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77-543: The nickname 'Blue Raiders' was coined by an MTSU football player, Charles Sarver, in 1934 Daily News Journal contest. No official nickname existed prior to 1934, when teams were called "Normalites," "Teachers," and "Pedagogues". The university's athletic teams simply refer to the school as "Middle Tennessee" or "MT", abandoning the words "State University". A member of Conference USA , Middle Tennessee sponsors teams in eight men's and nine women's NCAA sanctioned sports. The baseball team has won 16 conference titles and for

154-461: A "brand refresh" on July 1, 2023, the same day that Jacksonville State, Liberty, New Mexico State, and Sam Houston joined. The former abbreviation of "C-USA" was retired in favor of "CUSA", and the logo was slightly updated. On November 27, 2023, Pete Thamel reported on X that Conference USA was expected to add Delaware as a new member for the 2025–26 season. On Tuesday, November 28, 2023, both CUSA and Delaware announced on their websites and social

231-588: A 68–56 win over Ole Miss on December 21. The win was especially sweet for Davis. Not only is he now the winningest coach in Blue Raiders history, but he also graduated from the Rebels' biggest rival, Mississippi State. On January 26, Middle Tennessee beat Troy 71–58 to earn their 20th win of the season, the first time the school had reached that mark since the 1990–91 season. And on February 18 the Blue Raiders defeated Florida Atlantic to earn their 24th win and break

308-550: A bachelor's degree in 1982 and a master's in 1984 while a graduate assistant. He and his wife, Betty, have two daughters, Ally and Claire. When promoted from assistant to head coach at Idaho in 1988 at age 28, Davis was the youngest head coach in NCAA Division I . He had been an assistant for two seasons with the Vandals under new and first-time head coach Tim Floyd , who left for New Orleans . Floyd had rejuvenated

385-533: A former MTSU football coach, lies adjacent to the Murphy Center. The stadium features 31,788 seats and a Sportexe PowerBlade playing surface, installed in 2006. MTSU also features many smaller stadiums for various other sports. MTSU's baseball stadium, Reese Smith Jr. Field , was recently renovated in 2008. It holds 3,000 seats. The MTSU softball stadium, located next to the Recreation Center,

462-482: A national power with Sun Belt Conference championships in 2006, 2007, 2009 and 2010; and NCAA tournament bids in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011. In 2006 the Blue Raiders advanced to the NCAA tournament second round and followed that up in 2007 with a "sweet 16" appearance to conclude the best season in team history. The Blue Raiders hosted the 2013 Conference USA Volleyball Championship at Alumni Memorial Gym, winning

539-521: A national team championship while a member of the conference is Jacksonville State , which won the 2024 bowling championship in its first season of both varsity bowling and CUSA membership. The only other school to have won such a championship while a CUSA member is Marshall , which moved to the Sun Belt Conference in 2022. Marshall won the 2020–21 men's soccer championship in May 2021 (with

616-592: A new conference which took the Big East name, leaving the football-playing members to become the American Athletic Conference ). Conference USA responded by adding Middle Tennessee and Florida Atlantic , both from the Sun Belt. On April 1, 2013, Conference USA announced it was adding Western Kentucky, also from the Sun Belt, to offset Tulsa's departure to The American in all sports which

693-534: A postseason tournament in 2010 at the CollegeInsider.com Tournament . Middle Tennessee followed that with appearances in the 2012 NIT and 2013 NCAA tournament . Middle Tennessee moved from the Sun Belt Conference to Conference USA for the 2013–14 season . Following an appearance in the 2015 CollegeInsider.com Tournament , Middle Tennessee made the 2016 NCAA tournament by way of winning

770-458: A two-year show-cause order against Davis himself. After three years at Chipola Junior College and two seasons as an assistant at Utah State , Davis returned to Idaho as head coach in March 1996, then left a year later to become associate head coach under John Brady at LSU . Davis became head coach at Middle Tennessee in 2002. He led winning records in his first four seasons but first made

847-482: Is designed to enhance training and development for student-athletes across all sports. It will include advanced training spaces, rehabilitation areas, nutrition stations, and academic support facilities. The center aims to improve both athletic and academic success, making MTSU more competitive in recruiting and student-athlete wellness. It represents a significant investment in the future of MTSU athletics and its student-athletes' overall experience. MTSU's original mascot

