| Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Current season
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| First season | 1911 | ||
| Athletic director | Chris Massaro | ||
| Head coach | Rick Stockstill | ||
| Home stadium | Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium | ||
| Stadium capacity | 31,000 | ||
| Stadium surface | Sportexe PowerBlade turf | ||
| Location | Murfreesboro, Tennessee | ||
| League | NCAA Division I (FBS) | ||
| Conference | C-USA (2013) | ||
| All-time record | 500–358–28 | ||
| Postseason bowl record | 1–2
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| Colors | Royal Blue and White | ||
| Fight song | MTSU Fight Song | ||
| Mascot | Lightning | ||
| Marching band | Band of Blue | ||
| Rivals | Troy Western Kentucky North Texas | ||
| Website | GoBlueRaiders.com | ||
The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team represents Middle Tennessee State University in NCAA Division I FBS football competition. The Blue Raiders completed a 12-season tenure in Sun Belt Conference football in 2012,[1] and will move to Conference USA for the 2013 season. They play their home games at Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
Rick Stockstill has finished his 5th year as head coach of the Blue Raiders.
Nickname[]
The nickname of the Middle Tennessee athletic teams is the Blue Raiders. Female teams were long known as the Lady Raiders, but adopted the Blue Raiders name in 2007. The nickname's origin goes back to a 1934 newspaper contest. An MTSU football player, Charles Sarver, won $5 from Murfreesboro's The Daily News Journal with his winning entry "Blue Raiders", which he later admitted borrowing from Colgate University, whose teams were known as "Raiders" at the time. No official nickname existed prior to 1934, when teams were called "Normalites", "Teachers", and "Pedagogues".[2]
Colors and mascot[]
MTSU is represented by the colors white and royal blue, described as PMS 301 by the university.[3]
Lightning is the mascot of both the Middle Tennessee men and women's sports teams.[2]
Bowl games[]
MTSU appeared twice in the Tangerine Bowl (now the Capital One Bowl). The first game, played January 1, 1960, against Presbyterian College, resulted in a 21-12 win. The second game, against Lamar University on December 29, 1961, was a 21-14 loss.
The Blue Raiders were invited to the Motor City Bowl in 2006 after a shared conference title with Troy University. Troy had won the conference with a tie-breaker, but MTSU was invited due to the Big Ten having two teams in the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) and thus being unable to fulfill their bowl contract for the Motor City Bowl. MTSU played Central Michigan University in the game and were defeated 31-14.
MTSU finished the 2009 regular season with a 9-3 record and was invited to play in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl on December 20, 2009. The team played against the University of Southern Mississippi, defeating them 42-32. This was MTSU's second bowl game and first bowl win since joining the Division I FBS. Quarterback Dwight Dasher was named as the game's MVP after rushing and passing for two touchdowns each.[4]
MTSU was defeated in the 2011 GoDaddy.com Bowl in Mobile, Alabama by the Miami University RedHawks.
| Season | Date | Bowl | W/L | Opponent | PF | PA | Coach | Notes |
| 1959 | January 1, 1960 | Tangerine Bowl | W | Presbyterian | 21 | 12 | Charles M. Murphy | notes |
| 1961 | December 29, 1961 | Tangerine Bowl | L | Lamar | 14 | 21 | Charles M. Murphy | notes |
| 2006 | December 26, 2006 | Motor City Bowl | L | Central Michigan | 14 | 31 | Rick Stockstill | notes |
| 2009 | December 20, 2009 | New Orleans Bowl | W | Southern Miss | 42 | 32 | Rick Stockstill | notes |
| 2010 | January 6, 2011 | GoDaddy.com Bowl | L | Miami (OH) | 21 | 35 | Rick Stockstill | notes |
| Total | 5 bowl games | 2–3 | 112 | 131 |
Future non-conference opponents[]
| 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
| vs Western Carolina | at Minnesota | vs Vanderbilt | vs Ball State | vs Vanderbilt | at Vanderbilt |
| at BYU | vs BYU | at Ball State | at Vanderbilt | at Minnesota | at Bowling Green |
| vs Memphis | at Memphis | at Bowling Green | vs Bowling Green | ||
References[]
- ↑ Although Middle Tennessee joined the Sun Belt in 2000, its first Sun Belt football season was in 2001.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Stone, India (June 20, 2003). "The Heritage of Champions". GoBlueRaiders.com. http://www.goblueraiders.com/content.cfm/id/2079. Retrieved January 8, 2010.
- ↑ Staff (August 1, 2008). "Blue Raider Logos". GoBlueRaiders.com. http://www.goblueraiders.com/content.cfm/id/143. Retrieved January 8, 2010.
- ↑ Staff (December 20, 2009). "Blue Raiders power past Southern Miss to win New Orleans Bowl Championship, 42-32". GoBlueRaiders.com. http://www.goblueraiders.com/content.cfm/id/42984. Retrieved January 8, 2010.
- ↑ "Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders Football Schedules and Future Schedules". fbschedules.com. http://www.fbschedules.com/ncaa/sun-belt/middle-tennessee-blue-raiders.php. Retrieved 2012-02-20.
External links[]
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