Search
Menu
Home
Sources
About
Contacts
Missouri Southern Lions football
The
Missouri Southern Lions
football
program is the intercollegiate
American football team
for
Missouri Southern State University
located in the U.S. state of
Missouri
. The team competes in the
NCAA Division II
and are members of the
Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association
. The team plays its home games at the 7,000 seat Fred G.
Hughes Stadium
in
Joplin, Missouri
. Jeff Sims became the Lions'
head coach
on November 11, 2018, replacing
Denver Johnson
, who resigned after three consecutive losing seasons.
History
The Lions
football program began in 1968. Their first head coach was
Jim Johnson
. Under coach
Jim Frazier
the Lions won the 1972 NAIA
Division II football championship
.
Conferences
From its inaugural season in 1968 until 1975,
Missouri Southern
played as an independent program. In 1976, it joined the
Central States Intercollegiate Conference
in which
the school
won one conference championships before leaving to play as an
NCAA
Division II member of the
Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association
in 1989, where the Lions have since remained a member and have won one conference championship.
Championships
National championship
seasons
Conference championship seasons
All-time record vs. current MIAA teams
Official record against all current MIAA opponents as of the end of the 2015 season:
Notable former players
Rod Smith
, a former
wide receiver
for the
Denver Broncos
of the
National Football League
. Smith has
the 2nd
most receptions of any undrafted player in the history of
the NFL
James Thrash
, a former wide receiver for the
Washington Redskins
and
Philadelphia Eagles
of
the National
Football League
.
Richard Jordan
, a former linebacker for the
Detroit Lions
of the National Football League
Allen Barbre
, a former
offensive lineman
for the Denver Broncos, Philadelphia Eagles,
Seattle Seahawks
,
Miami Dolphins
and
Green Bay Packers
of the National Football League
Brandon Williams
, a current
nose tackle
for the
Baltimore Ravens
of the National Football League.