Northwest Missouri State−Pittsburg State football rivalry

The Northwest Missouri State−Pittsburg State football rivalry, also known as the Fall Classic at Arrowhead, is a college football game between Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) rivals Northwest Missouri State University and Pittsburg State University. From 2002 to 2013, the game was played at Arrowhead Stadium, home of the Kansas City Chiefs. The games were played at the teams' home field, due to being unable to reach terms with the Kansas City Chiefs, from 2014 to 2018.^[1] The game is set to return to Arrowhead Stadium in 2019.^[2]

Northwest Missouri State−Pittsburg State
football rivalry

Northwest Missouri State Bearcats Pittsburg State Gorillas
Sport	Football
First meeting	September 30, 1932 Pittsburg State 25–0
Latest meeting	October 8, 2022 Pittsburg State 24–22
Next meeting	2023
Stadiums	Bearcat Stadium Carnie Smith Stadium Arrowhead Stadium
Statistics
Meetings total	55
All-time series	Northwest Missouri State, 29–26
Largest victory	Northwest Missouri, 69–10 (2016)
Longest win streak	Pittsburg State, 10 (1983–1996)
Current win streak	Pittsburg State, 1 (2022–present)

[Interactive fullscreen map]

Locations of Northwest Missouri State and Pittsburg State

Overview

While at Arrowhead, the Fall Classic drew more than 20,000 fans each year (including 26,695 in 2004), the largest attendance of any regular-season NCAA Division II sporting event.^{[citation needed]}

Since 1991 the two MIAA rivals have appeared in 15 NCAA Division II National Football Championship title games. Pittsburg State is 2–3 winning in 1991 and 2011, and was runner up in 1992, 1995 and 2004 (in addition it polled #1 in 1961). Northwest is 6–4, winning the titles in 1998, 1999, 2009, 2013, 2015 and 2016 and was runner up in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008. In addition to the regular season games the two teams have also played each other in 2004, 2005, 2008 and 2011 in Division II playoff games.^[3][4] The two teams have combined for at least a share of all but two MIAA championships since 1989.

In every matchup at Arrowhead except 2003, at least one of the teams was ranked in the Top 10 in Division II. In 2013, 2012, 2011, 2009, 2008, 2006 and 2004 both teams were in the Top 10 including 2004 when they were #1 and #2.

On February 11, 2014 Northwest Missouri State announced on their website that they were unable to reach terms with the Kansas City Chiefs to continue the use of Arrowhead Stadium for the contest.^[1]

Northwest won ten of the thirteen games played at Arrowhead Stadium.

