SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Missouri State has hired Bobby Petrino to be its next football coach, the school announced Wednesday, Jan. 15.
The Bears are scheduled to have a Thursday morning press conference to announce his hiring. Petrino, 58, has previously been the head coach at multiple FBS schools, including Louisville, Western Kentucky and Arkansas. Petrino was also the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons in the NFL for one season. He left the Falcons job for Arkansas before the season ended after a 3-10 start in 2007.
Petrino has a 119-56 record in 14 seasons as a college coach. He takes over for Dave Steckel, who was 13-42 in five seasons as the Bears head coach. MSU went 1-10 last season and finished tied for last place in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. North Dakota State has won at least a share of the past nine MVFC titles.
Petrino most recently was the head coach at Louisville from 2014-2018 and coached Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson, now the starting quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens.
Pete Thamel, a national college football reporter for Yahoo Sports, is reporting Petrino's contract to be five years at $250,000 per year.
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Source: Bobby Petrino's deal to be the next coach at Missouri State is a 5-year contract for $250,000 per year.
Petrino is widely known for his firing at Arkansas after four seasons with the Razorbacks. He was involved in a motorcycle accident in April 2012 and at first claimed he was riding alone. He later admitted a 25-year-old female, who was working in the school's football office, was riding with him and he was having an extramarital affair with her.
