The Samford Bulldogs football program is the intercollegiate American football team for Samford University located in Homewood, Alabama. The team competes at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon). Samford's first football team was fielded in 1902. The team was known as the Howard Bulldogs through the 1965 season when Howard College was renamed as Samford University. Howard was located in Birmingham, Alabama prior to 1957. Since 1958, the Bulldogs have played their home games at Pete Hanna Stadium, which now has a seating capacity of 6,700, in Homewood. Chris Hatcher has served as Samford's head coach since the 2015 season.
| Samford Bulldogs football | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
 | |||
| First season | 1902; 122 years ago | ||
| Athletic director | Martin Newton | ||
| Head coach | Chris Hatcher 10th season, 61–50 (.550) | ||
| Stadium | Bobby Bowden Field at
Pete Hanna Stadium (capacity: 6,700) | ||
| Field surface | LSR Blade | ||
| Location | Homewood, Alabama | ||
| NCAA division | Division I FCS | ||
| Conference | Southern Conference | ||
| All-time record | 474–464–47 (.505) | ||
| Conference titles | 5 (3 Dixie, 2 SoCon) | ||
| Rivalries | Jacksonville State (rivalry) Furman Chattanooga Mercer Tennessee Tech | ||
| Consensus All-Americans | 27 | ||
| Colors | Blue and red[1] | ||
| Mascot | Sam, changed from Spike in 2017 | ||
| Website | SamfordSports.com | ||
History
editClassifications
edit- 1937–1971: NA
- 1972: NCAA College Division
- 1973: NCAA Division III
- 1974–1983: no program
- 1984–1988: NCAA Division III
- 1989–present: NCAA Division I–AA/FCS
Conference memberships
edit
- 1906–1931: Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association
- 1931–1954: Dixie Conference
- 1955–1972: Independent
- 1973: NCAA Division III independent
- 1974–1983: No program
- 1984–1988: NCAA Division III independent
- 1989–2002: NCAA Division I–AA independent
- 2003–2007: Ohio Valley Conference
- 2008–present: Southern Conference
Conference Championships
editThe Bulldogs have won 4 conference championships, with three coming in the Dixie Conference and two in the Southern Conference.
| Season | Conference | Coach | Overall record | Conference record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1933 | Dixie Conference | Eddie McLane | 8–5 | 6–2 |
| 1935 | Billy Bancroft | 7–1–2 | 3–0–1 | |
| 1936 | 5–3–1 | 4–1–1 | ||
| 2013† | Southern Conference | Pat Sullivan | 8–5 | 6–2 |
| 2022 | Southern Conference | Chris Hatcher | 11-2 | 8–0 |
† Co-champions
Division I-AA/FCS Playoffs results
editThe Bulldogs have appeared in the I-AA/FCS playoffs six times with an overall record of 3–6.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals |
New Hampshire James Madison Youngstown State |
W 29–13 W 24–21 L 0–10 |
| 1992 | First Round | Delaware | L 21–56 |
| 2013 | First Round | Jacksonville State (#20) | L 14–55 |
| 2016 | First Round | Youngstown State (#13) | L 24–38 |
| 2017 | First Round | Kennesaw State (#16) | L 17–28 |
| 2022 | First Round Second Round Quarterfinals |
BYE Week Southeastern Louisiana (#17) North Dakota State (#3) |
N/A W 48–42 OT L 9–27 |
Notable former players
editFuture non-conference opponents
editAnnounced schedules as of July 9, 2024.[2]
| Site | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Away | at West Georgia
at Florida |
at Central Arkansas | at Incarnate Word | at Georgia Southern | at Tennessee Tech | |
| Home | vs. Alabama State
vs. Tennessee Tech |
vs. West Georgia
vs. Incarnate Word |
vs. Tennessee Tech | vs. Tennessee Tech |
References
edit- ^ Samford Brand Identity Standards (PDF). April 1, 2019. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
- ^ "Samford Bulldogs Football Future Schedules". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