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924-458: Is the 19th-century Russian national anthem, God Save the Tsar! , composed by Alexei Lvov . When the normal school became Middle Tennessee State Teacher's College, the abbreviations "M.T.N." were substituted with "S.T.C." During the golden anniversary in 1961, Charles Douglas Williams, graduate in 1953, wrote "Alma Mater", an original composition musically and lyrically. The state college adopted

1001-553: The American Athletic Conference , the football-sponsoring portion of the former Big East Conference. This was again the result of Big East schools leaving for the ACC, this time being Syracuse and Pittsburgh , as well as Notre Dame for non-football sports. It was announced in early 2012 that Conference USA was in talks with the Mountain West Conference about forming either a football alliance or conference merger in

1078-545: The American Athletic Conference , which had been rocked by the impending departure of three of its most prominent schools ( Cincinnati , Houston , UCF ) for the Big 12 Conference , was preparing to receive applications from six CUSA members: Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, North Texas, Rice, UAB, and UTSA. ESPN reported the next day that The American had received all six schools' applications, and The American announced all six as future members on October 21, though it did not announce

1155-573: The C-USA tournament . In the first round of the NCAA Tournament as a #15 seed, Middle Tennessee upset #2 seed (and AP -ranked #2) Michigan State 90–81. Middle Tennessee then lost the second-round game to #10 seed Syracuse 75–50. The following season Middle Tennessee made it to the second round a second consecutive year by upsetting #5 seed Minnesota , but again losing in the second round, this time to #4 seed (and AP-ranked #21) Butler . At

1232-664: The MAC , as well as Rice , SMU , Tulsa , and later UTEP from the WAC . UCF played in the MAC for football only; for all other sports, it was a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN). With CUSA's membership now consisting of 12 schools, all of which sponsor football, the conference adopted a two-division alignment. In 2013, CUSA entered its next phase with the departure of four schools (Houston, Memphis, SMU, and UCF) for

1309-466: The Metro Conference and Great Midwest Conference , two Division I conferences that did not sponsor football. However, the merger did not include either Great Midwest member Dayton or Metro members VCU and Virginia Tech . Since this left an uneven number of schools in the conference, Houston of the dissolving Southwest Conference was extended an invitation and agreed to join following

1386-863: The Mountain West Conference in 2026. On November 5, 2024, the conference announced that former full member South Florida would join as an affiliate member in beach volleyball in 2025. In 2019, Conference USA inducted its first Hall of Fame class, comprising 20 student-athletes, three coaches, and two administrators. The inductees included former University of Cincinnati basketball player Kenyon Martin , baseball player Kevin Youkilis , and men's basketball head coach Bob Huggins . Conference USA sponsors championship competition in eight men's and 11 women's NCAA sanctioned sports. Twelve schools are affiliate members—one in baseball, four in beach volleyball, six in bowling, and one in both beach volleyball and bowling. The most recent changes in sports sponsorship were

1463-688: The NCAA Division II Championship in 1965 while Gary Head (1963) and Larry Gilbert (1965) won individual national titles. The 2008 team advanced to the NCAA tournament final round (16 teams) and finished ranked 15th in the nation. The track program has a storied history including 43 conference titles, 18 NCAA top-25 finishes and 80 All-American awards. The program has been led since 1965 by legendary coach Dean Hayes. The women's volleyball program - which plays its games in Alumni Memorial Gym - has developed into

1540-621: The New Big East in 2013). Another two schools ( Charlotte and Saint Louis ) left for the Atlantic 10 ; TCU joined the Mountain West (and is now in the Big 12 with several other former Southwest Conference members); and a ninth member, Army , which was C-USA football-only, opted to become an independent in that sport again. With the loss of these members, CUSA lured six schools from other conferences: UCF and Marshall from

1617-665: The Southern and Western United States . The conference participates in the NCAA 's Division I in all sports. CUSA's offices are located in Dallas, Texas .   Member departing for the Mountain West Conference in 2026. In this table, all dates reflect the calendar year of entry into Conference USA, which for spring sports is the year before the start of competition. In this table, all dates reflect each school's actual entry into and departure from Conference USA. For spring sports,

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1694-486: The Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles have been a rival in all sports, with the most notable meeting being in 1990; when a basketball game between the two schools turned into a bench clearing brawl. MTSU operates the "Blue Raider Sports Network", a radio network syndicating its sporting events to several stations across the area. Also, some of the football games are recorded onto video by students from

