2009 Missouri Southern Lionbacker Membership Drive

Click here for Membership Benefits | Click here for Online Application Form
Southern Athletics Timeline

Since its founding in 1968, Missouri Southern has consistently produced competitive athletic programs and quality student-athletes. By becoming a part of the Lionbacker Booster Club you can help continue that successful tradition.

Call the Missouri Southern Athletic Department at 625-9317 for more information on how to become a part of the family. Join the Lionbackers today!!

Statement of Purpose
The purpose of the Missouri Southern Lionbackers Association is to aid the athletic department in achieving its primary goals of graduating the student-athlete and fielding teams that are successfully competitive. The Lionbackers will financially support the athletic department through the purchase of Lionbacker memberships and by actively recruiting new members. The Lionbackers will grow loyal fan support through strong attendance at athletic events, by encouraging the consistent attendance of others, and by generally promoting Missouri Southern Athletics throughout Joplin and the surrounding communities.

Membership Levels
Lionbacker Membership-$300 investment
Each $300 Lionbacker membership will consist of two season tickets and one parking pass.

Gift In Kind Lionbacker Membership-$350 investment
Businesses may trade goods or services in the amount of $350 and receive a Lionbacker Membership.

Corporate Lionbacker Membership-$700 investment
Businesses purchasing a Corporate Lionbacker Membership will receive four season tickets plus all other membership benefits. Additionally, Corporate Lionbackers will receive 100 general admission tickets to a selected Lions football or basketball game!

Gift In Kind Corporate Lionbacker Membership-$800 investment
Businesses may trade goods or services in the amount of $800 and receive a Corporate Lionbacker Membership

Outright Gifts
This is the most beneficial level to the immediate needs of the Missouri Southern Athletic Department. Gifts to athletics typically are cash gifts, but contributions of personal property, goods or services, real estate or appreciated securities can mean substantial support for the Missouri Southern Athletic Department.

Matching Gifts
Many companies have matching gift programs. These firms will match a contribution dollar for dollar, and some companies even match two-for-one or three-for-one! You should contact your personnel office for more information and an appropriate matching gift form to send with the gift. Be aware that some companies have eligibility restrictions on gifts they will match.

Honorary and Memorial Gifts
Honorary and memorial gifts are a fitting way to pay tribute to someone's life and accomplishments while strengthening the Missouri Southern Athletics program. Several scholarship funds have been endowed to perpetuate an individual's name.

Whatever club level you choose to join, as a member of the Lionbacker Booster Club you become an important part of the Southern Athletics program. Your support benefits the various men's and women's teams, and helps make a college education accessible for student-athletes. Become part of the winning tradition, and help take Southern to even greater success in NCAA Division II.

Call the Missouri Southern Athletic Department at 625-9317 for more information on how to become a part of the family. Join the Lionbackers today!!

Missouri Southern Athletics Timeline
1968
Missouri Southern becomes a four-year institution and joins the
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.

1972
Southern wins NAIA Division II Football Championship, downing
Northwestern (Iowa) College 21 - 14.

1974
Women's athletic program developed at Southern.

1978
Lions baseball earns first trip to NAIA World Series, finishing second.

1982
Women's basketball wins NAIA District 16 and Area IV Tournaments, and finishes second in the nation.

1989
Southern changes membership from the NAIA to the NCAA Division II and joins the MIAA.

1991
Lions baseball finishes second in the NCAA Division II World Series.

Volleyball finishes the season with a 32-11 record and places
second in the MIAA Tournament.

1992
Softball wins the NCAA Division II national championship.

1993
Lions football wins its first MIAA Championship and advances to the NCAA Division II Playoffs

Men's basketball wins MIAA Postseason Tournament and advances
to the NCAA South Central Regional.

1994
Women's basketball wins MIAA Postseason Tournament and advances
to the NCAA South Central Regional.

Six Southern track & field athletes qualify for the NCAA Division II Track and Field Championships, with three All-Americans and one national champion (Tongula Walker in the triple jump).

1996-97
Men's wins a share of its first MIAA Championship.

Lions football player Justin Taylor wins a $10,000 scholarship for Missouri Southern
for being named a Burger King Scholar-Athlete.

1997-98
Softball team wins its fourth MIAA championship
and finishes second in South Central Regional.

Women's Cross Country team wins its first MIAA Championship
and finishes second in the Great Lakes Regional.
Senior Sonia Eudy goes on to place second at NCAA Championships.

1998-99
Kevin Dotson wins national title in the high jump by clearing 7-1 1/4
at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships.

1999-00
Men's basketball team goes 30-3, 16-2 in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association.
Coach Robert Corn's squad wins the MIAA regular season title, the MIAA Postseason Tournament
championship and the South Central Regional crown. The Lions advance to the NCAA Division II
Final Four before bowing out to eventual national champion, Metro State of Denver. Corn is named
Coach of the Year by the Division II Bulletin.

