Samford Bulldogs football
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 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 the Seibert 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 | ||
| Athletic director | Martin Newton | ||
| Head coach | Chris Hatcher 7th season, 40–36 (.526) | ||
| Stadium | Seibert Stadium (capacity: 6,700) | ||
| Field surface | LSR Blade | ||
| Location | Homewood, Alabama | ||
| NCAA division | Division I FCS | ||
| Conference | Southern Conference | ||
| All-time record | 464–463–47 (.501) | ||
| Conference titles | 4 (3 Dixie, 1 SoCon) | ||
| Rivalries | Jacksonville State (rivalry) | ||
| Consensus All-Americans | 27 | ||
| Colors | Blue and red[1] | ||
| Website | SamfordSports.com | ||
History
Classifications
- 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
- 1902–1905: Independent
- 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
The Bulldogs have won 4 conference championships, with three coming in the Dixie Conference and one in the Southern Conference, sharing it with Chattanooga and Furman.
| 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 |
† Co-champions
Division I-AA/FCS Playoffs results
The Bulldogs have appeared in the I-AA/FCS playoffs five times with an overall record of 2–5.
| 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 | L 14–55 |
| 2016 | First Round | Youngstown State | L 24–38 |
| 2017 | First Round | Kennesaw State | L 17–28 |
Notable former players
References
- Samford Brand Identity Standards (PDF). April 1, 2019. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
