The MIAA currently sponsors 20 sports – ten men's and ten women's. MIAA schools with additional sports compete independently or as part of a nearby conference. On July 1, 1992, the MIAA entered a new era when the conference changed its name from the Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association to the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association. The name change originated in 1989, when
Pittsburg State University and
Washburn University became the first schools outside the state of
Missouri to gain membership in the MIAA.
Founding and former members The MIAA was established in 1912 with 14 member institutions. It included the five state teachers colleges in Missouri – Warrensburg Teachers College (now the
University of Central Missouri), Northeast Missouri State Teachers College (now
Truman State University), Northwest Missouri State Teacher's College (now
Northwest Missouri State University), Southeast Missouri State Teacher's College (now
Southeast Missouri State University), and Southwest Missouri State Teacher's College (now
Missouri State University). It also included nine private schools –
Central Methodist University,
Central Wesleyan College,
Culver–Stockton College,
Drury University,
Missouri Valley College,
Missouri Wesleyan College,
Tarkio College,
Westminster College, and
William Jewell College. Only Central Missouri and Northwest Missouri State remain members in the MIAA. In 1924 the conference reorganized to include only public schools, and conference records tend to begin with that date. The schools left behind in the reorganization went on to later form the
Missouri College Athletic Union, which would in time become the current
Heart of America Athletic Conference in the
NAIA.
First expansions of the conference The
Missouri School of Mines, later the University of Missouri-Rolla and now the Missouri University of Science & Technology, joined in 1935 to bring membership to six schools. The membership remained at six until
Lincoln University joined in 1970, followed by the
University of Missouri-St. Louis in 1980.
1980s Southwest Missouri State left the MIAA after the 1980–81 season to move on to NCAA Division I. In 1986,
Southwest Baptist University brought the conference membership back to eight schools. In 1989, Pittsburg State, Washburn,
Missouri Southern State College and
Missouri Western State College – formerly members of the
Central States Intercollegiate Conference – began competition in the 1989–90 season.
1990s and 2000s Southeast Missouri State left the MIAA following the 1990–91 season to move on to NCAA Division I, and was replaced by
Emporia State University in the 1991–92 season. Missouri-St. Louis left the MIAA in 1996, as did Missouri–Rolla in 2005. Lincoln forfeited membership in 1999.
Fort Hays State University joined the MIAA in 2006 and the
University of Nebraska Omaha entered the league in 2008. On July 3, 2007, Southwest Baptist was granted independent status for their football team, while all remaining teams will stay in the MIAA. On July 8, 2009, the MIAA CEO Council voted to remain a 12-team league for the foreseeable future, denying an application by
Rockhurst University (which does not have a football team but wanted to compete in other sports). The vote ended short term speculation about the League expanding to 16 teams divided into two divisions.
