The Pioneer Football League is a college athletic conference which operates literally from coast to coast in the United States. It has member schools that range from North Carolina and Florida in the east to California in the west. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) as a football-only conference. Unlike most other Division I FCS conferences, the Pioneer League consists of institutions which choose not to award athletic scholarships ("grants-in-aid") to football players. PFL teams are eligible to compete in the FCS Playoffs, but only as an at-large as the conference does not receive an automatic berth. Currently the league champion plays the champion of the Northeast Conference in the Gridiron Classic. Image File history File links Pioneer_Football_League_logo. ... The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA, often said NC-Double-A) is a voluntary association of about 1200 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletics programs of many colleges and universities in the United States. ... Division I (or DI) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association in the United States. ... For other uses of terms redirecting here, see US (disambiguation), USA (disambiguation), and United States (disambiguation) Motto In God We Trust(since 1956) (From Many, One; Latin, traditional) Anthem The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City National language English (de facto)1 Demonym American... This article is about the U.S. state. ... This article is about the U.S. State of Florida. ... For other uses, see Indiana (disambiguation). ... Official language(s) English Capital Des Moines Largest city Des Moines Largest metro area Des Moines metropolitan area Area  Ranked 26th  - Total 56,272 sq mi (145,743 km²)  - Width 310 miles (500 km)  - Length 199 miles (320 km)  - % water 0. ... Official language(s) English[1] Capital Frankfort Largest city Louisville Area  Ranked 37th  - Total 40,444 sq mi (104,749 km²)  - Width 140 miles (225 km)  - Length 379 miles (610 km)  - % water 1. ... Official language(s) English Capital Raleigh Largest city Charlotte Largest metro area Charlotte metro area Area  Ranked 28th  - Total 53,865 sq mi (139,509 km²)  - Width 150 miles (240 km)  - Length 560[1] miles (900 km)  - % water 9. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... Nickname: Location in the state of Missouri Coordinates: , Country State County Independent City Government  - Mayor Francis G. Slay (D) Area  - City  66. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 552 pixelsFull resolution (841 × 580 pixel, file size: 27 KB, MIME type: image/png) Derived from [1]; map of states with Pioneer Football League schools I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... NCAA conferences Division I Division I-A football Bowl Championship Series conferences Atlantic Coast Conference Big Ten Conference Big Twelve Conference Big East Conference Pacific Ten Conference Southeastern Conference Non BCS conferences Conference USA Mid-American Conference Mountain West Conference Sun Belt Conference Western Athletic Conference NCAA Division I-A... Official language(s) English Capital Raleigh Largest city Charlotte Largest metro area Charlotte metro area Area  Ranked 28th  - Total 53,865 sq mi (139,509 km²)  - Width 150 miles (240 km)  - Length 560[1] miles (900 km)  - % water 9. ... This article is about the U.S. State of Florida. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA, often pronounced N-C-Double-A or N-C-Two-A ) is a voluntary association of about 1,200 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States. ... United States simply as football, is a competitive team sport that is both fast-paced and strategic. ... An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university awarded to an individual based predominantly on their ability to play in a sport. ... The Northeast Conference (NEC) is a college athletic conference which operates in the northeastern United States. ...

Membership

Butler University is a private liberal arts university in Indianapolis, Indiana. ... Indianapolis redirects here. ... The Butler Bulldogs are the teams that represent Butler University in U.S. NCAA Division I athletic competition. ... The Horizon League is a nine school, NCAA Division I college athletic conference, whose members are located in five of the Midwestern United States. ... Davidson College is a private liberal arts college for 1,700 students in Davidson, North Carolina, USA. Both the town and college were named for Brigadier General William Lee Davidson, a Revolutionary War commander. ... For Davidson County, North Carolina, click here Davidson is a town in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, lying right along the southern edge of the Iredell and Mecklenburg County line. ... The Southern Conference (or SoCon) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the NCAAs Division I. SoCon football teams compete in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (formerly known as I-AA). ... The University of Dayton is a private Catholic university operated by the Society of Mary located in Dayton, Ohio. ... : Gem City : Birthplace of Aviation United States Ohio Montgomery 56. ... The Flyers is the team name for the University of Daytons intercollegiate athletic teams. ... The Atlantic 10 Conference (A10) is a college athletic conference which operates mostly on the United States eastern seaboard. ... Drake University is a private, co-educational university located in the city of Des Moines, Iowa. ... “Des Moines” redirects here. ... Drake Bulldogs logo from 1956-2005 The Drake Bulldogs are the athletic teams of the Drake University. ... Former Missouri Valley Conference logo The Missouri Valley Conference (also called MVC or simply The Valley) is a college athletic conference whose members are located in the midwestern United States. ... Jacksonville University (JU) is a private university located in Jacksonville, Florida, on the shore of the St. ... “Jacksonville” redirects here. ... The Atlantic Sun Conference is a college athletic conference which operates primarily on the east coast of the United States. ... Morehead State University is a public, co-educational university located in Morehead, Kentucky. ... Morehead is a city of Rowan County, Kentucky, United States. ... The Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) is a college athletic conference which operates in the midwestern and southeastern United States. ... The University of San Diego, frequently referred to as USD, is a Catholic university in San Diego, California. ... San Diego redirects here. ... The West Coast Conference is an NCAA collegiate athletic conference consisting of eight member schools in California, Oregon, and Washington. ... Valparaiso University, known colloquially as Valpo, is a private university located in the city of Valparaiso, Indiana. ... Nickname: Motto: Vale of Paradise Location in Indiana Coordinates: , Country State County Porter Government  - Mayor Jon Costas (R) Area  - City  11. ... The Valparaiso University Crusaders are the 18 intercollegiate teams that compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Associations Division I. Valparaiso University competes in the Mid-Continent Conference in all sports except for football, which is not sponsored by the conference. ... The Horizon League is a nine school, NCAA Division I college athletic conference, whose members are located in five of the Midwestern United States. ...