1771-453: The WAC , New Mexico State and Sam Houston . Liberty and New Mexico State previously played football as FBS independents , while Jacksonville State and Sam Houston played at the FCS level in their respective conferences. On October 7, 2022, Pete Thamel of ESPN reported that current football-sponsoring ASUN member Kennesaw State was in talks to become the tenth member of Conference USA for

1848-509: The 1999 upgrade to Division I-A football and subsequent transfer to the Sun Belt Conference. "Lightning" symbolizes the university's aerospace and horse science programs and the region's heritage in the walking horse industry. MTSU's main rival in all sports is against WKU (Western Kentucky Hilltoppers) in the aptly named "100 Miles of Hate". The Blue Raiders also have a growing rivalry with the University of Alabama-Birmingham . Historically,

1925-689: The 2016 season, presumably keeping the school in CUSA for the immediate future. The return of football was later pushed back to 2017 with their first game in September. The Blazers won the 2018 conference championship their second year back and won the CUSA title again in 2020. Commissioner Britton Banowsky stepped down on September 15, 2015, to become the head of the College Football Playoff Foundation. Executive associate commissioner and chief operating officer Judy MacLeod

2002-574: The 2024 season, and that Florida Atlantic and UAB would remain in CUSA beach volleyball after otherwise departing for The American. On May 10, 2023, CUSA announced that it would add bowling , a women-only sport in the NCAA, effective in 2023–24. The Southland Bowling League , a single-sport conference established by the Southland Conference , was merged into CUSA. The bowling league added Wichita State when it elevated its club team to varsity status in 2024–25. The conference unveiled

2079-501: The 2024 season. One week later, CUSA officially announced Kennesaw State's 2024 entry. This was followed by the Sun Belt Conference adding beach volleyball for the 2023 season (2022–23 school year), taking with it the three full SBC members that had previously housed that sport in CUSA: Coastal Carolina, Georgia State, and Louisiana–Monroe. Southern Miss also left CUSA beach volleyball as part of its full-time move to

2156-490: The Blue Raiders to the 2009 Sun Belt Conference regular season and tournament titles. They also set a school record with 44 wins, going 44–18 on the season. The Blue Raiders were chosen for the Louisville Regional. They won their first game against in-state rival Vanderbilt 5–4, but lost to host Louisville in their second game 3–2 and were eliminated by Vanderbilt 6–0 in game three. In 2010, outfielder Bryce Brentz

2233-662: The College of Mass Communications and are aired on the student run TV station, MTTV Channel 10. Occasionally, football games will be broadcast on ESPN Plus, and can either be seen locally or on ESPN's pay-per-view "Gameplan" service. The Blue Raiders can also be seen occasionally on ESPN2. MTSU men's basketball games can be heard on 1450 AM WGNS , and 89.5 FM WMOT . MTSU women's basketball, plus occasional baseball and softball games, can be heard on 88.3 FM WMTS-FM . Cumulus Media 's ESPN 106.7 The Fan WNFN in Nashville became

2310-587: The Eagles defeated Middle Tennessee 78–69. The following season the Blue Raiders once again made the NCAA Tournament. Earning a 13-seed, the Raiders defeated the Florida State Seminoles 97–83. Middle Tennessee was down by 17 (67–50) with 16 minutes left in the game. Freshman Mike Buck put the team on his shoulders at that point, and with a career high 26 points, led the Raiders on a 47–16 run to end

2387-957: The Intercollegiate Horse Show Association in both huntseat and western division. Though a club team, the members have won several individual national championships and were as a team the 2003 National Western Reserve Champions. Additionally, the MTSU Wrestling club team has become a nationally successful program, placing within the top 8 of the National Collegiate Wrestling Association (NCWA) in 2014 (6th), 2015 (2nd), and 2016 (8th). MT has won two NCAA national championships in team sports: golf (1965) and men's tennis doubles (2007). However, eight individuals have won national championships. All were in golf or track. The most recent of these came in 2021 when Kigen Chemadi won

Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders - Misplaced Pages Continue

2464-549: The Lady Raiders held a 20-game winning streak, sweeping Conference USA in the regular and post seasons by an average winning margin over 21 points. The Lady Raiders defeated #5 seed Louisville in a comeback win of the first round of the 2024 NCAA Women's Tournament. The 18-point comeback was tied for the 3rd largest in NCAA Women's Tournament history. Their long winning streak was ended by defending national champions LSU in

