Missouri State Bears football
2023 Missouri State Bears football team
First season1909
Head coachRyan Beard
1st season, 4–7 (.364)
StadiumRobert W. Plaster Stadium[1]
(capacity: 17,500)
LocationSpringfield, Missouri, U.S.
NCAA divisionDivision I FCS
ConferenceMissouri Valley (since 2008)
Past conferencesIndependent (1909–1923)
MIAA (1924–1980)
Mid-Continent (1981–1984)
All-time record488–525–39[2] (.482)
Playoff appearances4
Playoff record1–3
Conference titles10
Consensus All-Americans50 Associated Press[3]
ColorsMaroon and white[4]
   
Fight songThe Scotsman
MascotBoomer
Marching bandThe Pride
OutfitterAdidas
Websitemissouristatebears.com

The Missouri State Bears football program is the college football team that represents Missouri State University located in Springfield, Missouri, United States. Missouri State competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and is a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference.

The school was known as Southwest Missouri State until 2005 when they changed the name to Missouri State. Missouri State's first football team was fielded in 1909 and the first coach in program history was Walter Langston who went 4–2 in his only season as head coach. Prior to 1923, the team competed as an Independent. From 1923 to 1980, Missouri State were members of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association, of which Missouri State was a founding member. During that time the Bears were classified in the NCAA College Division from 1958 to 1972. From 1973 to 1980 the Bears played in NCAA Division II. Missouri State moved up to the Association of Mid-Continent Universities in time for the 1981 season, which was their first season in Division I-AA. In 1985 the Bears became a founding member of the Gateway Football Conference which later became the Missouri Valley Football Conference in 2008.

Missouri State has an all-time record of 488–525–39 and have won 10 conference championships. They won their most recent conference championship in 2020. Missouri State was ranked second in the country for 3 weeks from October 15 to 29, 1990. This is still the highest ranking in school history.[2] The team plays its home games at the 17,500-seat Robert W. Plaster Stadium which has been its home since 1941. The Bears have had 22 head coaches in their history, including their current head coach Ryan Beard.

History

Classifications

  • 1958–1972: NCAA College Division
  • 1973–1980: NCAA Division II
  • 1982–present: NCAA Division I–AA/FCS

Conference memberships

†Founding member of the conference

Head coaches

Since 1909, the Missouri State Bears have had 22 different head coaches. The first coach in program history was Walter Langston who coached the team for one year. Arthur Briggs is the longest tenured head coach with two non consecutive runs as head coach. He coached the Bears for 20 seasons in total. The current coach is Ryan Beard who was hired on December 16, 2022.[5] There was no team for the 1913 season. Due to World War II, Missouri State did not field a team for the 1943–1944 seasons.[2]

Tenure Coach Record Win percentage
1909Walter Langston4-2.667
1910–1911Corliss Buchanan2-10.167
1912–1917Arthur W. Briggs15-9-2.615
1918Paul Andrews1-2.333
1919–1933Arthur W. Briggs61-50-8.546
1934–1937A. J. McDonald5-22-5.234
1938–1946Red Blair38-21-6.631
1947–1948Tommy O'Boyle16-4-1.786
1949–1952Fred Thomsen19-17-4.525
1953–1954Bill Dellastatious5-12.294
1955Harold "Tuffy" Stratton2-6-1.278
1956–1960Aldo Sebben17-27-1.389
1961–1964Orville Pottenger24-12-2.658
1965–1968Jim Mentis20-21.488
1969–1975Don Cross23-45-3.345
1976–1985Rich Johanningmeier58-44-5.565
1986–1994Jesse Branch55-44-1.555
1995–1998Del Miller21-23.477
1999–2005Randy Ball34-42.447
2006–2014Terry Allen37-64.366
2015–2019Dave Steckel13-42.236
2020–2022Bobby Petrino18-15.545
2023-PresentRyan Beard0-0–
Total488-525-39.482

