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.

The two teams have played 110 times in total, with Illinois State holding a 59–42–9 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.

[1] October 27, 1906 – Illinois State's six-hour bus drive to Charleston, Ill., was only made worse by an 11–6 defeat.

[2] October 10, 1981 – ISU reserve Andy Fladung came off the bench to intercept a school-record four passes in the Redbirds' 25–3 win.

[2][3] November 25, 2006 – Two months after facing each other in the regular season, ISU and EIU met each other in the first round of the 2006 NCAA Division I FCS Playoffs.