The Southern Arkansas Muleriders football team represents Southern Arkansas University (SAU) in the sport of American football. The Southern Arkansas Muleriders compete in Division II of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and in the Great American Conference.

SAU begin competing in 1911 when they were known as the Third District Agricultural School. Early Mulerider teams played local junior college and high school teams. The Muleriders are inaugural members of the Great American Conference. SAU has competed in the NCAA Division II since 1995 after spending almost 50 years as members of the NAIA.

Mulerider football teams have won 8 conference championships, participated in four college bowl games (2–1–1 record), and have made the NCAA Division II Playoffs in two seasons (0–2 record). SAU has produced 70 All-Americans and 172 First Team All-Conference players.

The Muleriders' home stadium is Wilkins Stadium which opened in 1949. Wilkins Stadium features dual grandstands with seating for 6,000. Several renovations have been done to Wilkins Stadiums over the past few years. Artificial turf was recently installed and new ticket booths and concessions stands were added. Also on site at Wilkins Stadium is the Auburn Smith Field House which houses the SAU coaches offices, locker room, and training room.

History

Pre-NCAA history (1911–1994)

AIC era Prior to joining NCAA Division II football, the Muleriders were an inaugural member of the Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference which featured several non-scholarship programs from the state of Arkansas. Six of these programs continue to be conference mates today. SAU saw varying periods of success during their years in the AIC. SAU fielded 61 teams during their time in the AIC and left the conference with a 309–270–25 record. The late 1920s were good to the Muleriders as the team won the AIC Championship in 1926, 1927, and 1929. The 1929 squad is the last team to finish a season unbeaten. The 1930s and 1940 saw years that SAU did not field a team. Many schools took off the World War II years due to the demands that war brought. However, by 1946 football was back at SAU to stay. Elmer Smith was hired to lead the program. Elmer Smith was able to duplicate the success of the late 1920s winning AIC Championships in 1948, 1951, & 1952. Coach Smith left the university to join Paul "Bear" Bryant's staff at the University of Alabama following the 1953 season. Coach Smith finished at SAU with a 54–27–2 record.

In 1954, Auburn Smith (no relation to Elmer Smith) was promoted from assistant football coach to the head coaching position. This began the longest tenured coach in SAU history. Auburn Smith guided the Mulerider program for 15 seasons and retired with the most wins in school history. Upon his retirement, Smith served as the athletic director for several years. The field house at Wilkins Stadium was named in his honor in 1995.

Raymond "Rip" Powell was named as Smith's replacement and proceeded to lead SAU into the best five-year period in the programs history. From 1971 to 1975, Powell's squads compiled a 38–13–1 record and won the 1972 AIC Championship. Powell wasn't able to continue the success that he found at the beginning of his career and he retired following the 1978 season. Following Powell's retirement, SAU's program entered into a period of instability. Coaches rarely stayed more than a couple years and 8 win seasons were followed by 1 win seasons. There were bright spots. The 1981 squad, coached by Jimmy "Red" Parker reached the No. 1 ranking before finishing the season 7–3. In 1990, the Muleriders traveled to the Aztec Bowl in Mexico where they beat the Mexican All-Star team 41–31.

At the conclusion of the 1994–1995 season, the AIC folded. Most of the schools had already moved from the NAIA to the NCAA ranks. SAU joined several other Arkansas institutions to form the Western Division of the Gulf South Conference. This marked the end of a period in SAU's athletic history. Following this, the SAU football team experienced a series of successful seasons.

NCAA history (1995–present)

GSC (1995–2011) SAU was in a transitional period during the 1995 & 1996 seasons. However, any fears that Mulerider fans has about SAU's ability to compete at the NCAA Division II level were put to rest during the 1997 season. Coach Steve Roberts led SAU to the Gulf South Conference Championship in 1997 with an overall record of 9–2. The 1998 & 1999 seasons were equally successful as SAU finished 8–2 & 9–1. The 1999 squad lost their final contest to eventual GSC Champions Arkansas Tech in overtime. A win would have earn SAU their first unbeaten season in 70 years and would have given SAU their 2nd GSC Conference championship in their first three years in the league. Following the 1999 season, Coach Roberts was hired by Northwestern (LA) State.

Following Roberts at SAU was John Bland who coached the Muleriders to a 5–5 record in 2000, his only season at the helm. Steve Quinn replaced Bland and led the Muleriders for the next 8 seasons. The 2003 squad was Quinn's most successful. The 2003 squad finished 9–3 and made the NCAA Division II playoffs where they lost to GSC conference foe North Alabama. After three consecutive losing seasons to finish his tenure at SAU, current head coach Bill Keopple was hired to replace Quinn. Keopple's first season in Magnolia was SAU's final season in the Gulf South Conference.

GAC (2011–present)

In 2011, SAU, five other Arkansas colleges, and four Oklahoma colleges joined forces to become the Great American Conference. Leading the SAU team into the new conference was 3rd year head coach Bill Keopple. Keopple came to SAU after several years as a college assistant as well as a successful high school head coach. He brought with him an uptempo offense and multiple defense. The 2011 teams showed improvement on the field but finished the season with a 3–7 record.

In 2012, the improvement was shown in a major way. Behind the inspired play of the offense, led by All-Americans Tyler Sykora, Mark Johnson, & Don Unamba, the Muleriders finished the season 8–3 and participated in the C.H.A.M.P.S Heart of Texas Bowl where the fell to McMurry 36–35. The 2013 season had high expectations with many of the starters from the 2012 squad returning. SAU stumbled out of the gate and finished the season 6–4. Despite the drop off in wins, SAU finished with consecutive winning records for the first time since 2002–2003.

