Through his 48-year tenure at Midwestern State,
Dr. Jesse W. Rogers developed a deep love for the complete collegiate experience, playing a key role in developing MSU's athletics programs.
Rogers was a part of the administration under Dr. Louis J. Rodriguez which piloted the university's journey to join the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) – a more than a decade long process which brought about bringing football back to the campus after a 30-year hiatus in 1988.
The addition of football not only allowed Midwestern State to reach its goal of becoming a member of the NCAA, but it also allowed immediate growth in the university's enrollment to grow by 800 students. It also gave the campus a more traditional feel.
Rogers continued to grow the university's athletic program after becoming president in 2001. During his watch, MSU added softball in 2004, women's cross country in 2005, men's golf in 2006, women's golf in 2009 and women's track in 2012.
The addition of four women's sports to the MSU Athletics offering are points of pride for Rogers who has seen great progress in Title IX efforts during the course of his career.
During his time as president, MSU has witnessed 28 Lone Star Conference championships, three NCAA Elite Eight showings by men's basketball and men's tennis, three NCAA Division II national qualifications in cross country, two men's soccer Final Four appearances and an advancement to the College World Series for women's softball.
