Missouri State

[Ridge1982]

Has there been a MVFC program that has underperformed more over the last two decades than MO St? Mo St has huge benefactors, surrounded by high level JUCO programs, and a huge alumni base in KC and St. Louis. They should be picking the leftovers all over the state along with grabbing JUCOs. It took Bobby Petrino to get them to the playoffs for the first time since 1990 and even that didn’t last. Lindenwood may pass them by in the near future with their location, resources, and recruiting base.

[MR. CHICKEN]

Has there been a MVFC program that has underperformed more over the last two decades than MO St? Mo St has huge benefactors, surrounded by high level JUCO programs, and a huge alumni base in KC and St. Louis. They should be picking the leftovers all over the state along with grabbing JUCOs. It took Bobby Petrino to get them to the playoffs for the first time since 1990 and even that didn’t last. Lindenwood may pass them by in the near future with their location, resources, and recruiting base.

...INDIANA STATE......xdontknowx............ER.....UH......UM MM........AWK?

[wapiti]

Yea, What Chicken said.

[clenz]

No. It's Missouri State and it's not even close. Not just football but as an entire athletic department, really.

They should absolutely dominate the Valley across the board most years. They have so much more money than everyone else. They have facilities that the rest of the league can't even dream of building. They have donors/sponsors/corporate partners that no one else can get. They have access to recruiting areas that the rest of us can't touch.

Yet they have never won a regular season mens basketball title. They have just one MVC tournament title - 1992. They haven't been to the NCAA tournament since 1999. Hell, 1992 and 1999 are the only NCAA tournaments since they joined the Valley.

They are the only warm weather Valley school yet they don't dominate softball or baseball. They are good programs, but you'd think they absolutely smoke every northern school for recruiting, training, and thus results.

They've had some amazing womens basketball and volleyball teams, but things are going strange down that way with those programs the last few years.

Soccer they should, because of weather, and largely do very well against the cold weather schools but they don't dominate in ways you'd expect.

They are the one school that everyone else in the Valley looks at and goes "Man, if we had what they have no one would be able to touch us" because they are that "spoiled" as an athletic department. I'll let any MSU fans get into their admin side of things, but they really really really really strugle on that side of things.

[crusader11]

Curious why MSU's funding and facilities are head and shoulders above other schools in the Valley?

Institutionally speaking, they don't seem to be anything different than a number of their "peer" schools.

[clenz]

Curious why MSU's funding and facilities are head and shoulders above other schools in the Valley?

Institutionally speaking, they don't seem to be anything different than a number of their "peer" schools.
Corporate sponsorships and donors.

John Q. Hammons and Robert W. Plaster

John Hammons was from Springfield, went to MSU, and was a massive developer. He gave to a number of different schools through his name and other holdings groups (a small NAIA school in Cedar Rapids, IA built brand new baseball, softball, and football facilities with his name on it and they don't even have football). Hammons built 210+ hotels in 40 states. Also has over a dozen other buildings with his name on them.

Things went sideways for him/his chains financially around the time he died and after but all the money was already spent. He still owed over 22m to MSU when he died in 2013.


He built their basketball arena, which is legitimately P5 caliber on a marginally smaller scale at only 11k capacity. His name is on the baseball field in Springfield which hosts the AA affilliate of the Cards and MSU baseball. His name is also on the Student Center on campus - which is where the teams played before JQH Arena opened (not Great Southern Bank arena as it was renamed due to his financial issuesa nd some other stuff coming to light in the last 4 or 5 years). The womens team and volleyball team still paly there and would be at/near the top of most mid or low major conferences.


Robert Plaster is from the area and become a liquid propane/gas big wig where his company became the largest LP distributor in the country and was on the NYSE. Late in life he sold that and started an investment company and a large part of that was giving money back to schools and other institutions to improve their buildings for students - he couldn't finish school since he couldn't afford it so a bit of giving back I guess.

Again, just money directly in/on/around campus that no one outside of the P5 programs could ever even imagine.

