The Minnesota State Mavericks football program is the intercollegiate

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

team for the

Minnesota State University, Mankato Minnesota State University, Mankato (MNSU, MSU, or Minnesota State) is a public university in Mankato, Minnesota, United States. It is Minnesota's second-largest university and has over 123,000 living alumni worldwide. Founded in 1868, it is t ...

located in the U.S. state of

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

. The team plays in

NCAA Division II NCAA Division II (D-II) is an intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environmen ...

and is a member of the

Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level, which operates in the western Midwestern United States. Nine of its ...

. Since 1962, they have played in

Blakeslee Stadium Blakeslee Stadium is a stadium located on the southern edge of the Minnesota State University, Mankato campus in Mankato, Minnesota. Primarily used for American football, it is the home field of the Minnesota State Mavericks, an NCAA Division II ...

, with a natural grass field and a capacity of 7,000. The current head coach is

Todd Hoffner Todd Hoffner (born June 17, 1966) is an American college football coach and former player. He is the current head football coach at the Minnesota State University, Mankato, a position he held from 2008 to 2011 and resumed in 2014. Hoffner was the ...

, who has led Minnesota State to NCAA playoff appearances (2008, 2009, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018 & 2019) including an appearance at the NCAA National Championship game in 2014 and 2019.

Playoff appearances

NCAA Division II

The Mavericks have made 13 appearances in the NCAA Division II playoffs. Their combined record is 15–13.

Notable former players

Notable alumni who played in the NFL include: * Larry Brown * Bob Bruer * Tywan Mitchell * Chris Reed *

Adam Thielen Adam John Thielen (born August 22, 1990) is an American football wide receiver for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Minnesota State and signed with the Vikings as an undrafted free age ...

Shane Zylstra Shane Zylstra (born November 16, 1996) is an American football tight end for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Minnesota State. College career Zylstra was a member of the Minnesota State Mav ...

References

External links

* American football teams established in 1922 1922 establishments in Minnesota {{Minnesota-sport-team-stub