Game results

Northwest Missouri State victories

Pittsburg State victories

Tie games

No. Date Location Winner Score 1 September 30, 1932 Pittsburg, KS Pittsburg State 25–0 2 September 29, 1933 Maryville, MO Pittsburg State 33–6 3 September 15, 1934 Pittsburg, KS Pittsburg State 7–0 4 September 15, 1944 Pittsburg, KS Northwest Missouri State 26–13 5 October 13, 1944 Maryville, MO Northwest Missouri State 33–2 6 October 8, 1960 Pittsburg, KS Pittsburg State 38–6 7 October 7, 1961 Maryville, MO Pittsburg State 35–0 8 September 15, 1973 Pittsburg, KS Northwest Missouri State 14–10 9 September 14, 1974 Maryville, MO Northwest Missouri State 13–0 10 September 13, 1975 Maryville, MO Northwest Missouri State 38–14 11 September 11, 1976 Pittsburg, KS Northwest Missouri State 24–0 12 September 10, 1977 Maryville, MO Northwest Missouri State 27–14 13 September 9, 1978 Pittsburg, KS Pittsburg State 30–10 14 September 8, 1979 Maryville, MO Pittsburg State 21–14 15 September 6, 1980 Pittsburg, KS Pittsburg State 33–7 16 September 5, 1981 Maryville, MO Northwest Missouri State 9–6 17 September 10, 1983 Pittsburg, KS Pittsburg State 28–7 18 October 7, 1989 Pittsburg, KS Pittsburg State 27–13 19 November 28, 1989 Pittsburg, KS Pittsburg State 28–7 20 October 6, 1990 Maryville, MO Pittsburg State 49–14 21 October 5, 1991 Pittsburg, KS Pittsburg State 38–0 22 October 3, 1992 Maryville, MO Pittsburg State 31–14 23 October 30, 1993 Pittsburg, KS Pittsburg State 38–12 24 October 29, 1994 Maryville, MO Pittsburg State 49–7 25 November 11, 1995 Pittsburg, KS Pittsburg State 22–14 26 November 16, 1996 Maryville, MO Pittsburg State 40–0 27 October 25, 1997 Pittsburg, KS Northwest Missouri State 15–14 28 October 24, 1998 Maryville, MO Northwest Missouri State 23–18 No. Date Location Winner Score 29 September 18, 1999 Pittsburg, KS Northwest Missouri State 27–21 30 September 16, 2000 Maryville, MO Northwest Missouri State 35–28 31 October 13, 2001 Pittsburg, KS Northwest Missouri State 35–31 32 October 17, 2002 Kansas City, MO Northwest Missouri State 29–7 33 November 15, 2003 Kansas City, MO Northwest Missouri State 20–19 34 November 6, 2004 Kansas City, MO Pittsburg State 21–17 35 November 27, 2004 Pittsburg, KS Pittsburg State 50–36^A 36 October 29, 2005 Kansas City, MO Pittsburg State 56–35 37 November 26, 2005 Pittsburg, KS Northwest Missouri State 21–10^A 38 November 4, 2006 Kansas City, MO Northwest Missouri State 41–14 39 October 6, 2007 Kansas City, MO Northwest Missouri State 37–34 40 October 4, 2008 Kansas City, MO Northwest Missouri State 35–10 41 November 22, 2008 Maryville, MO Northwest Missouri State 38–35^A 42 October 4, 2009 Kansas City, MO Northwest Missouri State 30–10 43 October 4, 2010 Kansas City, MO Northwest Missouri State 22–16 44 October 29, 2011 Kansas City, MO Pittsburg State 38–35 45 October 29, 2011 Pittsburg, KS Pittsburg State 41–16^A 46 October 4, 2012 Kansas City, MO Northwest Missouri State 31–21 47 October 4, 2013 Kansas City, MO Northwest Missouri State 24–15 48 October 18, 2014 Maryville, MO Pittsburg State 35–17 49 October 17, 2015 Pittsburg, KS Northwest Missouri State 31–14 50 October 29, 2016 Maryville, MO Northwest Missouri State 69–10 51 October 28, 2017 Maryville, MO Pittsburg State 20–10 52 October 6, 2018 Pittsburg, KS Northwest Missouri State 31–7 53 October 12, 2019 Kansas City, MO Northwest Missouri State 38–17 54 October 9, 2021 Maryville, MO Northwest Missouri State 20–19 55 October 8, 2022 Pittsburg, KS Pittsburg State 24–22 Series: Northwest Missouri State leads 29–26

^A During the 2004, 2005, 2008, and 2011 college football seasons, the Bearcats and Gorillas played twice; in this case, the second meeting was in the playoffs. All other seasons that the two teams played twice was considered a regular season game.

See also

• List of NCAA college football rivalry games

References

1. . Archived from the original on February 21, 2014. Retrieved February 12, 2014.
2. NOW, Brandon Zenner News-Press. "Fall Classic at Arrowhead returning for Northwest-Pitt". News-Press NOW.
3. (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on May 27, 2010. Retrieved September 28, 2009.
4. "Pittsburg State University 2009 Record Book – pittstategorrils.com – Retrieved September 25, 2009" (PDF).^{[permanent dead link]}