View source for Pioneer Football League

{{short description|Football-only athletic conference}}
{{Infobox sports league
| name         = Pioneer Football League
| color        = #956A50; {{box-shadow border|a|#FFFFFF|2px}}
| font_color   = white
| logo         = Pioneer Football League logo.svg
| logo_size    = 250
| founded      = {{start date and age|1991}}
| association  = [[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA]]
| division     = [[NCAA Division I|Division I]]
| subdivision  = [[Football Championship Subdivision|FCS]]
| teams        = 11
| sports       = 1 (football)
| mens         = 1
| womens       = 0
| region       = [[United States|Nationwide]]
| headquarters = [[St. Louis, Missouri]]
| commissioner = Greg Walter
| since        = 2023
| website      = {{URL|https://www.pioneer-football.org/|pioneer-football.org}}
| map          = Pioneer Football League map.png
| map_size     = 250
}}
The '''Pioneer Football League''' ('''PFL''') is an [[List of NCAA conferences|intercollegiate athletic conference]] formed in 1991 for the sport of football. Its members compete in the [[NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision]] (FCS). It has member schools that range from [[New York (state)|New York]], [[North Carolina]] and [[Florida]] in the east to [[California]] in the west. It is headquartered in [[St. Louis]], in the same complex that also contains the offices of the [[Missouri Valley Conference]] and [[Missouri Valley Football Conference]]. Unlike most other Division I FCS conferences, the Pioneer League consists of institutions that choose not to award [[athletic scholarship]]s ("grants-in-aid") to football players.

Most of the PFL's members are private schools. [[Morehead State University]] is the only public school in the conference.

== History ==
=== Foundation ===
The PFL was created as a direct result of an NCAA rule change passed in January 1991, which required Division I schools to sponsor all of their sports at the Division I level by 1993. Charter members included [[Butler University]], the [[University of Dayton]], [[Drake University]], the [[University of Evansville]], and [[Valparaiso University]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=iRBeAAAAIBAJ&dq=pioneer%20football%20league&pg=4135%2C4871998|title=Drake joins new league|date=November 22, 1991|newspaper=The Telegraph-Herald |pages=Page 1B|access-date=July 1, 2012|location=Dubuque, Iowa}}</ref> The [[University of San Diego]] joined in 1992, and the league played its first season in 1993.

The founding schools came from a variety of football backgrounds. For decades, Drake played the sport at the Division I level in the [[Missouri Valley Conference]] before dropping to Division III for the most recent seven seasons (1986 through 1992). Dayton had made the same move much earlier, in 1977, and appeared in the [[NCAA Division III football championship|Division III championship game]] five times, winning the title in 1980 and 1989. San Diego had played Division III football the longest, since the creation of the division in 1973. Evansville's program competed in the [[National Association for Intercollegiate Athletics]] (NAIA) from 1988 through 1992 after several years in Division II. Butler and Valparaiso came to the league from the [[Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference]] in Division II. The three Indiana schools had longstanding football rivalries, having played each other annually for decades in the [[Indiana Collegiate Conference]] and [[Heartland Collegiate Conference]].

===1997–2001 membership changes===
In 1997, the league was reduced to five members when Evansville downgraded football to club status. In 2001, the conference expanded to nine members and was reorganized into two divisions, with the five existing members forming the North Division and newcomers [[Austin Peay State University]], [[Davidson College]], [[Jacksonville University]] and [[Morehead State University]] forming the South Division. Austin Peay and Morehead State had been playing scholarship football at the FCS level in the [[Ohio Valley Conference]], which continued to be their all-sports home. Davidson, for decades a member of the [[Southern Conference]], had competed for the past several years as a non-scholarship FCS independent. Jacksonville, a relatively new program, likewise had competed as a non-scholarship FCS independent since its inaugural season in 1998. The reorganization of the PFL brought a new championship system in which the best record holders from each division met in a title game for the conference championship.

===2005–2008 membership changes===
On April 8, 2005, Austin Peay announced its departure from the league effective after the 2005 season, to return to scholarship football competition in the Ohio Valley Conference. As a result, the conference reverted to a single table with the champion determined via regular season round-robin play. On April 7, 2006, [[Campbell University]] announced the revival of a football program dormant since 1950, and on December 5, 2007, accepted an invitation to the PFL for its inaugural season in 2008.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gocamels.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=15300&ATCLID=1346432|title=Campbell University Accepts Invitation to Join Pioneer Football League|work=GoCamels.com|date=December 5, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718121929/http://www.gocamels.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=15300&ATCLID=1346432|archive-date=July 18, 2011|access-date=December 6, 2007}}</ref>  In February 2008, [[Marist College]] announced that it would join the PFL for the 2009 season, after its all-sports home, the [[Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference]], stopped sponsoring football.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/12/sports/ncaafootball/12marist.html|title=Marist gets a National Stage and Travel Schedule|newspaper= nytimes.com|date=September 11, 2009}}</ref> Although Campbell moved in 2011 from the [[ASUN Conference|Atlantic Sun Conference]]<!--Conference hadn't started using the "ASUN" branding at that time.--> to the [[Big South Conference]], which sponsored football, it did not join the Big South in football and remained in the PFL through the 2017 season.<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://www.bigsouthsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4800&ATCLID=3738030 |title=Campbell University To Re-Join Big South Conference |publisher=Big South Conference |date=May 14, 2009 |access-date=October 5, 2010}}</ref>

