Hall of Fame
Payne Muir, a native of Jefferson City, came to the university in the fall of 1931. He played four years of football as a two-way guard on Bulldog teams that compiled a 31-1-1 cumulative record and won three MIAA championships. He was also a second baseman on the baseball team for four years, playing every inning of every game. After graduation in1935 with a B.S.E. degree, he taught and coached at LaPlata and Richmond, Va. until the start of World War II. He entered the Navy with a couple of old Bulldog teammates and Hall of Fame members, Del Maddox and Jim Dougherty. Mr. Muir was a physical education director under former heavyweight champion Gene Tunney at Norfolk (Va.) Naval Base and served as a physical fitness officer at Richmond. He was also an assistant football coach at the University of Richmond. After the war he was appointed football coach and athletic director at Mexico High School for four years. His football teams won 19 straight games during one period of time and captured three conference championships. They also beat perennial state power Columbia-Hickman four straight years. He left Mexico in 1951 to become a teacher and coach at Central High School in Cape Girardeau. He also served as director of athletics at Cape Girardeau. He retired in 1971 after 19 years at Cape Girardeau and after a total of 31 years of teaching and coaching.