Facilities

Plaster Stadium

Missouri State plays all home games at Plaster Stadium, which has been their home since 1941. From its opening in 1941 to 1991 the stadium was known as Briggs Stadium. The stadium currently seats 17,500 people. It has undergone several major renovations in 1991 and, most recently, in 2014. After the 1991 renovation which added an upper deck on the west side and a row of sky-boxes and press box, the stadium was renamed in honor of Robert W. Plaster who provided the major gift for the project. The Stadium was updated in 2008 with a new video board behind the south endzone. The 2014 renovation made significant changes to the East side of the stadium and the playing surface. The track was removed and the East side was completely rebuilt. The stadium record attendance is 18,386 which was at the 2014 home opener versus North Dakota. Plaster Stadium is the 4th-largest stadium in the conference and the second-largest college football specific venue in Missouri.

Largest crowds

RankDateAttendanceOpponentResult
1September 13, 201418,386North DakotaW, 38–0
2September 12, 201717,835Chadron StateW, 21–13
3October 28, 199715,672Pittsburg StateL, 8–9
4November 2, 199615,878Western IllinoisL, 17–23
5September 9, 200015,647Missouri SouthernW, 48–3

Indoor practice facility

In July 2018 it was reported that Missouri State was undergoing the process of securing funding to build an indoor practice facility. In a phone interview with the Springfield News-Leader, athletic director Kyle Moats talked at length about the facility. Missouri State would build the indoor facility entirely through private donations to the athletic department. The facility was to be built on the existing ROTC and band practice field. The school's athletic director Kyle Moats said "From a recruiting standpoint, others in the conference have one," Moats said. "We need to at least try and put people on equal bases." He also was quoted that the facility would be a part of their plan to continually upgrade team's facilities. The indoor facility would also be shared by some of the other athletic programs at Missouri State. [6] In November 2019, athletic director Kyle Moats gave an update to "The Standard", the Missouri State student newspaper. He said the athletic department wasn't able to achieve the funding they needed to build the facility as some other programs became more important to address first. He said they had decided to use a more cost efficient approach and decided to build a dome over Betty and Bobby Allison North Stadium instead, to save the department over $10-$15 million. Moats said that the facility would be used by the club lacrosse team, football, Soccer, Track, Baseball and Softball. In the interview Moats said "We wouldn't be gaining any traction, we'd just be catching up," and We're not trying to have the Taj Mahal, just an indoor facility."[7] As of October 2021 there hasn't been anymore news on the facility.

South end zone facility

In late October 2021, Missouri State announced plans to build a facility in the South end zone of Plaster Stadium. The facility would house the team locker room, meeting rooms, coaches offices, and club seating. A new and upgraded video board would be added on top of the building as well. The estimated cost of the facility would be around $20 million. "We want to try to improve our position and be a contender in FCS football and be a contender for a national championship," Athletic Director Kyle Moats said. [8]

Honored jerseys

Missouri State has retired four jerseys which are memorialized over the student section of the stadium's East side, but the numbers are still available and can be chosen by future players.[9]

No. Player Pos. Career Ref.
1DeAndre SmithQB1987–1990[10]
27Ray HaleyRB1947-1951[10]
71Rich JohanningmeierT [n1 1]1960–1963[10]
CArthur W. BriggsCoach1912–1933[10]
Notes
  1. ↑ Also served as head coach (1976–1985).

Championships

Conference championships

Missouri State have won ten conference championships in their history. The Bears won 7 championships in the MIAA, 2 championships in the Gateway, and one in the Missouri Valley. The first conference championship was won in 1928 under coach Arthur Briggs. Jesse Branch is the only coach to win multiple conference championships. The 1928,1990, 2020 championships were shared titles.[11] The Bears won their most recent conference championship in 2020, when they shared the conference title with North Dakota and South Dakota State. This title ended the 30 year conference championship drought.

