History of the Blue Raiders

The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders are the men's and women's athletic teams at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. MT athletic teams participate in Conference USA in NCAA Division I (Bowl Subdivision in football). MT competed in the Ohio Valley Conference until 2000 and the Sun Belt Conference until 2013.

College Sports Established
1911

Location
Murfreesboro, Tennessee

College Name
Middle Tennessee State University

Collegiate History
1973 - Present / NCAA Division 1
1922 - 1973 / University Division of the NCAA

Conference History
2013 - Present / Conference USA
2001 - 2012 / Sun Belt Conference
1999 - 2000 / Independent
1952 - 1998 / Ohio Valley Conference
1911 - 1951 / Independent

Nickname
Blue Raiders - In the early days of athletics at Middle Tennessee State University, the teams were known by several nicknames. Among these were Teachers, Normalites, and Pedagogues. In 1934, it was decided that the school needed a specific nickname.

During football season that year, the Murfreesboro Daily News Journal held a contest to name the team. The late Charles Sarver, then a Middle Tennessee football player and later principal at White County High School in Sparta, Tenn., won the $5 prize for his entry of "Blue Raiders."

Sarver later indicated he had "borrowed" the nickname of the Colgate Red Raiders, but substituted MTSU Blue for Colgate Red. Ever since then, Middle Tennessee athletic teams have been known as the Blue Raiders.

NCAA Championships
Baseball 0

Men's Basketball 0

Women's Basketball 0

Football 0

Soccer 0