List of Ohio Valley Conference football champions explained

Ohio Valley Conference football champions
Optional Subheader:Conference Football Champion
Sport:College football
Conference:Ohio Valley Conference
Number Of Teams:9
Years:1948–2022
Current Champion:Austin Peay (2) Southeast Missouri State (2)
Most Championships:Eastern Kentucky (21)

This is a list of yearly regular season champions in college football of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) FCS Ohio Valley Conference. Fifteen different teams have won a championship in the seven decade history of the OVC; every team that plays in the conference has won at least one conference championship.[1]

After the 2022 season, the OVC effectively merged its football league with that of the Big South Conference as the Big South–OVC Football Association.

Champions by year

SeasonChampionRecord
19483–1
3–1
1949Evansville3–1–1
19505–0–1
19515–1
1952Tennessee Tech4–1
Western Kentucky4–1
19535–0
19545–0
1955Tennessee Tech5–0
1956Middle Tennessee5–0
1957Middle Tennessee5–0
1958Middle Tennessee5–1
5–1
1959Middle Tennessee5–0–1
5–0–1
19606–0
19616–0
19624–2
4–2
Middle Tennessee4–2
4–2
1963Western Kentucky7–0
1964Middle Tennessee6–1
1965Middle Tennessee7–0
19666–1
19675–0–2
19687–0
1969East Tennessee State6–0–1
1970Western Kentucky5–1–1
1971Western Kentucky5–2
19727–0
1973Western Kentucky7–0
19746–1
19756–1
Western Kentucky6–1
19766–1
19776–1
1978Western Kentucky6–0
1979Murray State6–0
1980Western Kentucky6–1
1981Eastern Kentucky8–0
1982Eastern Kentucky7–0
1983Eastern Kentucky6–1
1984Eastern Kentucky6–1
1985Middle Tennessee7–0
1986Eastern Kentucky6–1
Murray State6–1
1987Eastern Kentucky5–1
Youngstown State5–1
1988Eastern Kentucky6–0
1989Middle Tennessee6–0
1990Eastern Kentucky5–1
Middle Tennessee5–1
1991Eastern Kentucky7–0
1992Middle Tennessee8–0
19938–0
19948–0
19958–0
19968–0
19977–0
1998Tennessee State6–1
1999Tennessee State7–0
2000Western Kentucky7–0
2001Eastern Illinois6–1
2002Eastern Illinois5–1
5–1
2003Jacksonville State7–1
2004Jacksonville State7–1
2005Eastern Illinois8–0
2006Eastern Illinois7–1
6–1
20078–0
20087–1
2009Eastern Illinois6–2
2010Southeast Missouri State7–1
2011Tennessee Tech6–2
Eastern Kentucky6–2
Jacksonville State6–2
2012Eastern Illinois6–1
2013Eastern Illinois8–0
2014Jacksonville State8–0
2015Jacksonville State8–0
2016Jacksonville State8–0
2017Jacksonville State8–0
2018Jacksonville State7–1
2019Austin Peay7–1
7–1
2020/21Jacksonville State ††6–1
2021UT Martin5–1
20225-0
UT Martin5-0
† Both the OVC[2] and Tennessee Tech[3] list Tennessee Tech (6–1) as champion, while Western Kentucky (6–1) with a head-to-head victory over Tennessee Tech claims this as a co-championship.[4]

†† Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 OVC season was postponed until the Spring of 2021. Some teams played in the Fall. However, all conference games were played as per normal and the champions were crowned on April 11, 2021.

Championships by team

Team Ohio Valley
Championships
Years
Eastern Kentucky21 1954, 1962, 1967, 1968, 1974, 1976, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1997, 2007, 2008, 2011
Middle Tennessee State11 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1985, 1989, 1990, 1992
Tennessee Tech10 1952, 1953, 1955, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1972, 1975, 2011
Jacksonville State9 2003, 2004, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020/21
Western Kentucky9 1952, 1963, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1975†,1978, 1980, 2000
Murray State8 1948, 1950, 1951, 1979, 1986, 1995, 1996, 2002
Eastern Illinois7 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2012, 2013
Southeast Missouri State3 2010, 2019, 2022
UT Martin3 2006, 2021, 2022
Tennessee State2 1998, 1999
East Tennessee State2 1962, 1969
Morehead State2 1962, 1966
Evansville2 1948, 1949
Austin Peay 2 1977, 2019
Youngstown State1 1987
Bold indicates an outright conference championship.

Italics indicates a school not competing in the Big South–OVC Football Association.

† Claimed as a co-championship by WKU, but not recognized by the Ohio Valley Conference.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2017 Ohio Valley Conference Media Guide. ovcsports.com.
  2. Web site: Past OVC Football Champions. ovcsports.com.
  3. Web site: 2014 Tennessee Tech Football Guide . ttusports.com . Tennessee Tech Athletics . 166.
  4. Web site: 2017 WKU Football Media Guide. wkusports.com. Western Kentucky Athletics. April 25, 2018. PDF. 164.