Hall of Fame
Many coaches dream about winning a national championship at the college level. Some coaches never get to experience winning the whole thing. Missouri Southern football coach Jim Frazier ended up experiencing one for himself. Coach Frazier was hired at Missouri Southern in the spring of 1971 by athletic director Glen Dolce. Frazier is a native of McCune, Kansas, and played linebacker for Wichita State University.
Frazier's first season at MSSU ended in a 4 and 6 record. After the season, Frazier was optimistic about the next season and felt the team could be on the winning side. Little did Coach Frazier know he would end up having a season that would be in the history books. The 1972 season started off with winning their first four games against Fort Hays State, Southern Missouri State, Emporia State, and the University of Rolla. The pivotal game on the schedule was against the Rebels of the University of Nevada at Las Vegas. The University of Nevada was much larger and played big-time teams such as Boise State and the University of Miami. Adding insult to injury, the local newspaper reported that Nevada was not entirely sure who they were going to play against the Lions.
The game was played at the new $3.5 million Sam Boyd Stadium with a new surface known as AstroTurf. Prior to the game, the Southern players were fitted with special shoes to play on the synthetic field. The Missouri Southern defense was nicknamed "The Gang" and played extremely well, led by linebacker Barry Korner with ten unassisted tackles and safety Jack Duda, who had two interceptions. "The Gang" ended up laying the law down on the Rebels and shutting them out. Duda ended the game on the Rebels' final drive with an interception. The Lions' only score came from running back Terry Starks with a 36-yard touchdown run. The Lions defeated the Rebels 7-0.
The Lions ended the regular season a perfect 10-0. They ended up playing the national semifinal game at home at historic Junge Stadium in Joplin. They played against Doane College of Nebraska and dominated them in a mudbath with a score of 24-6.
The final game that season was the NAIA national championship game, as the Lions played the Raiders of Northwest College of Orange City, Iowa. The contest was exciting. The Lions trailed by one point with three minutes left to play when the Raiders were forced to punt on fourth down. A high snap off the fingertips of the punter became the game-changing play as the ball bounced aimlessly towards the end zone. The ball wound up in the arms of Southern's Bam Kealoha in the end zone. A two-point conversion followed as tailback Terry Starks crossed the goal line. The game was sealed when Jack Duda intercepted a desparation pass from Raider quarterback Curt Kull. The final score read Missouri Southern-21, Northwest College-14.
This was Missouri Southern State University's first-ever football national championship!