===2013–2018 membership changes and automatic playoff berth===
On June 13, 2011, new programs [[Mercer University]] and [[Stetson University]] were announced as league members effective 2013, expanding the PFL lineup to 12 schools.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.pioneer-football.org/news/default/21/602/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110825061708/http://www.pioneer-football.org:80/news/default/21/602/|title=Mercer University, Stetson University to join Pioneer Football League in 2013|date=June 13, 2011|archive-date=August 25, 2011|access-date=August 20, 2011}}</ref>  In addition, as of 2013, the league champion received an automatic bid to the FCS playoffs.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://blogs.desmoinesregister.com/dmr/index.php/2012/08/23/pioneer-football-league-officially-announces-automatic-bid/|title=Pioneer Football League officially announces automatic bid|last=Birch|first=Tommy|date=August 23, 2012|newspaper=Des Moines Register|access-date=August 24, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130928124437/http://blogs.desmoinesregister.com/dmr/index.php/2012/08/23/pioneer-football-league-officially-announces-automatic-bid|archive-date=September 28, 2013}}</ref>  Soon after its PFL membership was announced, Mercer accepted an invitation to join the [[Southern Conference]] effective July 1, 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://collegefootball.ap.org/article/vmi-etsu-mercer-join-socon|title=VMI, ETSU, Mercer to join SoCon|work=College Football|access-date=December 19, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304044226/http://collegefootball.ap.org/article/vmi-etsu-mercer-join-socon|archive-date=March 4, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>  During its one season in the league, Mercer set an FCS record for start-up programs by finishing the 2013 campaign with an overall record of 10–2 including an undefeated 8–0 at home.

The next change in conference membership was announced on November 14, 2016, when Campbell revealed it would transition to scholarship football and add that sport to its existing Big South membership effective with the 2018 season, temporarily reducing the PFL membership to 10.<ref name="Campbell to Big South">{{cite press release |url=http://campbell.edu/news/item/fighting-camels-football-to-join-big-south-in-2018 |title=Fighting Camels football to join Big South in 2018 |publisher=Campbell University |date=November 14, 2016 |access-date=November 14, 2016}}</ref> The PFL soon recruited a replacement, as revealed in the November 20, 2017 announcement that [[Presbyterian Blue Hose football|Presbyterian College]] would be joining from the Big South, but not until the 2021 season.<ref>{{cite press release|url=https://www.presby.edu/about/2017/11/19/presbyterian-college-unveils-new-strategic-plan/|title=Presbyterian College Unveils New Strategic Plan |date=November 19, 2017|publisher=Presbyterian College |access-date=November 20, 2017|language=en-US}}</ref>

===Recent history===
Before Presbyterian began play in the PFL, the league lost a member when Jacksonville, on December 3, 2019, announced that it was discontinuing its football program, effective immediately.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Moretti III |first1=Matt |title=Jacksonville University Discontinues Football |url=https://judolphins.com/news/2019/12/3/jacksonville-university-discontinues-football.aspx |website=judolphins.com |publisher=[[Jacksonville Dolphins|Jacksonville Athletics]] |access-date=December 3, 2019}}</ref> The departure of Jacksonville left the PFL with just nine teams for the 2020 season, which was rescheduled to spring 2021 due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic in the United States|COVID-19 pandemic]]. After two PFL members chose not to play football at all during the 2020–21 academic year, the conference entered into a scheduling agreement with Presbyterian that included it in the spring 2021 schedule, in advance of its formal entry into the league in the fall of 2021. While PC was not eligible for the PFL title in that season, it was eligible for the league's individual awards and honors.<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://www.pioneer-football.org/news/archives/2020/1590/pfl-announces-updated-spring-schedule/ |title=PFL Announces Updated Spring Schedule |publisher=Pioneer Football League |date=February 2, 2021 |accessdate=May 7, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release|url=http://www.pioneer-football.org/news/archives/2020/1632/valparaisos-washington-san-diegos-glajchen-highlight-2020-21-pfl-major-award-recipients/ |title=Valparaiso's Washington, San Diego's Glajchen Highlight 2020-21 PFL Major Award Recipients |publisher=Pioneer Football League |date=April 26, 2021 |accessdate=May 7, 2021}}</ref>

Presbyterian was joined as a new PFL member in 2021 by the [[University of St. Thomas (Minnesota)|University of St. Thomas]], a [[Minneapolis–Saint Paul|Twin Cities]] school that had been expelled from its longtime Division III home, the [[Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference]] (MIAC), effective in 2021–22. Shortly after the MIAC announced St. Thomas' expulsion, the [[Summit League]], a non-football Division I conference, offered the [[St. Thomas (Minnesota) Tommies|Tommies]] membership for the rest of their sports. The NCAA announced on July 15, 2020 that it had granted a waiver to allow St. Thomas to make the jump from D-III to D-I on a five-year schedule, instead of the four years used for moves from Division II. After the NCAA reduced the transition period to four years in January 2025, the Tommies completed the transition that July, making them eligible for the FCS playoffs for the first time in the 2025 season.<ref>{{cite news |first=Emily |last=Haugen |title=BREAKING: St. Thomas approved to begin transition to Division I athletics |url=https://www.tommiemedia.com/news/breaking-st-thomas-approved-to-begin-transition-to-division-i-athletics/ |work=TommieMedia |location=[[Minneapolis]], Minnesota |date=July 15, 2020 |access-date=July 16, 2020}}</ref>

