# 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. Atiba Bradley was named the 14th head football coach in the history of Missouri Southern on February 5, 2021.

## 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 (later renamed Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association) in 1989, where the Lions have since remained a member and have won one conference championship.

## Championships
### National championship seasons

| Season | Coach | Selectors | Record | Bowl |
| 1972 | Jim Frazier | NAIA Division II Playoffs | 12–0 | Won NAIA Championship |
| National Championships | National Championships | National Championships | 1 | 1 | 1 |

### Conference championship seasons

| Year | Conference | Coach | Overall record | Conference record |
| 1976† | Central States Intercollegiate Conference | Jim Frazier | 8–2 | 4–1 |
| 1993 | Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association | Jon Lantz | 9–1–1 | 9–0 |
| Total Conference championships: | Total Conference championships: | Total Conference championships: | 2 | 2 |
| † Denotes co-champions |||||||

## Playoff appearances
### NCAA Division II

Missouri Southern has made one appearance in the NCAA Division II playoffs, with a combined record of 0-1.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
| 1993 | First Round | Mankato State | L, 13–34 |

## All-time record vs. current MIAA teams

Official record (including any NCAA imposed vacates and forfeits) against all current MIAA opponents as of the end of the 2015 season:
| Opponent | Won | Lost | Tied | Percentage | Streak | First Meeting |
| Central Missouri | 15 | 22 | 2 | .410 | Lost 4 | 1973 |
| Central Oklahoma | 2 | 4 | 0 | .333 | Lost 4 | 2012 |
| Emporia State | 21 | 22 | 4 | .489 | Lost 6 | 1970 |
| Fort Hays State | 1 | 5 | 0 | .167 | Lost 5 | 2012 |
| Lindenwood | 1 | 4 | 0 | .200 | Lost 3 | 2012 |
| Missouri Western | 22 | 26 | 0 | .458 | Lost 5 | 1970 |
| Nebraska–Kearney | 8 | 9 | 0 | .471 | Lost 1 | 1977 |
| Northeastern State | 7 | 14 | 0 | .333 | Lost 2 | 1968 |
| Northwest Missouri State | 4 | 25 | 0 | .138 | Lost 23 | 1989 |
| Pittsburg State | 10 | 39 | 1 | .210 | Lost 4 | 1968 |
| Washburn | 20 | 25 | 1 | .446 | Lost 3 | 1970 |
| Totals | 123 | 205 | 5 | .377 | | |

## Notable former players
### Retired numbers

The Lions has retired only one number.
Missouri Southern Lions retired numbers :
| No. | Player | Pos. | Tenure |
| 9 | Rod Smith | WR | 1988–1993 |
Additionally, Smith was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2009.

### Other players

* James Thrash, former wide receiver for the Washington Redskins and Philadelphia Eagles.
* Richard Jordan, former linebacker for the Detroit Lions.
* Allen Barbre, former guard for the Denver Broncos, Philadelphia Eagles, Seattle Seahawks, Miami Dolphins and Green Bay Packers.
* Brandon Williams, current free agent defensive tackle who has played for the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs.