Missouri Southern Lions football
The Missouri Southern Lions football program is the intercollegiate American football team for Missouri Southern State University located in the U.S. state of Missouri. The team competes in the NCAA Division II and are members of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association. The team plays its home games at the 7,000 seat Fred G. Hughes Stadium in Joplin, Missouri. Jeff Sims became the Lions' head coach on November 11, 2018, replacing Denver Johnson,[2] who resigned after three consecutive losing seasons.
Missouri Southern Lions football | |
---|---|
First season | 1968 |
Athletic director | Jared Bruggeman |
Head coach | Jeff Sims 1st season, 1–1 (.500) |
Stadium | Fred G. Hughes Stadium (Capacity: 7,000) |
Year built | 1975 |
Field surface | SpinTurf |
Location | Joplin, Missouri |
NCAA division | Division II |
Conference | The MIAA |
Past conferences | Central States Intercollegiate Conference |
All-time record | 231–270–7 (.462) |
Claimed nat'l titles | 1 (1972) |
Conference titles | 2 (1976, 1993) |
Rivalries | Pittsburg State |
Colors | Green and Gold[1] |
Fight song | Southern Fight Song |
Mascot | Roary the Lion |
Marching band | Lion Pride Marching Band |
Outfitter | Nike |
Website | www.mssulions.com |
History
The Lions football program began in 1968. Their first head coach was Jim Johnson. Under coach Jim Frazier the Lions won the 1972 NAIA Division II football championship.[3]
Conferences
From its inaugural season in 1968 until 1975, Missouri Southern played as an independent program. In 1976, it joined the Central States Intercollegiate Conference in which the school won one conference championships before leaving to play as an NCAA Division II member of the Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association (later renamed Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association) in 1989, where the Lions have since remained a member and have won one conference championship.
Championships
National championship seasons
Season | Coach | Selectors | Record | Bowl | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1972 | Jim Frazier | NAIA Division II Playoffs | 12–0 | Won NAIA Championship | |
National Championships | 1 |
Conference championship seasons
Year | Conference | Coach | Overall record | Conference record | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1976† | Central States Intercollegiate Conference | Jim Frazier | 8–2 | 4–1 | ||
1993 | Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association | Jon Lantz | 9–1–1 | 9–0 | ||
Total Conference championships: | 2 | |||||
† Denotes co-champions |
All-time record vs. current MIAA teams
Official record (including any NCAA imposed vacates and forfeits) against all current MIAA opponents as of the end of the 2015 season:
|
Notable former players
- Rod Smith, a former wide receiver for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. Smith has the 2nd most receptions of any undrafted player in the history of the NFL
- James Thrash, a former wide receiver for the Washington Redskins and Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League.
- Richard Jordan, a former linebacker for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League
- Allen Barbre, a former offensive lineman for the Denver Broncos, Philadelphia Eagles, Seattle Seahawks, Miami Dolphins and Green Bay Packers of the National Football League
- Brandon Williams, a current nose tackle for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League.
References
- MSSU Brand Guidelines (PDF). August 1, 2019. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
- "Football Coach Denver Johnson Steps Down". Missouri Southern State University. September 18, 2018. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
- "Missouri Southern State Historical Data". College Football Data Warehouse. Retrieved 2013-11-14.
- DeLassus, David (2014). "Missouri Southern State Championships". College Football Data Warehouse. Retrieved 2014-08-19.