2000-01
Softball finishes the season at 52-12, setting an MIAA record for wins in a single season.
Softball claims it's fifth MIAA title and a berth in the North Central Regional before finishing the year with a loss to the eventual national champions, Nebraska-Omaha.

Men's Cross Country squad upset Central Missouri State to win its first MIAA title, and would finish second in the regional, earning its first-ever trip to the Division II national meet. Tom Rutledge was named MIAA Cross Country Coach of the Year, his first such award.

Geoff VanDeusen also took home conference coach of the year honors for his work with the women's soccer program.
Southern women's soccer improved from 1-16-1 in the program's first season while giving up 77 goals, to 5-11-0 in 2000 and cutting opponents' goals to 33.

The Lions baseball team earned its first regional berth since 1995, and completed the season with a 36-20 record. Southern finished second in the MIAA with a mark of 21-7. Of Southern's 20 losses, six came to eventual national runner-up Central Missouri State, three to World Series qualifier SIU-Edwardsville, four to NAIA World Series qualifier Dallas Baptist, and one to Division I Arkansas. The Lions did manage to snap a 21-game losing streak to Central Missouri by downing the Mules in Joplin for the first time since 1991.

Robert Corn became the winningest coach in Missouri Southern men's basketball history with a February win at Missouri Western. Corn finished the year with 184 wins in his Missouri Southern tenure.

2001-02
The men's cross country team tied Truman State for their second straight MIAA Championship. Southern went on to finish third in the region, and 19th at the Division II national meet.

Junior quarterback Josh Chapman became only the fourth Division II player to eclipse 1,000 yards both rushing and passing in the same season. Chapman finished with 1,025 yards on the ground and 1,623 yards through the air.

The women's soccer team posted its first winning season. Southern finished the year 10-8-2 overall, and 8-4 in the MIAA. Just two seasons prior, the team finished 1-16-1 in their first year.

Southern volleyball notched its first winning season since the 1996 campaign, finishing 21-9 overall, and 9-7 in the MIAA.

In men's basketball, head coach Robert Corn notched his 200th career win with an 83-74 home victory against Washburn. The Lions finished 20-8 for their third straight 20-plus win season, and had 71 wins over a three-year span.

The women's basketball team finished 17-11 under first-year head coach Maryann Mitts, its first winning season since 1995-96. Southern also won its first MIAA tournament game since 1996 with a 69-65 road victory at Pittsburg State. That win was also coach Mitts' 100th of her career.

Lions baseball coach Warren Turner recorded his 750th career win with a 4-3 home victory over Truman State. The Lions finished the season 29-20, 18-9 in the MIAA which was good for second place.

2002-03
Senior quarterback Josh Chapman was named MIAA Offensive Player of the Year for his outstanding season which saw him become the only D-II player ever to rush for 1,000 yards and pass for 2,000 yards in the same season. Chapman also finished his career as the only D-II player in history to rush for 3,000 yards and pass for 5,000 yards during a career.

The Lions cross country team won its third consecutive MIAA title, and Tom Rutledge was named MIAA Coach of the Year. Brian Lyons brought home the individual MIAA championship. The Lions won the Disney World Classic, went on to finish second in the region, and seventh nationally.

Sophomore forward Ashley Munnelly was named the MIAA Women's Soccer Most Valuable Player. Munnelly, who was named to the all-region team as well, totaled 19 goals to lead all MIAA players. Southern women's soccer notched its second straight winning season, finishing 15-11-2, and 7-3-2 in the MIAA.

For the first time ever, the MIAA moved its basketball postseason tournaments to a neutral site. The Sonic/MIAA Championships were played at Kansas City's Municipal Auditorium, a building that has hosted more basketball national championships than any in America. The women's basketball team bowed out in a first-round game with Emporia State. The Lions lost in the semifinals for the third consecutive year. The Southern men finished 19-10 overall and ended with 90 wins over a four-year span.

At the D-II Indoor Track & Field Championships in Boston, senior Seth Isringhausen won the national championship in the pole vault with a height of 16'-8.75". It marked just the second indoor national title for a Lion since 1990.

Southern's softball team made its 14th consecutive appearance in the MIAA Postseason Tournament.

2003-04
The Missouri Southern soccer programs both hired new coaches. Former Lion Kiley Cirillo, who played at MSSU from 1997-2000, was brought on as the seventh head coach in Southern's men's soccer history. Trevor Wachsman joined MSSU from Northern Colorado and became the second head coach in Southern women's soccer history.

In August of 2003, the institution officially became Missouri Southern State University.

Missouri Southern officially dropped the "Lady" from the nickname of its women's teams. All Missouri Southern athletics squads are now known as "Lions".