Postseason appearances NCAA Division II playoffs The Muleriders have made two appearances in the NCAA Division II playoffs, with a combined record of 0–2.

1997 First Round Albany State L, 6–10 2003 First Round North Alabama L, 24–48

Bowls Southern Arkansas teams have been invited to participate in six bowls and have an overall bowl record of 3–4–1. The Muleriders most recent bowl appearance was in 2023 when the competing in the Farmer’s Bank & Trust Live United Bowl in Texarkana, Arkansas.

1947 Elmer Smith Cajun Bowl John McNeese (LA) JC T 0–0 1948 Elmer Smith Papoose Bowl Eastern Oklahoma State W 41–12 1990 Don Tumey Aztec Bowl Mexican All-Stars W 41–31 2012 Bill Keopple Heart of Texas Bowl McMurry (TX) L 35–36 2016 Bill Keopple Agent Barry Live United Bowl Texas A&M-Kingsville L 17–24 2018 Bill Keopple Agent Barry Live United Bowl Missouri Western L 25–30 2019 Bill Keopple Heritage Bowl Eastern New Mexico L 13–20 2023Brad SmileyFarmer’s Bank & Trust Live United BowlMissouri WesternW 43-27

Rivalries

Southern Arkansas plays its annual rivalry game, "The Battle of the Timberlands", against the University of Arkansas at Monticello Boll Weevils. The rivalry dates back to 1913 and the winning team is awarded a traveling trophy. SAU leads the series 55–35–1.

Head coaches Current coaching staff

Name Position YearenteringBrad SmileyHead Coach 1stWill ReedDefensive Coordinator 1stAndrew RiceOffensive Coordinator 1stJ PondOffensive Line 1stTJ LangleyDefensive Line 2ndMichael ThompsonWide Receivers 1stJames DarbyLinebackers 1stAaron MatthewsCornerbacks 1st

Coaching history SAU has had 21 head coaches since it began play in 1911. Brad Smiley is the current head coach, named to this role on December 6, 2021. Bill Keopple won more games than any other SAU coach, with 65 wins. G.W. Bacot, Arvil Green, and Jimmy (Red) Parker each won at least 70% of the contests they coached.

Name Games Wins Losses Ties Pct. Firstyear Lastyear Totalyears G.R. Turrentine35112130.357191119177 J.W. Gardner88001.000191819191 A.J. Anderson1661000.375192019212 A.L. Ahrens83500.375192219221 Sage McLean1175154120.4871923193614 Arvil Green1813410.750194019412 Elmer Smith83542720.663194619538 Auburn Smith141637620.4541954196815 Raymond "Rip" Powell102623820.6181969197810 Sam Goodwin2191110.452197919802 Jimmy "Red" Parker107300.700198119811 Steve Arnett40201820.525198219854 Rob Hicklin41132620.341198619894 Don Tumey44222110.511199019934 Steve Roberts60352410.592199419996 John Bland105500.500200020001 Steve Quinn86394700.453200120088 Bill Keopple118655300.55120092020*11 Mike McCarty114700.364202120211 Brad Smiley2315800.65220222 2020 football season cancelled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Award winners Through the 2013 season, 70 Muleriders have been named All-American with over 150 Muleriders have been named All-Conference. The following players and coaches have won individual awards.

Gulf South Conference Coach of the Year 1997 – Steve Roberts

Gulf South Conference Defensive Player of the Year 1997 – Fred Perry, LB

Gulf South Conference Freshman of the Year 2011 – Mark Johnson, RB

Great American Conference Freshman of the Year 2015 – Barrett Renner, QB 2021 - Jariq Scales, RB

Muleriders at NFL and CFL There have been 9 Muleriders who have played professional football in the National Football League and the Canadian Football League.

SAU Players Tommy Tuberville Charlie McClendon

Professional Players Player Pos. Tenure Team Dennis Woodberry DB 1986–1988 Atlanta Falcons, Washington Redskins Greg Stumon DE/LB 1986–1995 British Columbia Lions, Edmonton Eskimos, Ottawa Rough Riders, Shreveport Pirates Kenneth Brown WR 1987 Cincinnati Bengals David Ward LB 1987 New England Patriots Fred Perry DE/LB 1999–2009 Toronto Argonauts, Edmonton Eskimos, Ottawa Renegades, Calgary Stampeders, Saskatchewan Roughriders, Winnipeg Blue Bombers Jordan Babineaux DB 2004–2012 Seattle Seahawks, Tennessee Titans Nik Lewis WR 2004–2017 Calgary Stampeders Kenneth Pettway DE 2005–2012 Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Green Bay Packers, Edmonton Eskimos, Calgary Stampeders Cedric Thornton DT 2011–2017 Dallas Cowboys, Buffalo Bills Don Unamba DB 2014–2021 Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Saskatchewan Roughriders, Montreal Alouettes, Hamilton Tiger-Cats Tanner Hudson TE 2018–present Tampa Bay Buccaneers, San Francisco 49ers, New York Giants, Cincinnati Bengals

Traditions

School colors SAU's school colors of Royal Blue and Old Gold were chosen in honor of the Farmer's Union. The union paved the way for the Third District Agricultural School to be founded in Magnolia in 1909.

Nickname and Logo Southern Arkansas's athletic teams have gone by several nicknames during the years. Names include "Aggies", "Burros", "Mulettes", "Kats" and "Riderettes" before becoming the Muleriders/Lady Muleriders officially. The Mulerider nickname is regularly called one of the most unusual nicknames in college athletics. There are several versions of how the Muleriders became the nickname of SAU. The university has accepted the following legend of the nickname: