Missouri State Bears football

Football program representing Missouri State University

Missouri State Bears football

| | 2025 Missouri State Bears football team

|

First season| 1909; 116 years ago
Head coach| Ryan Beard
3rd season, 12–11 (.522)
Stadium| Robert W. Plaster Stadium[1]
(capacity: 17,500)
Location| Springfield, Missouri, U.S.
NCAA division| Division I FCS
Conference| Missouri Valley
(CUSA in 2025)
Past conferences| Independent (1909–1923)
MIAA (1924–1980)
Mid-Continent (1981–1984)
All-time record| 492-532-39[2] (.481)
Playoff appearances| 5
Playoff record| 1–4
Conference titles| 10
Colors| Maroon and white[3]

Fight song| The Scotsman
Mascot| Boomer
Marching band| The Pride
Outfitter| Adidas
Website| missouristatebears.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 program is in the two-year transition up to the FBS subdivision; it will join Conference USA in 2025 and become a full FBS member in 2026.[4]

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 Missouri Intercollegiate Athletics Association (now 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 NCAA 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 492–532–39 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

[edit]

See also: List of Missouri State Bears football seasons

### Classifications

[edit]

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

### Conference memberships

[edit]

* 1909–1923: Independent
* 1924–1981: Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association†
* 1981–1984: Mid-Continent Conference
* 1985–present: Gateway Football Conference/Missouri Valley Football Conference†

†Founding member of the conference

## Head coaches

[edit]

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

|
|
|

1909 | Walter Langston | 4–2 | .667
1910–1911 | Corliss Buchanan | 2–10 | .167
1912–1917 | Arthur W. Briggs | 15–9–2 | .615
1918 | Paul Andrews | 1–2 | .333
1919–1933 | Arthur W. Briggs | 61–50–8 | .546
1934–1937 | A. J. McDonald | 5–22–5 | .234
1938–1946 | Red Blair | 38–21–6 | .631
1947–1948 | Tommy O'Boyle | 16–4–1 | .786
1949–1952 | Fred Thomsen | 19–17–4 | .525
1953–1954 | Bill Dellastatious | 5–12 | .294
1955 | Harold "Tuffy" Stratton | 2–6–1 | .278
1956–1960 | Aldo Sebben | 17–27–1 | .389
1961–1964 | Orville Pottenger | 24–12–2 | .658
1965–1968 | Jim Mentis | 20–21 | .488
1969–1975 | Don Cross | 23–45–3 | .345
1976–1985 | Rich Johanningmeier | 58–44–5 | .565
1986–1994 | Jesse Branch | 55–44–1 | .555
1995–1998 | Del Miller | 21–23 | .477
1999–2005 | Randy Ball | 34–42 | .447
2006–2014 | Terry Allen | 37–64 | .366
2015–2019 | Dave Steckel | 13–42 | .236
2020–2022 | Bobby Petrino | 18–15 | .545
2023–present | Ryan Beard | 12–11 | .522
Total |  | 500–536–39 | .483

## Facilities

[edit]

### Plaster Stadium

[edit]

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 end zone. 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 fourth-largest stadium in the conference and the second-largest college football specific venue in Missouri.

#### Largest crowds

[edit]

Rank | Date | Attendance | Opponent | Result

|
|
|
|

1 | September 13, 2014 | 18,386 | North Dakota | W, 38–0
2 | September 12, 2017 | 17,835 | Chadron State | W, 21–13
3 | October 28, 1997 | 15,672 | Pittsburg State | L, 8–9
4 | November 2, 1996 | 15,878 | Western Illinois | L, 17–23
5 | September 9, 2000 | 15,647 | Missouri Southern | W, 48–3

### Indoor practice facility

[edit]

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 and field, 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

[edit]

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

[edit]

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]

Missouri State Bears honored jerseys

No.  | Player  | Pos.  | Tenure  | Ref.
1 | DeAndre Smith | QB | 1987–1990 | [10]
27 | Ray Haley | HB | 1947–1951 | [10]
71 | Rich Johanningmeier | OT[a] | 1960–1963 | [10]
C | Arthur W. Briggs | HC | 1912–1933 | [10]

1. ^ Also served as head coach from 1976 to 1985.

