Murray State Racers

Murray State Racers

Murray State University features 15 varsity sports teams. Both men's and women's teams are called the Racers, with the exception of the baseball team which is known as the Thoroughbreds. They participate in the NCAA's Division I, in the Ohio Valley Conference. Football competes the Football Championship Subdivision, formerly known as Division I-AA. The University's current athletic director is Allen Ward.

Murray State is one of the original members of the Ohio Valley Conference, along with current OVC members Eastern Kentucky University and Morehead State University. These three schools, along with the University of Louisville, Western Kentucky University, and the University of Evansville joined together to form the Ohio Valley Conference in 1948.

Originally, Murray State athletic teams were known as the Thoroughbreds. Over time, sports writers and editors found the name Thoroughbreds to be too cumbersome for headlines, so they often shortened it to names such as "T-Breds", "Breds", "Race Horses", and "Racers". "Racers" began to grow in popularity through the late 1950s, and it was adopted as the official nickname in 1961. At the time the new nickname was adopted, the baseball team had just purchased new uniforms and equipment bags with the Thoroughbreds logo on it, so the team requested and received a one year extension before adopting the new nickname. Alumni and fans admired the team for keeping the original nickname, so the baseball team remains known as the Thoroughbreds to this day.

The women's teams were known as Lady Racers until 2007. The "Lady" was officially dropped in 2007; however, some publications and media outlets still refer to the women's teams as Lady Racers instead of simply Racers.

Murray State is particularly renowned for its men's basketball program, which has made 15 appearances in the NCAA Tournament and has been recognized as one of the top 30 basketball programs in modern history by ESPN.