2541-483: The NCAA 3000-meter steeplechase title. The university recognizes two songs as its official songs, both simply titled "Alma Mater" and "Fight Song". Several other songs are associated with the athletic department, such as the " Tennessee Waltz ", which is played at the end of any athletic event by the Band of Blue or pep band. In 1912, student William J. McConnell wrote the first school song titled, "Hail, M.T.N!" The music

2618-532: The New Orleans Bowl (2009), he won the Camellia Bowl (2017), and Bahamas Bowl (2021) and Hawaii Bowl (2022). His leadership brought consistency to MTSU, with eight seasons finishing in the top two of their conference standings. Stockstill was fired in 2023 after a 4-8 season. The Blue Raiders are currently led by Derek Mason . The men's golf team has won 19 conference championships: They won

2695-578: The SBC. CUSA would add three new beach volleyball members for that season; Jacksonville State joined CUSA for beach volleyball in advance of full membership that July, Tulane became an associate member, and full member UTEP added a new beach volleyball program. Tarleton announced on April 24, 2023, that it would join CUSA as an associate member for the school's first season of varsity beach volleyball in 2024; CUSA confirmed this on May 11, adding that Missouri State and TCU would also join in beach volleyball for

2772-476: The SWC's disbanding at the end of the 1995–96 academic year. The conference immediately started competition in all sports, except football which started in 1996. Being the result of a merger, CUSA was originally a sprawling, large league that stretched from Florida to Missouri, Wisconsin to Texas. Many of its original schools were located in major urban centers and had strong basketball traditions, which helped establish

2849-482: The Sun Belt Conference on October 27, followed later in the week by Marshall. On March 29, 2022, CUSA agreed to allow Marshall, Old Dominion, and Southern Miss to move to the Sun Belt beginning July 1, 2022, a year earlier than initially announced. In response to these losses, on November 5, Conference USA announced the addition of four new members to start the 2023 athletic season. These included two ASUN schools, Liberty and Jacksonville State , along with two from

2926-506: The Sun Belt's FIU. However, the only MW member school that ultimately moved to CUSA men's soccer was New Mexico. For the 2013–14 season CUSA invited five new members to join their conference, with all accepting. UTSA and Louisiana Tech joined from the WAC and North Texas and FIU , (an affiliate member of CUSA joining for men's soccer in 2005), from the Sun Belt Conference. Old Dominion , which already housed five of its sports in CUSA, moved

3003-592: The Volunteers 85–80 in front of a full-house in the Murphy Center. Four nights later Middle Tennessee hosted another Southeastern Conference foe Georgia. Ty Baynham and Randy Henry led Middle Tennessee to another victory, this time 69–59. After beating the Bulldogs, the Blue Raiders hosted Boston College for the right to go to Madison Square Garden and the NIT Semifinals. However Murphy's Magic ran out, and

3080-687: The bid to host in Middle Tennessee's first year in C-USA. MT fields teams in club sports such as rugby union , ice hockey , men's soccer, and inline hockey . These "club sports" are not sanctioned by the university, though each team does receive funding as a student organization. They are also authorized to use school logos, wordmarks, and identities. These teams do not compete at the NCAA level, though they do compete against other colleges and universities within unofficial intercollegiate organizations. MT also has an equestrian team which competes in

3157-401: The conference's automatic berth in the NCAA women's tournament . The MTSU Women's team has been home to the NCAA's leading scorer for two recent consecutive seasons: Amber Holt in 2008, and Alysha Clark in 2009. In Rick Insell's tenure, he has had two 30+ win seasons, each going undefeated in conference play and winning an NCAA Tournament game (2007 and 2024). The Lady Raiders also had one of

Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders - Misplaced Pages Continue

3234-472: The current season, see 2023–24 Conference USA men's basketball season . This list goes through the 2022–23 season. This list goes through the 2022–23 season. Champions from the previous school year are indicated with the calendar year of their title. "RS" is regular season, "T" is tournament. Women's swimming & diving was dropped after the 2021–22 season. Fall 2023 Winter 2023–24 Spring 2024 The only current CUSA member to have won

3311-506: The dropping of men's soccer and women's swimming and diving after the 2021–22 season, plus the addition of bowling in 2023–24. Incoming members are highlighted in gray. Conference USA used a divisional format for football from 2005 to 2021. CUSA champions Bowl games Through the 2023 season, the highest-ranked champion from the so-called "Group of Five" conferences ( The American , CUSA, MAC , Mountain West , and Sun Belt )

