The 2016 Emporia State Hornets football team represented
Emporia State University
Emporia State University (Emporia State or ESU) is a public university in Emporia, Kansas, United States. Established in March 1863 as the Kansas State Normal School, Emporia State is the third-oldest public university in the state of Kansas. E ...
in the 2016 NCAA Division II football season. The Hornets played their home games on the newly-renovated Jones Field at
Francis G. Welch Stadium in
Emporia, Kansas, as they have done since
1937. 2016 was the 119th season in school history. The Hornets were led by head coach
Garin Higgins
Garin Higgins (born October 11, 1968) is an American football college coach and former player. Higgins is the head football coach at Emporia State University in Emporia, Kansas, a position he has held since the 2007 season. Higgins previously se ...
, finished his 15th overall season, and 10th overall at Emporia State. Emporia State has a member of the
Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association since 1991.
Preseason
The Hornets entered the 2016 season after finishing with an 11–3 overall, 9–2 in conference play last season under Higgins. On August 2, 2016 at the MIAA Football Media Day, the Hornets were chosen to finish tied for third place in the Coaches Poll, and fourth in the Media Poll.
''
Sporting News'' released their Top-25 on May 25, 2016, landing Emporia State at #24. On June 15, 2016, Lindy's NCAA Division II Preseason Top 25 released its poll, ranking Emporia State at #12.
On August 15, the
American Football Coaches Association
The American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) is an association of over 11,000 American football coaches and staff on all levels. According to its constitution, some of the main goals of the American Football Coaches Association are to "mainta ...
released the Preseason Division II Poll, landing Emporia State at #24.
On August 22, D2football.com released its Top 25 poll, ranking Emporia State 12th.
Personnel
Coaching staff
Along with Higgins, there were 10 assistants.
Roster
Schedule
Source:
Game notes, regular season
Northwest Missouri
Nebraska–Kearney
Missouri Southern
Central Missouri
Central Oklahoma
Northeastern State
Lindenwood
Pittsburg State
Fort Hays State
Missouri Western
Washburn
Game notes, post-season
Minnesota–Duluth
For the first time in school history, Emporia State was selected to host an NCAA postseason football game.
Northwest Missouri
References
{{Emporia State Hornets football
Emporia State
Emporia State Hornets football seasons
Emporia State Hornets football
The Emporia State Hornets football program is a college football team that represents Emporia State University, often referred to as "Emporia State" or "ESU". The team competes as a member of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association ...