Pioneer Football League
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-AA as a football-only conference. Unlike most other Division I-AA conferences, the Pioneer League consists of institutions which choose not to award athletic scholarships ("grants-in-aid") to football players; these institutions are sometimes (somewhat unofficially) referred to as "I-AAA" schools.
Membership
North Division
- Butler University
- University of Dayton
- Drake University
- University of San Diego
- Valparaiso University
South Division
History
Following NCAA rule changes in January 1991, 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, but the league was narrowed back to five members after the University of Evansville dropped football in 1997. 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. 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.
Championships
Regular Season
| Season | Champion | Conference Record | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Dayton | 5-0-0 | |
| 1994 | Dayton | 4-1-0 | |
| Butler | 4-1-0 | ||
| 1995 | Drake | 5-0-0 | |
| 1996 | Dayton | 5-0-0 | |
| 1997 | Dayton | 5-0-0 | |
| 1998 | Drake | 4-0 | |
| 1999 | Dayton | 4-0 | |
| 2000 | Dayton | 3-1 | |
| Drake | 3-1 | ||
| Valparaiso | 3-1 | ||
| 2001 | Dayton | 4-0 | |
| 2002 | Dayton | 4-0 | |
| 2003 | Valparaiso | 3-1 | |
| 2004 | Drake | 4-0 | |
| 2005 | San Diego | 4-0 |
Championship Games
| Date | Champion | Score | Runner-Up | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov. 17, 2001 | Dayton | 46-14 | Jacksonville | Dayton, OH | |
| Nov. 23, 2002 | Dayton | 28-0 | Morehead State | Morehead, KY | |
| Nov. 22, 2003 | Valparaiso | 54-42 | Morehead State | Valparaiso, IN | |
| Nov. 20, 2004 | Drake | 20-17 | Morehead State | Morehead, KY | |
| Nov. 19, 2005 | San Diego | 47-40 | Morehead State | San Diego, CA |