| Truman Bulldogs football | |
|---|---|
 | |
| First season | 1900; 125 years ago (1900) |
| Athletic director | Jerry Wollmering |
| Head coach | Kellen Nesbitt (interim) 1st season, 0–0 (–) |
| Stadium | Stokes Stadium (capacity: 4,000) |
| Year built | 1939 |
| Location | Kirksville, Missouri |
| NCAA division | Division II |
| Conference | Great Lakes Valley Conference |
| All-time record | 551–393–34 (.581) |
| Bowl record | 5–0–0 (1.000) |
| Conference titles | |
| 27 | |
| Colors | Purple and white[1] |
| Website | trumanbulldogs.com/football |
The Truman Bulldogs football program representsTruman State University incollege football and competes in theDivision II level of theNational Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). In 2013, Truman became a member of theGreat Lakes Valley Conference and has remained in the league. Prior to this, Truman was in theMid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association from 1924 to 2012. TSU's home games are played at Stokes Stadium inKirksville, Missouri.
Truman's football program dates back to 1900 when the program went 3–2–1.[2] Since their inaugural season, the Bulldogs have claimed 27 conference championships.[3]
College Football Hall of Fame inducteeDon Faurot was the head coach from 1926 to 1934. He led the team to a 27-game winning streak that included three consecutiveperfect seasons in1932,1933, and1934.[4] The1936 team compiled another perfect season under the leadership of Faurot's brother,Fred Faurot. The program has not compiled another perfect season since 1936.
The Bulldogs have played their home games at Stokes Stadium since 1930. Stokes Stadium was named for a former physics professor. The current capacity of the stadium is at 4,000.[5]
| Year | Conference | Coach | Overall record | Conference record | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1924 | Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association | H. L. McWilliams | 4–3–2 | 2–0–2 | ||
| 1927 | Don Faurot | 8–1–0 | 4–0–0 | |||
| 1928† | 7–2–1 | 3–0–1 | ||||
| 1929 | 5–3–1 | 3–0–0 | ||||
| 1930 | 5–5–0 | 3–0–0 | ||||
| 1932 | 8–0–0 | 4–0–0 | ||||
| 1933 | 9–0–0 | 4–0–0 | ||||
| 1934 | 8–0–0 | 4–0–0 | ||||
| 1935 | Fred Faurot | 7–2–0 | 5–0–0 | |||
| 1936 | 7–0–0 | 5–0–0 | ||||
| 1951† | Maurice Wade | 7–1–1 | 4–0–1 | |||
| 1952† | 7–1–0 | 4–1–0 | ||||
| 1953 | 6–2–0 | 5–0–0 | ||||
| 1954 | 7–1–0 | 5–0–0 | ||||
| 1960 | 8–1–0 | 5–0–0 | ||||
| 1961 | 9–1–0 | 5–0–0 | ||||
| 1964 | 7–2–0 | 5–0–0 | ||||
| 1965 | 8–2–0 | 5–0–0 | ||||
| 1969† | Russ Sloan | 6–2–1 | 4–1–0 | |||
| 1970† | 7–2–0 | 5–1–0 | ||||
| 1971 | 9–1–0 | 6–0–0 | ||||
| 1976† | Ron Taylor | 5–3–1 | 4–1–1 | |||
| 1981 | Bruce Craddock | 6–4–0 | 4–1–0 | |||
| 1982 | 9–2–0 | 5–0–0 | ||||
| 1985 | Jack Ball | 8–3–0 | 5–0–0 | |||
| 1988† | 7–3–0 | 5–1–0 | ||||
| 2016† | Great Lakes Valley Conference | Gregg Nesbitt | 8–3 | 7–1 | ||
| Total Conference Championships: | 27 (26, MIAA, 1 GLVC) | |||||
| † Denotes co-champions | ||||||
| # | Season | Game | Result | Opponent | Stadium | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1961 | Mineral Water Bowl | W 22–8 | Parsons | Roosevelt Stadium | Excelsior Springs, Missouri |
| 2 | 2019 | America's Crossroads Bowl | W 21–7 | Ohio Dominican | Brickyard Stadium | Hobart, Indiana |
| 3 | 2021 | W 34–17 | Hillsdale | |||
| 4 | 2022 | W 28–27 | Tiffin | |||
| 5 | 2024 | W 29–10 | Tiffin |
The Bulldogs have made fiveappearances in the NCAA Division II playoffs, with a combined record of 0–5.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | First Round | Jacksonville State | L, 21–34 |
| 1990 | First Round | Pittsburg State | L, 3–59 |
| 1992 | First Round | North Dakota State | L, 7–42 |
| 1994 | First Round | North Dakota | L, 6–18 |
| 2025 | First Round | Indianapolis | L, 14–57 |
