MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — It was an almost perfect Middle Tennessee State University Homecoming 2025.

Reminiscent of last year’s homecoming when a 1-hour, 42-minute severe weather delay intervened, this year a 2-hour, 42-minute severe weather delay and a Marshall University Thundering Herd football team rallied with 21 unanswered fourth-quarter points to defeat the Blue Raiders 42-28 in Floyd Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 22.

Until the rain and lightning, the day had been flawless, with the annual Homecoming Parade featuring the Band of Blue; tailgating fellowship all around the stadium; the Party in the Grove’s pre-game event featuring live music; crowning of the new MTSU Homecoming Queen and King at halftime; and so much more.

With a theme of “Boro Bound Road Trip,” MTSU Alumni Association and Student Government Association activities throughout the week — including Paint the Halls Blue, Rollin’ on Route Blue Skate Night and Glow Golf at the Campus Recreation Center, and Mac and Cheese Cookoff and Crash the Commons Road Trip Rave in the Student Union Commons — culminated in two days of jam-packed events leading up to the game. 

To view parade highlights, go here: 

Golden Raiders and Distinguished Alumni

Golden Raiders, the Class of 1975, returned Friday, Sept. 21, followed later in the day by the Distinguished Alumni Awards, both gathering in the Sam Ingram Building on Middle Tennessee Boulevard.

“We had a tremendous group of Golden Raiders returning this year,” said Beth Dye, Alumni Relations assistant director. “There were 29 from 1975 and three more from earlier years. They were excited to tour campus and to see everything new. For some, it had been 30 years since they had been on campus.”

Distinguished Alumni Award recipients included Hal Hardin (’66) and Keel Hunt (’71), both from Nashville, and 2025-26 Young Alumni Achievement Award honoree Julien Baker (2019), of Memphis, while True Blue Citations of Distinction were presented to Chaney Mosley 2000 and ’04), of Nashville; Scott Cook (’01) of Dyersburg; Deidra Goins (’99), of Manchester; and William “Bill” Roper (’76), of Stafford, Virginia.

Read more about this year’s honorees. Recipients in attendance also rode in the Homecoming Parade and were recognized during the game. Baker was unable to attend.

Dye and Student Government Association President R.J. Ware previewed the weekend of events recently on the “MTSU on 2” segment from the studios of WKRN-TV News 2, the ABC affiliate in Nashville with show trendspotter Silvia Castaneda.

Parade, Party in the Grove

About 300 people attended the Alumni Association’s annual Mixer on Middle Parade-Watching Party at the Alumni House, with thousands more lined up along the parade route, Dye said.

“There were 88 parade participants,” added Dye, mentioning student floats and organizations, college departments, Band of Blue, sororities and fraternities and players from Blue Raider basketball, baseball, soccer and volleyball.

“There was a great turnout for the tailgating luncheon, Raider Walk and Party in the Grove,” Dye said. With other tailgating going on, Party in the Grove also featured Nashville-based pop/rock band Davvn (pronounced dawn).

Other key activities included the NPHC Step Show in the Student Union Ballroom and Black Alumni Party at the Walnut House in Murfreesboro, both held on Friday night.

Homecoming Queen and King

Hannah Colson, of Mt. Juliet, was crowned Homecoming Queen by President Sidney A. McPhee at halftime, while Tristan Parr, of Halls, was crowned Homecoming King.

An animation major with a theatre minor, Colson is a Blue Elite tour guide and involved in Alpha Delta Pi sorority and other student organizations and activities. A journalism-sports media major, Parr is a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.

Blue Raider Hall of Fame

During the game, three of six new members in the Blue Raider Hall of Fame were introduced to the crowd. They included Ann Dudley (track), Garth Petrilli (football) and Warren “Big Kat” Kidd (men’s basketball). Unable to attend were Ashley E. Adams (volleyball), Kevin Byard (football) and Jerry Singleton (track).

An induction ceremony was held Friday night in the SRM Concrete Club inside the Stephen and Denise Smith Athletic Performance Center, bringing the total number of hall of fame members to 193.

— Randy Weiler (Randy.Weiler@mtsu.edu)