Austin Peay Governors football

Football team for Austin Peay State University

Austin Peay Governors football

| | 2023 Austin Peay Governors football team

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First season| 1930
Head coach| Jeff Faris
1st season, 0–0 (–)
Stadium| Fortera Stadium
(capacity: 10,000)
Field surface| AstroTurf
Location| Clarksville, Tennessee
NCAA division| Division I FCS
Conference| United Athletic Conference
All-time record| 300-551-16 (.355)
Conference titles| 3
Colors| Red and white[1]

Website| letsgopeay.com

The Austin Peay Governors football program is the intercollegiate American football team for Austin Peay State University (Peay or APSU), located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and played the most recent 2022 season as members of the ASUN Conference. For the 2023 season and beyond, Peay will play in the United Athletic Conference, created shortly after the 2022 season by the merger of the football leagues of the ASUN and Western Athletic Conference.[2][3] The school's first football team was fielded in 1930. They were previously a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (1963–1996, 2007–2021) and the Pioneer Football League (2001–2005). Austin Peay Governors football plays its home games at the 10,000 seat Fortera Stadium.

## History[edit]

### Classifications[edit]

* 1957–1972: NCAA College Division
* 1973–1977: NCAA Division II
* 1978–present: NCAA Division I–AA/FCS

### Conference memberships[edit]

* 1930–1946: Independent
* 1947–1962: Volunteer State Athletic Conference
* 1963–1996: Ohio Valley Conference
* 1997–2000: NCAA Division I–AA Independent
* 2001–2005: Pioneer Football League
* 2006: NCAA Division I FCS Independent
* 2007–2021: Ohio Valley Conference
* 2022: ASUN Conference
* 2023–present: United Athletic Conference

Though not competing in OVC football from 1997 to 2006, Peay remained a full OVC member during this period.

### Rivalries[edit]

#### Sgt. York Trophy[edit]

The trophy goes to the team in Tennessee that has the best record against the other three teams. Austin Peay has won the trophy three times, in 2017, 2018, and 2019.

#### Battle of the Border[edit]

The battle of the border is a trophy awarded to the team with the most points based on wins between all the sporting events between Austin Peay and Murray State. Murray State leads the series 36–16.

## Notable former players[edit]

Notable alumni include:

* Jeff Gooch
* Michael Swift
* Kirk Pointer
* Kyran Moore
* Bonnie Sloan, first deaf player in NFL history
* Percy Howard (whose only NFL TD catch came in Super Bowl X, as a member of the Dallas Cowboys)
* Lewis Lastik, featured actor in Remember the Titans, offensive lineman. (Also member of the APSU track and field teams, shot put, and javelin.)

## Retired numbers[edit]

Main article: List of NCAA football retired numbers

Austin Peay has retired two jersey numbers in program history.

No.  | Player  | Position  | Tenure  | Ref.

|
|
|
|

30 | John Ogles | RB | 1963–66 | [4]
84 | Harold Roberts | WR | 1967–70 | [4]

## Honored jerseys[edit]

Numbers honored, but not retired and available for future players:

No.  | Player  | Position  | Tenure

|
|
|

46 | Bob Bible | LB | 1974-78
44 | Jay Bailey | RB | 2000-02
3 | Terrence Holt | RB | 2007-10

## Conference championships[edit]

Austin Peay has won five conference championships, three outright, and two shared with Southeast Missouri State[5] in the OVC, Central Arkansas and Eastern Kentucky in the ASUN

Year  | Coach  | Conference  | Record  | Conference record

|
|
|
|

1948 | David B. Aaron | Volunteer State Athletic Conference | 8–2 | 2–0
1977 | Boots Donnelly | Ohio Valley Conference | 8–3 | 6–1
2019 | Mark Hudspeth | 11–4 | 7–1
2022 | Scotty Walden | ASUN Conference | 7–4 | 3–2
2023 | United Athletic Conference | 9–3 | 6–0

## Postseason[edit]

### FCS playoffs[edit]

The Governors have made two appearances in the FCS Playoffs, their first being in 2019; their record is 2–2.

Year  | Round  | Opponent  | Result

|
|
|

2019 | First Round
Second Round
Quarterfinals | Furman
Sacramento State
Montana State | W 42–6
W 42–28
L 10–24
2023 | First Round | Chattanooga | L 21–24

## References[edit]

1. ^ "APSU Governors Brand Identity" (PDF). May 30, 2019. Retrieved February 25, 2023.
2. ^ "@ASUN_Football and WAC Release 2023 Schedule" (Press release). ASUN Conference. December 20, 2022. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
3. ^ "ASUN And WAC Unveil 2023 Football Schedule" (Press release). Western Athletic Conference. December 20, 2022. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
4. ^ a b 2015 Austin Peay football media guide, p. 66
5. ^ "Football Records Book" (PDF).

## External links[edit]

* Official website

* v
* t
* e

Austin Peay Governors football

Venues|

* Fortera Stadium (1946–present)

Bowls and rivalries|

* Tennessee State, Tennessee Tech, UT Martin: Sgt. York Trophy

People|

* Head coaches
* NFL draftees

Seasons|

* 1930
* 1931
* 1932–1935
* 1936
* 1937
* 1938
* 1939
* 1940
* 1941
* 1942–1945
* 1946
* 1947
* 1948
* 1949
* 1950
* 1951
* 1952
* 1953
* 1954
* 1955
* 1956
* 1957
* 1958
* 1959
* 1960
* 1961
* 1962
* 1963
* 1964
* 1965
* 1966
* 1967
* 1968
* 1969
* 1970
* 1971
* 1972
* 1973
* 1974
* 1975
* 1976
* 1977
* 1978
* 1979
* 1980
* 1981
* 1982
* 1983
* 1984
* 1985
* 1986
* 1987
* 1988
* 1989
* 1990
* 1991
* 1992
* 1993
* 1994
* 1995
* 1996
* 1997
* 1998
* 1999
* 2000
* 2001
* 2002
* 2003
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009
* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023

* v
* t
* e

United Athletic Conference

Teams|

* Abilene Christian Wildcats
* Austin Peay Governors
* Central Arkansas Bears
* Eastern Kentucky Colonels
* North Alabama Lions
* Southern Utah Thunderbirds
* Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks
* Tarleton Texans
* Utah Tech Trailblazers

Future teams|

* West Georgia Wolves (joining in 2024)
* UTRGV Vaqueros (adding football in 2025)

Championships & awards|

* Conference champions
* All-time standings

Seasons|

* 2021
* 2022
* 2023

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