the MSFA to represent the Midwest League in the 2020 fall season (2020-21 academic year).
* 2021 - Judson University joined the MSFA to represent the Midwest League in the 2021 fall season (2021-22 academic year).
* 2023 - Missouri Baptist left the MSFA to move their football program with their other sports to the Heart of America Athletic Conference after the 2022 fall season (2022-23 academic year).
* 2023 – Trinity International University left the MSFA, coinciding with the closure of its residential campus at the end of the spring semester in favor of online undergraudate programs.
* 2024 – Roosevelt and St. Ambrose left the MSFA after the 2023 fall season (2023-24 academic year), with Roosevelt joining the NCAA Division II ranks and the GLIAC, and St. Ambrose joining the Heart of America Athletic Conference as a football associate.
* 2024 - Defiance College joined the MSFA to represent in the Mideast League in the 2024 fall season (2024-25 academic year).
* 2024 - Marian and Saint Francis (IN) moved to the Midwest League in the 2024 fall season (2024-25 academic year).
* 2025 - Concordia–Ann Arbor will leave the MSFA after the 2024 fall season (2024–2025 academic year).

## Member schools
### Current members

The MSFA currently has 13 member schools, all of them are private schools.
| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined | Primary conference when joining the MSFA | Primary conference |
| Mideast League |||||||||
| Concordia University (Mich.) | Ann Arbor, Michigan | 1963 | Lutheran LCMS | 1,055 | Cardinals | 2011 | Wolverine–Hoosier (WHAC) | Wolverine–Hoosier (WHAC) |
| Defiance College | Defiance, Ohio | 1850 | United Church of Christ | 505 | Yellow Jackets | 2024 | Wolverine–Hoosier (WHAC) | Wolverine–Hoosier (WHAC) |
| Indiana Wesleyan University | Marion, Indiana | 1920 | Wesleyan Church | 15,872 | Wildcats | 2019 | Crossroads | Crossroads |
| Lawrence Technological University | Southfield, Michigan | 1932 | Nonsectarian | 4,154 | Blue Devils | 2019 | Wolverine–Hoosier (WHAC) | Wolverine–Hoosier (WHAC) |
| Madonna University | Livonia, Michigan | 1930 | Catholic | 3,250 | Crusaders | 2020 | Wolverine–Hoosier (WHAC) | Wolverine–Hoosier (WHAC) |
| Siena Heights University | Adrian, Michigan | 1919 | Catholic | 2,274 | Saints | 2012 | Wolverine–Hoosier (WHAC) | Wolverine–Hoosier (WHAC) |
| Taylor University | Upland, Indiana | 1846 | Nondenominational | 1,887 | Trojans | 1994 | Crossroads | Crossroads |
| Midwest League |||||||||
| Judson University | Elgin, Illinois | 1963 | American Baptist | 1,231 | Eagles | 2021 | Chicagoland (CCAC) | Chicagoland (CCAC) |
| Marian University | Indianapolis, Indiana | 1851 | Catholic | 1,800 | Knights | 2007 | Crossroads | Crossroads |
| Olivet Nazarene University | Bourbonnais, Illinois | 1907 | Nazarene | 4,666 | Tigers | 1994 | Chicagoland (CCAC) | Chicagoland (CCAC) |
| University of St. Francis (Ill.) | Joliet, Illinois | 1920 | Catholic | 3,352 | Fighting Saints | 1999 | Chicagoland (CCAC) | Chicagoland (CCAC) |
| University of Saint Francis (Ind.) | Fort Wayne, Indiana | 1890 | Catholic | 1,883 | Cougars | 1998 | Crossroads | Crossroads |
| Saint Xavier University | Chicago, Illinois | 1846 | Catholic | 5,028 | Cougars | 1994 | Chicagoland (CCAC) | Chicagoland (CCAC) |

#### Notes

* ↑ Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.

