| Dayton Flyers football | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
 | |||
| First season | 1905; 121 years ago | ||
| Athletic director | Neil Sullivan | ||
| Head coach | Trevor Andrews 3rd season, 17–16 (.515) | ||
| Stadium | Welcome Stadium (capacity: 11,000) | ||
| Location | Dayton, Ohio | ||
| NCAA division | Division I FCS | ||
| Conference | Pioneer Football League | ||
| All-time record | 718–400–25 (.639) | ||
| Bowl record | 0–1 (.000) | ||
| NCAA Division III championships | |||
| 1980,1989 | |||
| Conference championships | |||
| PFL:1993,1994, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2007,2009,2010,2015 | |||
| Conference division championships | |||
| PFL North: 2001, 2002 | |||
| Colors | Red and blue[1] | ||
| Mascot | Rudy Flyer | ||
| Website | DaytonFlyers.com | ||
TheDayton Flyers football program is the intercollegiateAmerican football team for theUniversity of Dayton located in the U.S. state ofOhio. The team competes in theNCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and are members of thePioneer Football League. Dayton's first football team was fielded in 1905. The team plays its home games at the 11,000 seatWelcome Stadium inDayton, Ohio. The Flyers are coached byTrevor Andrews.
Notable alumni include:
Dayton has won two national championships, both during their tenure in Division III.Dayton has made five appearances in theNCAA Division III National Championship Game, also known as theStagg Bowl. The Flyers defeatedIthaca, 63–0 in the 1980 championship game, and defeatedUnion (NY) 17–7 in the 1989 championship game. The Flyers were unsuccessful in three other championship game appearances, losing 17–10 toWidener in 1981, 19–3 toWagner in 1987, and 34–20 toIthaca in 1991. The Flyers have also won twoFCS Mid-Major National Championships the first in2002 and again in2007.
| Season | Coach | Selector | Record | Score | Opponent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Rick Carter | Division III | 14–0 | 63–0 | Ithaca |
| 1989 | Mike Kelly | 13–0–1 | 17–7 | Union (NY) |
Dayton has won 12 conference championships, six outright and six shared.
| Season | Conference | Coach | Overall Record | Conference Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Pioneer Football League | Mike Kelly | 9–1 | 5–0 |
| 1994† | 8–2 | 4–1 | ||
| 1996 | 11–0 | 5–0 | ||
| 1997 | 9–1 | 5–0 | ||
| 1999 | 6–4 | 4–0 | ||
| 2000† | 8–3 | 3–1 | ||
| 2001 | 10–1 | 4–0 | ||
| 2002 | 11–1 | 4–0 | ||
| 2007† | 11–1 | 6–1 | ||
| 2009† | Rick Chamberlin | 9–2 | 7–1 | |
| 2010† | 10–1 | 8–0 | ||
| 2015† | 10–2 | 7–1 |
† denotes co-champions
From 2001–2005, thePioneer Football League was divided into North and South Divisions, with the winners of those divisions participating in a conference championship game. As winners of the Pioneer Football League's North Division, Dayton has made two appearances in the Pioneer Football League Championship Game, in 2001 and 2002.
| Season | Division | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | PFL North | Jacksonville | W, 46–14 |
| 2002 | PFL North | Morehead State | W, 28–0 |
Dayton has participated in one bowl game, with the Flyers having a record of 0–1.
| Season | Coach | Bowl | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | Joe Gavin | Salad Bowl | Houston | L, 21–26 |
They also played in theGridiron Classic in 2007 againstNortheast Conference opponent Albany, winning 42–21.
TheSports Network Cup was a way of determining the best mid major team in Division I FCS, with first place votes determining the winner between teams from thePioneer Football League, theNortheast Conference, and theMetro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
| Season | Champion | Runner-up | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001[2] | Sacred Heart Pioneers | 15 | Dayton Flyers | 6 |
| 2002[3] | Dayton Flyers | 17 | Albany Great Danes | 7 |
| 2005[4] | San Diego Toreros | 26 | Dayton Flyers | 0 |
| 2007[5] | Dayton Flyers | 30 | San Diego Toreros | 0 |
Dayton has made one appearance in the FCS playoffs. Their record is 0–1.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | First Round | Western Illinois | L, 7–24 |
The Flyers made eleven appearances in the NCAA Division III football playoffs. Their combined record was 16–9.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Quarterfinals | Carnegie Mellon | L, 21–24 |
| 1980 | Quarterfinals Semifinals Stagg Bowl | Baldwin Wallace Widener Ithaca | W, 34–0 W, 28–24 W, 63–0 |
| 1981 | Quarterfinals Semifinals Stagg Bowl | Augustana (IL) Lawrence Widener | W, 19–7 W, 38–0 L, 10–17 |
| 1984 | Quarterfinals | Augustana (IL) | L, 13–14 |
| 1986 | First Round | Mount Union | L, 36–42 |
| 1987 | First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Stagg Bowl | Capital Augustana (IL) Central (IA) Wagner | W, 28–52 W, 38–36 W, 34–0 L, 3–19 |
| 1988 | First Round | Wittenberg | L, 28–35OT |
| 1989 | First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Stagg Bowl | John Carroll Millikin Saint John's (MN) Union (NY) | W, 35–10 W, 28–16 W, 28–0 W, 17–7 |
| 1990 | First Round Quarterfinals | Augustana (IL) Allegheny | W, 24–14 L, 23–31 |
| 1991 | First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Stagg Bowl | Baldwin Wallace Allegheny Saint John's (MN) Ithaca | W, 27–10 W, 28–25OT W, 19–7 L, 20–34 |
| 1992 | First Round | Mount Union | L, 10–27 |
Announced schedules as of January 15, 2026.[6]
| 2026 | 2027 | 2028 |
|---|---|---|
| Fairmont State | Thomas More | atSouth Dakota State |
| Thomas More | atWestern Illinois | |
| atEastern Kentucky |
| Athletics |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Facilities | ||
| Organizations | ||
| Programs | ||
