Murray State Racers football | |||
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First season | 1924 | ||
Athletic director | Allen Ward | ||
Head coach |
Mitch Stewart 2nd year, 7–15 (.318) |
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Stadium | Roy Stewart Stadium | ||
Seating capacity | 16,800 | ||
Field surface | FieldTurf | ||
Location | Murray, Kentucky | ||
Conference | OVC | ||
All-time record | 454–389–36 (.537) | ||
Bowl record | 0–1 (.000) | ||
Conference titles | 8 | ||
Colors | Navy and Gold |
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Fight song |
Fight Song and The Old Grey Mare |
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Mascot | Racer One (live) Dunker (costume) |
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Marching band | Racer Band | ||
Rivals | Western Kentucky Hilltoppers | ||
Website | GoRacers.com |
The Murray State Racers football team represents Murray State University in the sport of American football. The Racers competes in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) Division I and the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC).
The 1933 and 1937 teams won Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association championships.
Denver Johnson was hired as head coach of the Racers prior to the 1997 season. Johnson had previously served as an offensive line coach for the Oklahoma Sooners during the 1996 season. Due to a late hiring process and the loss of several key Murray State players from the previous season, the Racers were not expected to perform well under Johnson's first year as head coach. The Racers exceeded expectations by achieving a record of 7-4 and 5-2 in OVC play in Johnson's first season. The four losses included a hard fought two point overtime loss at Western Kentucky in the Battle for the Red Belt rivalry game.
In 1998, the Racers went 7-4 overall and 5-2 in Ohio Valley Conference play, including a win over the rival Western Kentucky Hilltoppers in the Battle for the Red Belt and a victory over the Southern Illinois Salukis. The only home loss of the season was a 44-46 loss to Tennessee State on November 14 in the final game of conference play. The Racers would have won the 1999 OVC championship had it not been for the loss. At the conclusion of the game, Tennessee State tore down Murray State's home field goalposts at Roy Stewart Stadium and took the goalposts back to Tennessee State.