Austin Peay Governors men's basketball

Austin Peay Governors
men's basketball
Austin Peay Governors; men's basketball
	2025–26 Austin Peay Governors men's basketball team
University	Austin Peay State University
Head coach	Corey Gipson (3rd season)
Conference	Atlantic Sun Conference ; United Athletic Conference in 2026–27
Location	Clarksville, Tennessee
Arena	F&M Bank Arena ; (capacity: 5,500)
Nickname	Governors
Colors	Red and white;
Uniforms
Home	Away
NCAA tournament Elite Eight
	1961*
Sweet Sixteen	1960, 1961, 1973†
Other NCAA tournament results
Sweet Sixteen	1960, 1961, 1973†
Appearances	1958, 1960, 1961, 1963, 1973†, 1974, 1987, 1996, 2003, 2008, 2016
Conference tournament champions
	1987, 1996, 2003, 2008, 2016
Conference regular-season champions
	1973, 1974, 1977, 1997, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008
	† vacated by NCAA; * at Division II level

Last updated December 27, 2025

The Austin Peay Governors men's basketball team represents Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee. The Governors play in the ASUN Conference starting in 2022–23, following 61 seasons in the Ohio Valley Conference. Austin Peay has qualified for the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament seven times, most recently in 2016, making the field of 68 by virtue of having won the 2016 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball tournament. The Governors' head coach is Corey Gipson.

The 2022–23 season was not only Peay's first in the ASUN Conference, but also was its last at Winfield Dunn Center. After that season, the Governors moved to the new F&M Bank Arena in downtown Clarksville. The new arena was originally intended to open for the 2022–23 season, but was delayed to July 2023.^[2]^[3]

Historically, the "Governors" nickname applied only to Peay's men's teams; women's teams were known as "Lady Govs". However, since the mid-2010s, all Peay teams have used "Governors".

Rivalries

The Governors' main rival has historically been Murray State University. The two schools are separated by about 65 miles (105 km) and consistently vied for Ohio Valley Conference championships. ESPN The Magazine featured the Austin Peay–Murray State rivalry in a February 2009 issue.^[4] However, the two schools are now in separate conferences, with Peay having joined the ASUN and Murray State the Missouri Valley Conference in July 2022.

Year-by-year results


Year	Coach	Overall	Conference	Postseason
1942–43	Fred Brown	9–10
1943–44	WWII	n/a
1944–45	WWII	n/a
1945–46	Bee Low	2–19
1946–47	David Aaron	23–5
1947–48	David Aaron	16–9
1948–49	David Aaron	17–13
1949–50	David Aaron	14–11
1950–51	David Aaron	13–12
1951–52	David Aaron	11–17
1952–53	David Aaron	14–12
1953–54	David Aaron	14–13
1954–55	David Aaron	7–17
1955–56	David Aaron	16–11
1956–57	David Aaron	24–9
1957–58	David Aaron	17–9
1958–59	David Aaron	17–9
1959–60	David Aaron	22–5
1960–61	David Aaron	22–9	(9–1) VSAC
1961–62	David Aaron	14–12	(8–2) VSAC
1962–63	George Fisher	18–11	(9–1) VSAC
1963–64	George Fisher	14–9	(7–7) OVC
1964–65	George Fisher	4–17	(2–12) OVC
1965–66	George Fisher	7–14	(3–11) OVC
1966–67	George Fisher	14–9	(7–7) OVC
1967–68	George Fisher	8–16	(2–12) OVC
1968–69	George Fisher	10–14	(3–11) OVC
1969–70	George Fisher	5–21	(2–12) OVC
1970–71	George Fisher	10–14	(5–9) OVC
1971–72	Lake Kelly	10–14	(5–9) OVC
1972–73	Lake Kelly	21–5	(11–3) OVC	Lost Regional semifinal
1973–74	Lake Kelly	17–10	(10–4) OVC	Lost First round
1974–75	Lake Kelly	17–10	(10–4) OVC
1975–76	Lake Kelly	20–7	(10–4) OVC
1976–77	Lake Kelly	24–4	(13–1) OVC
1977–78	Ed Thompson	15–12	(8–6) OVC
1978–79	Ed Thompson	8–18	(3–9) OVC
1979–80	Ron Bargatze	8–18	(2–10) OVC
1980–81	Ron Bargatze	14–13	(7–7) OVC
1981–82	Ron Bargatze	6–20	(4–12) OVC
1982–83	Ron Bargatze	11–16	(4–10) OVC
1983–84	Howard Jackson	11–16	(5–9) OVC
1984–85	Howard Jackson	8–19	(4–10) OVC
1985–86	Lake Kelly	14–14	(8–6) OVC
1986–87	Lake Kelly	20–12	(8–6) OVC	Lost Second Round
1987–88	Lake Kelly	17–13	(10–4) OVC
1988–89	Lake Kelly	18–12	(8–4) OVC
1989–90	Lake Kelly	10–19	(2–10) OVC
1990–91	Dave Loos	15–14	(6–6) OVC
1991–92	Dave Loos	11–17	(6–8) OVC
1992–93	Dave Loos	7–20	(4–12) OVC
1993–94	Dave Loos	11–16	(10–6) OVC
1994–95	Dave Loos	13–16	(8–8) OVC
1995–96	Dave Loos	19–11	(10–6) OVC	Lost First round
1996–97	Dave Loos	17–14	(12–6) OVC
1997–98	Dave Loos	17–11	(11–7) OVC
1998–99	Dave Loos	11–16	(9–9) OVC
1999–2000	Dave Loos	18–10	(11–7) OVC
2000–01	Dave Loos	22–10	(10–6) OVC
2001–02	Dave Loos	14–18	(8–8) OVC
2002–03	Dave Loos	23–8	(13–3) OVC	Lost First round
2003–04	Dave Loos	22–10	6–0) OVC1
2004–05	Dave Loos	13–19	(9–7) OVC
2005–06	Dave Loos	17–14	(11–9) OVC
2006–07	Dave Loos	21–12	(16–4) OVC
2007–08	Dave Loos	24–11	(16–4) OVC	Lost First round
2008–09	Dave Loos	19–14	(13–5) OVC	Lost CIT Quarterfinals
2009–10	Dave Loos	17–15	(11–7) OVC
2010–11	Dave Loos	20–14	(13–5) OVC
2011–12	Dave Loos	12–20	(8–8) OVC
2012–13	Dave Loos	8–23	(4–12) OVC
2013–14	Dave Loos	12–18	(6–10) OVC
2014–15	Dave Loos	8–22	(3–13) OVC
2015–16	Dave Loos	18–18	(7–9) OVC	Lost First round
2016–17	Dave Loos	11–19	(7–9) OVC
2017–18	Matt Figger	19–15	(12–6) OVC	Lost CIT Quarterfinals
2018–19	Matt Figger	22–10	(13–5) OVC
2019–20	Matt Figger	21–12	(14–4) OVC
2020–21	Matt Figger	14–13	(10–10) OVC
2021–22	Nate James	12–17	(8–10) OVC
2022–23	Nate James	9–22	(3–15) ASUN
2023–24	Corey Gipson	19–16	(10–6) ASUN	Lost CIT Quarterfinals
2024–25	Corey Gipson	14–18	(8–10) ASUN

Postseason

NCAA Division I tournament results

The Governors have appeared in the NCAA Division I tournament seven (officially, six) times. Their combined record is 2–8, 1–6 without their 1973 NCAA tournament appearance (1 win, 2 losses), which was vacated by the NCAA.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
1973*	Regional Quarterfinals Regional semifinals Mideast Regional third place	Jacksonville Kentucky Marquette	W 77–75 L 100–106 ^OT L 73–88
1974	Regional Quarterfinals	Notre Dame	L 66–108
1987	First round Second Round	Illinois Providence	W 68–67 L 87–90 ^OT
1996	First round	Georgia Tech	L 79–90
2003	First round	Louisville	L 64–86
2008	First round	Texas	L 54–74
2016	First round	Kansas	L 79–105

NCAA Division II tournament results

The Governors have appeared in the NCAA Division II tournament four times. Their combined record is 3–6.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
1958	Regional semifinals Regional 3rd-place game	Akron Wabash	L 61–76 L 69–72
1960	Regional semifinals Regional Finals	Belmont Abbey Kentucky Wesleyan	W 74–63 L 69–83
1961	Regional semifinals Regional Finals Elite Eight	Chattanooga Belmont Abbey Mount St. Mary's	W 77–69 W 70–63 L 78–96
1963	Regional semifinals Regional 3rd-place game	Tennessee State Bellarmine	L 94–119 L 86–96

NIT results

The Governors have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) two times. Their combined record is 1–2.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
2004	Opening Round First round	Belmont George Mason	W 66–60 L 100–106
2007	First round	Air Force	L 51–75

CBI results

The Governors have appeared in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) one time. Their record is 0–1.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
2011	First round	Boise State	L 80–83

CIT results

The Governors have appeared in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) two times. Their combined record is 1–2.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
2009	First round	Bradley	L 74–81
2018	First round Quarterfinals	Louisiana–Monroe UIC	W 80–66 L 81–83
2024	Quarterfinals	Alabama A&M	L 71–81

NAIA results

The Governors have appeared in the NAIA tournament once, with a loss in its only game.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
1957	First Round	(5) Portland (OR)	L 65-77

