Midwestern State University’s recreational sports division and Sheppard Air Force Base have enjoyed athletic competition on the field, court, and diamond over the past few years. The joint-op program has a traveling trophy that moves from campus to base and back, depending on who wins these events each semester.

In the 2023-24 season, MSU Texas won the flag football contest 38-12 in October. SAFB won in basketball 68-64 in March and also prevailed in softball 19-9 in May.

Around 60 students from MSU Texas participated in the series of events.

“The idea of this program is to build community ties between MSU and SAFB,” said Cody Ford, assistant director of Recreational Sports and Wellness Center. “Our students get the chance to play against SAFB personnel and then thank them for their service afterward. All events have been held at MSU Texas because we have turf fields and a brand new basketball court.”

Ford said one exciting part of the competition is seeing 20-30 airmen in training bus in and cheer on their squadron. Approximately 200 fans showed up to see the competitions last year.