[clenz]

Plaster Field
https://missouristate.info/images/buildings/Plaster-Stadium-17987-5068.jpg

JQH Arena - now Great Southern Bank Arena
https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ca8cc2_54370c3a17ec48528d9cc4dc43a09caf~mv2.jpeg
https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ca8cc2_d1892b40d4864958ab9ed8e6f69c2e88~mv2.jpeg

Hammons Student Center

https://assets.simpleviewinc.com/simpleview/image/upload/c_limit,q_75,w_1200/v1/crm/springfield/65996_376_b2cd3efe-5056-a348-3a3fe4f74d4875d1.jpg

Hammons Field
https://missouristatebears.com/images/2021/12/1/HammonsFieldFront2.jpg
https://sbj.net/uploads/original/20230502-112331-Cardinals.jpg
https://d194ip2226q57d.cloudfront.net/images/Night-OutSpringfield-Cardinals_By-Matt-Turer.original.jpg

Killian Stadium
https://missouristatebears.com/images/2021/12/1/Killian2.jpg?width=600&height=360&mode=crop
https://missouristatebears.com/images/2022/4/28/22285_1804.jpg?width=600&height=360&mode=crop

Allison South Stadium
https://www.springfieldmosports.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/AllisonSouth.jpg
https://missouristatebears.com/images/2021/12/1/Allison_South_10_.jpg


Cooper Tennis Comples
https://www.parkboard.org/ImageRepository/Document?documentID=2392
https://drurypanthers.com/images/2017/8/4/Cooper_Tennisint.jpg

Allison Sand Volleyball Court
https://missouristatebears.com/images/2021/12/1/18AllisonSandCourts3.jpg

Plaster Strength Center
Plaster Stadium Strength Center - Facilities - Missouri State (missouristatebears.com) (https://missouristatebears.com/facilities/plaster-stadium-strength-center/35)



There isn't a single school in the Valley - or any low-major, mid-major, - hell 90% of the G5 - that has what they have access to

[crusader11]

Damn, that's a beautiful baseball stadium / complex.

Men's basketball has had their moments this century with Cuonzo and Barry Hinson, but haven't been able to get over the hump. They always were a tick below Northern Iowa, Wichita, and Creighton (when they were in the Valley).

[clenz]

Damn, that's a beautiful baseball stadium / complex.

Men's basketball has had their moments this century with Cuonzo and Barry Hinson, but haven't been able to get over the hump. They always were a tick below Northern Iowa, Wichita, and Creighton (when they were in the Valley).
They are consistently a third to sixth Valley finisher but could never get over the hump even though they almost always had the most "talent" team. The best top end talent, the best athleticism, etc. They just can't hire coaches for ****, are afraid to fire coaches, etc.

Which is why I said I'd defer to an MSU fan on that side of it. It's largely dysfunction at the admin level making bad hires and refusing to move on from the bad hire.

[uni88]

Damn, that's a beautiful baseball stadium / complex.

Men's basketball has had their moments this century with Cuonzo and Barry Hinson, but haven't been able to get over the hump. They always were a tick below Northern Iowa, Wichita, and Creighton (when they were in the Valley).

Their best moments were in the late 80's / early 90's under Charlie Spoonhour.

[KnightoftheRedFlash]

Now I understand why they are constantly mentioned as a possible FBS call-up.

Those facilities are gorgeous.

[uni88]

Now I understand why they are constantly mentioned as a possible FBS call-up.

Those facilities are gorgeous.

Great facilities plus they're the #2 school (behind Missouri) in a state of 6+ million people with 2 major metropolitan areas. Indiana State is #4 (behind Notre Dame, Indiana & Purdue) in a state of 6+ million people with 1 major metropolitan area.

[ST_Lawson]

Great facilities plus they're the #2 school (behind Missouri) in a state of 6+ million people with 2 major metropolitan areas. Indiana State is #4 (behind Notre Dame, Indiana & Purdue) in a state of 6+ million people with 1 major metropolitan area.

They also have ~25k students (largest in the MVFC) and their metro area also has just under 1/2 million people (~475k). The only metro area with a MVFC team that is larger is the Mahoning Valley (Youngstown-Warren, OH) with ~541k people.

[UNAPride]

Wow! Those are great facilities.

[Ridge1982]

Their best moments were in the late 80's / early 90's under Charlie Spoonhour.
And he put the SLU Billikens on the national map in the mid to late 90’s. Loved hearing him tell stories with Jack Buck each week on KMOX Radio. God bless Spoonball.