## Championships

[edit]

### Conference championships

[edit]

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 Association | Arthur Briggs | 7–1–1 | 3–0–1
1940 | Red Blair | 10–0 | 5–0
1948† | Tommy O'Boyle | 9–2 | 4–1
1951 | Fred Thomsen | 6–3–1 | 4–0–1
1963 | Orville Pottenger | 9–1 | 5–0
1966 | Jim Mentis | 7–4 | 5–0
1978 | Rich Johanningmeier | 8–3 | 6–0
1989 | Gateway Football Conference | Jesse Branch | 12–1 | 9–0
1990† | 8–3 | 6–2
2020† | Missouri Valley Football Conference | Bobby Petrino | 5–5 | 5–1
Total Conference Championships: | 10
† Denotes co-champions

## Postseason appearances

[edit]

### Division I-AA/FCS playoffs

[edit]

Missouri State has appeared in the NCAA Division I 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 Maine. Missouri State won 38–35 and advanced to play Stephen F. Austin 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 Idaho and lost 41–35. Bobby Petrino led the Bears to their third playoff appearance in 2020 and the team lost at North Dakota 44–10. Missouri State made their fourth playoff appearance in 2021 and lost to UT Martin 32–31. 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

|
|
|
|

1989 | Jesse Branch | First Round
Quarterfinals | Maine
Stephen F. Austin | W, 38–35
L, 25–55
1990 | First Round | Idaho | L, 35–41
2020 | Bobby Petrino | First Round | North Dakota | L, 10–44
2021 | First Round | UT Martin | L, 31–32

### Bowl games

[edit]

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

Season  | Coach  | Bowl  | Opponent  | Result

|
|
|
|

1948 | Tommy O'Boyle | Missouri-Kansas Bowl | Emporia State | L, 20–34
1963 | Orville Pottenger | Mineral Water Bowl | Northern Illinois | L, 14–21
1966 | Jim Mentis | Adams State | L, 8–14
1989 | Jesse Branch | Pecan Bowl | Stephen F. Austin | L, 25–55

Note: The 1989 Pecan Bowl was the Midwest Regional Championship (NCAA Division I-AA Playoffs Quarterfinal).

## Records

[edit]

### Record vs. MIAA teams

[edit]

[10]

Opponent  | Won  | Lost  | Tied  | Percentage  | First meeting  | Last meeting

|
|
|
|
|
|

Central Missouri | 33 | 42 | 5 | .444 | 1912 | 1984
Lincoln | 10 | 5 | 0 | .667 | 1970 | 2017
Missouri S&T | 27 | 29 | 3 | .483 | 1935 | 1980
Northwest Missouri | 32 | 22 | 4 | .586 | 1912 | 1980
Southeast Missouri | 46 | 28 | 0 | .622 | 1912 | 2008
Truman State | 21 | 33 | 7 | .402 | 1912 | 1985
Totals | 196 | 159 | 12 | .550 |  |

### Record vs. former MVFC teams

[edit]

Opponent  | Won  | Lost  | Tied  | Percentage  | First meeting  | Last meeting

|
|
|
|
|
|

Eastern Illinois | 5 | 13 | 1 | .289 | 1985 | 1995
Western Illinois | 20 | 18 | 1 | .526 | 1985 | 2023
Western Kentucky | 2 | 8 | 0 | .200 | 2001 | 2006
Totals | 7 | 21 | 1 | .259 |  |

### Record vs. current MVFC teams

[edit]

Opponent  | Won  | Lost  | Tied  | Percentage  | First meeting

|
|
|
|
|

Illinois State | 18 | 22 | 1 | .451 | 1985
Indiana State | 22 | 14 | 0 | .611 | 1986
Murray State | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
North Dakota | 2 | 3 | 0 | .400 | 2017†
North Dakota State | 2 | 13 | 0 | .133 | 2008
Northern Iowa | 7 | 36 | 0 | .163 | 1985
South Dakota | 4 | 5 | 0 | .444 | 2012
South Dakota State | 1 | 12 | 0 | .077 | 2008
Southern Illinois | 22 | 23 | 0 | .489 | 1985
Youngstown State | 7 | 16 | 0 | .304 | 1997
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

[edit]

### Current NFL players

[edit]

Player  | Position  | 1st Year  | Draft round  | Teams

|
|
|
|

Dylan Cole | MLB | 2017 | Undrafted | Tennessee Titans, Chicago Bears
Eric Johnson | DE | 2022 | 5 | Indianapolis Colts

### Former NFL players

[edit]