==Member schools==
===Current members===
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"
!Institution
!Location
!Founded
!Joined
!Type
!Enrollment 
!Nickname
!class="unsortable"|Colors
!Primary<br />conference<br />when<br />joining<br />the PFL
!Current<br />primary<br />conference
|-
| '''[[Butler University]]'''
| [[Indianapolis|Indianapolis, Indiana]]
| 1855
| 1991
| rowspan="5"|Private
| 5,554
| [[Butler Bulldogs football|Bulldogs]]
| {{college color boxes|Butler Bulldogs}}
| [[Horizon League|Horizon]]
| [[Big East Conference|Big East]]
|-
| '''[[Davidson College]]'''
| [[Davidson, North Carolina]]
| 1837
| 2001
| 1,950
| [[Davidson Wildcats football|Wildcats]]
| {{college color boxes|Davidson Wildcats}}
| [[Southern Conference|SoCon]]
| rowspan="2"|[[Atlantic 10 Conference|Atlantic 10]]
|-
| {{sort|Dayton|'''[[University of Dayton]]'''}}
| [[Dayton, Ohio]]
| 1850
| rowspan="2"|1991
| 8,353
| [[Dayton Flyers football|Flyers]]
| {{college color boxes|Dayton Flyers}}
| [[Horizon League|Horizon]]
|-
| '''[[Drake University]]'''
| [[Des Moines, Iowa]]
| 1881
| 3,164
| [[Drake Bulldogs football|Bulldogs]]
| {{college color boxes|Drake Bulldogs}}
| colspan="2"|[[Missouri Valley Conference|Missouri Valley]]
|-
| '''[[Marist University]]'''
| [[Poughkeepsie (town), New York|Poughkeepsie, New York]]
| 1929
| 2009
| 6,200
| [[Marist Red Foxes football|Red Foxes]]
| {{college color boxes|Marist Red Foxes}}
| colspan="2"|[[Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference|MAAC]]
|-
| '''[[Morehead State University]]'''
| [[Morehead, Kentucky]]
| 1922
| 2001
| Public
| 8,218
| [[Morehead State Eagles football|Eagles]]
| {{college color boxes|Morehead State Eagles}}
| colspan="2"|[[Ohio Valley Conference|OVC]]
|-
| '''[[Presbyterian College]]'''
| [[Clinton, South Carolina]]
| 1880
| rowspan="2"|2021
| rowspan="5"|Private
| 1,172
| [[Presbyterian Blue Hose football|Blue Hose]]
| {{college color boxes|Presbyterian Blue Hose}}
| colspan="2"|[[Big South Conference|Big South]]
|-
| {{sort|Saint Thomas|'''[[University of St. Thomas (Minnesota)|University of St. Thomas]]'''}}
| [[Saint Paul, Minnesota|St. Paul, Minnesota]]
| 1885
| 9,878
| [[St. Thomas Tommies football|Tommies]]
| {{college color boxes|St. Thomas (Minnesota) Tommies}}
| colspan="2"|[[Summit League|Summit]]
|-
| {{sort|San Diego|'''[[University of San Diego]]'''}}
| [[San Diego|San Diego, California]]
| 1949
| 1992
| 4,904
| [[San Diego Toreros football|Toreros]]
| {{college color boxes|San Diego Toreros}}
| colspan="2"|[[West Coast Conference|WCC]]
|-
| '''[[Stetson University]]'''
| [[DeLand, Florida]]
| 1883
| 2013
| 4,330
| [[Stetson Hatters football|Hatters]]
| {{college color boxes|Stetson Hatters}}
| colspan="2"|[[Atlantic Sun Conference|ASUN]]
|-
| '''[[Valparaiso University]]'''
| [[Valparaiso, Indiana]]
| 1859
| 1991
| 2,917
| [[Valparaiso Beacons football|Beacons]]
| {{college color boxes|Valparaiso Crusaders}}
| [[Summit League|Summit]]
| [[Missouri Valley Conference|Missouri Valley]]
|}

;Notes
{{notelist|group=curr}}

===Former members===
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"
!Institution
!Location
!Founded
!Joined
!Left
!Type
!Nickname
!class="unsortable"|Colors
!Primary<br />conference<br />when<br />joining<br />the PFL
!Current<br />primary<br />conference
|-
| '''[[Austin Peay State University]]'''
| [[Clarksville, Tennessee]]
| 1927
| 2001
| 2006
| Public
| [[Austin Peay Governors football|Governors]]
| {{college color boxes|Austin Peay Governors}}
| colspan="1"|[[Ohio Valley Conference|OVC]]
| colspan="2"|[[Atlantic Sun Conference|ASUN]]<br>([[United Athletic Conference|UAC]] in 2026)
|-
| '''[[Campbell University]]'''
| [[Buies Creek, North Carolina]]
| 1887
| 2008
| 2018
| rowspan="4"|Private
| [[Campbell Fighting Camels football|Fighting Camels]]
| {{college color boxes|Campbell Fighting Camels}}
| [[Atlantic Sun Conference|ASUN]]
| [[Coastal Athletic Association|CAA]]
|-
| {{sort|Evansville|'''[[University of Evansville]]'''}}
| [[Evansville, Indiana]]
| 1854
| 1991
| 1998{{efn|group=former|Evansville dropped football following the 1997–98 school year.}}
| [[Evansville Purple Aces|Purple Aces]]
| {{college color boxes|Evansville Purple Aces}}
| colspan="2"|[[Missouri Valley Conference|Missouri Valley]]
|-
| '''[[Jacksonville University]]'''
| [[Jacksonville, Florida]]
| 1934
| 2001
| 2020{{efn|group=former|Jacksonville dropped football following the 2019–20 school year.}}
| [[Jacksonville Dolphins football|Dolphins]]
| {{college color boxes|Jacksonville Dolphins}}
| colspan="2"|[[Atlantic Sun Conference|ASUN]]
|-
| '''[[Mercer University]]'''
| [[Macon, Georgia]]
| 1833
| 2013
| 2014
| [[Mercer Bears football|Bears]]
| {{college color boxes|Mercer Bears}}
| [[Atlantic Sun Conference|ASUN]]
| [[Southern Conference|SoCon]]
|}

