| Samford Bulldogs football | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
 | |||
| First season | 1902; 123 years ago | ||
| Athletic director | Martin Newton | ||
| Head coach | Vacant | ||
| Stadium | Bobby Bowden Field atPete Hanna Stadium (capacity: 6,700) | ||
| Location | Homewood, Alabama | ||
| NCAA division | Division I FCS | ||
| Conference | Southern Conference | ||
| All-time record | 474–464–47 (.505) | ||
| Playoff appearances | |||
| Div. I-AA/FCS: 6 (1991,1992,2013,2016,2017,2022) | |||
| Conference titles | |||
| Dixie: 3 (1933,1935,1936) SoCon: 2 (2013,2022) | |||
| Consensus All-Americans | 27 | ||
| Rivalries | Jacksonville State (rivalry) Furman Chattanooga Mercer Tennessee Tech | ||
| Colors | Blue and red[1] | ||
| Mascot | Sam, changed from Spike in 2017 | ||
| Website | SamfordSports.com | ||
TheSamford Bulldogs football program is the intercollegiateAmerican football team forSamford University located inHomewood, Alabama. The team competes at theNCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level as a member of theSouthern Conference (SoCon). Samford's first football team was fielded in 1902. The team was known as theHoward Bulldogs through the 1965 season when Howard College was renamed as Samford University. Howard was located inBirmingham, Alabama prior to 1957. Since 1958, the Bulldogs have played their home games atPete 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]
The Bulldogs have won 4 conference championships, with three coming in theDixie Conference and two in theSouthern 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
The Bulldogs have appeared in theNCAA 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 48–42OT L 9–27 |
Announced schedules as of November 13, 2025.[3]
| 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 |
|---|---|---|---|
| vsWest Georgia | atIncarnate Word | atGeorgia Southern | vsAustin Peay |
| atBaylor | atUAB | atUAB | |
| atAustin Peay | |||
| atTexas A&M |
