Furman–Wofford football rivalry

American college football rivalry

Furman–Wofford rivalry
Statistics
Furman Wofford
Sport	College football
First meeting	December 14, 1889 Wofford, 5–1
Latest meeting	November 9, 2024 Wofford, 19–13
Next meeting	October 18, 2025
Meetings total	98
All-time series	Furman, 56–35–7
Largest victory	Furman, 69–0 (1920)
Longest win streak	Furman, 19 (1917–1947)
Longest unbeaten streak	Furman, 21 (1917–1950)
Current win streak	Wofford, 2 (2023–present)

45km
30miles 2 1 Campus locations of rivals Furman and Wofford
1 Furman University
2 Wofford College

The Furman–Wofford football rivalry, sometimes referred to as the Deep South's Oldest Football Rivalry or the I-85 rivalry, is an American college football rivalry game played by the Furman Paladins football team of Furman University and the Wofford Terriers football team of Wofford College. The teams have played 96 times in total, dating back to first game in 1889. Furman currently leads the series with 56 wins, to Wofford's 35, with 7 ties.

History

The series between Furman and Wofford dates back to December 14, 1889, in what was the first organized intercollegiate football game in South Carolina. In a game that contained no positions or uniforms and whose set of rules were decided upon right before its start, Wofford won 5–1. The series gets the occasional title of the "Deep South's Oldest Football Rivalry", as the 1889 meeting was also the first football game played in the Deep South, or the "State's Oldest Rivalry", due to its status as the oldest rivalry in South Carolina.

The teams have met in only two locations: Greenville and Spartanburg, South Carolina. The longest winning streak in the series's history lasted from 1917 to 1947, and consisted of nineteen consecutive Furman victories (during the first sixteen of which Wofford scored a total of fifteen points and was shut out twelve times).

The series has been interrupted multiple times. One such interruption took place from 1901 to 1914, when Wofford banned football for its violence. Major interruptions have also taken place from 1922–28, 1941–46 (due to World War II, neither school fielded a team from 1943–45), and 1980–93, with the exception of one game played in 1989. At present, the teams have met every year since 1995 with the exception of the 2021 FCS spring season when Wofford canceled their season before its completion due to COVID-19 infections and opt-outs.

Geography

Furman and Wofford are located in Greenville and Spartanburg, respectively, less than 50 miles from each other. The rivalry's occasional title of the "I-85 Rivalry" is due to the proximity of both schools to Interstate 85, though this title is more often used for the schools' basketball rivalry, and is most commonly used to refer to the NFL rivalry between the Carolina Panthers and the Atlanta Falcons.

