| Franklin & Marshall Diplomats football | |
|---|---|
 | |
| First season | 1886; 139 years ago (1886) |
| Athletic director | Lauren Packer |
| Head coach | Michael Phelan 1st season, 9–1 (.900) |
| Stadium | Shadek Stadium (capacity: 2,500) |
| Field | Tom Gilburg Field |
| Location | Lancaster, Pennsylvania |
| NCAA division | Division III |
| Conference | Centennial |
| Bowl record | 10–6 (.625) |
| Playoff appearances | |
| 1 (NCAA D-III) | |
| Conference titles | |
| 15 | |
| Conference division titles | |
| 7 | |
| Rivalries | Dickinson Red Devils Gettysburg Bullets Swarthmore Garnet Tide (historical) |
| Colors | Blue, white, and light blue[1] |
| Fight song | Down the Field |
| Mascot | Benjamin Franklin (historical) John Marshall (historical) |
| Nickname | Diplomats Blue and White Nevonians (historical) |
| Website | Go Diplomats |
TheFranklin & Marshall Diplomats football program representsFranklin & Marshall College incollege football at theNCAA Division III level. The Diplomats have competed as members of theCentennial Conference since 1983 and play their home games at Shadek Stadium inLancaster, Pennsylvania.Michael Phelan has served as the team's head coach since 2025.[2][3]
Franklin & Marshall football began in 1886 and played its first game on October 18, 1887.[4] From 1889 to 1895, the program was coached by team captains.Alfred E. Bull was hired in 1896 as Franklin & Marshall's first professional coach.[5] Originally known as theNevonians, the program acquired the Diplomat nickname after a well-received game played againstFordham University in 1935.[4]
Until the 2025 season, the Diplomats never appeared in theNCAA Division III Football Championship playoffs. However, under first year head coachMichael Phelan, the Diplomats upset #3Johns Hopkins University to win the 2025Centennial Conference championship and automatic bid to the playoffs.[6][7] Additionally, the Diplomats have played in 15 NCAA Division IIIbowl games.
Franklin & Marshall football began in 1886 when the school joined forces with theUniversity of Pennsylvania,Swarthmore College,Lehigh University,Lafayette College, andHaverford College to found the short-lived Inter-state Athletic Association.[4]
Under team captainWilliam Mann Irvine, the Franklin & Marshall Nevonians played their first game against the York County YMCA on October 18, 1887. The first win for the program against another collegiate team came in 1889 with a 60-0 win againstMillersville University.[4]
Franklin & Marshall was a founding member of the short-livedPennsylvania Intercollegiate Football Association.[8][9] Playing for one season in 1891, Franklin & Marshall's 12-6 victory againstBucknell University gave the first and only conference championship toPenn State.[8]
From 1886 to 1935, all Franklin & Marshall sports teams were known as the Nevonians. The nickname derived from the last name of F&M's second president,John Williamson Nevin.[4] In 1935, against the nationally rankedFordham Rams, the Nevonians traveled to New York as heavy underdogs. Despite their underdog status, the Nevonians kept the game competitive and nearly upset the Rams. The sportsmanship earned the team praise from New York City newspapers, who christened the team ''Diplomats.''[4]
Franklin & Marshall played theDickinson College Red Devils for the first time in 1889.[10] Franklin & Marshall won the match, beginning one of the longest sports rivalries in college football.[11] Since 1889, the Diplomats and Red Devils have played 116 times, known as theBattle for the Wagon.[12][13]
Gettysburg College and Franklin & Marshall met on the football field for the first time in 1890.[11][14] The rivalry is one of the longest ongoing sports rivalries in college football, as the Gettysburg Bullets and Diplomats have faced each other 108 times since 1890.[14] The winner of the rivalry game earns theLincoln Football Trophy.[15][14]
Before discontinuing its program,Swarthmore College and Franklin & Marshall played one of the then-longest standing college football rivalries. Swarthmore and F&M first met on the field in 1889 in a 22-4 victory for Franklin & Marshall.[16] Both teams joined theCentennial Conference, where they met regularly until Swarthmore discontinued its football program in 2000.[17][18] TheSwarthmore Garnet Tide and Diplomats played 87 games, where the Diplomats led the series 48-28-9.[16]
Franklin & Marshall has won 15 conference titles, most recently in 2025.[19] The Diplomats won sevenEastern Pennsylvania Collegiate Conference titles between 1932 and 1941 under head coachAlan M. Holman. Since 1986, Franklin & Marshall has won eightCentennial Conference titles, three of them outright.
| Season | Coach | Conference | Overall record | Conference record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1932† | Alan M. Holman | Eastern Pennsylvania Collegiate Conference | 4–2–1 | 2–1–1 |
| 1934† | 8–1 | 3–1 | ||
| 1935 | 7–2–1 | 4–0 | ||
| 1936 | 7–1–1 | 3–0–1 | ||
| 1938† | 6–2 | 3–1 | ||
| 1940 | 7–2 | 3–0 | ||
| 1941† | 5–1–1 | 2–1 | ||
| 1986† | Tom Gilburg | Centennial Conference | 8–3 | 6–1 |
| 1987 | 9–1–1 | 7–0 | ||
| 1988† | 7–3 | 6–1 | ||
| 1993† | 6–4 | 5–2 | ||
| 1995 | 7–3 | 6–1 | ||
| 2004† | Shawn Halloran | 8–3 | 4–2 | |
| 2017† | John Troxell | 10–1 | 8–1 | |
| 2025 | Michael Phelan | 9–1 | 7–0 |
† Co-champions
In their time in theMiddle Atlantic Conference, the Diplomats won the Southern Division championship seven times.[20]
| Season | Overall record | Conference record |
|---|---|---|
| 1964 | 8–0 | 7–0 |
| 1968† | 6–2 | 6–1 |
| 1971 | 6–2 | 6–1 |
| 1972 | 9–0 | 8–0 |
| 1973 | 8–1 | 8–1 |
| 1974 | 9–0 | 8–0 |
| 1976 | 8–1 | 8–1 |
† Co-champions
The Diplomats are 10–6 inbowl games.[21]
| Season | Bowl | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | ECAC Southern Championship | Wagner | L 28–40 |
| 1987 | ECAC Southern Championship | Kean | W 21–0 |
| 1989 | ECAC Southwest Championship | St. John's (N.Y.) | W 31–18 |
| 1996 | ECAC South Championship | Merchant Marine | L 0–20 |
| 2004 | ECAC South Championship | Moravian | W 37–20 |
| 2005 | ECAC South Championship | Salisbury | L 23–27 |
| 2009 | ECAC South Atlantic Championship | Wilkes | W 29–24 |
| 2010 | ECAC Southwest Championship | Washington & Jefferson | L 41–54 |
| 2012 | ECAC Southeast Championship | Albright | L 34–38 |
| 2013 | ECAC Southeast Championship | Delaware Valley | W 38–14 |
| 2016 | Centennial-MAC Bowl Series | Albright | L 23–28 |
| 2017 | Centennial-MAC Bowl Series | Widener | W 21–7 |
| 2018 | Centennial-MAC Bowl Series | Lycoming | W 21–20 |
| 2019 | Centennial-MAC Bowl Series | Misericordia | W 31–13 |
| 2021 | Centennial-MAC Bowl Series | Stevenson | W 42–28 |
| 2023 | Centennial-MAC Bowl Series | King's (Pa.) | W 30–7 |
The Diplomats will make their firstappearance in the NCAA Division III playoffs in 2025.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Second Round | Eastern | TBP |
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