Player  | Position  | 1st Year  | Draft round  | Teams

|
|
|
|

Charlie Mitchell | C | 1945 | 28 | Chicago Bears
Henry May | T | 1951 | 17 | Chicago Cardinals
Bob Dees | T | 1952 | 18 | Los Angeles Rams
Paul Mullins | T | 1953 |  | New York Giants
Ben Koeneman | C | 1957 |  | San Francisco 49ers
Bill Kaczmarek | T | 1958 | 25 | San Francisco 49ers
Glenn Sowder | T | 1961 |  | Denver Broncos
Rich Johanningmeier | T | 1964 |  | Houston Oilers
Pat Talburt | DT | 1966 | 16 | Kansas City Chiefs
Sam McDowell | T | 1968 | 9 | Miami Dolphins
Tom Mullen | T | 1974 | 2 | New York Giants
Tom McIntyre | FB | 1974 |  | Houston Oilers
Fred Tabron | RB | 1974 | 7 | Minnesota Vikings
Bob Grana | TE | 1975 |  | St. Louis Cardinals
Dennis Heim | DT | 1978 | 11 | New York Giants
Mike Murphy | LB | 1979 | 6 | Houston Oilers
Tim Ries | DB | 1979 | 7 | Houston Oilers
Jan Stahle | K | 1979 |  | Houston Oilers
Chris Sella | LB | 1979 |  | New Orleans Saints
John Finders | FB | 1983 |  | Dallas Cowboys
Darrin Newbold | LB | 1983 | 7 | New York Jets
Mike Armentrout | DB | 1985 | 9 | Kansas City Chiefs
Rick Fulton | DT | 1985 |  | New York Giants
Keith Williams | RB | 1986 | 6 | Atlanta Falcons
Brad Sellenrick | T | 1986 |  | Green Bay Packers
Steve Ache | LB | 1987 |  | Minnesota Vikings
Matt Soraghan | LB | 1988 |  | Green Bay Packers
Jason Whittle | G | 1998 |  | New York Giants, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Minnesota Vikings, Buffalo Bills
Brad St. Louis |  Long snapper | 2000 | 7 | Cincinnati Bengals
Clay Harbor | TE | 2010 | 4 | Philadelphia Eagles, Jacksonville Jaguars, New England Patriots, Detroit Lions, New Orleans Saints, Team 9 (XFL)
David Arkin | G | 2011 | 4 | Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins, Seattle Seahawks, Indianapolis Colts, St. Louis Rams / Los Angeles Rams

## Future non-conference opponents

[edit]

Announced schedules as of February 14, 2025.[13]

2025  | 2026  | 2027  | 2028  | 2029  | 2030  | 2031  | 2032  | 2033

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

at USC | at Texas A&M | at Auburn | at Arkansas State | at Missouri | at Tulsa |  | at Tulsa | at Missouri
at Marshall | vs Marshall | at Cincinnati |  | at Texas Tech |  |  |  |
vs SMU | at SMU | Arkansas State |  |  |  |  |  |
vs UT Martin |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Robert W. Plaster Stadium". Missouri State.
2. ^ a b c "Media Guide" (PDF). s3.amazonaws.com. 2019. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
3. ^ "Colors - Identity Standards - Missouri State University". February 5, 2015. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
4. ^ Lyndal Scranton, Missouri State to join Conference USA for chance to ‘play at the highest level in all sports’, Springfield Daily Citizen, May 10, 2024.
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. ^ a b c d e "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 October 27, 2020.
13. ^ "Missouri State Bears Football Future Schedules". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved February 14, 2025.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Missouri State Bears football.

* Official website

* v
* t
* e

Missouri State Bears football

Venues|

* Robert W. Plaster Stadium (1941–present)

Bowls & rivalries|

* Bowl games

People|

* Head coaches
* NFL draftees

Seasons|

* 1909
* 1910
* 1911
* 1912
* 1913
* 1914
* 1915
* 1916
* 1917
* 1918
* 1919
* 1920
* 1921
* 1922
* 1923
* 1924
* 1925
* 1926
* 1927
* 1928
* 1929
* 1930
* 1931
* 1932
* 1933
* 1934
* 1935
* 1936
* 1937
* 1938
* 1939
* 1940
* 1941
* 1942
* 1943–1944
* 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
* 2024
* 2025

* v
* t
* e

Missouri State University

Located in: Springfield, Missouri

Academics|

* Missouri State University–West Plains

Athletics|

* Baseball
* Men's basketball
* Women's basketball
* Football
* Soccer
* Robert W. Plaster Stadium
* Great Southern Bank Arena
* Hammons Field

Campus|

* KSMU
* KOZK
* Duane G. Meyer Library
* Greenwood Laboratory School

* Founded: 1905

* v
* t
* e

Missouri Valley Football Conference

Teams|

* Illinois State Redbirds
* Indiana State Sycamores
* Missouri State Bears (leaving in 2025)
* Murray State Racers
* North Dakota Fighting Hawks
* North Dakota State Bison
* Northern Iowa Panthers
* South Dakota Coyotes
* South Dakota State Jackrabbits
* Southern Illinois Salukis
* Youngstown State Penguins

Championships & awards|

* All-time standings
* Conference champions

Seasons|

* 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
* 2024
* 2025

* v
* t
* e

Conference USA football

Current teams|

* FIU Panthers
* Jacksonville State Gamecocks
* Kennesaw State Owls
* Liberty Flames
* Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
* Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders
* New Mexico State Aggies
* Sam Houston Bearkats
* UTEP Miners (leaving in 2026)
* Western Kentucky Hilltoppers

Future members|

* Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens
* Missouri State Bears (both joining in 2025)

Championships & awards|

* Conference USA Football Championship Game
* All-time standings
* Conference USA football individual awards

Seasons|

* 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
* 2024
* 2025

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