Roy Stewart Stadium is a 16,800-seat multi-purpose stadium in Murray, Kentucky. It opened in 1973 and is home to the Murray State University Racers football, rifle and women's track and field teams. Before Racers football left the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) for the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) in 2023, the stadium was the second-largest of any on-campus stadium in the OVC; it now lies roughly at the MVFC average.
The Murray State Racers are the athletic teams that represent Murray State University (MSU), located in Murray, Kentucky, United States, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the NCAA Division I ranks, primarily competing in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) since the 2022–23 academic year. The Racers previously competed in the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) from 1948–49 to 2021–22; and in the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 1933–34 to 1947–48.
The Murray State Racers football team represents Murray State University in the sport of American football. The Racers compete in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) Division I and the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC).
The Murray State Racers men's basketball program represents Murray State University in intercollegiate men's basketball. Murray State is a member of the Missouri Valley Conference in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), having joined that conference in 2022 after 74 seasons in the Ohio Valley Conference. The Racers have played home games at the CFSB Center on their campus in Murray, Kentucky since 1998. Murray State made its 18th appearance in the NCAA tournament in 2022. Five times the Racers advanced in the tournament, most recently by defeating the University of San Francisco in 2022. In 1988, Murray State defeated NC State in the first round but lost to eventual national champion Kansas in the second round. In 2010, 22 years to the date of the 1988 win, the Racers beat Vanderbilt and lost to eventual runner-up Butler in the second round.
The 2011–12 Murray State Racers men's basketball team represented Murray State University during the 2011–12 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Racers, led by first year head coach Steve Prohm, played their home games at the CFSB Center and were members of the Ohio Valley Conference. They were the Ohio Valley regular season champions and champions of the 2012 OVC Basketball tournament to earn the conference's automatic bid into the 2012 NCAA tournament. This was the Racers 15th tournament appearance. They defeated Colorado State in the second round before falling to Marquette in the third round to finish the season 31–2.
The Battle for the Red Belt is an American college football rivalry between the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team of Western Kentucky University and the Murray State Racers football team of Murray State University. The rivalry began as an in-conference rivalry within the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC), but both schools have since departed for other conferences. The Hilltoppers were the first to move, transitioning to the Football Bowl Subdivision and playing as an independent in the 2008 season before moving football to the Sun Belt Conference in 2009, followed by a move to Conference USA in 2014. The Racers, which remain in the Football Championship Subdivision to this day, played their final OVC season in 2022, and joined the Missouri Valley Football Conference in 2023. The rivalry has continued as a trophy game, although it is no longer played on an annual basis.
The 2012 Murray State Racers football team represented Murray State University in the 2012 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by third-year head coach Chris Hatcher and played their home games at Roy Stewart Stadium. They are a member of the Ohio Valley Conference. They finished the season 5–6, 4–4 in OVC play to finish in sixth place.
Johnny Reagan Field is a baseball venue in Murray, Kentucky, United States. It is home to the Murray State Racers baseball team of the NCAA Division I Missouri Valley Conference. The venue is named for Murray State alumnus and former baseball coach Johnny Reagan. Built in 1989, it has a capacity of 800 spectators.
Matthew Jude Griffin is an American professional football coach and former collegiate player. He served as the head football coach at the University of Tennessee at Martin (UTM) from 2003 to 2006, and Murray State University from 2007 to 2009, compiling a career college football record of 21 wins and 58 losses.
The 2010 Murray State Racers football team represented Murray State University in the 2010 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Racers were led by first year head coach Chris Hatcher and played their home games at Roy Stewart Stadium. They are a member of the Ohio Valley Conference. They finished the season 6–5, 5–3 in OVC play to finish in fourth place. Average home attendance for the 2010 season was 5,989.
The 2013 Murray State Racers football team represented Murray State University in the 2013 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by fourth-year head coach Chris Hatcher and played their home games at Roy Stewart Stadium. They were a member of the Ohio Valley Conference. They finished the season 6–6, 4–4 in OVC play to finish in a tie for fifth place.
The 2014 Murray State Racers football team represented Murray State University in the 2014 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by fifth-year head coach Chris Hatcher and played their home games at Roy Stewart Stadium. They were a member of the Ohio Valley Conference. They finished the season 3–9, 1–7 in OVC play to finish in a tie for eighth place.
The 2015 Murray State Racers football team represented Murray State University in the 2015 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by first-year head coach Mitch Stewart and played their home games at Roy Stewart Stadium. They were a member of the Ohio Valley Conference. They finished the season 3–8, 2–6 in OVC play to finish in seventh place.
The 2016 Murray State Racers football team represented Murray State University in the 2016 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by second-year head coach Mitch Stewart and played their home games at Roy Stewart Stadium. They were members of the Ohio Valley Conference. They finished the season 4–7, 4–4 in OVC play to finish in a tie for fifth place.
The 2017 Murray State Racers football team represented Murray State University in the 2017 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by third-year head coach Mitch Stewart and played their home games at Roy Stewart Stadium. They were members of the Ohio Valley Conference. They finished the season 3–8, 2–5 in OVC play to finish in a tie for seventh place.
The 2018 Murray State Racers football team represented Murray State University in the 2018 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by fourth-year head coach Mitch Stewart and played their home games at Roy Stewart Stadium. They were members of the Ohio Valley Conference. They finished the season 5–6, 5–3 in OVC play to finish in fourth place.
The 2019 Murray State Racers football team represented Murray State University in the 2019 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by fifth-year head coach Mitch Stewart and played their home games at Roy Stewart Stadium. They were members of the Ohio Valley Conference. They finished the season 4–8, 2–6 in OVC play to finish in a tie for seventh place. Stewart was reassigned to a new position within the athletic department following the season, he finished with a record of 19–37.
The 2020 Murray State Racers football team represented Murray State University in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by Dean Hood in his first season as the program's 19th head coach. The Racers played their home games at Roy Stewart Stadium. They competed as a member of the Ohio Valley Conference.
The 2021–22 Murray State Racers men's basketball team represented Murray State University in the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Racers, led by seventh-year head coach Matt McMahon, played their home games at the CFSB Center in Murray, Kentucky as members of the Ohio Valley Conference. They finished the season 31–3, 18–0 in OVC play to finish as regular season champions. As the No. 1 seed, they defeated Southeast Missouri State and Morehead State to win the OVC tournament. They received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 7 seed in the East Region, where they defeated San Francisco in the first round before losing to Saint Peter's in the second round.
The 2022–23 Murray State Racers men's basketball team represented Murray State University in the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Racers were led by head coach Steve Prohm, who was in his first season with the Racers, and played their home games at the CFSB Center in Murray, Kentucky as first-year members of the Missouri Valley Conference. They finished the season 16–14, 11–9 in MVC play to finish in sixth place. They defeated Valparaiso in the opening round of the MVC tournament before losing to Drake in the quarterfinals.