3388-579: The effective date. The entry date would eventually be confirmed as July 1, 2023. The day after The American announced its expansion, The Action Network reported that Southern Miss had accepted an invitation to join the Sun Belt Conference in 2023, a move which was formally announced by the university on October 26. The report added that the Sun Belt was preparing to add two other CUSA members in Marshall and Old Dominion, as well as FCS program James Madison . Old Dominion officially announced its move to

3465-453: The flagship station for MTSU football in August 2006. The football games also remain on WMOT. MTSU also provides live audio and video broadcasts of women's soccer through their website www.GoBlueRaiders.com, with David Powell providing commentary since the 2006 season. Conference USA Conference USA ( CUSA ) is an intercollegiate athletic conference of member institutions in

3542-400: The future. However, when the conferences discussed their plans with the NCAA, they were told that if they merged, the new league would receive only one automatic bid to NCAA championships; at least one of the former conferences would lose expected future revenues from the NCAA men's basketball tournament; and at least one former conference would lose exit fees from any schools that departed for

3619-483: The game and advance the team to the round of 32. Middle Tennessee's dream season would end in the second round at the hands of the Virginia Cavaliers with a 104–88 loss. After Stewart was let go amid NCAA rules violations after the 1990–91 season, the Blue Raiders enjoyed only modest success until the 2011–12 season. Coach Kermit Davis broke the all-time coaching wins record, previously held by Earle, with

3696-443: The history of the tournament. The Blue Raiders lost in the second round to 10th seed Syracuse on March 20. The women's basketball team, currently coached by Rick Insell , has appeared several times in the NCAA and WNIT basketball tournaments, dating back to the 1970s. The Blue Raiders won the Sun Belt Conference championships in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2012, then with Conference USA in 2013, 2014, 2023, and 2024, all receiving

3773-410: The joining date is the calendar year before the start of competition. For fall sports, the departure date is the calendar year after the last season of competition. Full members (all-sports) Full members (non-football) Affiliate members (football-only) Affiliate member (other sport) Other Conference Other Conference CUSA (abbreviated "C-USA" before 2023) was founded in 1995 by the merger of

3850-527: The last 37 seasons they had been coached by two men. The last 23 of those years Steve Peterson has been at the helm. Middle Tennessee has made 13 NCAA Tournament appearances. Their best turnout was in 1982 when the Blue Raiders fell one game short of making the College World Series in Omaha, Neb. In 2009, Rawley Bishop, Nathan Hines, and Bryce Brentz all broke several team and league records to lead

3927-465: The league on a national basis. The conference saw radical changes for the 2005–06 academic year. The Big East Conference had lost several members, and looked to Conference USA to attract replacements. Five CUSA members departed for the Big East, including three football-playing schools ( Cincinnati , Louisville , and South Florida ) and two non-football schools ( DePaul and Marquette ; both joined

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4004-496: The longest home winning streaks in the NCAA, spanning 30 games between March 2021 to November 2023. In recent years, the 2023-2024 season was arguably the greatest in the Lady Raider's history. There were multiple school and Conference USA records broken with the addition to multiple players hitting career accolades, such as 2000 and multiple 1000 point scorers, as well as rebounding and other shooting records broken as well. Also,

4081-462: The new league. As a result, both CUSA and the MW backed away from a full merger. As of April 2012 , the likeliest scenario was an all-sports alliance in which both conferences retained separate identities. However, after the MW added more members, the alliance was apparently abandoned. For men's soccer, there was a chance that the MW, SEC, and CUSA along with the one Sun Belt member (FIU), that sponsor

4158-464: The new piece as its alma mater . The song is played before every football game and sung during commencement exercises . The original fight song of MTSU is "Blue Raiders Ride!" The march , written by Paul Yoder, opens with a traditional drum roll and a trumpet fanfare that closely resembles Dixie , which was played as a fight sung up until then, tying in the Confederate symbolism of

4235-426: The official move to make Delaware the eleventh all-sports member of the conference. Six months later, on May 10, 2024, both CUSA and Missouri State University jointly announced on their respective websites that Missouri State would also join the league for the 2025–26 season, bringing league membership up to 12. The 12-member lineup will last only one year, as UTEP, the longest-tenured current member, will leave for