The men's cross country team won its fourth consecutive MIAA title. The team went on to finish fourth in the South Central Region to again qualify for nationals, where the Lions placed 19th. The women's cross country team finished second in the MIAA meet, second in the region and qualified for the national championships as a team for the first time ever. The women went on to place 20th in the nation.

John Ware was named the eighth head coach in Lions' football history on Dec. 23, 2003. Ware joined the Southern staff from MIAA rival Truman State University, where he was head coach for nine seasons.

2004-05
Trevor Wachsman's women's soccer team finished the season 10-8-2 overall and 8-5-1 in the MIAA. The team was listed among the top five most improved NCAA-II teams in the nation.

Lions football under first-year head coach John Ware completed the biggest single season improvement in Southern history. The Lions finished 5-6 overall, one year after going 1-10.

The MSSU men's cross country team qualified for the national meet for the fifth consecutive season, finishing 22nd.

Baseball coach Warren Turner was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame in January. The Lions beat Grand View (Iowa) 13-1 on March 5, giving "W.T." 800 career wins at Missouri Southern.

Missouri Southern named former SMS assistant coach Chris Willis as volleyball coach, replacing Debbie Traywick, who coached the Lions for 16 years. Southern finished 14-18 overall and 6-10 in the MIAA in Willis' first season.

Missouri Southern's men's track & field team finished sixth at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships, led by a 1-2-3 national finish in the pole vault. Junior Matt Campbell was crowned national champion in the event after clearing a school record height of 17 feet, 2.75 inches.

2005-06

The MSSU women's soccer team continued their rapid improvement, 11-5-4, 7-3-4 in the MIAA which tied them for second place.  The 11 wins ties a school record while the second place finish in the MIAA is the highest ever for a Lions team.  Goalkeeper Kaney Tyler was named MIAA Most Valuable Player while Nikki Llewellyn was named MIAA Freshman of the Year.

 Lion football beat Truman State, 41-17, at Homecoming in one of the most emotional games in school history.  The victory came just four days after the sudden passing of head coach John Ware.  Coach Ware died of a heart attack while at work on September 27.  Coach Ware was in just his second season as football coach at Missouri Southern.

MSSU named Aron Potter their new head softball coach in June.  Potter joined the Lions after serving as head coach at Coffeyville Community College for the past three seasons.  Potter is the sixth head coach in Southern softball history.

After an exhaustive national search, the Lions announced Bart Tatum as their new head football coach on December 13, 2005.  Tatum replaces the late John Ware who passed away on September 27, 2005.  Tatum joins the MSSU family after serving as an assistant coach at MIAA rival Northwest Missouri State for the past 12 seasons.

The Lion men s cross country team continued their domination of the MIAA, winning their fifth league title in the last six years on October 22 in Pittsburg, Kan.  Five Lions finished in the top 17 to claim the title for Southern.  Southern went on to finished sixth at regionals and qualify for the national meet.

The Southern women s basketball team finished the season 16-12, 8-8 in the MIAA.  The 8-8 mark gave the Lions a fourth-place finish in the conference, their highest finish since the 1995-96 season.  It was the fourth winning season under fifth-year head coach Maryann Mitts and it marked the team's fifth consecutive season with 15-plus victories.

Missouri Southern's men's track & field team finished ninth in the final indoor team standings at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships in Boston, Mass. The Lions were led by pole vaulter Matt Campbell, who won his second national championship and first indoors, as Missouri Southern finished 1-2 in the pole vault event.

2006-07

The MSSU women's soccer team continued continued to succeed as the Lions defeated two ranked programs in 16th ranked Washburn and 15th ranked Truman State. The Lions were ranked 21st in Division II when the team made its initial NCAA Tournament appearance, falling to Washburn in a shootout.  The Lions tied a school-record for victories in the season and ran off a school-best 11 match unbeaten-streak that ran from Sept. 17-Oct. 29.  Southern was 8-0-3 over that span.

Lions football ushered in a new era when Bart Tatum was named the new head football coach at the school in December of 2005. Southern went 5-6 in coach Tatum's first season. The team won its first three games, defeated perennial MIAA power Central Missouri at home and took home a thrilling, last-second victory at Emporia State in the final game of the season. Senior offensive lineman Allen Barbre became the highest drafted player ever to wear a Lion uniform when the Green Bay Packers took the Granby native in the fourth round. Barbre was a consensus All-American.

The Lion men s cross country team continued their domination of the MIAA, winning their sixth league title in the last seven years on October 21 in Bolivar, Mo.  Four Lions finished in the top 10 to claim the title for Southern.  Southern went on to finished second at regionals and finished 18th in the national meet.

