American Football Wiki
Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders
Current season:
2025 Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders
Middle Tennessee State NCAA-Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders-silver helmet
First season 1911
Athletic director Chris Massaro
Head coach Rick Stockstill
17th year, 102–99 (.507)
Home stadium Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium
Stadium capacity 30,788
Stadium surface Sportexe PowerBlade turf
Location Murfreesboro, Tennessee
League NCAA Division I (FBS)
Conference C-USA
Division East
All-time history
Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders Historical Teams
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
All-time record 562–426–28 (.567)
Postseason bowl record 6–8 (.429)
Conference titles 13
Current uniform
NCAA-Mid Tenn State-uniform
Colors Royal Blue, White, Silver, and Black

                             

Fight song MTSU Fight Song
Mascot Lightning
Marching band Band of Blue
Rivals Troy
Western Kentucky
Website GoBlueRaiders.com

The Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders football team represents Middle Tennessee State University located in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The Blue Raiders are a member of the NCAA FBS Conference USA and play their home games at Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium in Murfreesboro. The Blue Raiders are currently coached by Derek Mason.

Affiliations[]

  • 2013-present - Conference USA (NCAA FBS)
  • 2001-2012 - Sun Belt Conference (NCAA FBS/1-A)
  • 1999-2000 - NCAA 1-A Independent
  • 1952-1998 - Ohio Valley Conference (NCAA 1-AA)

Seasons[]

2020s[]

Season Coach Record
2026 Derek Mason
2025 Derek Mason 3-9
2024 Derek Mason 3-9
2023 Rick Stockstill 4-8
2022 Rick Stockstill 8-5
2021 Rick Stockstill 7-6
2020 Rick Stockstill 3-6

2010s[]

Season Coach Record
2019 Rick Stockstill 4-8
2018 Rick Stockstill 8-6
2017 Rick Stockstill 7-6
2016 Rick Stockstill 8-5
2015 Rick Stockstill 7-6
2014 Rick Stockstill 6-6
2013 Rick Stockstill 8-5
2012 Rick Stockstill 8-4
2011 Rick Stockstill 2-10
2010 Rick Stockstill 6-7

2000s[]

Season Coach Record
2009 Rick Stockstill 10-3
2008 Rick Stockstill 5-7
2007 Rick Stockstill 5-7
2006 Rick Stockstill 7-6
2005 Andy McCollum 4-7
2004 Andy McCollum 5-6
2003 Andy McCollum 4-8
2002 Andy McCollum 4-8
2001 Andy McCollum 8-3
2000 Andy McCollum 6-5

1990s[]

Season Coach Record
1999 Andy McCollum 3-8
1998 Boots Donnelly 5-5
1997 Boots Donnelly 4-6
1996 Boots Donnelly 6-5
1995 Boots Donnelly 7-4
1994 Boots Donnelly 8-3-1
1993 Boots Donnelly 5-6
1992 Boots Donnelly 10-3
1991 Boots Donnelly 9-4
1990 Boots Donnelly 11-2

Nickname[]

The nickname of the Middle Tennessee male athletic teams is the Blue Raiders. Female teams are known as the Lady Raiders. 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 "Red Raiders" at the time. No official nickname existed prior to 1934, when teams were called "Normalites", "Teachers", and "Pedagogues".[1]

Colors and mascot[]

MTSU is represented by the colors white and royal blue, described as PMS 301 by the university.[2]

Lightning is the mascot of both the Middle Tennessee men and women's sports teams.[1]

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.[3]

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


Logos / Uniforms[]


References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Stone, India (June 20, 2003). The Heritage of Champions. GoBlueRaiders.com. Retrieved on January 8, 2010.
  2. Staff (August 1, 2008). Blue Raider Logos. GoBlueRaiders.com. Retrieved on January 8, 2010.
  3. Staff (December 20, 2009). Blue Raiders power past Southern Miss to win New Orleans Bowl Championship, 42-32. GoBlueRaiders.com. Retrieved on January 8, 2010.

External Links[]