### Former members

The MSFA has 22 former member schools, all of them were private schools.
| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined | Left | Primary conference when joining the MSFA | Primary conference |
| University of Findlay | Findlay, Ohio | 1882 | Churches of God | 4,870 | Oilers | 1994 | 1998 | Great Lakes (GLIAC) | Great Midwest (G-MAC) |
| Geneva College | Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania | 1848 | Reformed | 1,791 | Golden Tornadoes | 1994 | 2007 | Keystone–Empire (KECC) | Presidents' (PAC) |
| Grand View University | Des Moines, Iowa | 1896 | Lutheran ELCA | 1,988 | Vikings | 2009 | 2015 | Midwest (MCC) | Heart of America (HAAC) |
| Iowa Wesleyan College | Mount Pleasant, Iowa | 1842 | United Methodist | 570 | Tigers | 1996 | 2012 | Midwest (MCC) | Closed in 2023 |
| Lindenwood University | St. Charles, Missouri | 1827 | Presbyterian (PCUSA) | 4,822 | Lions | 1994 | 1996 | Heart of America (HAAC) | Ohio Valley (OVC) |
| Lindenwood University–Belleville | Belleville, Illinois | 2003 | Presbyterian (PCUSA) | N/A | Lynx | 2015 | 2018 | American Midwest | Closed in 2020 |
| Malone University | Canton, Ohio | 1892 | Evangelical | 1,684 | Pioneers | 1994 | 2011 | American Mideast | Great Midwest (G-MAC) |
| McKendree University | Lebanon, Illinois | 1828 | United Methodist | 1,702 | Bearcats | 1998 | 2011 | American Midwest | Great Lakes Valley (GLVC) |
| Missouri Baptist University | St. Louis, Missouri | 1828 | Southern Baptist | 2,800 | Spartans | 2015 | 2023 | American Midwest | American Midwest |
| Ohio Dominican University | Columbus, Ohio | 1911 | Catholic (OP) | 1,716 | Panthers | 2004 | 2009 | American Mideast | Great Midwest (G-MAC) |
| Quincy University | Quincy, Illinois | 1860 | Catholic (Franciscan) | 1,092 | Hawks | 2003 | 2012 | Great Lakes Valley (GLVC) | Great Lakes Valley (GLVC) |
| Robert Morris University | Chicago, Illinois | 1913 | Nonsectarian | N/A | Eagles | 2013 | 2019 | Chicagoland (CCAC) | N/A |
| Roosevelt University | Chicago, Illinois | 1945 | Nonsectarian | 7,500 | Lakers | 2020 | 2024 | Chicagoland (CCAC) | Great Lakes (GLIAC) |
| St. Ambrose University | Davenport, Iowa | 1882 | Catholic | 3,343 | Fighting Bees | 1996 | 2024 | Midwest (MCC) | Heart of America (HAAC) |
| Tiffin University | Tiffin, Ohio | 1888 | Nonsectarian | 3,096 | Dragons | 1994 | 2002 | American Mideast | Great Midwest (G-MAC) |
| Trine University | Angola, Indiana | 1884 | Nonsectatian | 4,104 | Thunder | 1996 | 2003 | Wolverine–Hoosier (WHAC) | Michigan (MIAA) |
| Trinity International University | Deerfield, Illinois | 1897 | Evangelical | 2,730 | Trojans | 1994 | 2023 | Chicagoland (CCAC) | N/A |
| Urbana University | Urbana, Ohio | 1850 | Nonsectarian | N/A | Blue Knights | 1994 | 2008 | American Mideast | Closed in 2020 |
| Waldorf College | Forest City, Iowa | 1903 | For-profit | 580 | Warriors | 2009 | 2014 | Midwest (MCC) | North Star (NSAA) |
| Walsh University | North Canton, Ohio | 1960 | Catholic (Diocese of Youngstown) | 2,779 | Cavaliers | 1996 | 2011 | American Mideast | Great Midwest (G-MAC) |
| Westminster College | New Wilmington, Pennsylvania | 1852 | Presbyterian (PCUSA) | 1,482 | Titans | 1994 | 1998 | Keystone–Empire (KECC) | Presidents' (PAC) |
| William Penn University | Oskaloosa, Iowa | 1873 | Quakers | 1,550 | Statesmen | 2002 | 2015 | Midwest (MCC) | Heart of America (HAAC) |

#### Notes

* ↑ Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
* ↑ Represents the calendar year when spring sports competition ends.
* 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Currently an NCAA Division II athletic conference.
* 1 2 3 Currently an NCAA Division III athletic conference.
* ↑ Currently an NCAA Division I athletic conference.
* ↑ Robert Morris (Ill.) was merged into Roosevelt University after the 2019 fall season (2019–20 school year).
* ↑ St. Ambrose didn't compete in the MSFA during the 1998 fall season (1998–99 school year).
* ↑ Trinity International closed their residential campus after 2022–23 school year and now it only have online modalities.
* ↑ Formerly affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) until 2010.

### Membership timeline

Mideast League   Midwest League

## National Championship appearances

| Year | MSFA member | Opponent | Result | Score |
| 1995 | Findlay (OH) | Central Washington | Tie | 21–21 |
| 1997 | Findlay (OH) | Willamette | Won | 14–7 |
| 1998 | Olivet Nazarene (IL) | Azusa Pacific (CA) | Lost | 14–17 |
| 2004 | Saint Francis (IN) | Carroll (MT) | Lost | 13–15 $^{2OT}$ |
| 2005 | Saint Francis (IN) | Carroll (MT) | Lost | 10–27 |
| 2006 | Saint Francis (IN) | Sioux Falls (SD) | Lost | 19–23 |
| 2011 | Saint Xavier (IL) | Carroll (MT) | Won | 24–20 |
| 2012 | Marian (IN) | Morningside (IA) | Won | 30–27 $^{OT}$ |
| 2013 | Grand View (IA) | Cumberlands (KY) | Won | 35–23 |
| 2014 | Marian (IN) | Southern Oregon | Lost | 31–55 |
| 2015 | Marian (IN) | Southern Oregon | Won | 31–14 |
| 2016 | Saint Francis (IN) | Baker (KS) | Won | 38–17 |
| 2017 | Saint Francis (IN) | Reinhardt (GA) | Won | 24–13 |
| 2019 | Marian (IN) | Morningside | Lost | 38–40 |