4312-483: The only two coaches in the past 38 years. Peterson retires with an all-time career record of 791–637–3. Peterson did a lot more for the program than just win ballgames. He helped carry on annual events such as the yearly Fish Fry that is held every October and was started by Coach John Stanford. Also, he carried on the tradition of the Groundhog Day Luncheon that takes place every February. Peterson also

4389-616: The positive crowd response, Blue Raiders Ride! became part of the regular pre-game performance. A new fight song was adopted in 1993, featuring a cheer. The tune and melody are similar to that of On, On, U of K . The university's main athletics building, the Charles M. Murphy Center , lies on the northwest corner of MTSU's campus. Inside the Murphy Center is Monte Hale basketball arena, which seats 11,520. The Murphy Center also features athletic offices, classrooms, axillary gyms, and an indoor track. Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium , named after

4466-444: The program and the finances involved, leaving open a possible resumption of the program as early as the 2016 season. On January 29, 2015, the conference announced that there was no time pressure in making a decision regarding UAB's future membership. The conference also stated that it would wait for the new study results before any further discussions on the subject. On June 1, UAB announced that it would reinstate football effective with

4543-622: The program and under Davis, Idaho had consecutive 25–6 (.806) seasons in 1989 and 1990 , winning the Big Sky regular season and tournament titles to make the NCAA tournament both years. Davis left the Palouse for Texas A&M of the Southwest Conference in March 1990, but resigned a year later after an 8–21 (.276) first season in which he committed rules violations that landed A&M on two years probation and resulted in

4620-694: The rest of its athletic program from the CAA (except for field hockey , women's lacrosse and wrestling , with the three sports joining the new Big East , the Atlantic Sun , and the MAC respectively because CUSA does not sponsor those sports) and upgraded its football program from the Football Championship Subdivision . Charter member Charlotte returned from the A-10 and accelerated its recently established football program, which

4697-584: The school's mascot, the Raider . The march is 148 bpm in the key of B-flat . On September 10, 2011, the day before the centennial of MTSU, the Blue Raiders hosted the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets for the largest crowd to fill Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium . As part of the official Centennial Celebration, the Band of Blue performed Blue Raiders Ride! , an arrangement of Happy Birthday , and The Stars and Stripes Forever . Because of

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4774-468: The school's single season wins record. The team finished the regular season 25–5 overall and 14–2 in the Sun Belt Conference, earning them their first ever outright championship of the league. On March 18, 2016, the 15th seeded Blue Raiders defeated 2nd seeded Michigan State in the opening round of the Midwest Region of the 2016 NCAA men's tournament , becoming the eighth #15 seed to win a game in

4851-544: The second round, who won the regional title that year and advanced to the Final Four. Then 1985 saw Middle Tennessee embark on a string of five consecutive seasons with a post-season berth, either in the NCAA Tournament or the National Invitation Tournament . Their best post-season run was in the 1988 NIT. In the first round coach Bruce Stewart's Raiders hosted in-state rival Tennessee and beat

4928-558: The second round. Middle Tennessee has had 15 head coaches including Johnny "Red" Floyd, the man who the football stadium is named after. The football team has won 12 conference titles, the most recent being in 2006. That year, the Blue Raiders won their second Sun Belt Conference championship and received a bid to play in the Motor City Bowl in Detroit, Mich., the program's first major FBS (Formerly Division I-A) bowl game. In 2009

5005-411: The sport, would play under the CUSA's men's soccer program. The MW, which does not sponsor men's soccer, would take three of the four members that offer the sport (UNLV, Air Force, New Mexico—San Diego State is a Pac-12 associate member in that sport), join CUSA's three full members that offer the sport (UAB, Marshall, Tulsa), the two SEC members already in CUSA for the sport (Kentucky, South Carolina), and

5082-445: The team became the first Sun Belt Conference team to reach 10 wins in a single season. The Raiders finished the season 10–3 with their first bowl win over Southern Mississippi in the New Orleans Bowl. In recent years, Rick Stockstill served as the head coach for MTSU football from 2006 to 2023, compiling a record of 113-111. During his tenure, he led the Blue Raiders to 10 bowl games, with a 4-6 record in those appearances. In addition to

5159-566: The tournament having moved from its normal schedule in fall 2020 to spring 2021 due to COVID-19 ). Kermit Davis Kermit John Davis Jr. (born December 14, 1959) is an American college basketball coach who was most recently the head coach for the Ole Miss Rebels from 2018 to 2023. Prior to that, he was the head coach at Middle Tennessee for 16 seasons. His head coaching experience also includes brief stops at Idaho (twice) and Texas A&M . Davis's father, Kermit Sr.,

