EVANSVILLE, Ind. – From 1979 through 1994, they were charter members of the Midwestern Collegiate Conference.  Today they reunite in the same conference.  It was officially announced earlier today that Loyola University Chicago has accepted an invitation to join the Missouri Valley Conference later this year.
 
”This is a historic moment for the Missouri Valley and for Loyola University, and we strongly believe in the commitment and the potential that is very evident with this institution,” said Commissioner Doug Elgin. “Their University leadership has made a very significant investment in athletics facilities and in staffing in recent years, and we are confident that Loyola is going to be a great competitive fit in our Conference.”
 
With the addition of the Ramblers, the MVC will gain a greater deal of exposure in one of the top markets in the United State as the university if located in downtown Chicago.  With a population of 2.7 million, the added exposure is priceless for the league and all of its institutions.
 
University of Evansville President Tom Kazee, who was part of the MVC search committee, was pleased with the unanimous decision by the league presidents to add Loyola.
 
"The University of Evansville is proud to welcome Loyola to the Missouri Valley Conference,” Kazee said.  “Loyola is a great institution that will prove to be a valuable addition to our league."
 
This latest addition gives the MVC four schools in the state of Illinois as it joins Bradley, Illinois State and Southern Illinois.  While the exposure it already great in that area, having a presence in Chicago will impact all of the programs in the league in many facets.  As a private institution, Loyola also gives the MVC a similar replacement for the departed Creighton.
 
"It is a great day to be a member of the Missouri Valley Conference.  The addition of Loyola is a positive for the league and the institutions in so many ways,” UE Athletics Director John Stanley commented.  “Loyola is a great university and have a strong athletic department.  We look forward to partnering with them in the league and competing against them for years to come."
 
Loyola boasts a proud history in men’s basketball as they won the 1963 national championship.  They play in Gentile Arena, which underwent major renovations in 2011.  Their squad, which is led by Porter Moser, more than doubled their win total from 2012 to 2013.  Included in their win totals were victories over BCS conference members DePaul and Mississippi State.
 
Overall, the Aces are 20-16 against the Ramblers with 34 of those meetings coming in the MCC. Evansville won the last 12 conference meetings while Loyola was victorious in the last two meetings, which came in the 2005 BracketBusters game along with the return game to Chicago.
 
Aces coach Marty Simmons is happy with the addition and excited about restarting the rivalry.  “They are a great addition to our league, it is wonderful to get a private institution similar to us,” Simmons said.  We have tons of respect for their program and coach Porter Moser.” 
 
Simmons is also familiar with the Ramblers from his playing days as he went 3-1 against them as a player.  “They were always fierce competitors.  Every time we took the floor against them, we knew it was going to be a battle.”
 
Earlier this week, the Ramblers made a splash in the women’s basketball scene with their introduction of Sheryl Swoopes as their head coach.  Swoopes was the first-ever 3-time WNBA Most Valuable Player and was a member of three Olympic gold medal teams.  The addition of someone of that caliber is sure to create a great buzz for the whole league.
 
Interestingly enough, Evansville and Loyola were two of the six schools that were charter members of what is now the Horizon League.  Former Evansville athletic director Jim Byers went into detail as to how the schools were instrumental in developing what was originally called the Midwestern City Conference (MCC). 
 
Byers, along with Bill Sylvester of Butler and Gene Sullivan of Loyola all took a large role in working to form a league of private institutions.  Needing six schools to form a league, Byers and Sullivan met with Bob Brooks of Oral Roberts.  That meeting, which took place at an airport in St. Louis, proved to be the beginning of the MCC, which featured Oklahoma City, Oral Roberts, Evansville, Xavier, Butler, Loyola and Detroit a few months later.
 
Byers is excited that UE is aligned with Loyola once again and remembers the rivalry as something special. 
 
“Loyola brought some of our best crowds to Roberts Stadium in the 1980’s.  They had some guys who had great personalities and brought out a love/hate relationship with our fans,” Byers said.  “They always had a free-spirited and very talented group of guys.”
 
“We always had a great relationship with Loyola during our years together.” 
 
Here is to that rivalry starting back up and for that relationship to continue!