Ball State Cardinals football

Ball State Cardinals
2024 Ball State Cardinals football team
First season1924; 100 years ago
Athletic directorJeff Mitchell
Head coachColin Johnson (interim)
StadiumScheumann Stadium
(capacity: 22,500)
Year built1967
Field surfaceSprinTurf
LocationMuncie, Indiana
NCAA divisionDivision I FBS
ConferenceMid-American Conference
DivisionWest
Past conferencesIIC (1934–1947)
ICC (1951–1967)
All-time record479–461–32 (.509)
Bowl record1–8 (.111)
Conference titles11
Division titles4
RivalriesIndiana State (rivalry)
Northern Illinois (rivalry)
Miami (rivalry)
Current uniform
ColorsCardinal and white[1]
   
Fight songBall State Fight Song
MascotCharlie Cardinal
Marching bandThe Pride of Mid-America Marching Band
WebsiteBallStateSports.com

The Ball State Cardinals football team is a college football program representing Ball State University in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) college football. Ball State plays its home games at Scheumann Stadium on the campus of Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. The Cardinals compete in the Mid-American Conference as a member of the West Division. Following the firing of Mike Neu on November 16, 2024, Colin Johnson is serving as interim head coach.[2]

The Cardinals have a 476–455–32 record, which ranks below the top 50 most victories among NCAA FBS programs.[3] Ball State was originally classified as a teacher's college, participating in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) from 1937 until 1956. In 1957, they were classified as a Small College school until 1972. Ball State received Division II classification in 1973, before becoming a Division I-AA program in 1975 and a Division I-A (now FBS) program in 1981, dropping to Division I-AA for a single season (1982) before returning to Division I-A.[4]

  1. ^ "Brand Colors - Ball State University". Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  2. ^ Thamel, Pete (November 16, 2024). "Ball State fires Mike Neu amid fourth straight losing season". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  3. ^ "2022 NCAA FBS Records" (PDF).
  4. ^ DeLassus, David. "Ball State Historical Data". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on May 15, 2013. Retrieved August 5, 2013.