University presidents have unanimously agreed to accept the University of Nebraska at Omaha's application to become a member of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA). UNO will become the 11th member of the NCAA Division II league and will begin competition in August, 2008.
UNO's 15 men's and women's intercollegiate athletic teams have been in the North Central Conference since 1976. The NCC, which currently has seven schools, will dissolve following the 2007-08 season.
"This is a significant day for our school and our athletic program," UNO Athletic Director David Miller said. "We're honored to be a part of the MIAA and look forward to establishing new traditions and rivalries and rekindling old rivalries."
The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association was first organized in 1912 as the Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association. The MIAA has gained the reputation of being one of the top NCAA Division II conferences in the nation. MIAA student-athletes have won 13 national team championships and more than 100 individual national titles.
The MIAA currently conducts conference championships in eight men's and eight women's sports. Men's championships include football, cross country, basketball, indoor and outdoor track and field, baseball, tennis, and golf. Women's champions are determined in volleyball, soccer, cross country, basketball, indoor and outdoor track and field, softball and tennis.
UNO will have some history to draw from when it joins Pittsburg State, Emporia State, Fort Hays State and Washburn in the MIAA. Those schools and Omaha University/UNO were members of the Central Intercollegiate Conference from 1959-68 and later formed the Plains Division of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference from 1968-72 and the Great Plains Athletic Conference in 1972-73.
The Mavericks have enjoyed some long-standing rivalries on the field with several of the MIAA schools, particularly Northwest Missouri State in football. UNO has met the Bearcats in football eight times since 1996, six in the regular season. UNO and Northwest Missouri State are scheduled to play Sept. 8 in Omaha this season.
The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association
School City Nickname Joined MIAA
Emporia State University Emporia, Kan. Hornets 1991
Fort Hays State University Hays, Kan. Tigers 2006
Missouri Southern State University Joplin, Mo. Lions 1989
Missouri Western State University St. Joseph, Mo. Griffons 1989
Northwest Missouri State University Maryville, Mo. Bearcats 1912
Pittsburg State University, Pittsburg Kan. Gorillas 1989
Southwest Baptist University Bolivar,Mo. Bearcats 1986
Truman State University Kirksville, Mo. Bulldogs 1912
University of Central Missouri Warrensburg, Mo. Mules 1912
University of Nebraska at Omaha Omaha, Neb. Mavericks 2007
Washburn University Topeka, Kan. Ichabods 1989
The MIAA Timeline
1912: Original Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association formed - Cape Girardeau State Teachers, Kirksville State Teachers, Maryville State Teachers, Springfield State Teachers, Warrensburg State Teachers, Central Coll., Central Wesleyan, Culver-Stockton, Drury, Missouri Valley, Missouri Wesleyan, Tarkio, Westminster, and William Jewell.
1924: The MIAA reorganized to include only the five regional state colleges - Central, Northwest, Northeast, Southwest & Southeast. Sports include football basketball & outdoor track and field.
1931: Tennis added as a conference sport.
1932: Indoor track added as an MIAA sport.
1934: Golf added as a conference sport.
1935: Missouri School of Mines (now Missouri-Rolla) joins the MIAA.
1957: MIAA joins the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) College Division.
1958: Cross country added as an MIAA sport.
1963: Southwest Missouri State's men's golf squad wins MIAA's first NCAA College Division championship.
1970: Lincoln University joins the MIAA.
1974: Southwest Missouri State wins the NCAA Division II Men's Cross Country Championship.
1980: University of Missouri-St. Louis joins the MIAA.
1981: Men's soccer added as a conference sport... Ken B. Jones is appointed as MIAA's first full-time commissioner... Southwest Missouri State leaves for NCAA Division I.
1982: The MIAA begins sponsoring championships in women's athletics.
1984: Central Missouri State becomes the first school in NCAA history to have its men's and women's basketball squads earn national championships in the same season... Southeast Missouri State also wins an NCAA Division II National Championship in men's cross country.
1985: Southeast Missouri State claims NCAA Division II Men's Indoor Track National Championship.
1986: Southwest Baptist University joins the MIAA.
1989: Missouri Southern State, Missouri Western State, Pittsburg State and Washburn join MIAA... Men's soccer championship suspended.
1991: Southeast Missouri State leaves for NCAA Division I... Emporia State joins the MIAA... MIAA establishes Sports Information Office... Pittsburg State, in just its third season as an NCAA Division II member, wins the Football National Championship with a 20-6 win over Jacksonville State.
1992: Missouri Southern State's softball squad, also in it's third season in Division II play, defeats California State-Hayward, 1-0, to win the national championship... Conference name changed to Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association.
1994: Central Missouri State knocks off Florida Southern, 14-9, to capture the NCAA Division II Baseball Championship... Men's soccer championship play resumes... First Ken B. Jones Award for MIAA Student-Athlete of the Year given.
1996: Missouri-St. Louis completes final season before moving to the Great Lakes Valley Conference... Northeast Missouri State changes its name to Truman State University.
1997: Ken B. Jones retires on June 30 after 16 years of service as commissioner to the conference... MIAA chief executive officers select former Metro Conference and Gulf South Conference commissioner Ralph McFillen as his successor... New MIAA office established in Overland Park, Kan.
1998: Northwest Missouri State became the first football team in NCAA Division II history to post a 15-0 record, as the Bearcats won their first national title in any sport with a 24-6 win over Carson-Newman (Tenn.).
1999: Lincoln forfeits membership in the MIAA at the conclusion of the 1998-99 academic year... Men's soccer championship discontinued... Women's soccer added as a championship sport... Northwest Missouri State wins the longest NCAA Championship football game at any level, defending the Division II National Championship with a 58-52, four-overtime win over Carson-Newman (Tenn.) at Florence, Ala.
2005: Missouri-Rolla leaves the MIAA.
2006: Fort Hays State University joins the MIAA. Central Missouri State University changes its name to University of Cental Missouri.
2007: University of Nebraska at Omaha joins the MIAA, with competition to begin in 2008.
UNO has won 59 conference championships while a member of the NCC in 13 different sports. The Mavericks have won the women's all-sports trophy three straight years and four of the past five seasons. Maverick teams have also added national titles in softball, soccer, volleyball and three times in wrestling while a member of the NCC.
