Northwest Missouri-Missouri Western football rivalry
Encyclopedia
The Northwest Missouri–Missouri Western football rivalry between the Northwest Missouri Bearcats football
team and Missouri Western State University
is between two Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association
NCAA Division II rivals that are less than 50 miles apart.
The schools off the field are constantly competing for state funds in the same market ever since Missouri Western expanded from a junior college to a four year college in 1969 fulfilling a Missouri governor Warren Hearnes campaign promise to build the school St. Joseph, Missouri (2000 population 73,912). At the time Northwest at Maryville (2000 population 10,581) founded in 1905 was the sole four-year state college in northwest Missouri.
In 1988 the state under John Ashcroft
recommended that Northwest be closed altogether.
In the wake of the ultimately abandoned proposal both schools have considerably ramped up their football programs with Northwest appearing in seven NCAA Division II National Football Championship
s (winning three) while Missouri Western has lured the Kansas City Chiefs
to the campus for its summer training camp starting in 2010.
The rivalry on the field is a big draw. The biggest crowds at Spratt Stadium
are 10,129 in 2009 and 9,007 in 2007. A crowd of 9,346 attended the September 13, 2008 game -- the second biggest at Northwest's Bearcat Stadium
. The 2010 game was attended by 10,805 the biggest in the stadium history.
Northwest Missouri Bearcats football
The Northwest Missouri State Bearcats football team has appeared in seven NCAA Division II national title games since going 0-11 in Mel Tjeerdsma's first season in 1994.The Bearcats have made the playoffs in 15 seasons...
team and Missouri Western State University
Missouri Western State University
Missouri Western State University is a public, co-educational university located in Saint Joseph, Missouri. The school enrolls 6,010 undergraduate students and 124 graduate students.-History:...
is between two Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association
Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association
The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association is a college athletic conference which operates in the states of Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and effective in 2012 in Oklahoma in the Midwestern United States. The conference was formerly known as the Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic...
NCAA Division II rivals that are less than 50 miles apart.
The schools off the field are constantly competing for state funds in the same market ever since Missouri Western expanded from a junior college to a four year college in 1969 fulfilling a Missouri governor Warren Hearnes campaign promise to build the school St. Joseph, Missouri (2000 population 73,912). At the time Northwest at Maryville (2000 population 10,581) founded in 1905 was the sole four-year state college in northwest Missouri.
In 1988 the state under John Ashcroft
John Ashcroft
John David Ashcroft is a United States politician who served as the 79th United States Attorney General, from 2001 until 2005, appointed by President George W. Bush. Ashcroft previously served as the 50th Governor of Missouri and a U.S...
recommended that Northwest be closed altogether.
In the wake of the ultimately abandoned proposal both schools have considerably ramped up their football programs with Northwest appearing in seven NCAA Division II National Football Championship
NCAA Division II national football championship
The NCAA Division II National Football Championship began in 1973. Prior to 1973, four regional bowl games were played in order to provide postseason action for what was then called the NCAA College Division and a poll determined the final champion....
s (winning three) while Missouri Western has lured the Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
to the campus for its summer training camp starting in 2010.
The rivalry on the field is a big draw. The biggest crowds at Spratt Stadium
Spratt Stadium
Spratt Stadium is a 7,500 seat stadium in St. Joseph, Missouri on the campus of Missouri Western State University.In 2010 it will become the summer training camp for the Kansas City Chiefs.-History:...
are 10,129 in 2009 and 9,007 in 2007. A crowd of 9,346 attended the September 13, 2008 game -- the second biggest at Northwest's Bearcat Stadium
Bearcat Stadium
Bearcat Stadium is the football stadium of the Northwest Missouri State University Bearcats in Maryville, Missouri and is the oldest continuous site for any NCAA Division II school....
. The 2010 game was attended by 10,805 the biggest in the stadium history.
Game results
At the conclusion of the November 19, 2011 game, Northwest has an 21-11 edge.| Date | Winner | Venue | NW Rank | MW Rank | NW Score | MW Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981-09-19 | Missouri Western | St. Joseph | - | - | 8 | 20 | - |
| 1982-09-18 | Missouri Western | Maryville | - | - | 14 | 17 | - |
| 1983-09-17 | Northwest | St. Joseph | - | - | 19 | 9 | - |
| 1984-09-22 | Northwest | Maryville | - | - | 30 | 27 | - |
| 1985-09-21 | Northwest | St. Joseph | - | - | 24 | 18 | - |
| 1986-09-20 | Missouri Western | Maryville | - | - | 26 | 27 | - |
| 1987-09-19 | Northwest | St. Joseph | - | - | 20 | 17 | - |
| 1988-09-17 | Missouri Western | Maryville | - | - | 26 | 27 | - |
| 1989-09-02 | Northwest | St. Joseph | - | - | 45 | 29 | - |
| 1990-09-01 | Missouri Western | Maryville | - | - | 25 | 27 | - |
| 1991-10-26 | Northwest | St. Joseph | - | - | 49 | 26 | - |
| 1992-10-24 | Northwest | Maryville | - | - | 43 | 26 | - |
| 1993-09-18 | Missouri Western | St. Joseph | - | - | 14 | 21 | - |
| 1994-09-17 | Missouri Western | Maryville | - | - | 0 | 20 | - |
| 1995-10-14 | Missouri Western | St. Joseph | - | - | 20 | 24 | - |
| 1996-10-19 | Northwest | Maryville | 8 | - | 31 | 24 | - |
| 1997-09-27 | Northwest | St. Joseph | 6 | - | 52 | 13 | - |
| 1998-09-27 | Northwest | Maryville | 5 | - | 45 | 32 | - |
| 1999-10-09 | Northwest | St. Joseph | 7 | - | 38 | 34 | - |
| 2000-10-07 | Northwest | Maryville | 1 | - | 46 | 27 | - |
| 2001-11-03 | Missouri Western | Maryville | - | - | 30 | 37 | OT |
| 2002-11-09 | Northwest | St. Joseph | 4 | - | 13 | 10 | - |
| 2003-10-25 | Missouri Western | St. Joseph | - | - | 27 | 30 | OT |
| 2004-10-16 | Northwest | Maryville | 4 | - | 31 | 13 | - |
| 2005-09-17 | Northwest | St. Joseph | 10 | - | 31 | 21 | - |
| 2006-09-23 | Northwest | Maryville | 2 | 16 | 24 | 21 | - |
| 2007-09-15 | Northwest | St. Joseph | 11 | - | 44 | 20 | - |
| 2008-09-13 | Northwest | Maryville | 9 | - | 42 | 35 | - |
| 2009-10-03 | Northwest | St. Joseph | 6 | 12 | 49 | 35 | - |
| 2010-10-02 | Northwest | Maryville | 7 | 8 | 42 | 0 | - |
| 2010-11-20 | Northwest | Maryville | 3 | 23 | 28 | 24 | First round playoffs |
| 2011-11-05 | Missouri Western | St. Joseph | 3 | 25 | 31 | 28 | Won on a Missouri Western record field goal by Greg Zuerlein of 58 yards |
| 2011-11-19 | Northwest | St. Joseph | 7 | 17 | 35 | 29 | First round playoffs |