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General | Campus & Students | Academics | Tuition & Fees | Articles | Community Graduate Schools / Middle Tennessee State University Table of Contents 1 . In Brief 2 . Enrollment 3 . Admission Standards 4 . Academics 5 . Campus information 6 . Athletics 7 . Distinguished alumni 8 . Trivia 9 . Contact information 10 . External links Athletics The (Murfreesboro) 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". Contrary to popular belief, the "Blue Raiders" nickname is not related the American Civil War, in which Union soldiers, wearing blue, raided Murfreesboro, Tennessee in 1863.MTSU athletic teams participate in NCAA Division I (I-A for football) in the Sun Belt Conference. MTSU competed in the Ohio Valley Conference until 2000.MTSU's mascot is a pegasus named "Lightning". MTSU's original mascot was a student dressed as Ku Klux Klan founder and Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest. Due to sensitivities within the African-American community, the mascot was changed to a blue-colored scent hound dog named "Ole Blue" in the 1970s. The current "Lightning" mascot was adopted in 1998, when the athletics department updated its image in preparation for the 1999 move to Division I-A football and subsequent transfer to the Sun Belt Conference.NCAA-sanctioned athletic teams include:MEN: Baseball

Basketball

Cross Country

Football

Golf

Tennis

Track WOMEN: Basketball

Cross Country

Golf

Soccer

Softball

Tennis

Track

Volleyball MTSU also fields teams in club sports such as Rugby and Ice Hockey. These "club sports" are not sanctioned by the university, though each team does receive funding as a student organization. They are also authorized to use school logos, wordmarks, and identities. These teams do not compete at the NCAA level, though they do compete against other colleges and universities within unofficial intercollegiate organizations.The university's main athletics building (which houses the basketball arena and athletic department offices and was built in 1973) is named in honor of Charles M. Murphy, standout MTSU athlete in the 1930s. The basketball arena is named in honor of local sports writer and broadcaster Monte Hale, though it is more commonly called "Murphy Center", the name of the building that houses it. The football stadium is named in honor of Johnny "Red" Floyd, former MTSU football coach.The athletic facilities, including Murphy Center and Floyd Stadium, are located in the northwest corner of campus.Murphy Center features an indoor track, and is regularly home to the Sun Belt Conference indoor track championships.The university's athletic teams simply refer to the school as "Middle Tennessee" or "MT", abandoning the words "State University". This is being done in case the university changes its name to "University of Middle Tennessee", as has been long-rumored.Floyd Stadium features 31,000 seats and an AstroTurf playing surface. The stadium has never been filled to capacity since its expansion (from 15,000 seats) in 1997.Football and Men's Basketball are broadcast on two flagship radio stations: university-owned 89.5 WMOT, and Salem Communications' 104.9 WBOZ. Women's Basketball is broadcast on university-owned 88.3 WMTS.Chief football rival is the University of North Texas Eagles. Chief basketball rival is the Western Kentucky University Hilltoppers.MTSU has won only one National Championship in a team sport: Golf, 1965. However, seven individuals have won national championships. All were in Golf or Track. The most recent was 2003. Middle Tennessee State University's colors are Royal Blue (PMS Uncoated 300) and White. Its nickname 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 fromwith 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". Contrary to popular belief, the "Blue Raiders" nickname is not related the American Civil War, in which Union soldiers, wearing blue, raided Murfreesboro, Tennessee in 1863.MTSU athletic teams participate in NCAA Division I (I-A for football) in the Sun Belt Conference. MTSU competed in the Ohio Valley Conference until 2000.MTSU's mascot is a pegasus named "Lightning". MTSU's original mascot was a student dressed as Ku Klux Klan founder and Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest. Due to sensitivities within the African-American community, the mascot was changed to a blue-colored scent hound dog named "Ole Blue" in the 1970s. The current "Lightning" mascot was adopted in 1998, when the athletics department updated its image in preparation for the 1999 move to Division I-A football and subsequent transfer to the Sun Belt Conference.NCAA-sanctioned athletic teams include:MEN:WOMEN:MTSU also fields teams in club sports such as Rugby and Ice Hockey. These "club sports" are not sanctioned by the university, though each team does receive funding as a student organization. They are also authorized to use school logos, wordmarks, and identities. These teams do not compete at the NCAA level, though they do compete against other colleges and universities within unofficial intercollegiate organizations.The university's main athletics building (which houses the basketball arena and athletic department offices and was built in 1973) is named in honor of Charles M. Murphy, standout MTSU athlete in the 1930s. The basketball arena is named in honor of local sports writer and broadcaster Monte Hale, though it is more commonly called "Murphy Center", the name of the building that houses it. The football stadium is named in honor of Johnny "Red" Floyd, former MTSU football coach.The athletic facilities, including Murphy Center and Floyd Stadium, are located in the northwest corner of campus.Murphy Center features an indoor track, and is regularly home to the Sun Belt Conference indoor track championships.The university's athletic teams simply refer to the school as "Middle Tennessee" or "MT", abandoning the words "State University". This is being done in case the university changes its name to "University of Middle Tennessee", as has been long-rumored.Floyd Stadium features 31,000 seats and an AstroTurf playing surface. The stadium has never been filled to capacity since its expansion (from 15,000 seats) in 1997.Football and Men's Basketball are broadcast on two flagship radio stations: university-owned 89.5 WMOT, and Salem Communications' 104.9 WBOZ. Women's Basketball is broadcast on university-owned 88.3 WMTS.Chief football rival is the University of North Texas Eagles. Chief basketball rival is the Western Kentucky University Hilltoppers.MTSU has won only one National Championship in a team sport: Golf, 1965. However, seven individuals have won national championships. All were in Golf or Track. The most recent was 2003. << Previous Article | Next Article >> Interesting Fact Chancellors at the College of William and Mary have included some very famous retired statesmen, including Margaret Thatcher (UK Prime Minister), Henry Kissinger (US Secretary of State), Warren E. Burger (US Chief Justice), and, currently, Sandra Day O'Connor (US Associate Justice). Did you know... The Salary Calculator reports average wages by career and by specific location!