;Notes
{{notelist|group=former}}

===Membership timeline===
<timeline>

DateFormat  = yyyy

ImageSize   = width:1000 height:auto barincrement:20

Period      = from:1991 till:2031

TimeAxis    = orientation:horizontal

PlotArea    = right:20 left:0 bottom:50 top:5 #> to display a count on left side of graph,  use "left:20" to suppress the count, use "left:20"<#

Colors =  id:barcolor

          id:line     value:black

          id:bg       value:white
          id:Full value:rgb(0.742,0.727,0.852) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports
          id:FullxF value:rgb(0.551,0.824,0.777) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports except for football
          id:AssocF value:rgb(0.7,0.5,0.5) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member for football only
          id:AssocOS value:rgb(0.5,0.691,0.824) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in some sports, but not all (consider identifying in legend or a footnote)
          id:OtherC1 value:rgb(0.996,0.996,0.699) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved to another conference
          id:OtherC2 value:rgb(0.988,0.703,0.383) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved to another conference where OtherC1 has already been used, to distinguish the two
PlotData=

   width:15 textcolor:black shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:s

   bar:1 color:Full from:1991 till:end text:[[Butler University|Butler]] (1991–present)

   bar:2 color:Full from:1991 till:end text:[[University of Dayton|Dayton]] (1991–present)

   bar:3 color:Full from:1991 till:end text:[[Drake University|Drake]] (1991–present)

   bar:4 color:Full from:1991 till:1998 text:[[University of Evansville|Evansville]] (1991–1997)

   bar:5 color:Full from:1991 till:end text:[[Valparaiso University|Valparaiso]] (1991–present)

   bar:6 color:OtherC1 from:1991 till:1992 text:[[NCAA Division III independent schools|Ind.]]
   bar:6 color:Full from:1992 till:end text:[[University of San Diego|San Diego]] (1992–present)

   bar:7 color:OtherC1 from:1991 till:1997 text:[[Ohio Valley Conference|OVC]]
   bar:7 color:OtherC2 from:1997 till:2001 text:[[NCAA Division I FCS independent schools|Independent]]
   bar:7 color:Full from:2001 till:2006 text:[[Austin Peay State University|Austin Peay]] (2001–2005)
   bar:7 color:OtherC1 from:2006 till:2007 text:[[NCAA Division I FCS independent schools|Ind.]]
   bar:7 color:OtherC2 from:2007 till:2022 text:[[Ohio Valley Conference|OVC]]
   bar:7 shift:(-5) color:OtherC1 from:2022 till:2023 text:[[ASUN Conference|ASUN]]
   bar:7 color:OtherC2 from:2023 till:end text:[[United Athletic Conference|UAC]]

   bar:8 color:OtherC1 from:1991 till:1993 text:[[NCAA Division III independent schools|DIII Indep.]]
   bar:8 color:OtherC1 from:1993 till:2001 text:[[NCAA Division I FCS independent schools|I-AA Independent]]
   bar:8 color:Full from:2001 till:end text:[[Davidson College|Davidson]] (2001–present)

   bar:9 color:OtherC1 from:1998 till:2001 text:[[NCAA Division I FCS independent schools|Independent]]
   bar:9 color:Full from:2001 till:2020 text:[[Jacksonville University|Jacksonville]] (2001–2019)

   bar:10 color:OtherC1 from:1991 till:1996 text:[[Ohio Valley Conference|OVC]]
   bar:10 color:OtherC2 from:1996 till:2001 text:[[NCAA Division I FCS independent schools|Independent]]
   bar:10 color:Full from:2001 till:end text:[[Morehead State University|Morehead State]] (2001–present)

   bar:11 color:Full from:2008 till:2018 text:[[Campbell University|Campbell]] (2008–2017)
   bar:11 color:OtherC1 from:2018 till:2023 text:[[Big South Conference|Big South]]
   bar:11 color:OtherC2 from:2023 till:end text:[[Coastal Athletic Association Football Conference|CAA Football]]

   bar:12 color:OtherC1 from:1991 till:1992 text:[[Atlantic Collegiate Football Conference|ACFC]]
   bar:12 shift:(10) color:OtherC2 from:1992 till:1993 text:[[Liberty Football Conference|LFC]]
   bar:12 color:OtherC1 from:1993 till:1994 text:[[NCAA Division I FCS independent schools|Ind.]]
   bar:12 color:OtherC2 from:1994 till:2008 text:[[Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference|MAAC]]
   bar:12 color:OtherC1 from:2008 till:2009 text:[[NCAA Division I FCS independent schools|Ind.]]
   bar:12 color:Full from:2009 till:end text:[[Marist College|Marist]]  (2009–present)

   bar:13 color:Full from:2013 till:2014 text:[[Mercer University|Mercer]] (2013)
   bar:13 shift:(50) color:OtherC1 from:2014 till:end text:[[Southern Conference|SoCon]]

   bar:14 color:Full from:2013 till:end text:[[Stetson University|Stetson]] (2013–present)

   bar:15 color:OtherC1 from:1991 till:2007 text:[[South Atlantic Conference|SAC]]
   bar:15 color:OtherC2 from:2007 till:2008 text:[[NCAA Division I FCS independent schools|Ind.]]
   bar:15 color:OtherC1 from:2008 till:2020 text:[[Big South Conference|Big South]]
   bar:15 color:OtherC2 from:2020 till:2021 text:[[NCAA Division I FCS independent schools|Ind.]]
   bar:15 color:Full from:2021 till:end text:[[Presbyterian College|Presbyterian]] (2021–present)

   bar:16 color:OtherC1 from:1991 till:2021 text:[[Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference|MIAC]]
   bar:16 color:Full from:2021 till:end text:[[University of St. Thomas (Minnesota)|St. Thomas]] (2021–present)

