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MIDDLE TENNESSEE FOOTBALL 125 Blue Raider History the Middle Tennessee Teachers College (as it was known from 1925 to 1942) took its longest road trip of the team’s existence. The Normals made their way to central Florida to take on Stetson. The Hatters won the game 10-0 in a contest played on a natural surface of sand. In 1926, Frank Faulkinberry began his fi rst season at the helm. Not only did Faulkinberry serve as football coach, he was also the school’s basketball and baseball coach as well as a professor. He produced an overall 32-24-4 record during his seven years as head coach. In a game against North Alabama in 1927, 76 points were put up by MTSTC, which still stands as the most points Johnny “Red” Floyd Stadium was constructed in 1933 as Horace Jones Field. The facil- scored in one game. ity had portable bleachers for about the fi rst 15 years until a major renovation put In 1929, the football team played its concrete grandstands in place in the 1940s. fi rst ten-game schedule, going 6-3-1 on the season. 1910s in 1919, a young man by the name of In 1912, the Middle Tennessee Nor- Johnny “Red” Floyd took over for him 1930s mal School strapped up and donned that season. Interestingly enough, The 1930s brought defi nitive change the pads for the fi rst time as L.E. (Mutt) Floyd was a football player at Vanderbilt within the football program. In 1933, Weber, a student no less, coached the at the time. However, no football was the team had a new place to play their Normals or Pedagogues depending on played at Vanderbilt that year. home games, Horace Jones Field. E.M. who you ask. Although it is unlikely In his fi rst season as a football coach, Waller coached the team for the next that this group of men actually played Floyd led the Normal school to an un- two years. an organized game against another defeated 7-0 season. After witnessing a 70-7 loss to Murray institution (since no records exist), the No football was played in 1918 due State, Horace Jones - although he never foundation for football had been laid to the war, and Floyd returned to Van- played or coached football - helped ini- on the campus of the Normal School in derbilt the following season. Miles also tiate the recruiting of football players. Murfreesboro. returned in 1919 to coach the team His fi rst recruit…Charles Murphy. By 1913, a buzz had been created once again and led the Normals to their In 1934, the Daily News Journal held by a group of young men forming a second straight undefeated season and a contest to give the schoo’s athletic football team the previous year, which third in the program’s six years of play. team’s a specifi c nickname. The Peda- prompted the administration to appoint gogues, Normals, and Teachers had all an offi cial coach for the team. Alfred B. 1920s been used. Charles Sarver, a member of the football team, won the $5 contest Miles, a biology and physiology profes- Miles continued to coach the team with the name Blue Raiders. Sarver had sor, took the reins of the football team. through the early part of the decade, been a fan of the Colgate Red Raiders In 1913, the Normal School played its but his fi nal year came in 1923. Miles and substituted the school’s blue for fi rst offi cial game, a 47-0 win against was credited with a 34-15-4 record as Colgate’s red. MBA. Although it’s unknown what level the Normal School’s fi rst offi cially rec- In 1935, the season saw the return of of talent the team played against, they ognized coach. Johnny “Red” Floyd. As in his fi rst stint went on to a 5-1-1 record including a tie Guy Stephenson coached the team in 1917, Floyd led the Blue Raiders to against Vanderbilt’s “B” squad. in 1924 and 1925. Although Stephen- another undefeated season including The following season, the Normal son produced only a 4-9-2 record, he revenge over Murray and a win over School rolled to an undefeated season, did give the school its fi rst win over an Tennessee Tech for the fi rst time in sev- winning fi ve straight games after a tie opponent which we would refer to as en years. against Cumberland in the opener. Division I in today’s terms with a 57-7 Floyd’s fi rst loss as a head coach did In 1917, Miles left the school due win over Memphis State. not come until the following year in the to World War I. Although he returned In the fi nal game of the 1925 season, opener against Vanderbilt. 