On Oct. 25, 2025, history was made at Emporia State University. The football team faced off against the Central Missouri Mules in Warrensburg, Mo., and won the game despite having a true freshman quarterback start the game, more on that later. That win would secure the record-breaking 117 th win for Head Coach Garin Higgins, surpassing stadium namesake Fran Welch’s 116 wins at ESU.

In his nearly 20-year stint at ESU, Higgins has completed a lot of things at his Alma Mater, such as taking them to the playoffs multiple times, having multiple 10-plus win seasons, and multiple bowl wins during his tenure. He set the culture of the Hornets football program early on in his tenure and never looked back. From Dec. 14, 2006, he had one goal before the wins came in.

New ESU head football coach,

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