ScaleMajor  = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:2 start:1991

TextData =
    fontsize:L
    textcolor:black
    pos:(0,30) tabs:(400-center)
    text:^"Pioneer Football League membership history"

#> If the chart uses more than one bar color, add a legend by selecting the appropriate fields from the following six options (use only the colors that are used in the graphic.) Leave a blank line after the end of the timeline, then add a line with the selected values from the list, separated by a space. {{Font color||{{RGB|190|186|218}}|Full members}} {{Font color||{{RGB|141|211|199}}|Full members (non-football)}} {{Font  color||{{RGB|251|128|114}}|Assoc. members (football only)}} {{Font color||{{RGB|128|177|211}}|Assoc. member (list sports)}} {{Font color||{{RGB|255|255|179}}|Other  Conference}} {{Font color||{{RGB|253|180|98}}|Other  Conference}} <#  </timeline>

{{Font color||{{RGB|190|186|218}}|Full members&nbsp;}} {{Font color||{{RGB|255|255|179}}|Other&nbsp;Conference&nbsp;}} {{Font color||{{RGB|253|180|98}}|Other&nbsp;Conference&nbsp;}}

==Rivalries==
One in-state rivalry currently exists in the PFL. A second had existed before Jacksonville discontinued its football program.

Butler and Valparaiso first met in 1927, and have played every year since 1951. Since 2006, the schools have played for the [[Hoosier Helmet Trophy]]. Butler leads the all-time series 54–30. The rivalry extended to all sports when both schools were in the Horizon League from 2007 to 2012.

Jacksonville and Stetson had a football rivalry that ran from 2013, when Stetson began PFL play, to 2019, after which Jacksonville dropped football. The schools have been conference rivals in other sports since 1998, when Jacksonville joined the ASUN Conference, home to Stetson since 1985.

Butler and Dayton also have a rivalry based on proximity to each other. The teams have met every year since 1977 with the exception of 1991, 1992 and 2020. Dayton leads 34–15–1.

== Conference championships ==
{{Location map+ | USA | width=550 | caption=Locations of Pioneer Football League schools<!--; Green=Future Member--> | relief=no | places=
   {{Location map~ | USA | label=Butler| position=left | mark=Blue pog.svg | link=Butler Bulldogs football | lat=39.839444 | long=-86.171389}}
   {{Location map~ | USA | label=Davidson | position=right | mark=Blue pog.svg | link=Davidson Wildcats football | lat=35.49999 | long=-80.845296}}
   {{Location map~ | USA | label=Dayton | position=right | mark=Blue pog.svg | link=Dayton Flyers football | lat=39.740415 | long=-84.179213}}
   {{Location map~ | USA | label=Drake | position=left | mark=Blue pog.svg | link=Drake Bulldogs football | lat=41.601111 | long=-93.652222}}
   {{Location map~ | USA | label=Marist | position=right | mark=Blue pog.svg | link=Marist Red Foxes football | lat=41.725974 | long=-73.93354}}
   {{Location map~ | USA | label=Morehead State | position=left | mark=Blue pog.svg | link=Morehead State Eagles football | lat=38.189 | long=-83.431}}
   {{Location map~ | USA | label=Presbyterian | position=bottom | mark=Blue pog.svg | link=Presbyterian Blue Hose football | lat=34.47 | long=-81.875}}
   {{Location map~ | USA | label=St. Thomas | position=bottom | mark=Blue pog.svg | link=St. Thomas (Minnesota) Tommies | lat=44.940256 | long=-93.193425}}
   {{Location map~ | USA | label=San Diego | position=right | mark=Blue pog.svg | link=San Diego Toreros football | lat=32.771111 | long=-117.1875}}
   {{Location map~ | USA | label=Stetson | position=left | mark=Blue pog.svg | link=Stetson Hatters football | lat=29.034972 | long= -81.302640}}
   {{Location map~ | USA | label=Valparaiso | position=top | mark=Blue pog.svg | link=Valparaiso Crusaders football | lat=41.4639 | long=-87.0439}}
}}

=== PFL champions===
{| class="wikitable"
!Season
!Champion
!Record
|-
|1993||Dayton||5–0–0
|-
|1994||Butler<br>Dayton||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<br>Drake<br>Valparaiso
|3–1
|-
|2001||Dayton||Championship Game
|-
|2002||Dayton||Championship Game
|-
|2003||Valparaiso||Championship Game
|-
|2004||Drake||Championship Game
|-
|2005||San Diego||Championship Game
|-
|2006||San Diego||7–0
|-
|2007
|Dayton<br>San Diego
|6–1
|-
|2008||Jacksonville||7–1
|-
|2009
|Butler<br>Dayton
|7–1
|-
|2010
|Jacksonville<br>Dayton
|8–0
|-
|2011
|San Diego<br>Drake
|7–1
|-
|2012
|Butler<br>Drake<br>San Diego
|7–1
|-
|2013
|Butler<br>Marist
|7–1
|-
||2014||San Diego||7–1<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.judolphins.com/information/compliance-update/index|title=Football Program Compliance Update|date=November 14, 2014|publisher=Jacksonville University|access-date=November 19, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141119181224/http://www.judolphins.com/information/compliance-update/index|archive-date=November 19, 2014}}</ref>
|-
|2015
|Dayton<br>San Diego
|7–1
|-
|2016||San Diego||8–0
|-
|2017
|San Diego
|8–0
|-
|2018
|San Diego
|8–0
|-
| 2019
| San Diego
| 8–0
|-
|2020/21*
|Davidson
|4–1
|-
| 2021
| Davidson<br>San Diego
| 7–1
|-
| 2022
| St. Thomas
| 8–0
|-
|2023
|Drake
| 8–0
|-
|2024
|Drake
| 7–1
|}