126 MIDDLE TENNESSEE FOOTBALL Blue Raider History 1950s 1960s The 1950 season produced the fi rst The decade was Middle Tennessee’s all-American selections in the school’s most prolifi c for wins. The Blue Raiders history: fullback Max Arnold, halfback won 75 of their 105 games (winning Maxie Runion, and guard Charles Ly- percentage of .714). Prior to the 1960 ons. season, Horace Jones Field was expand- On November 18, 1950, Middle Ten- ed to seat 10,000. nessee traveled by plane for the fi rst For the second time in three seasons, time in school history when the team Middle Tennessee played in the Tanger- fl ew to Beaumont, Texas., to face Lamar ine Bowl in 1961 but was defeated by Tech. The Blue Raiders won the game Lamar Tech. 27-0. Maxie Runion, the All-American In 1962, the Blue Raiders shared the halfback, took a one-week train ride be- OVC title with Morehead State, Eastern cause he was afraid to fl y. He returned Kentucky, and East Tennessee State. a punt for a TD in the win. End George Dykes (1963), halfback In 1952, Middle Tennessee joined the Jimbo Pearson (1964), and Keith Atch- Ohio Valley Conference. Bobby Young, ley (1965) earned All-American honors. Howard Alsup, and Garnett Rather be- The 1964 squad won the OVC title Along with Max Arnold and Charlie came the fi rst Blue Raiders to be select- and played in their fi nal bowl game to Lyons, Maxie Runion (64) was named an ed to the All-Conference team. date, a 20-0 win in the Grantland Rice All-American in 1950. The Blue Raiders won their fi rst con- Bowl over Muskingum. ference title with a 5-0 OVC record in In 1965, MTSC acquired university The 1937 season saw the Blue Raid- 1956. Fullback Terry Sweeney earned status. ers play a 13-13 tie against rival Ten- All-American honors and the team Charles Murphy led the 1965 team nessee Tech. At the end of the season, made their fi rst bowl appearance (a 27- to his fourth and fi nal undefeated sea- unsatisfi ed by the tie, the two teams de- 13 loss to Sam Houston State) in the Re- son as well as his seventh OVC Champi- cided to play a second game. The Blue frigerator Bowl. onship. Teddy Morris and Keith Atchley Raiders won 29-0. Middle Tennessee Charles Murphy’s 1957 team won became co-OVC Players of the Year, the also reached the 100-win plateau that their second straight OVC Champion- fi rst Blue Raiders to win this honor. season with a 19-0 victory over Austin ship and capped a perfect 10-0 season At the end of the 1965 season, Teddy Peay. by shutting out Tennessee Tech 22-0. In Morris left the University as the most Floyd retired following his only los- the process, MT recorded win number prolifi c passer in school history. Fol- ing season in 1938. 200 against Chattanooga 20-6. Ends lowing the season, Morris’ number 14 Jerry Hurst and G.E. McCormack and 1940s tackle Ralph Massey earned All-Ameri- Horace Jones Field was given a face- can honors. lift in 1940 when expansion added per- The Blue Raiders made it three years manent concrete grandstands. in a row when they shared the OVC title The school’s name was changed in with Tennessee Tech in 1958. 1943 to Middle Tennessee State Col- In 1959, with Middle Tennessee and lege; however, no football was played Tennessee Tech tied at 5-0 in confer- from 1943 to 1945 due to World War II. ence play, the two rivals battled to a 21- In 1947, the winningest coach to 21 tie, and the teams shared the OVC ever walk the sidelines of Horace Jones crown for a second consecutive season. Field began the fi rst of his 22 years lead- It was also the fourth straight confer- ing the Blue Raiders. Charles “Bubber” ence title for the Blue Raiders. Murphy led his team to a 9-1 record Middle Tennessee picked up its fi rst that fi rst year. bowl victory in the Tangerine Bowl Although he had to weather the crit- (now called the Citrus Bowl) with a 21- ics after switching the off ensive system 12 win over Presbyterian capping an to the wing-T the following year, which 11-0-1 season. produced a mediocre 4-4 mark, Murphy Coach “Bubber” Murphy is the all-time led the team to the fi rst of his four un- winningest coach in school history with defeated seasons the next year. 155 victories. MIDDLE TENNESSEE FOOTBALL 127 Blue Raider History the Off ensive Player of the Decade for gram produced more talent than in any the 1960s.