[Sports] Racer Football Ranked No. 22 In HERO Sports FCS Preseason Top-25

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The momentum from the spring football season is gaining as the Murray State Racers hit the month of July ranked No. 22 in the nation in the 2021 HERO Sports FCS Preseason Top-25. The Racers, who finished No. 13 in the final rankings in the spring for their first year to crack the top-25 since 2011, open the 2021 season at Roy Stewart Stadium (Sept. 2) against Mississippi Valley State as the program enters its 97th season. The Racers ended the spring season (postponed from the fall of 2020) with a 5-2 mark and took it all the way to the final game where they fell to Jacksonville State for the Ohio Valley Conference championship. With a second-place finish, the Racers and head coach Dean Hood marked an amazing turn around in his first season with the Racers. It was the first time MSU had won five OVC games in a decade and the first time since 1995 in which the team started the season 5-0. Sam Houston State was first in the preseason poll with James Madison, South Dakota State, North Dakota State and Southern Illinois rounding out the top-5. Other teams of note included Central Arkansas (No. 11), former Ohio Valley Conference member Jacksonville State (No. 15), current OVC rival Austin Peay (No. 18) and Missouri State (No. 25). Tickets are on sale for 2021 Racer Football with a variety of options including general admission, Racer Reserve chairback infield boxes & tents and Racer RV area. Back for its third season, Racer football continues to be one of the region's best entertainment values with its "Kids Free" offer. Every child from birth to college age will once again receive free admission to every Racer Football home game. Tickets can be purchased through GoRacers.com and Ticketmaster.com and in person at the CFSB Center ticket office or calling (270) 809-3000. The CFSB Center ticket lobby is located in lower lobby "A" of the CFSB Center and is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Home games at Stewart Stadium include the opener against MVSU (Sept. 2), MSU Family Weekend vs Eastern Illinois (Oct. 2), Homecoming vs Austin Peay (Oct. 23), Heroes' & Military Appreciation Day vs Tennessee Tech (Nov. 6) and MSU Hall of Fame & Senior Day vs Southeast Missouri (Nov. 13). Located in Murray, Kentucky, the athletics department of Murray State University is a NCAA Division I member and plays in the Football Championship Subdivision. The Racers have 15 programs including men’s teams for baseball, basketball, cross country, football and golf and women’s teams for basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, track & field and volleyball, as well as a mixed gender rifle team. The Racers are a charter member of the Ohio Valley Conference and are currently one of just three original members from the conference's first season in 1948.