Game results

Furman victories

Wofford victories

Tie games

No.	Date	Location	Winner	Score
1	December 14, 1889	Spartanburg	Wofford	5–1
2	January 18, 1890	Greenville	Wofford	2–1
3	January 24, 1890	Spartanburg	Furman	12–0
4	March 21, 1890	Greenville	Furman	28–2
5	November 30, 1893	Greenville	Furman	18–4
6	November 23, 1895	Spartanburg	Wofford	44–0
7	November 6, 1896	Spartanburg	Wofford	6–0
8	October 26, 1900	Spartanburg	Tie	0–0
9	November 29, 1900	Greenville	Wofford	6–5
10	November 28, 1901	Greenville	Furman	17–0
11	October 10, 1914	Greenville	Furman	19–12
12	November 25, 1915	Greenville	Furman	25–0
13	November 30, 1916	Spartanburg	Wofford	9–7
14	November 29, 1917	Greenville	Furman	18–3
15	December 4, 1918	Spartanburg	Furman	7–0
16	October 11, 1919	Greenville	Furman	7–6
17	November 13, 1920	Spartanburg	Furman	69–0
18	November 19, 1921	Greenville	Furman	62–0
19	November 18, 1922	Spartanburg	Furman	41–0
20	October 27, 1928	Greenville	Furman	26–0
21	October 26, 1929	Spartanburg	Furman	25–6
22	November 15, 1930	Spartanburg	Furman	14–0
23	October 31, 1931	Greenville	Furman	20–0
24	November 5, 1932	Spartanburg	Furman	24–0
25	November 4, 1933	Greenville	Furman	38–0
26	September 29, 1934	Spartanburg	Furman	13–0
27	November 9, 1935	Greenville	Furman	29–0
28	September 26, 1936	Spartanburg	Furman	31–0
29	October 1, 1937	Greenville	Furman	58–0
30	September 26, 1941	Greenville	Furman	40–19
31	September 27, 1946	Greenville	Furman	31–0
32	October 25, 1947	Spartanburg	Furman	20–6
33	October 16, 1948	Greenville	Tie	7–7
34	November 3, 1950	Greenville	Tie	13–13
35	November 2, 1951	Spartanburg	Wofford	14–12
36	November 1, 1952	Greenville	Furman	29–21
37	October 31, 1953	Spartanburg	Furman	7–6
38	November 20, 1954	Greenville	Wofford	19–0
39	October 1, 1955	Spartanburg	Wofford	27–6
40	October 13, 1956	Greenville	Wofford	18–6
41	October 19, 1957	Spartanburg	Wofford	13–12
42	October 18, 1958	Greenville	Furman	40–39
43	November 7, 1959	Spartanburg	Wofford	6–3
44	October 15, 1960	Greenville	Furman	41–26
45	October 28, 1961	Spartanburg	Furman	12–7
46	September 22, 1962	Greenville	Furman	34–21
47	October 12, 1963	Spartanburg	Furman	21–19
48	September 26, 1964	Greenville	Wofford	21–14
49	October 9, 1965	Spartanburg	Wofford	35–13
50	October 8, 1966	Greenville	Tie	15–15

No.	Date	Location	Winner	Score
51	October 7, 1967	Spartanburg	Furman	21–20
52	September 28, 1968	Spartanburg	Wofford	13–7
53	November 28, 1968	Greenville	Wofford	21–7
54	October 11, 1969	Spartanburg	Wofford	49–7
55	November 29, 1969	Greenville	Wofford	31–21
56	September 26, 1970	Greenville	Wofford	28–13
57	September 25, 1971	Spartanburg	Wofford	27–0
58	September 23, 1972	Greenville	Furman	24–7
59	September 22, 1973	Spartanburg	Furman	21–19
60	October 26, 1974	Greenville	Furman	21–10
61	November 22, 1975	Spartanburg	Tie	14–14
62	November 20, 1976	Greenville	Furman	56–14
63	October 8, 1977	Spartanburg	Wofford	13–7
64	October 9, 1978	Greenville	Furman	36–12
65	October 6, 1979	Spartanburg	Wofford	27–17
66	November 15, 1980	Greenville	Tie	14–14
67	October 21, 1989	Greenville	Furman	42–7
68	September 18, 1993	Greenville	Tie	14–14
69	September 16, 1995	Greenville	Furman	38–0
70	September 21, 1996	Greenville	Furman	33–3
71	November 15, 1997	Greenville	Furman	28–7
72	November 14, 1998	Spartanburg	Wofford	40–20
73	November 13, 1999	Greenville	Furman	30–3
74	November 11, 2000	Spartanburg	Furman	27–18
75	November 10, 2001	Greenville	Furman	45–14
76	November 16, 2002	Spartanburg	Furman	23–21
77	November 15, 2003	Greenville	Wofford	7–6
78	November 13, 2004	Spartanburg	Furman	31–24
79	November 12, 2005	Greenville	Furman	34–21
80	September 30, 2006	Spartanburg	Furman	35–21
81	September 29, 2007	Greenville	Wofford	45–20
82	November 22, 2008	Spartanburg	Wofford	35–10
83	November 21, 2009	Greenville	Furman	58–21
84	October 2, 2010	Spartanburg	Wofford	38–17
85	October 22, 2011	Greenville	Furman	26–21
86	October 6, 2012	Spartanburg	Wofford	20–14
87	November 23, 2013	Greenville	Furman	27–14
88	November 15, 2014	Greenville	Furman	31–14
89	November 21, 2015	Spartanburg	Wofford	38–28
90	November 5, 2016	Greenville	Wofford	34–27
91	September 2, 2017	Spartanburg	Wofford	24–23
92	December 2, 2017	Spartanburg	Wofford	28–10
93	October 13, 2018	Greenville	Furman	34–14
94	November 16, 2019	Spartanburg	Wofford	24–7
95	October 9, 2021	Spartanburg	Furman	42–20
96	November 19, 2022	Greenville	Furman	63–28
97	November 18, 2023	Spartanburg	Wofford	19–13
98	November 9, 2024	Greenville	Wofford	19–13
Series: Furman leads 56–35–7
Sources:

Game played as part of the second round of the FCS Playoffs.