(*) Due to [[COVID-19 pandemic in the United States|COVID-19]], the Pioneer Football League suspended the fall 2020 football season. [[Dayton Flyers football|Dayton]] and [[Marist Red Foxes football|Marist]] opted out of the spring season. [[Presbyterian Blue Hose football|Presbyterian]] played a full PFL schedule, but was ineligible for the conference title, and its games were not counted in PFL standings.

==League titles by school==
{| class="wikitable"
! School
! Championships
! Championship Years
|-
| Dayton
| {{center|12}}
| 1993, ''1994'', 1996, 1997, 1999, ''2000'', 2001<sup>*</sup>, 2002<sup>*</sup>, ''2007'', ''2009'', ''2010'', ''2015''
|-
| San Diego
| {{center|12}}
| 2005<sup>*</sup>, 2006, ''2007'', ''2011'', ''2012'', 2014, ''2015'', 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, ''2021''
|-
| Drake
| {{center|8}}
| 1995, 1998, ''2000'', 2004<sup>*</sup>, ''2011'', ''2012'', 2023, 2024
|-
| Butler
| {{center|4}}
| 1994, ''2009'', ''2012'', ''2013''
|-
| Jacksonville
| {{center|2}}
| 2008, ''2010''
|-
| Valparaiso
| {{center|2}}
| ''2000'', 2003<sup>*</sup>
|-
| Davidson
| {{center|2}}
| ''2020''×, ''2021''
|-
| Marist
| {{center|1}}
| ''2013''
|-
| St. Thomas
| {{center|1}}
| 2022
|-
| Campbell
| {{center|0}}
| –
|-
| Morehead State
| {{center|0}}
| –
|-
| Evansville
| {{center|0}}
| –
|-
| Austin Peay
| {{center|0}}
| –
|-
| Stetson
| {{center|0}}
| –
|-
| Presbyterian
| {{center|0}}
| –
|}

<sup>*</sup> – Won in PFL Championship Game<br/>
× – played in spring 2021<br/>
''Italics'' – Co-champions

==PFL Championship Game==
{| class="wikitable"
!Season
!North Division
!Score
!South Division
!Location
|-
|2001||'''Dayton'''||46–14||Jacksonville||Dayton, Ohio
|-
|2002||'''Dayton'''||28–0||Morehead State||Morehead, Kentucky
|-
|2003||'''Valparaiso'''||54–42||Morehead State||Valparaiso, Indiana
|-
|2004||'''Drake'''||20–17||Morehead State||Morehead, Kentucky
|-
|2005||'''San Diego'''||47–40||Morehead State||San Diego, California
|}

== Postseason games==
The Pioneer Football League has had alliances with the [[Gridiron Classic (2006–2009)|Gridiron Classic]] and the Sports Network Cup. In addition, league members are allowed to accept at-large invitations to other college bowl games and teams are eligible to compete in the [[NCAA Division I Football Championship|FCS playoffs]].

Through the 2012 season, the NCAA did not offer the league an automatic invite to the FCS playoffs and never offered an at-large bid to any of its teams, effectively barring the league from the tournament. Starting in 2013, the Pioneer League received an automatic bid to compete in the Division I Football Championship as the playoffs expanded from 20 teams to 24. The PFL won its first playoff game in 2016, as San Diego advanced past the first round of the playoffs.

The PFL was a participant in the [[NCAA Division I FCS Consensus Mid-Major Football National Championship]], along with the [[Northeast Conference]] and [[Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference]], two other conferences without automatic playoff bids. The Consensus championship has since been discontinued; the NEC first earned an automatic postseason bid in 2010, while the MAAC no longer sponsors football.