Former members

• University of Evansville (Dropped Football), 1991-1997
• Austin Peay State University (Ohio Valley), 2001-2006

The University of Evansville (UE) is a small (approximately 2400 students), private university located in Evansville, Indiana. ... This article is about the public university in Clarksville, Tennessee. ... The Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) is a college athletic conference which operates in the midwestern and southeastern United States. ...

History

Foundation

Following an NCAA rule change passed in January 1991, which required Division I schools to conduct all sports at the Division I level by 1993, the conference was formed by charter members Butler University, the University of Dayton, Drake University, the University of Evansville, and Valparaiso University. The University of San Diego joined in 1992, and the league played its first season in 1993. These six schools had previously sponsored football at the Division II and Division III levels. The league was narrowed back to five members after the University of Evansville dropped football in 1997. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Year 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the 1991 Gregorian calendar). ... The University of Evansville (UE) is a small (approximately 2400 students), private university located in Evansville, Indiana. ... Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ...

Expansion

However, in 2001, the conference nearly doubled in size and was reorganized with the five current members forming the North Division, and newcomers Austin Peay State University, Davidson College, Jacksonville University and Morehead State University forming the South Division. This reorganization also spawned a new championship system in which the best record holders from each division would play in a title game for the conference championship. Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ...

Reversion

On April 8, 2005, Austin Peay announced that it would be leaving the Pioneer Football League after the 2005 season and returning to scholarship-granting competition in 2007 with the Ohio Valley Conference in which it competes in other sports. As a result, the conference was reverted to round-robin play and the divisions and championship game were removed. However, on April 7, 2006 Campbell University announced they would bring back football at the non-scholarship level for the 2008 season, with hopes of joining the PFL at that time. [1] April 8 is the 98th day of the year (99th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... The Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) is a college athletic conference which operates in the midwestern and southeastern United States. ... April 7 is the 97th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (98th in leap years). ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Campbell University is a university in Buies Creek, North Carolina, US. Campbell is a coeducational, church-related (Baptist) university, and has an approximately equal number of male and female students. ...

Gridiron Classic

On May 16, 2006, the Pioneer Football League (PFL) and Northeast Conference (NEC) announced a two-year agreement to meet in the Gridiron Classic, an exempted postseason football game that will match the champions of the two FCS football conferences. The inaugural Gridiron Classic took place on December 2, 2006, resulting in the defeat of host NEC champion Monmouth University by PFL champion San Diego. The PFL winner will host the 2007 event. Should either champion be chosen for the FCS playoffs, the second place finisher in that conference would then play in the Gridiron Classic. The Gridiron Classic agreement has since been extended through 2009. is the 136th day of the year (137th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Monmouth University is a private university located in West Long Branch, New Jersey. ...

Championships

1993-2000

2001-2005

2006-Present

Conference facilities

Butler Stadium is a 19,000-seat multi-purpose stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. ... Richardson Stadium is a 6,000-seat multi-purpose stadium in Davidson, North Carolina. ... Welcome Stadium is a 11,000-seat multi-purpose stadium in Dayton, Ohio. ... Drake Stadium is a stadium in Des Moines, Iowa. ... D.B. Milne Field is a 5,000-seat multi-purpose stadium in Jacksonville, Florida. ... Jayne Stadium is a 10,000-seat multi-purpose stadium in Morehead, Kentucky. ... The Torero Stadium is a 7,035 seat stadium in San Diego, California that is primarily used for soccer and American football. ... Brown Field is a 5,000-seat multi-purpose stadium in Valparaiso, Indiana. ...

External links

• Official website