Murray State University (MSU) is a public university in Murray, Kentucky. In addition to the main campus in Calloway County in southwestern Kentucky, Murray State operates extended campuses offering upper-level and graduate courses in Paducah, Hopkinsville, Madisonville, and Henderson.
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 Southeast Missouri State Redhawks football program is the intercollegiate American football team for the Southeast Missouri State University located in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and are members of the Ohio Valley Conference. The school's first football team was fielded in 1902. The team plays its home games at the 11,015-seat Houck Stadium. They are coached by Tom Matukewicz.
The Murray State Racers men's basketball program represents Murray State University in intercollegiate men's basketball. Murray State completed a 74-season run in the Ohio Valley Conference, a part of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), in 2021–22, and moved to the Missouri Valley Conference on July 1, 2022. 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 Murray State Racers football team represented Murray State University in the 2011 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Racers were led by second-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 7–4, 5–3 in OVC play to finish in fourth place. Average home attendance for the 2011 season was 5,642.
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 will join 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.
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 Ohio 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.
The 2013 Bowling Green Falcons football team represented Bowling Green State University in the 2013 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Through the 2013 MAC Championship Game, the Falcons were led by fifth-year head coach Dave Clawson. On December 10, Clawson left to become the new head coach at Wake Forest; the school named special teams coordinator Adam Scheier as interim head coach for the 2013 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl.
The 2014 Jacksonville State Gamecocks football team represented Jacksonville State University as a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) during the 2014 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by first-year head coach John Grass, the Gamecocks compiled an overall record of 10–2 with a mark of 8–0 in conference play, winning the OVC title. Jacksonville State received the OVC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs. After a first-round bye, the Gamecocks lost in the second round to Sam Houston State. The team played home games at Burgess–Snow Field at JSU Stadium in Jacksonville, Alabama.
Joseph Thomas Pannunzio is an American football coach for the Philadelphia Eagles. He is a former player and executive. He served as head football coach at Murray State University (MSU) from 2000 to 2005, compiling an overall record of 30–37. Pannunzio was the director of football operations at the University of Alabama from 2011 to 2014. He was the special teams/tight ends coach in 2017, and running backs coach in 2018 for the University of Alabama. He is currently the director of team development for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL).
The 1949 Tangerine Bowl was an American college football bowl game played after the 1948 season, on January 1, 1949, at the Tangerine Bowl stadium in Orlando, Florida. The game was the third annual Tangerine Bowl, now known as the Citrus Bowl, and saw Murray State tie Sul Ross, 21–21. The game was the Tangerine Bowl's first tie; there would not be another tie until the 1954 Tangerine Bowl. This game was also the highest scoring tie in Tangerine Bowl history, throughout all name changes. This game was the first Tangerine Bowl where MVP honors were awarded; they were given to halfbacks Dale McDaniel of Murray State and Ted Scown of Sul Ross State.
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.
Temetrius Jamel "Ja" Morant is an American professional basketball player for the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Murray State Racers, where he was a consensus first-team All-American as a sophomore in 2019.
The 2019 Georgia Bulldogs football team represented the University of Georgia in the 2019 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Bulldogs played their home games at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia, and competed in the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They were led by fourth-year head coach Kirby Smart.
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 Murray State Racers football team represented Murray State University during the 2021 NCAA Division I FCS football season as a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC). They were led by second-year head coach Dean Hood and played their games at Roy Stewart Stadium in Murray, Kentucky.
The 2022 Southeastern Louisiana Lions football team represented Southeastern Louisiana University as a member of the Southland Conference during the 2022 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by head coach Frank Scelfo, who was coaching his fifth season with the program. The Lions played their home games at Strawberry Stadium in Hammond, Louisiana.
