2008 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.