NCAA Sports Blog

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.

Membership

Former members

    * University of Evansville (Dropped Football), 1991-1997

    * Austin Peay State University (Ohio Valley), 2001-2006

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.

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.

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.

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.

Championships

1993-2000

2001-2005

Conference facilities