Murray State Racers | |
---|---|
University | Murray State University |
Conference | Ohio Valley Conference |
NCAA | Division I (FCS) |
Athletic director | Allen Ward |
Location | Murray, Kentucky |
Varsity teams | 14 |
Football stadium | Roy Stewart Stadium |
Basketball arena | CFSB Center |
Baseball stadium | Reagan Field |
Other arenas | Racer Arena |
Mascot | Racer One and Dunker |
Nickname | Racers |
Fight song | The Old Grey Mare |
Colors | Navy and Gold |
Website | www |
The Murray State Racers are the intercollegiate athletic teams representing Murray State University (MSU), located in Murray, Kentucky, United States. The Racers athletic program is a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) and competes at the NCAA Division I level including the Football Championship Subdivision. The MSU teams are the Racers, the costumed racehorse mascot is named Dunker, the live racehorse football mascot is Racer-One, and the school colors are navy blue and gold. Racer teams have won three NCAA rifle championships.
Murray State men's athletics began in 1925–25, the school's third year, with the first women's team following in 1928–29. Originally, the teams were known as the Thoroughbreds, but over time, sports writers and editors found the name Thoroughbreds to be too cumbersome, so they often shortened it "T-Breds", "Breds", "Race Horses", and "Racers". "Racers" began to grow in popularity through the late 1950s, and it was adopted as the official nickname in 1961 except by the baseball team which continued to be known as the Thoroughbreds or "Breds" until 2014. The women's teams were known as Lady Racers until "Lady" was officially dropped in 2007.
A charter member of the Ohio Valley Conference, Murray State University sponsors five men's, nine women's and one co-ed teams in NCAA sanctioned sports.
Murray State is known for its men's basketball program, which has won 19 Ohio Valley Conference regular season championships, 15 OVC Tournament championship, and made 15 appearances in the NCAA Tournament, most recently in 2012. The tournament appearances included one win in 1988 the Racers defeated North Carolina State in the first round but lost to Kansas in the second round. In 2010, 22 years to the date of the 1988 win, the Racers beat the Vanderbilt Commodores and lost to the Butler Bulldogs in the second round. In the 2006 tournament, junior guard Trey Pearson missed a critical 3-point shot in the final seconds of the first-round game against No. 3 seeded defending champion North Carolina. UNC was fouled on the rebound and went to the line to sink the game clinching shots to defeat the No. 14 seeded Racers 69-65.