Missouri Valley Conference supporters will have something extra special to cheer about this year as the league will celebrate its 100th anniversary with multiple events throughout 2006-07.

The MVC is the nation’s second-oldest NCAA Division I league, just behind the Big Ten Conference, which was founded in January 1895. Eight administrators representing five schools formed the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association on January 12, 1907, in Kansas City, Missouri. Since then, the league has grown to 10 members and two additional affiliate schools that compete in soccer. In the past century, 32 MVC members have collected a combined 25 national championships. The league also is credited with 55 NCAA individual champions and 48 national player or coach of the year honorees.

The conference will officially mark the beginning of its centennial celebration with a gala on October 28. Current and former student-athletes and coaches, including several league hall-of-fame inductees, are expected to participate in the event that will feature video vignettes and live interviews. Each guest will receive a complimentary copy of the league’s centennial book, which highlights events and images from its first 100 years. The book also will be available online at www.mvcbook.org.

Starting in September, fans can vote for all-time teams representing each of the league’s sports at www.mvc100.org. Fans also are invited to vote on the top 10 moments in conference basketball history on the league’s Web site at www.mvc.org. Winning moments will be revealed during the basketball season.

In January, the conference is planning a throw-back weekend to showcase four current conference members that have previously appeared in the Men’s Final Four. Bradley University (1950), Drake University (1969), Indiana State University (1979) and Wichita State University (1965) will face off in two conference games wearing uniforms mirroring those worn during their championship runs.

From November 1 to March 15, the conference Web site will feature a "This Date in MVC History" promotion, which is a daily collection of audio and text clips highlighting memorable moments and historical milestones. The league also plans to produce centennial patches and banners.

See www.mvc.org for more information about the conference and centennial events.

New procedures at Cheyney make athlete safety a priority

To better ensure the health and safety of its student-athletes, Cheyney University of Pennsylvania announced plans to add echocardiogram testing to annual preparticipation screenings.

For the first time, all Cheyney student-athletes will undergo an echocardiogram as part of their annual precompetition physicals. The school is partnering with the Daniel E. Rumph II Foundation and Ultrasound Services Inc. to provide the service and plans to make the effort an annual undertaking.

Although the practice of providing echocardiograms for each student-athlete is more common among Division I institutions, it is less so among Division II schools such as Cheyney, a historically black college with an enrollment of 1,700 located about 25 miles west of Philadelphia.