For more than a century, the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders has been one of the most underrated and underappreciated programs in college football. Granted, they’ve never played in a major conference or been a national championship contender, which is why cheap Middle Tennessee football tickets are always available. But during the program’s slow climb to the FBS level, the Blue Raiders have experienced plenty of winning seasons and won their fair share of conference titles. Along the way, the Blue Raiders have also developed a strong following, leading to high demand for last-minute Middle Tennessee football tickets.

The Godfathers

Both Alfred B. Miles and Johnny Floyd are key figures during the early days of Middle Tennessee football. Both had multiple stints as the head coach, with Miles having a 36-14-4 record over nine seasons while Floyd led the program to a 7-0 record in 1917 and then returned in 1935, going 30-8-1 over five seasons and leading the Blue Raiders to a pair of conference titles in 1935 and 1936.

Murph is the Man

The next great figure in Middle Tennessee football history was Charles Murphy, who coached the program from 1947 to 1968. His tenure included seven conference championships, four unbeaten seasons, and the program’s first four bowl appearances. While the Blue Raiders played at a lower level in the Ohio Valley Conference during that time, Middle Tennessee became a heavyweight at that level. Murphy’s success helped set the stage for head coach Boots Donnelly, who won four conference championships with the Blue Raiders and took Middle Tennessee to the FCS Playoffs seven times between 1984 and 1994.

Steady and Still

In the 21st century, Rick Stockstill has made Middle Tennessee one of the most consistent programs outside of the power conferences. He led the Blue Raiders to the Sun Belt title in his first season in 2006, ultimately taking the program up the ladder to Conference USA in 2013. Under Stockstill, the Blue Raiders have become a team that expects to compete for a conference championship and go to a bowl game every season, becoming the type of mid-major that top programs fear just a little.