Season Conference Coach Overall Record Conference Record
1928†Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic AssociationArthur Briggs7–1–13–0–1
1940Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic AssociationRed Blair10–05–0
1948†Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic AssociationTommy O'Boyle9–24–1
1951Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic AssociationFred Thomsen6–3–14–0–1
1963Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic AssociationOrville Pottenger9–15–0
1966Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic AssociationJim Mentis7–45–0
1978Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic AssociationRich Johanningmeier8–36–0
1989Gateway Football ConferenceJesse Branch12–19–0
1990†Gateway Football ConferenceJesse Branch8–36–2
2020†Missouri ValleyBobby Petrino5-55-1
Total Conference Championships: 10
† Denotes co-champions

Postseason appearances

Division I-AA/FCS playoffs

Missouri State has appeared in the FCS playoffs four times. Under head coach Jesse Branch, the Bears made two straight trips in 1989 and 1990. In 1989 they drew a first round matchup with the Maine Black Bears. Missouri State won 38–35 and advanced to play the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks in the Quarterfinals where they lost 55–25. Missouri State made it to the playoffs again in the 1990 season. They played at home against the Idaho Vandals and lost 41–35. Bobby Petrino led the Bears to their 3rd playoff appearance in 2020 and the team lost at North Dakota 44-10. Missouri State made their 4th playoff appearance in 2021 when they hosted UT Martin in the first round. All of the Bears playoff appearances have come in back to back years, 1989-1990 and 2020-2021. Their all time record is 1–4.[12]

Season Coach Playoff Opponent Result
1989Jesse BranchFirst Round
Quarterfinals		Maine
Stephen F. Austin		W 38–35
L 55–25
1990Jesse BranchFirst RoundIdahoL 35–41
2020Bobby PetrinoFirst RoundNorth DakotaL 10–44
2021Bobby PetrinoFirst RoundUT MartinL 31–32

Bowl games

Missouri State has appeared in four bowl games and are 0–4 all time.

Season Coach Bowl Opponent Result
1948Tommy O'BoyleMissouri-Kansas BowlEmporia StateL 20–34
1963Orville PottengerMineral Water BowlNorthern IllinoisL 14–21
1966Jim MentisMineral Water BowlAdams StateL 8–14
1989Jesse BranchPecan BowlStephen F. AustinL 25–55

Note: The 1989 Pecan Bowl was the Midwest Regional Championship (FCS Playoff Quarterfinal).

Records

Record vs. MIAA teams

[10]

Opponent Won Lost Tied Percentage First meeting Last meeting
Central Missouri33425.44419121984
Lincoln1050.66719702017
Missouri S&T27293.48319351980
Northwest Missouri32224.58619121980
Southeast Missouri46280.62219122008
Truman State21337.40219121985
Totals 196 159 12 .550

Record vs. former MVFC teams

Opponent Won Lost Tied Percentage First meeting Last meeting
Eastern Illinois5131.28919851995
Western Kentucky280.20020012006
Totals 7 21 1 .259

Record vs. current MVFC teams

Opponent Won Lost Tied Percentage First meeting
Illinois State18221.4511985
Indiana State22140.6111986
North Dakota230.4002017†
North Dakota State2130.1332008
Northern Iowa7360.1631985
South Dakota450.4442012
South Dakota State1120.0772008
Southern Illinois22230.4891985
Western Illinois20181.5261985
Youngstown State7160.3041997
Totals 105 162 2 .394

†note: North Dakota joined the Missouri Valley Football Conference in 2020. The Bears played them twice in non-conference and once in the FCS Playoffs.

