Missouri State Bears Football: A History

The Missouri State Bears football program represents Missouri State University, located in Springfield, Missouri, United States. The Bears compete in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and are a member of Conference USA.

Program Origins and Early Years

Missouri State's football program has a long and storied history, dating back to 1909. The school was known as Southwest Missouri State until 2005 when the name was changed to Missouri State. In 1909, the first football team was fielded with Walter Langston serving as the first coach in program history. In his single season as head coach, Langston posted a record of 4-2. Prior to 1923, the team competed as an Independent.

Conference Affiliations

From 1923 to 1980, Missouri State was a founding member of the Missouri Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA), now known as the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association. During this period, from 1958 to 1972, the Bears were classified in the NCAA College Division. From 1973 to 1980, the Bears competed in NCAA Division II. In 1981, Missouri State moved to the Association of Mid-Continent Universities, marking their first season in NCAA Division I-AA.

Program Statistics

The Missouri State Bears have an all-time record of 492-532-39 and have won 10 conference championships. The most recent conference championship was won in 2020. The team achieved its highest ranking in school history on October 15 to 29, 1990, when it was ranked second in the country for three weeks.

Home Field: Robert W. Plaster Stadium

Since 1941, the Bears have played their home games at the 17,500-seat Robert W. Plaster Stadium. From its opening in 1941 to 1991, the stadium was known as Briggs Stadium. The stadium has undergone several major renovations in 1991 and, most recently, in 2014. After the 1991 renovation, which added an upper deck on the west side, a row of sky-boxes, and a press box, the stadium was renamed in honor of Robert W. Plaster, who provided the major gift for the project. In 2008, the stadium was updated with a new video board behind the south end zone. The 2014 renovation made significant changes to the east side of the stadium and the playing surface. The track was removed and the East side was completely rebuilt. The stadium record attendance is 18,386, which was at the 2014 home opener versus North Dakota.

Indoor Practice Facility Plans

In July 2018, it was reported that Missouri State was undergoing the process of securing funding to build an indoor practice facility. The school planned to build the indoor facility entirely through private donations to the athletic department on the existing ROTC and band practice field. In November 2019, athletic director Kyle Moats gave an update to "The Standard", the Missouri State student newspaper. He said the athletic department wasn't able to achieve the funding they needed to build the facility as some other programs became more important to address first. They decided to use a more cost-efficient approach and build a dome over Betty and Bobby Allison North Stadium instead, to save the department over $10-$15 million. Moats said that the facility would be used by the club lacrosse team, football, soccer, track and field, baseball and softball. In late October 2021, Missouri State announced plans to build a facility in the south end zone of Plaster Stadium. The facility would house the team locker room, meeting rooms, coaches offices, and club seating. A new and upgraded video board would be added on top of the building as well. The estimated cost of the facility would be around $20 million.

Coaching History

Since 1909, the Missouri State Bears have had 22 different head coaches. Walter Langston, who coached the team for one year, was the first coach in program history. Arthur Briggs is the longest-tenured head coach, with two non-consecutive runs as head coach, coaching the Bears for 20 seasons in total. The current coach is Ryan Beard, who was hired on December 16, 2022. There was no team for the 1913 season.

Conference Championships

Missouri State has won ten conference championships in its history. The Bears have won seven championships in the MIAA, two championships in the Gateway, and one in the Missouri Valley. The first conference championship was won in 1928 under coach Arthur Briggs. Jesse Branch is the only coach to win multiple conference championships. The 1928, 1990, and 2020 championships were shared titles. The Bears won their most recent conference championship in 2020 when they shared the conference title with North Dakota and South Dakota State. This title ended the 30-year conference championship drought.

NCAA Division I FCS Playoffs

Missouri State has appeared in the NCAA Division I FCS playoffs four times. Under head coach Jesse Branch, the Bears made two straight trips in 1989 and 1990. In 1989, they drew a first-round matchup with Maine. Missouri State won 38-35 and advanced to play Stephen F. Austin in the quarterfinals, where they lost 55-25. Missouri State made it to the playoffs again in the 1990 season. They played at home against Idaho and lost 41-35. Bobby Petrino led the Bears to their third playoff appearance in 2020, and the team lost at North Dakota 44-10. Missouri State made their fourth playoff appearance in 2021 and lost to UT Martin 32-31. All of the Bears' playoff appearances have come in back-to-back years, 1989-1990 and 2020-2021.

Bowl Game Appearances

Missouri State has appeared in four bowl games and are 0-4 all time.

The Modern Era: 2025 and Beyond

Looking ahead, the 2025 Missouri State Bears football team will continue to build on the program's foundation. With Ryan Beard entering his 3rd season as head coach, the team aims to improve upon their current record of 12-11 (.522). As they compete in Conference USA, the Bears will continue to play their home games at Robert W. Plaster Stadium.

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