Notable players

Retired numbers

No.	Player	Pos.	Career	No. ret.	Ref.
Austin Peay Governors retired numbers
10	Tom Morgan	F	1974–1978	1999	^[5]
13	Bubba Wells	F	1993–1997	1998	^[5]
21	Terry Taylor	F	2017–2021	2023	^[5]
30	Howie Wright	G	1967–1970	1992	^[5]
35	Fly Williams	G	1972–1974	2009	^[5]
44	Trenton Hassell	F	1997–2001	2002	^[5]

Retired jerseys

No.	Player	Tenure	Pos.	Jer. ret.	Ref.
45	L.M. Ellis ^{[n 1]}	F	1962–1965	2022	^[7]^[8]
420	Dave Loos ^{[n 2]}	Head coach	1990–2017	2022	^[8]

Notes

↑ Ellis was the first black basketball player to play at Austin Peay.^[6]
↑ Number retired for his 420 Victories as head coach.

Professional international players

Eli Abaev (born 1998), American-Israeli basketball player for Hapoel Be'er Sheva in the Israeli Basketball Premier League
Chris Horton (born 1994) – basketball player for Hapoel Tel Aviv of the Israeli Basketball Premier League

References

↑ "APSU Governors Brand Identity" (PDF). May 30, 2019. Retrieved February 25, 2023.
↑ Smith, Chris (July 29, 2021). "Downtown Clarksville event center name announced: F&M Bank Arena". Clarksville, TN: WNZE. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
↑ Miller, Kaitlin (May 13, 2022). "New F&M Bank Arena in Montgomery Co. expected to bring a lot of economic growth to area". Nashville, TN: WZTV. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
↑ "College basketball's lesser-known rivalries". 28 January 2009.
1 2 3 4 5 6 "Austin Peay announces the jersey retirement of 10 Austin Peay greats". letsgopeay.com. August 25, 2021. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
↑ Hall of Fame: L.M. ELLIS at Austin Peay website
↑ Austin Peay's L.M. Ellis, first Black basketball player to sign with OVC school, dies at 79 by George Robinson at Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle, 3 Jun 2022
1 2 L.M. Ellis, Gerlonda Hardin-Fite and Dave Loos to have jerseys retired, Saturday at letsgopeay.com, 8 Feb 2022

External links

Official website

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[firstbl-7] Ellis was the first black basketball player to play at Austin Peay.^[6]

[coachvic-10] Number retired for his 420 Victories as head coach.

[1] "APSU Governors Brand Identity" (PDF). May 30, 2019. Retrieved February 25, 2023.

[2] Smith, Chris (July 29, 2021). "Downtown Clarksville event center name announced: F&M Bank Arena". Clarksville, TN: WNZE. Retrieved November 19, 2021.

[3] Miller, Kaitlin (May 13, 2022). "New F&M Bank Arena in Montgomery Co. expected to bring a lot of economic growth to area". Nashville, TN: WZTV. Retrieved May 16, 2022.

[4] "College basketball's lesser-known rivalries". 28 January 2009.

[ausret-5] 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Austin Peay announces the jersey retirement of 10 Austin Peay greats". letsgopeay.com. August 25, 2021. Retrieved October 9, 2021.

[6] Hall of Fame: L.M. ELLIS at Austin Peay website

[8] Austin Peay's L.M. Ellis, first Black basketball player to sign with OVC school, dies at 79 by George Robinson at Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle, 3 Jun 2022

[ellisloos-9] 1 2 L.M. Ellis, Gerlonda Hardin-Fite and Dave Loos to have jerseys retired, Saturday at letsgopeay.com, 8 Feb 2022

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v t e Austin Peay Governors men's basketball
Venues	Memorial Health Gymnasium ("Little Red Barn"; 1952–1975) Winfield Dunn Center (1975–2023) F&M Bank Arena (2023–present)
People	Head coaches Statistical leaders
Seasons	List of seasons 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25 2025–26

v t e Atlantic Sun Conference men's basketball
Current teams	Austin Peay Governors Bellarmine Knights Central Arkansas Bears Eastern Kentucky Colonels Florida Gulf Coast Eagles Jacksonville Dolphins Lipscomb Bisons North Alabama Lions North Florida Ospreys Queens Royals Stetson Hatters West Georgia Wolves
Championships & awards	ASUN men's basketball tournament Player of the Year Coach of the Year
Seasons	1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25 2025–26

v t e Western Athletic Conference men's basketball
Current Teams	Abilene Christian Wildcats California Baptist Lancers (leaving in 2026) Southern Utah Thunderbirds (leaving in 2026) Tarleton State Texans UT Arlington Mavericks Utah Tech Trailblazers (leaving in 2026) Utah Valley Wolverines (leaving in 2026)
Future Teams	Austin Peay Governors Central Arkansas Bears Eastern Kentucky Colonels Little Rock Trojans North Alabama Lions West Georgia Wolves
Championships & awards	WAC men's basketball tournament Player of the Year
Seasons	1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25 2025–26