Ouachita Baptist Tigers football
The Ouachita Baptist Tigers football program is the intercollegiate American football team for Ouachita Baptist University located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. The team competes in NCAA Division II and are members of the Great American Conference. Ouachita Baptist's first football team was fielded in 1896. The team plays its home games at Cliff Harris Stadium / Benson-Williams Field in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. The Tigers are coached by Todd Knight.[2]
- For information on all Ouachita Baptist University sports, see Ouachita Baptist Tigers
Ouachita Baptist Tigers football | |
---|---|
First season | 1896 |
Athletic director | David Sharp |
Head coach | Todd Knight 22nd season, 123–96 (.562) |
Stadium | Cliff Harris Stadium / Benson-Williams Field (Capacity: 5600) |
Field surface | Artificial Turf |
Location | Arkadelphia, Arkansas |
NCAA division | Division II |
Conference | Great American Conference |
All-time record | 474–433–43 (.522) |
Conference titles | 10 |
Rivalries | Henderson State Reddies Harding Bisons |
Colors | Purple and Gold[1] |
Website | OBUTigers.com |
History
The Tiger football team is notable for participating in the first ever Intercollegiate game in Arkansas history, a 24-0 win over the Arkansas Razorbacks in the fall of 1897. The Ouachita Baptist Tigers compete in the Battle of the Ravine every year. This tradition started in 1895 when Ouachita Baptist played Arkadelphia Methodist College (currently known as Henderson State University), and won 8-0. This historical event was not played from 1951 to 1963 because of the excessive rivalry between the two schools. It resumed after 1963 and is still being played to this day. [3]
Conference Affiliations[4]
- Independent (1897, 1906 - 1926, 1928 - 1930)
- No Team (1898 - 1905, 1943 - 1944)
- Arkansas Association (1927)
- Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference (1931 - 1942, 1945 - 1994)
- NAIA Independent (1995 - 1996)
- Lone Star Conference (1997 - 1999)
- Gulf South Conference (2000 - 2010)
- Great American Conference (2011 - present)
Notable former players
Formerly in the NFL
- Carl Allen, RB/DB, Brooklyn Dodgers
- Cliff Harris, DB, Dallas Cowboys
- Bill LaFitte, E, Brooklyn Tigers
- Ed Neal, OL, Green Bay Packers
- Julius Pruitt, WR, Miami Dolphins
- Chuck Taylor, LB, Brooklyn Tigers
- Chris Rycraw, RB, Green Bay Packers
- Augustine Ume-Ezeoke, DB, New York Jets
- Phillip Supernaw, TE, Tennessee Titans
Championships
Rivalries
Henderson State
References
- Ouachita Baptist University Athletics Branding (PDF). Retrieved April 18, 2016.
- "Ouachita Baptist Historical Data". College Football Data Warehouse. Retrieved 2013-02-01.
- Nelson, Rex. "Encyclopedia of Arkansas". Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
- "Ouachita Baptist Historical Data". web.archive.org. 2007-06-08. Retrieved 2020-10-18.