Southern Arkansas Muleriders football
| Southern Arkansas Muleriders football | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| First season | 1911 | ||
| Athletic director | Steve Browning | ||
| Head coach | Bill Keopple 8th year, 34–39 (.466) |
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| Other staff | Landon Keopple – Offensive Coordinator Josh Lawson – Defensive Coordinator Boomer Cunningham – Offensive Line/Recruiting Coordinator Benson Jordan – Linebackers Wade Henderson – Defensive Line Beaux Gipson – Wide Receivers Nicholas Sanders – Running Backs Mack Chermak – Defensive Backs Zikerious Ware – Student Assistant |
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| Stadium | Wilkins Stadium | ||
| Field | Rip Powell Field | ||
| Year built | 1949 | ||
| Seating capacity | 6,000 | ||
| Field surface | GeoSurfaces Turf | ||
| Location | Magnolia, Arkansas | ||
| NCAA division | Division II | ||
| Conference | GAC (2012–present) | ||
| Past conferences | Independent (1911–1925) Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference (1926–1994) Gulf South Conference (1995–2011) |
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| All-time record | 454–429–30 (.514) | ||
| Bowl record | 2–4–1 (.357) | ||
| Conference titles | 8 (1926, 1927, 1929, 1948, 1951, 1952, 1972, 1996) | ||
| Consensus All-Americans | 70 | ||
| Colors | Royal Blue and Gold |
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| Fight song | SAU Fight Song | ||
| Mascot | Molly Ann & the Mulerider | ||
| Primary Rival | UAM Boll Weevils | ||
| Website | MuleriderAthletics.com | ||
The Southern Arkansas Muleriders football team represents Southern Arkansas University (SAU) in the sport of American football. The Southern Arkansas Muleriders compete in Division II of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) and in the Great American Conference.
SAU begin competing in 1911 when they were known as the Third District Agricultural School. Early Mulerider teams played local junior college and high school teams. The Muleriders are inaugural members of the Great American Conference. SAU has competed in the NCAA Division II since 1995 after spending almost 50 years as members of the NAIA.
Mulerider football teams have won 8 conference championships, participated in four college bowl games (2-1-1 record), and have made the NCAA Division II Playoffs in two seasons (0-2 record). SAU has produced 70 All-Americans and 172 First Team All-Conference players.
The Muleriders’ home stadium is Wilkins Stadium which opened in 1949. Wilkins Stadium features dual grandstands with seating for 6,000. Several renovations have been done to Wilkins Stadiums over the past few years. Artificial turf was recently installed and new ticket booths and concessions stands were added. Also on site at Wilkins Stadium is the Auburn Smith Field House which houses the SAU coaches offices, locker room, and training room.
Southern Arkansas has won a total of 8 conference championships, including 2 in an early conference that included Arkansas junior colleges and high schools, 5 AIC Championships and 1 GSC Championships.
Conference affiliations:
Prior to joining NCAA Division II football, the Muleriders were an inaugural member of the Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference which featured several non-scholarship programs from the state of Arkansas. Six of these programs continue to be conference mates today. SAU saw varying periods of success during their years in the AIC. SAU fielded 61 teams during their time in the AIC and left the conference with a 309-270-25 record. The late 1920s were good to the Muleriders as the team won the AIC Championship in 1926, 1927, and 1929. The 1929 squad is the last team to finish a season unbeaten. The 1930s and 1940 saw years that SAU did not field a team. Many schools took off the World War II years due to the demands that war brought. However, by 1946 football was back at SAU to stay. Elmer Smith was hired to lead the program. Elmer Smith was able to duplicate the success of the late 1920s winning AIC Championships in 1948, 1951, & 1952. Coach Smith left the university to join Paul "Bear" Bryant's staff at the University of Alabama following the 1953 season. Coach Smith finished at SAU with a 54-27-2 record.
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