Mid-America Classic
| Sport | Football |
|---|---|
| First meeting | November 25, 1901 EIU 28, ISU 0 |
| Latest meeting | September 17, 2016 EIU 24, ISU 21 |
| Next meeting | 2017 |
| Trophy | Mid-America Classic Trophy |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 104 |
| All-time series | Illinois State leads, 54–41–9 |
| Largest victory | ISU, 48–7 (1992) |
| Longest win streak | EIU, 8 (1924–31) |
| Current win streak | EIU, 1 (2016–present) |
The Mid-America Classic is a long-standing American college football rivalry game played in most years since 1901 between the Panthers of Eastern Illinois University and the Redbirds of Illinois State University.
The rivalry between the two schools began in 1901 and is the oldest in the state of Illinois. It has continued almost completely uninterrupted through the years as the Panthers and Redbirds played in the Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference until it disbanded in 1970. They would play in different conferences until 1985 when they both joined the newly formed football arm of the Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference, previously a league that sponsored only women's sports. After the Gateway merged with the Missouri Valley Conference in 1992, its football side was spun off into the Gateway Football Conference (now the Missouri Valley Football Conference), with both teams remaining in that league until the Panthers moved their entire athletic program to the Ohio Valley Conference in 1995. Even though annual meetings are no longer assured, the two sides have met almost every year since, including twice in 2006. The two teams have played 104 times in total, with Illinois State holding a 54–41–9 advantage in the all-time series.
For the 100th game in the series, in 2012, representatives from the two schools met and decided to give the rivalry the name of Mid-America Classic. The two schools also collaborated on a traveling trophy, which holds plaques with the results of the previous 100 games in the series and has room for results of future games in the series.
October 27, 1906 – Illinois State's six-hour bus drive to Charleston, Ill., was only made worse by an 11–6 defeat.
November 3, 1915 – Both teams fumbled inside each other's 10-yard line in this 0–0 game played at EIU.
November 11, 1916 – EIU visited Normal, Ill., for the first ever Homecoming game on Illinois State's campus. ISU scored its only points on a 45-yard blocked punt by Ritter in a 24–7 loss.
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