The Missouri State Bears football program is the intercollegiate American football team that represents Missouri State University located in Springfield, Missouri. Missouri State competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision and are members of the Missouri Valley Football Conference. The school was known as Southwest Missouri State until 2005 when they changed the name to Missouri State. Missouri State's first football team was fielded in 1909 and the first coach in program history was Walter Langston who went 4-2 in his only season as head coach. Prior to 1923, the team competed as an Independent. From 1923 to 1980, Missouri State were members of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association, which Missouri State was a founding member of. During that time the Bears were classified in the NCAA College Division from 1958 to 1972. From 1973 to 1980 the Bears played in NCAA Division II. Missouri State moved up to the Association of Mid-Continent Universities in time for the 1981 season, which was their first season in Division I-AA.