===Members pre-PFL postseason results===
Below are postseason accomplishments by past and current members prior to the formation of the Pioneer Football League.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Season
! colspan=2|Champion
! colspan=2|Runner-up
!Bowl
|-
|1945
|Drake || 13
|[[Fresno State Bulldogs football|Fresno State]] || 12
| [[Raisin Bowl]]
|-
|1946
|Evansville ||  19
|[[Northern Illinois Huskies football|Northern Illinois]] ||  7
| Turkey Bowl
|-
|1947
|Evansville ||  20
|[[Northern Illinois Huskies football|Northern Illinois]] ||  0
| Hoosier Bowl
|-
|1948
|Drake || 14
|[[Arizona Wildcats football|Arizona]] || 13
| [[Salad Bowl (game)|Salad Bowl]]
|-
|1948
|Evansville || 13
|[[Missouri Valley College|Missouri Valley]] || 7
| [[Refrigerator Bowl]]
|-
|1949
|Evansville || 22
|[[Hillsdale College|Hillsdale]] || 7
| [[Refrigerator Bowl]]
|-
|1950
|[[University of Wisconsin–La Crosse|Wisconsin-La Crosse]] || 47
|Valparaiso || 14
| [[Cigar Bowl]]
|-
|1951
|[[Houston Cougars football|Houston]] || 26
|Dayton || 21
| [[Salad Bowl (American football)|Salad Bowl]]
|-
|1957
|[[Louisville Cardinals football|Louisville]] || 34
|Drake || 20
| [[Sun Bowl]]
|-
|1960
|[[Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders football|Middle Tennessee State]] || 21
|Presbyterian || 12
| [[Tangerine Bowl (1947–1982)|Tangerine Bowl]]
|-
|1969
|[[Arkansas State Red Wolves football|Arkansas State]] || 29
|Drake || 21
| [[Pecan Bowl]]
|-
|1969
|[[Toledo Rockets football|Toledo]] || 56
|Davidson || 33
| [[Tangerine Bowl (1947–82)|Tangerine Bowl]]
|-
|1972
|[[Tennessee State Tigers football|Tennessee State]] || 29
|Drake || 7
| [[Pioneer Bowl (1971–1982)|Pioneer Bowl]]
|-
|1973
|[[Wittenberg Tigers football|Wittenberg]] || 21
|San Diego || 14
| Division III Playoffs
|-
|1974
|[[Central College (Iowa)|Central (IA)]] || 31
|Evansville || 14
| Division III Playoffs
|-
|1980
|Dayton || 63
|[[Ithaca College|Ithaca]] || 0
| [[Stagg Bowl]]
|-
|1981
|[[Widener University|Widener]] || 17
|Dayton|| 10
| [[Stagg Bowl]]
|-
|1983
|[[UC Davis Aggies football|Cal Davis]] || 25
|Butler || 3
| Division II Playoffs
|-
|1987
|[[Wagner Seahawks football|Wagner]]   || 19
|Dayton || 3
| [[Stagg Bowl]]
|-
|1988
|[[UT Martin Skyhawks football|Tennessee-Martin]] || 23
|Butler || 3
| Division II Playoffs
|-
|1989
|Dayton || 17
|[[Union College (New York)|Union (NY)]] || 7
| [[Stagg Bowl]]
|-
|1991
|[[Ithaca College|Ithaca]] ||  34
|Dayton || 20
| [[Stagg Bowl]]
|-
|1991
|[[Pittsburg State Gorillas football|Pittsburg State]] ||  26
|Butler || 16
| Division II Playoffs
|}

=== PFL Sports Network Cup results ===
*See [[NCAA Division I FCS Consensus Mid-Major Football National Championship|Sports Network Cup]]

=== PFL Gridiron Classic results===
From 2006 through 2009, the PFL and Northeast Conference (NEC) staged the Gridiron Classic, an exempted postseason football game that matched the champions of the two conferences which were technically members of Division I FCS, but which were not the recipients of automatic invitations to the football championship playoff at the time.

{| class="wikitable"
!Season
! colspan=2|Champion
! colspan=2|Runner-up
|-
|2006
|San Diego ||  27
|[[Monmouth Hawks football|Monmouth]]   || 7
|-
|2007
|Dayton ||  42
|[[Albany Great Danes football|Albany]] || 21
|-
|2008
|[[Albany Great Danes football|Albany]] ||  28
|Jacksonville || 0
|-
|2009
|Butler || 28
|[[Central Connecticut Blue Devils football|Central Connecticut]] || 23
|}

=== NCAA Division I Football Championship results===
Since 2013, the PFL champion has received an invite to the [[NCAA Division I Football Championship|FCS playoffs]]; previously, PFL teams had to receive an at-large bid, which no team ever received.

{| class="wikitable"
!Season
!PFL Champion
!Round
!Opponent(s)
!Result(s)
|-
|[[2013 NCAA Division I FCS football season#NCAA Division I playoff bracket|2013]]
|[[2013 Butler Bulldogs football team|Butler]]
|First Round
|[[2013 Tennessee State Tigers football team|Tennessee State]]
| L, 0–31
|-
|[[2014 NCAA Division I FCS football season#NCAA Division I playoff bracket|2014]]
|[[2014 San Diego Toreros football team|San Diego]]
|First Round
|[[2014 Montana Grizzlies football team|Montana]]
| L, 14–52
|-
|[[2015 NCAA Division I FCS football season#NCAA Division I playoff bracket|2015]]
|[[2015 Dayton Flyers football team|Dayton]]
|First Round
|[[2015 Western Illinois Leathernecks football team|Western Illinois]]
| L, 7–24
|-
|[[2016 NCAA Division I FCS football season#NCAA Division I playoff bracket|2016]]
|[[2016 San Diego Toreros football team|San Diego]]
|First Round<br />Second Round
|[[2016 Cal Poly Mustangs football team|Cal Poly]]<br />[[2016 North Dakota State Bison football team|North Dakota State]]
| '''W, 35–21'''<br />L, 7–45
|-
|[[2017 NCAA Division I FCS football season#NCAA Division I playoff bracket|2017]]
|[[2017 San Diego Toreros football team|San Diego]]
|First Round<br />Second Round
|[[2017 Northern Arizona Lumberjacks football team|Northern Arizona]]<br />[[2017 North Dakota State Bison football team|North Dakota State]]
| '''W, 41–10'''<br />L, 3–38
|-
|[[2018 NCAA Division I FCS football season#NCAA Division I playoff bracket|2018]]
|[[2018 San Diego Toreros football team|San Diego]]
|First Round
|[[2018 Nicholls Colonels football team|Nicholls]]
|L, 30–49
|-
|[[2019 NCAA Division I FCS football season#NCAA Division I playoff bracket|2019]]
|[[2019 San Diego Toreros football team|San Diego]]
|First Round
|[[2019 Northern Iowa Panthers football team|Northern Iowa]]
|L, 3–17
|-
|[[2020–21 NCAA Division I FCS football season#NCAA Division I playoff bracket|2020–21]]
|[[2020 Davidson Wildcats football team|Davidson]]
|First Round
|[[2020 Jacksonville State Gamecocks football team|Jacksonville State]]
|L, 14–49
|-
|[[2021 NCAA Division I FCS football season#NCAA Division I playoff bracket|2021]]
|[[2021 Davidson Wildcats football team|Davidson]]
|First Round
|[[2021 Kennesaw State Owls football team|Kennesaw State]]
|L, 21–48
|-
|[[2022 NCAA Division I FCS football season#NCAA Division I playoff bracket|2022]]
|[[2022 Davidson Wildcats football team|Davidson]]*
|First Round
|[[2022 Richmond Spiders football team|Richmond]]
|L, 0–41
|-
|[[2023 NCAA Division I FCS football season#NCAA Division I playoff bracket|2023]]
|[[2023 Drake Bulldogs football team|Drake]]
|First Round
|[[2023 North Dakota State Bison football team|North Dakota State]]
|L, 3–66
|-
|[[2024 NCAA Division I FCS football season#NCAA Division I playoff bracket|2024]]
|[[2024 Drake Bulldogs football team|Drake]]
|First Round
|[[2024 Tarleton State Texans football team|Tarleton State]]
|L, 29–43
|}

