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 served as Samford's head coach since the from 2015 to 2025.[2]
| Samford Bulldogs football | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
 | |||
| First season | 1902; 124 years ago | ||
| Athletic director | Martin Newton | ||
| Head coach | John Grass 1st season, 0–0 (–) | ||
| Location | Homewood, Alabama | ||
| Stadium | Bobby Bowden Field at
Pete Hanna Stadium (capacity: 6,700) | ||
| NCAA division | Division I FCS | ||
| Conference | Southern | ||
| Colors | Blue and red[1] | ||
| All-time record | 474–464–47 (.505) | ||
| Conference championships | |||
| Dixie: 1933, 1935, 1936 SoCon: 2013, 2022 | |||
| Consensus All-Americans | 27 | ||
| Rivalries | Jacksonville State (rivalry) Furman Chattanooga Mercer Tennessee Tech | ||
| 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- 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
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
NCAA Division I-AA/FCS playoff results
editThe Bulldogs have appeared in the NCAA Division I Football Championship 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 January 23, 2026.[3]
| 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 |
|---|---|---|---|
| vs North Alabama (Huntsville, AL) |
at Georgia Southern | vs Austin Peay | at Southern Illinois |
| Southern Illinois | at UAB | ||
| at UAB | |||
| at Auburn |
References
edit- ↑ Samford Brand Identity Standards (PDF). April 1, 2019. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
- ↑ Ashworth, Thomas (November 10, 2025). "Samford parts ways with longtime head football coach Chris Hatcher". al. Retrieved November 15, 2025.
- ↑ "Samford Bulldogs Football Future Schedules". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved January 23, 2026.
