It all started in the back of a van on January 1985. A group of ten Missouri college students were returning from the third annual National Catholic Student Coalition (NCSC) convention held in Miami, Florida. Full of enthusiasm and excitement from the conference, they discussed their dream of a statewide organization for Missouri Catholic college students. They saw an organization that can offer students the opportunity to meet, support, and learn from one another.

An initial meeting was held in September of 1985 to discuss the possibility of forming such an organization. After many meetings and another NCSC convention, the original "CORE" planners concluded that the best way to create a Missouri-wide student community was to have a convention of their own. In February of 1987 the first convention took place. More than one hundred students from colleges across the state met, shared, and worshipped with one another. All the planning and hard work paid off. The Missouri Association of Catholic College Students was born!