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.
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
- 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 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
The 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
- Michael “The Steel” Deen
- Bobby Bowden
- James Bradberry
- Cortland Finnegan
- Jimbo Fisher
- Scott Fountain
- Jeremy Towns
- Ahmad Gooden
- Devlin Hodges
- Michael Pierce
- Nate Schenker
- Jaquiski Tartt
- Montrell Washington
- Corey White
- Nick Williams
Future non-conference opponents
Announced 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
- ^ Samford Brand Identity Standards (PDF). April 1, 2019. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
- ^ "Samford Bulldogs Football Future Schedules". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
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