| Missouri State Bears and Lady Bears | |
|---|---|
 | |
| University | Missouri State University |
| Conference | CUSA (primary) American (men's soccer) |
| NCAA | Division I (FBS) |
| Athletic director | Patrick Ransdell |
| Location | Springfield, Missouri |
| Varsity teams | 19 |
| Football stadium | Robert W. Plaster Stadium |
| Basketball arena | Great Southern Bank Arena |
| Baseball stadium | Hammons Field |
| Soccer stadium | Allison South Stadium |
| Mascot | Boomer the Bear and Growl the Bear |
| Nickname | Bears and Lady Bears Beach Bears (beach volleyball) |
| Fight song | The Scotsman |
| Colors | Maroon and white[1] |
| Website | missouristatebears |
 | |
TheMissouri State Bears and Lady Bears are the athletic teams representingMissouri State University. Missouri State's athletics programs date back to 1908. Missouri State competes in theNCAA Division IFootball Bowl Subdivision. The majority of sports play in the Division IConference USA. Missouri State became a full member of CUSA on July 1, 2025.[2]
Men's swimming and diving had competed in theMid-American Conference through the 2023–24 season, but sponsorship of that sport transferred to theMissouri Valley Conference in July 2024.[3] With CUSA sponsoring soccer only for women, themen's soccer team joined theAmerican Conference.[4]
Missouri State athletics are frequently abbreviated as "MOST".
| Men's sports | Women's sports |
|---|---|
| Baseball | Acrobatics & tumbling |
| Basketball | Basketball |
| Football | Beach volleyball |
| Golf | Cross country |
| Soccer | Golf |
| Swimming & diving | Soccer |
| Softball | |
| Stunt | |
| Swimming & diving | |
| Tennis | |
| Track & field† | |
| Volleyball | |
| † – Track & field includes both indoor and outdoor | |
A member ofConference USA, Missouri State University sponsors six men's and 13 women's teams inNCAA sanctioned sports. The women's sports of acrobatics & tumbling and stunt, both included in theNCAA Emerging Sports for Women program, were added in 2024–25.[5]
| Assoc. | Div. | Tournament | Sport / team | Year | Runner-up | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NAIA | n/a | NAIA Basketball championship | Men's basketball | 1952 | Murray State | 73–64 |
| NAIA | n/a | NAIA Basketball championship | Men's basketball | 1953 | Hamline | 79–71 |
| NCAA | Division II | NCAA Golf championship[6] | Men's golf | 1963 | Aquinas | 1,188–1,199 |
| AIAW | n/a | AIAW Softball championship[n 1] | Softball | 1974 | Northern Colorado | 14–7 |
| AIAW | Division II | AIAW Field hockey championship | Field hockey | 1979 | Colgate | 2–0 |
| Year | Seed | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | #8 | First Round Second Round | #9 Tennessee Tech #1 Tennessee | W 94–64 L 47–55 |
| 1992 | #8 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four | #9 Kansas #1 Iowa #5 UCLA #2 Ole Miss #4 Western Kentucky | W 75–59 W 61–60 W 83–57 W 94–71 L 72–84 |
| 1993 | #7 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen | #10 Oklahoma State #2 Maryland #6 Louisiana Tech | W 86–71 W 86–82 L 43–59 |
| 1994 | #6 | First Round Second Round | #11 Northern Illinois #3 Virginia | W 75–56 L 63–67 |
| 1995 | #9 | First Round Second Round | #8 Utah #1 Colorado | W 49–47 L 34–78 |
| 1996 | #12 | First Round | #5 Texas | L 55–73 |
| 1998 | #8 | First Round | #9 Notre Dame | L 64–78 |
| 1999 | #7 | First Round Second Round | #10 UC Santa Barbara #2 Colorado State | W 72–70 L 70–86 |
| 2000 | #10 | First Round | #7 Auburn | L 74–78 |
| 2001 | #5 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four | #12 Toledo #4 Rutgers #1 Duke #6 Washington #3 Purdue | W 89–71 W 60–53 W 81–71 W 104–87 L 64–81 |
| 2003 | #15 | First Round | #2 Texas Tech | L 59–67 |
| 2004 | #12 | First Round | #5 Notre Dame | L 65–69 (OT) |
| 2006 | #13 | First Round | #4 Purdue | L 52–73 |
| 2016 | #13 | First Round | #4 Texas A&M | L 65–74 |
| 2019 | #11 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen | #6 DePaul #3 Iowa State #2 Stanford | W 89–77 W 69–60 L 46–55 |
| 2021 | #5 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen | #12 UC Davis #13 Wright State #1 Stanford | W 70–51 W 64–39 L 62–89 |
| 2022 | #11 | First Four First Round | #11 Florida State #6 Ohio State | W 61–50 L 63–56 |
2002,2005 (Champions),2010,2011,2012,2015,2017,2018,2023
MissouriAIAW state tournament: 1970–1982 (won 1971, 1973, 1974, 1975 and 1981 tournaments)
AIAW Region VI tournament: 1974, 1975, 1981
AIAW Division II national tournament: 1981
Gateway Conference (1983–1992)2
1991, 1992
Missouri Valley Conference (1992–present)12
1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2012, 2020, 2021
| Facility | Opened | Sport | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robert W. Plaster Stadium | 1941 | Football | 17,500 |
| Great Southern Bank Arena | 2008 | Basketball | 11,000 |
| Hammons Student Center | 1976 | Volleyball Swimming | 8,846[n 1] |
| Hammons Field | 2004 | Baseball | 7,986 |
| Killian Sports Complex | 2009 | Softball | 1,200 |
| Betty and Bobby Allison Stadium | 2014 | Soccer Track & field Field hockey Lacrosse | 1,500[n 2] |
| Betty and Bobby Allison Courts | 2014 | Beach volleyball | 150 |
| Cooper Tennis Complex | 1994 | Tennis | 2,500 |
| Twin Oaks Country Club + 4 Other local courses | n/a | Golf | N/A |
The university also sponsors several club sports teams, includingice hockey (ACHA),lacrosse (MCLA), androller hockey (NCRHA).
Missouri State men's ice hockey, known as the "Ice Bears", began in 2001 and despite not being a varsityNCAA sport receives much attention on and off-campus. The Ice Bears currently compete at the Division I level of theAmerican Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) in theWestern Collegiate Hockey League (WCHL).[7] The teams play off-campus at the 2,000-seatMediacom Ice Park.[8][9][10]
Men's varsity ice hockey finished the 2009–2010 season ranked 2nd in the MACHA DII with a record of 12–4–0 in 16 league games, the team lost in the MACHA Championship 1–5 toSouthern Illinois University- Edwardsville. In addition to the ACHA DII team the University also fields a JV teams playing at the ACHA DIII level.[11] The team won the MACHA DIII championship with a 5–3 win overRobert Morris University- Peoria.[12][13][14]
Missouri State also fields a highly successful club Lacrosse Team. Founded in 2003, it competes in theMen's Collegiate Lacrosse Association (MCLA) Division II and was a member of theGreat Rivers Lacrosse Conference (GRLC) through 2017 before it moved to Division II of theLone Star Alliance (LSA) in 2018. The Bears have been conference champions five times in their history (2004, 2009, 2010, 2017, and 2018) and have qualified for the MCLA National Championships on four occasions (2009, 2010, 2017, and 2018). The Bears finished the 2018 season with a record of 12–3, including a perfect 6–0 conference record and victories overCreighton,Baylor, and in-state rivalUniversity of Missouri. Since 2003, Missouri State has fielded 11 All-Americans, over 80 All-Conference players, 3 GRLC Tournament MVP's, and 4 GRLC Division II Coach's of the Year.
| Head coach | Year | Record |
|---|---|---|
| Daren Turner | 2002–2008 | 24–21 |
| Austin Holman | 2009–2010 | 23–9 |
| Pat Callaham | 2011–2012 | 12-13 |
| Dustin Rich | 2013–2018 | 32-30 |
| Donnie Curran | 2019–present | 0-0 |
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