Over time, however, sports writers and editors found the name to be too cumbersome, so they often shortened it to "T-Breds", "Breds", "Race Horses", and "Racers".

[3] A charter member of the Ohio Valley Conference, Murray State University sponsors five men's, nine women's and one co-ed teams in NCAA sanctioned sports.

In 2010, 22 years to the date of the 1988 win, the Racers beat the Vanderbilt Commodores and lost to the Butler Bulldogs in the second round.

In the 2006 tournament, junior guard Trey Pearson missed a critical 3-point shot in the final seconds of the first-round game against No.

The Racers won their first-round game in the 2010 NCAA tournament in dramatic fashion, defeating fourth-seeded Vanderbilt 66–65 on a buzzer beating jump shot by senior Danero Thomas.

[7] The most well-known players in Racer history are Joe Fulks, Popeye Jones, James Singleton, Isaiah Canaan, Cameron Payne, and Ja Morant.

Fulks starred for two seasons at Murray State (1941–42 and 1942–43), twice earning All-Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference honors, before leaving school to join the Marines during World War II.

James Singleton joined Coach Tevester Anderson's team and instantly became one of the top players in the Ohio Valley Conference from 2001 to 2003.

His professional basketball career spanned 14 years from 2003 to 2017, including stints with the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers (2005–07), Dallas Mavericks (2008–10), and Washington Wizards (2012).

Morant was the Racers' highest-ever draft selection, picked second overall by the Memphis Grizzlies in 2019, and went on to be named the league's rookie of the year in 2020 and most improved player in 2022.

Although the schools no longer share their conference affiliation, the rivalry game remains an annual event on each team's schedule.

Murray State's largest margin of victory over another Division I program came in 1932 when the Racers defeated the Louisville Cardinals by a score of 105–0.

Notable Murray State baseball alumni include Pat Jarvis, Jack Perconte, and Kirk Rueter.

Ward cited the need for the baseball program to enjoy the same brand identity and benefits that are afforded to the rest of the teams that identify as Racers.

Prior to the announcement, Murray State was the only school in the Ohio Valley Conference that had not sponsored softball at the NCAA level.

The Racer softball team played its first intercollegiate game on February 26, 2010, against SIU Edwardsville at the Ole Miss Classic in Oxford, Mississippi.

In October 2006, athletic director Allen Ward announced that the non-scholarship men's track and field program was being eliminated, effective immediately.

Murray State cited budgetary and Title IX concerns as reasons for eliminating the men's track and field program.

[21] One of the team's final members was Wesley Korir, who transferred to Louisville to finish his college career and went on to win the 2012 Boston Marathon.

Men's Tennis was eliminated as a university sponsored NCAA level sport in May 2016 in response to state budget cuts.

In 1941, prior to a SIAA championship game between the Racers and Hilltoppers, Murray State President James H. Richmond remarked, "We are always happy when we can defeat our chief rival and greatest friend."

The last game was played in 2008 when a record crowd of 22,297 in Bowling Green watched the Hilltoppers beat the Racers 50-9 and maintain possession of the Red Belt.

During the 1954–55 season, the teams met four times in a series of contests that also included severe fouls on the court, ejected players, punches thrown by fans in the stands, and even a fainting cheerleader.

The fans and students from the two towns, located only 60 miles apart, have developed a love-hate relationship with one another that has contributed to the growing intensity of the rivalry.

Murray State's close proximity to world class finishing opportunities at Kentucky Lake has made the school an attractive choice for students involved with competitive fishing.

Equestrian offers high female participation rates, which will help the university meet its Title IX obligations.

In fact the Murray State student newspaper printed a column mocking the plan, calling it "Alexander's Navy."

The move to NCAA status for the women's team was done out of Title IX considerations; however, it brought increased funding, scholarships, and recognition to the Murray State rowing program.

As a result, rowing was cut and replaced with women's softball and future plans to add equestrian as an NCAA sponsored sport.

Ward noted, "It was important that we address the annual budget in a manner that does not jeopardize the opportunity for competitive success across the board.