The 2022-23 year marks the 75th anniversary of the Ohio Valley Conference. Keep checking back here for content associated with the anniversary year.

#OVC75 | #OVCit
 



     


75TH ANNIVERSARY TEAMS
As part of the celebration of the storied accomplishments of the League, a Committee working in conjunction with current and former schools, captured the "best-of-the-best" in each sport and celebrate the top athletes in league history with 75th Anniversary Teams across all OVC sports. A similar listing was compiled during the 40th and 50th anniversaries of the league. The teams will be released in ther summer of 2023; below are links to each of the teams.

• Men's & Women's Cross Country
• Women's Soccer
• Volleyball
• Football
• Rifle
• Men's Basketball
• Women's Basketball
• Men's Golf
• Women's Golf
• Men's Tennis
• Women's Tennis
• Men's Track & Field
• Women's Track & Field
• Beach Volleyball
• Softball
• Baseball

THROWBACK SERIES
Each week during the anniversary we will share photos from our archives of great individuals and performances from our history. Those will be shared on social media with each week's photo being archived in this Photo Gallery.


PODCAST SERIES
As part of the 75th anniversary, the #OVCExtra Podcast will highlight some of the legends from around the OVC. Here from former Commissioners, administrators, coaches and athletes.

• Jim Delany, Former OVC Commissioner (1979-89) - Part 1
• Jim Delany, Former OVC Commissioner (1979-89) - Part 2
• Cindy Gannon, Former SEMO Volleyball Coach and Administrator
• Dan Beebe, Former OVC Commissioner (1989-2003) - Part 1
• Dan Beebe, Former OVC Commissioner (1989-2003) - Part 2
• Van Compton, Little Rock Volleyball Coach
• Dr. Jon Steinbrcher - Former OVC Commissioner (2003-09)
• Jerry Carpenter, Retired UT Martin Men's Golf Coach
• Ron English, Former OVC Associate Commissioner (Part 1)
• Ron English, Former OVC Associate Commissioner (Part 2)
• Dave Loos, Winningest Men's Basketball Coach in OVC History

CELEBRATING WOMEN'S ATHLETICS
The 50th anniversary of Title IX took place at the same time as the OVC's 75th anniversary celebration. The OVC established women’s championships in the sports of basketball, tennis and track in 1977 with cross country and volleyball added over the next four years. Those sports were initially governed by the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW), but the overall strength of women's programs in the league was demonstrated by the automatic bids the OVC instantly received when the NCAA became the governing body in 1982. The conference added women’s golf and softball in 1994, women's soccer in 1998 and recently added beach volleyball in 2020.  More information on that celebration can be found here: www.OVCSports.com/TitleIX.

As part of the celebration, OVC Commissioner Beth DeBauche sat down with authors Andrew Maraniss ("Inaugural Ballers") and Mary Ellen Pethel ("Title IX, Pat Summitt, and Tennessee's Trailblazers: 50 Years, 50 Stories") to discuss their books and the 50th anniversary of Title IX.