Notable players

Current NFL players

Player Position 1st Year Draft round Teams
Dylan ColeMLB2017UndraftedTennessee Titans
Eric JohnsonDE20225Indianapolis Colts

Former NFL players

Player Position 1st Year Draft round Teams
Charlie MitchellC194528Chicago Bears
Henry MayT195117Chicago Cardinals
Bob DeesT195218Los Angeles Rams
Paul MullinsT1953New York Giants
Ben KoenemanC1957San Francisco 49ers
Bill KaczmarekT195825San Francisco 49ers
Glenn SowderT1961Denver Broncos
Rich JohanningmeierT1964Houston Oilers
Pat TalburtDT196616Kansas City Chiefs
Sam McDowellT19689Miami Dolphins
Tom MullenT19742New York Giants
Tom McIntyreFB1974Houston Oilers
Fred TabronRB19747Minnesota Vikings
Bob GranaTE1975St. Louis Cardinals
Dennis HeimDT197811New York Giants
Mike MurphyLB19796Houston Oilers
Tim RiesDB19797Houston Oilers
Jan StahleK1979Houston Oilers
Chris SellaLB1979New Orleans Saints
John FindersFB1983Dallas Cowboys
Darrin NewboldLB19837New York Jets
Mike ArmentroutDB19859Kansas City Chiefs
Rick FultonDT1985New York Giants
Keith WilliamsRB19866Atlanta Falcons
Brad SellenrickT1986Green Bay Packers
Steve AcheLB1987Minnesota Vikings
Matt SoraghanLB1988Green Bay Packers
Jason WhittleG1998New York Giants, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Minnesota Vikings, Buffalo Bills
Brad St. Louis Long snapper20007Cincinnati Bengals
Clay HarborTE20104Philadelphia Eagles, Jacksonville Jaguars, New England Patriots, Detroit Lions, New Orleans Saints, Team 9 (XFL)
David ArkinG20114Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins, Seattle Seahawks, Indianapolis Colts, St. Louis Rams / Los Angeles Rams

Future opponents

Announced schedules as of May, 2022[13]

Week 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2032 2033
Week 1 at Kansas (FBS) at Montana at Arkansas (FBS) at Kansas State (FBS) at Tarleton State at Texas Tech (FBS) at Missouri (FBS) at Tulsa (FBS) at Missouri (FBS)
Week 2 at UT Martin at Ball State (FBS) at Lindenwood at Kansas (FBS) at Northern Arizona at Tulsa (FBS)
Week 3 Lindenwood Northern Arizona Montana at Stephen F. Austin Stephen F. Austin
Week 4 Utah Tech Tarleton State at Kennesaw State
Week 5 at Southern Illinois*
Week 6 at North Dakota State* Youngstown State* Indiana State*
Week 7 at Western Illinois* at North Dakota State* at Western Illinois*
Week 8 Murray State* Western Illinois*
Week 9 at Youngstown State* at Murray State*
Week 10 Illinois State* Southern Illinois*
Week 11 Northern Iowa* at Illinois State* at South Dakota State*
Week 12 at South Dakota State* South Dakota State*
Week 13 at Northern Iowa*

Note: † Homecoming, # Thursday night game, * Conference match-up

References

  1. ↑ "Robert W. Plaster Stadium". Missouri State.
  2. 1 2 3 "Media Guide" (PDF). s3.amazonaws.com. 2019. Retrieved 2020-02-07.
  3. ↑ "2015 Missouri State Football Guide". Issuu.
  4. ↑ "Colors - Identity Standards - Missouri State University". February 5, 2015. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
  5. ↑ "Beard to be Introduced as New MSU Football Coach". Missouri State.
  6. ↑ "Missouri State wants to build an indoor football facility".
  7. ↑ "MSU multipurpose indoor facility needs more funding".
  8. ↑ "Here's a look at the Missouri State football facility the university hopes to build".
  9. ↑ Missouri State football roster (retrieved 21 Nov 2022)
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 "2017 Media Guide (PDF) - p. 147" (PDF). Missouri State.
  11. ↑ "Missouri State Bears Year by Year Summary". Missouri State Bears. 2013. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
  12. ↑ "FCSb Champ" (PDF). fs.ncaa.org. 2012. Retrieved 2020-10-27.
  13. ↑ "Future Missouri State Football Schedules". FBSchedules.com.
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