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Southern Arkansas University 2011 Mulerider Football FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2011 HTTP://WWW.MULERIDERATHLETICS.COM Southern Arkansas University (0-1, 0-1 GAC) @ Southwestern Oklahoma State University (1-0, 0-0 GAC) WHEN: SEPTEMBER 10, 2011 WHERE: WEATHERFORD, OKLA. @ FAST LANE FIELD KICKOFF: 6:00 P.M. The Series (0-0, First Meeting) Saturday’s game between Southern Arkansas and Southwestern Oklahoma State is the first-ever meeting between the two teams on the football field. The Muleriders are 40-27-4 against Oklahoma schools all-time over 93 seasons of play, including a 25-19-3 mark VS. versus East Central and Southeastern Oklahoma State, the other two Oklahoma brethren in the Great American Conference. Media Coverage Radio: The Mulerider Sports Network featuring flagship station KVMZ 99.1-FM in Magnolia, with Dan Gregory in his 30th year as the voice of the Muleriders and Ryan Phillips on color, and affiliates KAGL 93.3-FM (El Dorado), KLEZ 93.5-FM (Hot Springs), The Coaches KLIX 104.1-FM (Mena), KMTB 99.5-FM (Nashville) and KTFS 940-AM (Texarkana). Hired as the 19th head coach at Southern Arkansas in Decem- ber 2008, Bill Keopple (Central Arkansas, 1982) is in his third season with the Muleriders and has a 4-17 mark during his tenure. Mulerider Football History He previously had spent six years as head coach at Arkansas High Southern Arkansas has had a football program for 101 years (1911) , but will have to School in Texarkana, compiling a 44-26-1 record, five consecutive wait until the 2017 season to truly commemorate 100 years of Mulerider football. SAU state playoff appearances, two 6A South Conference titles, and 6A didn’t field a team from 1937-1939 and 1942-1945, a total of seven years, making 2011 the state championships in 2006 and 2007. In 1996 he served as athletic 94th football season at Southern Arkansas. SAU was founded in 1909 as the Third District Agricultural School, with G.R. director and head coach at Newport High School, guiding the Grey- Turrentine serving as the inaugural head coach in 1911. The team played only two games hounds to the state playoffs in an 8-3 season, giving him an overall that first year, losing both in Magnolia by shutouts, 19-0 to Texarkana (Texas) High School mark of 52-29-1 in his seven years at the high school level. Keopple and 9-0 to Camden High School. The team was commonly called the Magnolia Aggies has 18 years of experience as an assistant in the collegiate ranks. until the early 1920’s, but Turrentine, who went on to coach for a total of seven years, is Before arriving at Arkansas High, he spent the 2002 season on former credited with providing the moniker of “Muleriders” following the team’s final game of the Arkansas defensive coordinator Keith Burn’s staff at Tulsa, coach- 1912 season, a Thanksgiving date at Fordyce High School. A few days after that game, ing the defensive line and serving as recruiting coordinator. He served members of the team rode mules to Coach Turrentine’s home to discuss their final game and two years under Houston Nutt at Arkansas in 1998 and 1999, and he greeted them with “My Mule Riders”. That was the first known time the term was used, and the name eventually stuck, changing from two words to the compound “Muleriders”. was with Nutt at Boise State in 1997, coaching the defensive line at Southern Arkansas is now 426-407-30 in 94 years of football since its first season of both schools. Keopple was an honorable mention All-District and play in 1911, and did not field teams from 1937-1939 and 1942-1945. The Muleriders are All-AIC selection for Central Arkansas and got his start there as a currently 0-1 in Great American Confrence games in its inaugural season. All-time, they are graduate assistant in 1982. He spent 14 years with the Bears, tutor- 191-193-11 against teams currently in the GAC. ing the offensive line the entire time and was offensive coordinator from 1990-95. Dan Cocannouer (Southwestern Oklahoma State, 1978) is in Last Week in the GAC his third season as head coach at his alma mater where he has com- piled a 5-18 mark since 2009. Prior to returning to the Bulldogs he Thurs., @ Central Arkansas 38 #24 Henderson State 14 Thurs., Southwestern Oklahoma State 31 @ Northwestern Oklahoma State 28 spent 30 years in the high school ranks, most recently at Edmond * Sat., @ Arkansas-Monticello 38 Arkansas Tech 31 (Okla.) Santa Fe for eight years (2001-08), where he guided them to * Sat., Harding 63 @ Southern Arkansas 14 the Class 6A state finals in 2003 and a 70-26 record during his Sat., East Central (Okla.) 31 @ Incarnate Word (Texas) 21 tenure. Cocannouer has coached for 33 years, the last 27 as a head coach, including 24 on the high school level, all in Oklahoma. He * Great American Conference game spent one year at John Marshall (2000); three seasons at Chandler (1997-99); two years each at Alva (1995-96), Pauls Valley (1993- 94) and Comanche (1991-92); and six seasons in his