MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Blue Raider fans who didn't have their NFL team make the playoffs this year will have plenty of teams to root for, as there are Blue Raiders all across NFL rosters that will begin postseason play this weekend.
Led by the "Mayor of Murfreesboro" Kevin Byard, who put together another All-Pro caliber season at safety for the Tennessee Titans, five players and one coach across five teams will represent Middle Tennessee as their teams move onto the playoffs.
Charvarius Ward and Darius Harris of the Kansas City Chiefs round out the AFC representatives for MT, while Richie James of the San Francisco 49ers and Chandler Brewer of the Los Angeles Rams will play on the NFC side of the bracket (James is on injured reserve and Brewer is on the practice squad). Former Blue Raider great Mike Caldwell will coach the inside linebackers for Bruce Arians on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2022 playoffs.
MT Athletics remembers Dean A. Hayes
Reactions from around the Middle Tennessee community poured in over the weekend after the news of Coach Dean A. Hayes' passing broke on Friday night. The Blue Raider Hall of Famer was in his 57th year at Middle Tennessee, and in that time won over 50 conference championships in men's and women's track and field.
The Blue Raider Hall of Famer was also known internationally throughout the track community for his work with multiple U.S. Olympic teams and his expertise in field events, especially the triple jump, during his career.
Stay tuned to GoBlueRaiders.com for continued remembrance of a Middle Tennessee legend in the days and weeks to come. You'll find many of the touching remembrances from the weekend included below.
Men's and Women's Tennis gets spring season underway
Head coaches
Jimmy Borendame and
Tayo Bailey-Duvall get their spring seasons underway over the long Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend this coming week, with Bailey-Duvall's women's team traveling down to Fort Myers, Fla. for matches against Florida Atlantic and Georgia State starting on Saturday to open up their dual meet schedule, while Borendame's men's team hosts a double-header with Southern Miss and Austin Peay at the Adams Tennis Complex on Monday.
The men's team home opener is also Blue Raider Kids Day, featuring Free Donuts and Chocolate Milk and prizes and giveaways. The first match is scheduled to start at 1 p.m.
Reminder: Basketball Coaches' Shows on break due to CFB National Championship game
The Blue Raider Radio Network's
Nick McDevitt Live and
Rick Insell Live are both taking the week off this week due to tonight's CFB Playoff National Championship game. The shows, broadcast from The Boulevard just off of MTSU's campus, will return for seven consecutive weeks beginning Jan. 17 with the final show slated for Feb. 28.
Coach McDevitt's men's basketball team returns home for their Conference USA home openers against Florida Atlantic and Florida International at the Murphy Center, still looking for that first conference win after two tough losses in Texas over the weekend. Coach
Rick Insell's women's basketball team will look to carry their momentum from a weekend sweep over Rice and North Texas down to Florida this weekend.
Baseball season tickets now on sale
As the snow from this past week has almost completely melted away off the Murfreesboro streets and yards, Blue Raider Baseball season tickets are now on sale through the MT Ticket Office.
Contact the ticket office at tickets@mtsu.edu or 615-898-5261 to reserve yours today!
MT Volleyball camp dates announced
Know a young volleyball player who wants to improve her skills? Blue Raider Coach
Chuck Crawford announced his dates for this summer's Blue Raider Volleyball camps. Come to the campus of MTSU and learn from the Blue Raider coaching staff!
The camps start on July 6th and run through July 17th, and feature a bunch of formats for varying skill levels and focuses. Check out the tweet below for more information!