<nowiki>*</nowiki> - [[2022 St. Thomas Tommies football team|St. Thomas]] was the PFL champion in 2022; however, they were ineligible for postseason play due to still being in transition from [[NCAA Division III|Division III]]. Davidson, the runner-up, was awarded the auto-bid in their place.

==Historical standings==
{{main|List of Pioneer Football League standings}}

== Conference facilities ==

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-bgcolor=956a50
| style="text-align:center"| {{white|'''School'''}}
| style="text-align:center"| {{white|'''Football Stadium'''}}
| style="text-align:center"| {{white|'''Capacity'''}}
|-
| style="text-align:center; {{CollegePrimaryStyle|Butler Bulldogs}}"| [[Butler Bulldogs football|{{white|'''Butler'''}}]]
|[[Bud and Jackie Sellick Bowl]]
|7,500
|-
| style="text-align:center; {{CollegePrimaryStyle|Davidson Wildcats}}"| [[Davidson Wildcats football|{{white|'''Davidson'''}}]]
|[[Richardson Stadium (Davidson)|Richardson Stadium]]
|4,741
|-
| style="text-align:center; {{CollegePrimaryStyle|Dayton Flyers}}"| [[Dayton Flyers football|{{white|'''Dayton'''}}]]
|[[Welcome Stadium]]
|11,000
|-
| style="text-align:center; {{CollegePrimaryStyle|Drake Bulldogs}}"| {{CollegeSecondaryColorLink|Drake Bulldogs|Drake Bulldogs football|'''Drake'''}}
|[[Drake Stadium (Drake University)|Drake Stadium]]
|14,557<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.godrakebulldogs.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=15700&ATCLID=899758|title=Drake Stadium History|publisher=Drake Athletics|access-date=December 31, 2008}}</ref>
|-
| style="text-align:center; {{CollegePrimaryStyle|Marist Red Foxes}}"| [[Marist Red Foxes football|{{white|'''Marist'''}}]]
|[[Leonidoff Field]]
|5,000<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.goredfoxes.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=205239935|title=Tenney Stadium at Leonidoff Field|publisher=Marist Athletics|access-date=December 5, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141208221053/http://www.goredfoxes.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=205239935|archive-date=December 8, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
| style="text-align:center; {{CollegePrimaryStyle|Morehead State Eagles}}"| [[Morehead State Eagles football|{{white|'''Morehead State'''}}]]
|[[Phil Simms Stadium]]<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://msueagles.com/news/2025/6/23/general-morehead-state-to-recognize-phil-simms-with-honorary-stadium-naming-during-homecoming.aspx |title=Morehead State to Recognize Phil Simms with Honorary Stadium Naming During Homecoming |publisher=Morehead State Eagles |date=June 23, 2025 |access-date=June 25, 2025}}</ref>
|10,000
|-
| style="text-align:center; {{CollegePrimaryStyle|Presbyterian Blue Hose}}"| [[Presbyterian Blue Hose football|{{white|'''Presbyterian'''}}]]
|[[Bailey Memorial Stadium]]
|6,500
|-
| style="text-align:center; color: white; {{CollegePrimaryStyle|St. Thomas (Minnesota) Tommies}}"| [[St. Thomas Tommies football|{{white|'''St. Thomas'''}}]]
|[[O'Shaughnessy Stadium]]
|5,025
|-
| style="text-align:center; {{CollegePrimaryStyle|San Diego Toreros}}"| {{CollegeSecondaryColorLink|San Diego Toreros|San Diego Toreros football|'''San Diego'''}}
|[[Torero Stadium]]
|6,000
|-
| style="text-align:center; {{CollegePrimaryStyle|Stetson Hatters}}"| [[Stetson Hatters football|{{white|'''Stetson'''}}]]
| [[Spec Martin Stadium|Spec Martin Memorial Stadium]]
| 6,000
|-
| style="text-align:center; {{CollegePrimaryStyle|Valparaiso Beacons}}"| {{CollegeSecondaryColorLink|Valparaiso Beacons|Valparaiso Beacons football|'''Valparaiso'''}}
|[[Brown Field (Valparaiso University)|Brown Field]]
|5,000
|}

{{notelist|group=cf}}

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links ==
{{commons category}}
* {{Official website}}

{{Pioneer Football League navbox}}
{{NCAA Division I FCS conference navbox}}

[[Category:Pioneer Football League| ]]
[[Category:Sports organizations established in 1991]]
[[Category:Articles which contain graphical timelines]]
[[Category:1991 establishments in the United States]]