first head job at Walters (1985-1990). A native of Tuttle, Okla., Cocannouer was a This Week in the GAC four-year letterman for Southwestern Oklahoma State (1974-77) * Sat., East Central (Okla.) @ Ouachita Baptist - 6 p.m. and played on two conference championship teams. He was a se- * Sat., Southern Arkansas @ Southwestern Oklahoma State - 6 p.m. Sat., Central Oklahoma @ Southeastern Oklahoma State - 6 p.m. nior running back on the 1977 squad that finished 11-1 and was Sat., Texas College @ Arkansas-Monticello - 6 p.m. NAIA national runner-up. * Sat., Henderson State @ Harding- 6 p.m. Sat., Arkansas Tech @ Southwest Baptist (Mo.) - 6 p.m. * Great American Conference game HEAD COACH ...Personal Info. Full Name ....... .....................Clarence William Keopple, III Birthdate ......... .....................December 15, 1958 Birthplace ........ .....................Little Rock, Arkansas Family ............ ......................Wife Marsha; son, Landon; daughter, Brittany ...Education High School ....................... 1977; Parkview High School, Little Rock, Ark. College .............................. 1982; University of Central Arkansas, B.S.E. .......................................... 1986; University of Central Arkansas, M.S.E. ...Coaching Experience High School .......................... 1996; Newport High School, Head Coach ............................................. 2003-08; Texarkana Arkansas HS, Head Coach College ................................. 1982; University of Central Arkansas, GA ............................................. 1983-95; University of Central Arkansas, Asst. Bill Keopple enters his third season as head football ............................................. 1997; Boise State (Idaho) University, Asst. coach at Southern Arkansas, hired in December 2008 as the ............................................. 1998-99; University of Arkansas, Asst. 19th coach to lead the Muleriders. ............................................. 2002; University of Tulsa (Okla.), Asst. Keopple has accumulated 27 years of coaching experi- ............................................. 2009-present; Southern Arkansas, Head Coach ence, including his first stint as a head coach on the colle- giate level at SAU. He served 18 years as an assistant in the Graduating with a B.S.E. in 1982 and an M.S.E. in 1986 college ranks with stops at Tulsa, Arkansas, Boise State and from Central Arkansas, Keopple began his coaching career Central Arkansas. there in 1982 as a graduate assistant working with the offen- Prior to coming to Southern Arkansas, Keopple served sive line. He spent 14 years with the Bears, tutoring the six years (2003-2008) as head coach at Arkansas High School offensive line the entire time and serving as offensive coordi- in Texarkana. His teams were 44-26-1 during his six seasons, nator and recruiting coordinator from 1990-95. During his advancing to the state playoffs the last five and winning tenure at UCA, the Bears won three NAIA national champi- consecutive state championships in 2006 and 2007. Keopple’s onships and 10 consecutive conference championships from 2005 and 2006 Razorback teams were 6A South Conference 1983-92 in the former Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference champions. He was honored in 2006 as the 6A State Farm (AIC). Coach of the Year, as well as 6A Outstanding Coach by the A native of Little Rock, Keopple is the son of Hall of National Football Foundation in both 2006 and 2007, and was Fame high school coach C.W. Keopple. A 1976 graduate of selected to serve on the Arkansas high school football All- Parkview High School, he played on the 1974 and 1976 state Star coaching staffs in 2004 and 2007. championship teams and was an all-state and super team Before taking over the reins at Texarkana, Keopple was selection his senior season. at the University of Tulsa in 2002 on former Arkansas defen- During his playing days at Central Arkansas, Keopple sive coordinator Keith Burns’ staff. He spent that season was a member of two conference championship teams and coaching the defensive line and serving as recruiting coordi- was an honorable mention selection on both the All-NAIA nator for the Golden Hurricane. District 17 and All-AIC teams. He served as a team captain Keopple served as an assistant under Houston Nutt at his senior season in which the Bears were ranked first in the Arkansas in 1998 and 1999, and was with Nutt at Boise State nation with an undefeated record and advanced to the na- in 1997, coaching the defensive line at both schools. The tional playoffs. Razorbacks were 1998 SEC Western Division champions, fin- Keopple has been associated with 18 championship ishing 9-3 and playing Michigan in the Citrus Bowl. Arkan- teams as a player and coach, and has recruited extensively sas had the fifth-ranked rushing defense in the nation that on the collegiate level in 13 states, including Alabama, Ar- season and was ranked seventh in total defense.

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