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

National Collegiate Athletic Association

The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...

 Division II Conference formed for the 1990 football season. The conference was formed as the result of a merger of the football only Heartland Football Conference and the football playing members of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference is a competitive intercollegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division II. The GLIAC was founded in June 1972. Member institutions are located in the midwestern United States in the States of Michigan and Ohio, with affiliate...

 (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

Ashland University is a mid-sized, private, non-profit university that is located in Ashland, Ohio.The University offers 73 undergraduate majors and nine pre-professional programs. The majors include toxicology/environmental science and entrepreneurship, which are unusual for an institution of its...

, Valparaiso University

Valparaiso University

Valparaiso University, known colloquially as Valpo, is a regionally accredited private university located in the city of Valparaiso in the U.S. state of Indiana. Founded in 1859, it consists of five undergraduate colleges, a graduate school, a nursing school and a law school...

, University of Indianapolis

University of Indianapolis

The University of Indianapolis is a university located in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, and affiliated with the United Methodist Church. The shortened name it uses is UIndy...

 and Butler University

Butler University

Butler University is a private university located in Indianapolis, Indiana. Founded in 1855 and named after founder Ovid Butler, the university offers 60 degree programs to 4,400 students through six colleges: business, communication, education, liberal Arts and sciences, pharmacy and health...

.

From the GLIAC: Ferris State University

Ferris State University

Ferris State University is a public university with its main campus in Big Rapids, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1884 as the Big Rapids Industrial School by Woodbridge Nathan Ferris, an educator from New England who later served as governor of the State of Michigan and finally in the US Senate where...

, Grand Valley State University

Grand Valley State University

Grand Valley State University is a public liberal arts university located in Allendale, Michigan, United States. The university was established in 1960, and its main campus is situated on approximately west of Grand Rapids...

, Hillsdale College

Hillsdale College

Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Michigan, United States, is a co-educational liberal arts college known for being the first American college to prohibit in its charter all discrimination based on race, religion, or sex; its refusal of government funding; and its monthly publication, Imprimis...

, Northern Michigan University

Northern Michigan University

Northern Michigan University is a four-year college public university established in 1899 located in Marquette, in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. With a population of nearly 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students, Northern Michigan University is the Upper Peninsula's largest...

, Saginaw Valley State University

Saginaw Valley State University

Saginaw Valley State University, commonly known as SVSU, is a state university in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located in the middle of Michigan's lower peninsula in the Saginaw Valley region. The university is located in Kochville Township, Saginaw County...

 and Wayne State University

Wayne State University

Wayne State University is a public research university located in Detroit, Michigan, United States, in the city's Midtown Cultural Center Historic District. Founded in 1868, WSU consists of 13 schools and colleges offering more than 400 major subject areas to over 32,000 graduate and...

.

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

Northwood University is a private university with multiple locations. The school has four residential campuses: Midland, Michigan , Cedar Hill, Texas , West Palm Beach, Florida and a joint program with Hotel Institute Montreux in Montreux, Switzerland, began in 2001...

 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 Technological University is a public research university located in Houghton, Michigan, United States. Its main campus sits on on a bluff overlooking Portage Lake...

 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

University of Findlay

The University of Findlay is a private university located in the city of Findlay in Hancock County, Ohio, United States. It was affiliated with the Churches of God, General Conference, and was founded in 1882 by the city of Findlay and the Churches of God, General Conference. Findlay offers more...

, Mercyhurst College

Mercyhurst College

Mercyhurst College is a Catholic liberal arts college in Erie, Pennsylvania, USA.-History:On September 20, 1926, Mercyhurst College opened its doors just a few blocks away from the city's southern boundary. It was founded by the Sisters of Mercy of the Erie Diocese, who were led by Mother M. Borgia...

, 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.