The Lion women's cross country team won its first MIAA Title since 1998 when Southern placed two runners in the top ten and four in the top 15 to take home the trophy. Coach Patty Vavra was named the MIAA Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year for the team's success, as the Lions went on to finish fourth at the regional.

The Southern women's basketball team went 14-13 on the season and continued the success of coach Maryann Mitts. The Lions started the season 8-0 and enjoyed a trip to the Hawaiian Islands. The Lions went once again to the MIAA Tournament in Kansas City and the season saw the young Lions defeat then No. 2 ranked Missouri Western 75-69 at home.

Missouri Southern's men's track & field team won the MIAA Indoor Track and Field title at Warrensburg and finished 17th at the NCAA Division II National Meet. The Lions finished fourth, sixth and eighth in the pole vault. Junior thrower Jessica Selby remained undefeated in the MIAA Shot Put and finished third in the weight throw. Selby placed second nationally in the shot put earning All-American status. Selby followed up her indoor success winning the shot put and the weight throw at the MIAA Outdoor Championships and finished fourth in the shot put and sixth in the hammer at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

2007-08

The MSSU women's soccer team started the season ranked 19th nationally and won its first four matches. The team finished 11-5-3 overall, including a 6-0 shutout of Emporia State to conclude the season. Junior midfielder Nikki Llewellyn became the all-time leading goal scorer in MSSU women's soccer history, scoring two goals in the final game. Senior goalkeeper Kaney Tyler finished her career as MSSU's all-time leader in saves, shutouts, goals-against-average and minutes. 

In coach Bart Tatum's second season as head coach at Southern, the Lions finished with the program's first winning season since the 1997 campaign as Southern went 6-4 overall, including a shutout of Fort Hays State on Homecoming and a blowout victory of Truman on Senior Day. Senior Colin Bado became the the Lions all-time leading receiver in total receptions. His 84 receptions in 2007 raised his career Southern record to 250, placing him third all-time in the MIAA and 13th all time in Division II history. His 2,789 career receiving yards, trail only Southern hall of famer and former Denver Bronco, Rod Smith (3,122).

The Lion men s cross country team continued their domination of the MIAA, winning their seventh league title in the last eight years and third in a row, when Southern took home the title in Kirksville. Dustin Dixon and Dustin Miller finished 1-2 at the MIAA meet as the Lions placed four runners in the top 11 and all five scoring runners in the top 16. The Lions would go on to host the NCAA South Central Regional and the Division II National Championships at the Missouri Southern cross country course. The Lions defeated eventual national champion Abilene Christian to take home the regional title and placed 12th in the National Meet. Dixon finished the last 1,500 meters of the national race with a broken bone in his leg, but still placed 21st to be named All-American.

The Lion women's cross country team won its second MIAA Title in a row when Southern placed four runners in the top ten and all five scorers in the top 19 to take home the second title in as many years. The Lions would go on to make it a sweep at the Regional taking home the trophy as Southern placed three in the top eight and four in the top 14 competing at their home course. Kimi Shank would earn All-MIAA, All-Region and All-American honors as she helped Southern finish 13th at the national meet held at the MSSU Cross Country Course.

The Missouri Southern men's and women's basketball programs saw great success as the men went 17-11 and 11-7 in the MIAA, while the women 18-10, and 9-9 in the MIAA. The Lions' women started the season 9-0 and raced as high as second in the NCAA Division II South Central Regional rankings. They were ranked as high as 16th nationally and were ranked between two and six in all five weeks the NCAA regional poll was released. On the men's side, the Lions saw head coach Robert Corn pick up his second MIAA Coach of the Year honors as the Lions, picked to finish last in the preseason poll, finished fourth overall in the final MIAA standings. Vincent Ateba was a first-team All-MIAA selection and Skyler Bowliln was the MIAA's freshman of the year.

The Missouri Southern baseball program ushered in a new era of coaching as following the retirement of longtime head coach Warren Turner, former Lion Bryce Darnell was named head coach. Darnell had previously served as head coach of nearby Webb City High School winning two state titles in his tenure. The Lions improved in wins, both overall and in conference play, and saw the young squad play one of the most difficult schedules in NCAA Division II. The team won 16 games in MIAA play, including an exciting 3-2 win over MIAA Champ and Division II World Series Participant Central Missouri. 

Missouri Southern's women's track and field team made collected the MIAA's triple crown, taking home the team titles in cross country, as well as indoor and outdoor track and field. Jessica Selby continued her dominance of the throws in the MIAA, becoming an eight-time indoor and outdoor undefeated shot put champion. She continued that success at the national level, earning All-American status in both indoor and outdoor seasons, and taking home the national title in the hammer throw at the outdoor championships. The Lions men picked up 15 All-MIAA selections in the indoor season and ten All-MIAA selections at the outdoor meet, while having  three All-Americans in indoor and two in the outdoor season.