Illinois State Redbirds

The Illinois State Redbirds compete in FCS football as members of the Missouri Valley Football Conference, one of the toughest leagues at that level. Playing out of Normal, Illinois, the Redbirds trace their nickname to a mix-up that stuck in the 1920s and have built a decades-spanning championship history across two different conference eras. Illinois State's program is a cornerstone of the historic Missouri Valley football rivalry corridor.

Illinois State fielded its first team in 1887 and became a charter member of the Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in 1908, winning seven conference titles there between 1937 and 1968. The Redbirds joined the Missouri Valley Football Conference (then the Gateway Conference) in 1982 and added championships in 1999, 2014 and 2015. In all, the program has claimed 10 conference championships across its history.