The Gateway Football Conference’s first season was in 1985, and Southwest Missouri State defeated Southern Illinois, 40-28, on Sept. 7, 1985, in the first-ever league game. Since the league’s inception, a total of nine different members have played in the conference, with Eastern Illinois (now in the Ohio Valley Conference) the only team to leave the Gateway. The league has been stable, however, with only three changes since 1986: Eastern Illinois withdrew in 1995; Youngstown State was admitted in 1997; and Western Kentucky was admitted in 2001