5236-466: Was Nathan Bedford Forrest , a Confederate General and early leader in the Ku Klux Klan . Because of Forrest's ties to the Ku Klux Klan , the mascot was later changed to a blue-colored scent hound dog named "Ole Blue" in the 1970s. MTSU's current mascot is a blue winged horse named "Lightning," adopted as the mascot in 1998, when the athletics department updated its image in preparation for

5313-574: Was confirmed the next day. The board of trustees in the University of Alabama system (of which UAB is a member) voted to shut down that football program on December 2, 2014, in a highly controversial move that many have attributed to a pro-Tuscaloosa bias (including trustees such as Paul Bryant Jr. , son and namesake of Alabama football coaching legend Bear Bryant ). According to Conference USA bylaws, member schools must sponsor football. In January 2015, UAB announced an independent re-evaluation of

5390-578: Was guaranteed a berth in one of the non-semifinal bowls of the College Football Playoff if the group's top team was not in the playoff. Starting in 2024, at least one Group of Five conference champion will receive a berth in the expanded 12-team CFP. For the 2014–19 seasons, Conference USA was guaranteed at least five of the following bowl games. Stadiums and names reflect those in use during that period. Rivalries Current or former CUSA in-conference rivalries: [REDACTED] For

5467-545: Was renovated in 2006. The stadium seats over 1,000 fans. The Dean Hayes Track and Soccer Field, named for the very successful former MTSU track coach, lies on the northern edge of campus. Seating capacity is 1,500. Because of MTSU's central location in the state, the athletic facilities at MTSU are the site of many Tennessee state high school championship games and matches. MTSU broke ground on its new $ 66 million "Student-Athlete Performance Center" in January 2023. This facility

5544-510: Was selected for the Mideast Regional, but fell in the first round to Oregon State 78–67. After one more first round bow out, the Raiders, then coached by Stan Simpson, won their first NCAA Tournament game as an 11-seed, the highest seeding the school has received in the tournament. In the historic Memorial Gymnasium in Nashville, Tenn., Middle Tennessee beat Kentucky 50–44 in the Mideast Regional. The Raiders would lose to Louisville in

5621-645: Was selected in the supplemental first round with the 36th overall pick by the Boston Red Sox, becoming the second highest Blue Raider picked in the MLB First-Year Player Draft. The highest was pitcher Dewon Brazelton who was selected third overall by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2001 MLB First-Year Player Draft. In the summer of 2012, Steve Peterson decided to retire. Peterson and John Stanford, the previous coach before him, had been

5698-444: Was set to begin play in 2013 as an FCS school, to FBS in 2015 with full conference rights in 2016. On November 27, 2012, it was announced that Tulane would leave the conference to join the Big East in all sports, and East Carolina would join the Big East for football only (ECU's membership was upgraded to all-sports in March 2013 after the Big East's non-football members, except ACC-bound Notre Dame , announced they were leaving to form

5775-525: Was subsequently named interim commissioner. On October 26 MacLeod was named the conference's third official commissioner, also becoming the first woman to head an FBS conference. Marshall University 's men's soccer program captured the league's first team national championship with its 1–0 overtime win over Indiana in the 2020 College Cup , held in May 2021 due to COVID-19 issues, in Cary, North Carolina . On October 18, 2021, Yahoo Sports reported that

5852-684: Was the head coach at Mississippi State University for seven seasons, ending in 1977. He was an alumnus of the school and was promoted to head coach at age 34 after four years as an assistant for the Bulldogs . In his first season in 1971, he was named SEC Coach of the Year. The younger Davis graduated from Starkville High School in 1978 and then played at Phillips County Community College in Arkansas for two years, and transferred to hometown Mississippi State, where he played two seasons and earned

5929-502: Was the prime leader in fundraising for the renovations that took place to Reese Smith Jr. Field. In addition to fundraising enough money for increased seating at Reese Smith Jr. Field, Peterson raised enough money for a clubhouse. The Stephen B. Smith clubhouse was built in 1998 and has served as the team's locker room for the past 14 seasons. The men's basketball program has had staggered history. 1975 saw Middle Tennessee and head coach Jimmy Earle make their first NCAA Tournament. The team

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