Ouachita Baptist Tigers football

Last updated
Ouachita Baptist Tigers football
AmericanFootball current event.svg 2024 Ouachita Baptist Tigers football team
Ouachita tigers wordmark.png
First season1896;129 years ago (1896)
Athletic director David Sharp
Head coach Todd Knight
24th season, 152–101 (.601)
StadiumBenson-Williams Field at Cliff Harris Stadium
(capacity: 4,500)
Field surface Artificial turf
Location Arkadelphia, Arkansas
NCAA division Division II
Conference Great American Conference
All-time record474–433–43 (.522)
Playoff appearances6 (NCAA Division II)
2 (NAIA Division I)
Playoff record1–6 (NCAA Division II)
0–2 (NAIA Division I)
Conference titles13
Rivalries Henderson State (rivalry)
Harding
ColorsPurple and gold [1]
   
Website obutigers.com

The Ouachita Baptist Tigers football program is the intercollegiate American football team for Ouachita Baptist University located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. The team competes in NCAA Division II and are members of the Great American Conference. Ouachita Baptist's first football team was fielded in 1896. The team plays home games at Benson-Williams Field at Cliff Harris Stadium in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. Todd Knight has served as head coach for the Tigers since 1999.

Contents

History

The Tiger football team is notable for participating in the first ever Intercollegiate game in Arkansas history, a 24–0 win over the Arkansas Razorbacks in the fall of 1897. The Ouachita Baptist Tigers compete in the Battle of the Ravine every year. This tradition started in 1895 when Ouachita Baptist played Arkadelphia Methodist College (currently known as Henderson State University), and won 8–0. This historical event was not played from 1951 to 1963 because of the excessive rivalry between the two schools. It resumed after 1963 and is still being played to this day. [2]

The Ouachita Baptist head coach from 1965 to 1995 was former Oklahoma Sooner and Arkansas Razorbacks player Buddy Benson. Coach Benson compiled a record of 161–140–8. He played for Bud Wilkinson at Oklahoma, and Bowden Wyatt at Arkansas. [3]

The Tiger's head coach since 1999 is Todd Knight. [4] He has led OBU to six conference titles.

The longtime radio voice of the OBU Tigers is Rex Nelson. [5] [6] Nelson is a member of the Arkansas Sportscasters and Sportswriters Hall of Fame.

On October 19, 2024, the No. 9 nationally ranked Ouachita Baptist Tigers beat the No. 1 ranked Harding Bisons 17–13, marking the first time in OBU history that the Tigers beat the No. 1 team in nation.

Conference affiliations

[7]

Championships

Conference championships

SeasonOverall recordConference record
1927*6–1–2 Arkansas Association
19348–2 Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference (AIC)
19418–3AIC
1966*6–4AIC
1970*8–2AIC
1975*9–2AIC
19828–3AIC
20117–3 Great American Conference (GAC)
201410–1GAC
20179–3GAC
201812–1GAC
201911–1GAC
202211–1GAC
2024*10–2GAC

*Indicates co-championship

Postseason appearances

NCAA Division II

The Tigers have made six appearances in the NCAA Division II playoffs, with a combined record of 1–6.

YearRoundOpponentResult
2014 Second Round Minnesota–Duluth L, 45–48
2017 First Round Ferris State L, 19–24
2018 Second Round
Quarterfinals		 Indianapolis
Ferris State		W, 35–7
L, 14–37
2019 First Round Lindenwood L, 38–41
2022 First Round Northwest Missouri State L, 17–47
2024 First Round Central Oklahoma L, 31–38 OT

Notable former players

Former NFL players

Rivalries

Henderson State

References

  1. ↑ Ouachita Baptist University Athletics Branding (PDF). Retrieved April 18, 2016.
  2. ↑ Nelson, Rex. "Encyclopedia of Arkansas". Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  3. ↑ "Benson lost the 'Bob,' not will to win | Arkansas Democrat Gazette". www.arkansasonline.com. 2011-05-03. Retrieved 2024-11-14.
  4. ↑ "HIGH PROFILE: Todd Knight, a coach at Ouachita Baptist University, helps develops young men — both on and off the field | Arkansas Democrat Gazette". www.arkansasonline.com. 2023-09-17. Retrieved 2024-11-14.
  5. ↑ "Rex Nelson Interviews". pryorcenter.uark.edu. Retrieved 2024-11-14.
  6. ↑ "Rex Nelson (1959–)". Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Retrieved 2024-11-14.
  7. ↑ "Ouachita Baptist Historical Data". 2007-06-08. Archived from the original on 2007-06-08. Retrieved 2020-10-18.
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