2010s Lincoln rejoined the conference in 2010 and in that same year, the MIAA CEO Council voted to extend invitations to the
University of Central Oklahoma and
Northeastern State University to become members of the league beginning in 2012–13, as well as
Lindenwood University and the
University of Nebraska at Kearney. In 2012, the schools started to only play each other in football and play no non-conference games. At first, the teams that were closest geographically played each other every year and would rotate through the other conference members in other years. The move to expand the league was spurred at least in part after Northwest Missouri during its national championship game run had problems finding non-conference teams that would play it resulting in 2010 with it having 10-game rather than 11-game schedule. In 2011, Nebraska–Omaha joined the
Summit League and moved to Division I after the 2010–11 season. As Nebraska–Omaha departed in 2011, the membership of the MIAA downsized to 11. Central Oklahoma, Northeastern State, Nebraska–Kearney, and Lindenwood all joined in 2012–13, pushing the membership to 15. The league returned to 14 institutions when Truman left in 2013 to join the
Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC). Southwest Baptist rejoined the MIAA in football for the 2013 football season, which meant that the schools would then play an 11-game conference football schedule with no non-conference games. In 2014, Southwest Baptist and Lincoln joined the GLVC for football only. This puts it so that all of the football schools in the MIAA can play each other now, instead of rotating. On February 8, 2018,
Newman University announced that it had accepted an invitation to join the league as an associate member in all 14 sports it sponsors beginning with the 2019–20 athletic season. On May 31, 2018, the MIAA announced that Southwest Baptist would be withdrawing its membership from the MIAA to join the Great Lakes Valley Conference full-time, effective August 1, 2019. Lindenwood followed Southwest Baptist on October 4, 2018, announcing they would be joining the GLVC as well, effective July 1, 2019. On October 18, 2018
Rogers State University in
Claremore, Oklahoma announced that it would be joining the league as an associate member, aborting a move to the
Lone Star Conference. They became full members on July 1, 2022. After more than 25 years at its current office at 17th and Main Streets, The MIAA announced that it was moving its offices to the newly renovated
Hy-Vee Arena, which is formerly known as Kemper Arena. MIAA and
GAC announced a partnership in June 2018 to combine their men's tennis and men's soccer leagues in both sports for the 2019–20 academic year. Under the agreement, the MIAA will organize the tennis league and the GAC will organize the soccer.
2020 to present On January 26, 2023, Lincoln announced it was departing the MIAA following two stints of membership inside the association spanning 43 years. On June 26, 2023,
Arkansas-Fort Smith announced they had accepted an invitation to become a full-time member of the league. Both changes occurred in time for the 2024–25 season.
Commissioners In July 1981, Ken B. Jones was appointed as the first full-time MIAA commissioner. He held the position for 16 years, retiring in 1997.
Ralph McFillen succeeded Jones, serving 10 years until retiring in 2007.
Jim Johnson then succeeded McFillen in July 2007 and served as commissioner until September 2010.
Bob Boerigter succeeded Johnson on September 20, 2010, as commissioner and retired on January 27, 2017. On September 7, 2016, it was announced that
Mike Racy would become the fifth commissioner of the MIAA, effective January 30, 2017.
Chronological timeline • 1912 – The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) was founded as the Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association. Charter members included
Missouri – Warrensburg Teachers College (now the University of Central Missouri),
Missouri State Normal School of the First District (now Truman State University),
Missouri State Normal School of the Fifth District (now Northwest Missouri State University),
Missouri State Normal School of the Third District (now Southeast Missouri State University),
Missouri State Normal School of the Fourth District (now Missouri State University),
Central College of Missouri (now Central Methodist University),
Central Wesleyan College,
Christian University of Missouri (now Culver–Stockton College),
Drury College (now Drury University),
Missouri Valley College,
Missouri Wesleyan College,
Tarkio College,
Westminster College and
William Jewell College, beginning the 1912–13 academic year. • 1924 – Central Methodist, Central Wesleyan, Culver–Stockton, Drury, Missouri Valley, Missouri Wesleyan, Tarkio, Westminster (Mo.) and William Jewell left the MIAA to form the
Missouri College Athletic Union (MCAU) after the 1923–24 academic year. • 1935 – The
Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy (later the University of Missouri–Rolla, now the Missouri University of Science and Technology [Missouri S&T]) joined the MIAA in the 1935–36 academic year. • 1957 – The MIAA was granted full membership status within the
National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the
College Division ranks in the 1957–58 academic year. • 1970 –
Lincoln University of Missouri joined the MIAA in the 1970–71 academic year. • 1980 – The
University of Missouri at St. Louis joined the MIAA in the 1980–81 academic year. • 1981 – Southwest Missouri State (now Missouri State) left the MIAA to become an
NCAA D–II Independent (which would later join the
Division I ranks of the
National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the
Association of Mid-Continent Universities (AMCU, now the Summit League), beginning the 1982–83 school year) after the 1980–81 academic year. • 1986 –
Southwest Baptist University joined the MIAA in the 1986–87 academic year. • 1989 –
Missouri Southern State College (now Missouri Southern State University),
Missouri Western State College (now Missouri Western State University),
Pittsburg State University and
Washburn University joined the MIAA in the 1989–90 academic year. • 1991: • Southeast Missouri State left the MIAA to join the NCAA Division I ranks and the
Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) after the 1990–91 academic year. •
Emporia State University joined the MIAA in the 1991–92 academic year. • 1992 – The MIAA has been rebranded as the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) in the 1992–93 academic year. • 1996 – Missouri–St. Louis (UMSL) left the MIAA to join the
Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) after the 1995–96 academic year. • 1999 – Lincoln (Mo.) left the MIAA to join the
Heartland Conference after the 1998–99 academic year. • 2005 – Missouri–Rolla (UMR, now Missouri S&T) left the MIAA to join the GLVC after the 2004–05 academic year. • 2006 –
Fort Hays State University joined the MIAA in the 2006–07 academic year. • 2008 – The
University of Nebraska at Omaha joined the MIAA in the 2008–09 academic year. • 2010 – Lincoln (Mo.) rejoined the MIAA in the 2010–11 academic year. • 2011 – Nebraska–Omaha left the MIAA to join the NCAA Division I ranks as an
NCAA D-I Independent (which would later join the
Summit League, beginning the 2012–13 school year) after the 2010–11 academic year. • 2012: • The
University of Central Oklahoma,
Lindenwood University, the
University of Nebraska at Kearney and
Northeastern State University joined the MIAA in the 2012–13 academic year. •
Harding University,
Southern Nazarene University and
Upper Iowa University joined the MIAA as affiliate members for men's soccer, all effective in the 2012 fall season (2012–13 academic year). • 2013: • Truman State (formerly Northeast Missouri State) left the MIAA to join the GLVC after the 2012–13 academic year; while remaining in the MIAA as an affiliate member for men's wrestling just for the 2013–14 school year. •
Newman University joined the MIAA as an associate member for men's wrestling in the 2013–14 academic year. • 2015 – Harding and Southern Nazarene left the MIAA as affiliate members for men's soccer, both effective after the 2014 fall season (2014–15 academic year). • 2016 –
Elmhurst College,
Maryville University,
McKendree University and
Nebraska Wesleyan University (with Drury rejoining for that sport) joined the MIAA as affiliate members for women's bowling, all effective in the 2017 spring season (2016–17 academic year). • 2019: • Lindenwood and Southwest Baptist left the MIAA to join the GLVC after the 2018–19 academic year. • Six institutions left the MIAA as affiliate members, all effective after the 2018–19 academic year: • Drury, Elmhurst, Maryville, McKendree and Nebraska Wesleyan for women's bowling (the latter school dropped said sport) • and Upper Iowa for men's soccer •
Rogers State University (alongside Newman) joined the MIAA as associate members for all sports in the 2019–20 academic year. •
Oklahoma Baptist University,
Ouachita Baptist University,
Southeastern Oklahoma State University and
Southern Arkansas University (with Harding rejoining for that sport; as it previously competed on men's soccer) joined the MIAA as affiliate members for men's tennis, all effective in the 2020 spring season (2019–20 academic year). • 2021 –
Augustana University joined the MIAA as an affiliate member for men's tennis in the 2022 spring season (2021–22 academic year). • 2022: • Oklahoma Baptist left the MIAA as an affiliate member for men's tennis after the 2022 spring season (2021–22 academic year); as the school dropped the sport. • Newman and Rogers State were granted to upgrade to full membership for all sports in the 2022–23 academic year. • 2023 – Ouachita Baptist added men's wrestling to its MIAA affiliate membership in the 2023–24 academic year. • 2024: • Lincoln (Mo.) left the MIAA a second time to join the GLVC after the 2023–24 academic year. • The
University of Arkansas–Fort Smith (Arkansas–Fort Smith or UAFS) joined the MIAA in the 2024–25 academic year. ==Member schools==