Significant games

1889: The first game

Wofford and Furman first met at the Encampment Grounds, located in Spartanburg, on December 14, 1889, in what was the first college football game played in the state of South Carolina. The game was officiated by Professor J.H. Marshall, under "the old rough-and-tumble" rugby-style rules, despite Wofford's wish to play by "association rules" that more closely resembled soccer. The game was "won with ease" by Wofford, 5 to 1.

1948: Breaking the streak

1948: Wofford 7, Furman 7

	1	2	3	4	Total
Wofford	0	0	7	0	7
Furman	0	0	0	7	7

Date: October 16, 1948
Location: Greenville, SC

Coming into the 1948 game, Furman had won seventeen consecutive meetings between the teams. Under the leadership of Phil Dickens, Wofford entered the contest 0–0–3, en route to a national record five consecutive ties to begin the season, which they would go on to follow with four straight wins. The team was noted in the Bohemian, the Wofford yearbook, as being "strong and worthy" despite having "little material". Furman, under head coach Red Smith, entered 1–2, having just lost back-to-back games to South Carolina and Richmond. Remaining in a scoreless tie through halftime, the deadlock was broken by Wofford's "Slippery Sammy" Sewell, who scored on a long rush in the third quarter (Wofford claims it was 54 yards; Furman claims 47). According to the Bohemian, the game was tied again by Furman in the fourth quarter, on a "disputed fourth down play". The Furman account makes no mention of this play, only that the team was "sparked" on a 70-yard drive to tie the game and cause the Terriers to disappointedly " to their kennels" upon the conclusion of the game as a tie.

1951: Ending the drought

1951: Wofford 14, Furman 12

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Wofford	14	0	0	0	14
Furman	0	6	0	6	12

Date: November 2, 1951
Location: Greenville, SC
Game attendance: 7,500

Entering their 1951 meeting, it had been thirty-five years since Wofford had last beat Furman, a streak composed of nineteen losses and two ties. The Bohemian noted that Wofford's best win of the season came in their "muddy win" against the Hurricanes; Wofford would go on to win the Little Four Conference championship. Furman's yearbook, the Bonhomie, referred to the game as 'the "Tear-jerker of the Year"'. Wofford struck first in the game, scoring twice in the first quarter and adding two conversions to take a 14–0 advantage into the second quarter; this ensured that the 1951 contest would be only the third time (1895 and 1941) that Wofford had scored fourteen points in a game against Furman. The Hurricanes responded, as Sonny Horton scored in the second quarter and Jim Piner added another touchdown in the fourth; however, Joe Watt failed to convert the point after following both scores. This resulted in the game finishing in favor of the Terriers, 14–12, for their first win against Furman since 1916.

Perhaps as a testament to the already-fierce rivalry between the teams, the two schools attribute the Wofford victory to different causes. The Bohemian mentions the "magnificent display of football" that was put on by the Terriers, and mentions that Wofford "doggedly its advantage the rest of the way" after scoring all of their points in the first quarter of the contest. The Bonhomie, on the other hand, opens its account by noting that the "Wofford passing machine" was limited to "a mere two yards" and adds later that Wofford " outplayed during the whole game".

2017: First postseason meeting

2017: Wofford 28, Furman 10

	1	2	3	4	Total
Furman	0	10	0	0	10
• Wofford	7	7	7	7	28

Date: December 2, 2017
Location: Spartanburg, SC
Game attendance: 5,153

After meeting to open the season on September 2, 2017, the Paladins and Terriers were treated to another matchup in the FCS playoffs. This was the first year since 1969 that the teams had played twice in the same season, and the first time ever they'd met in the postseason. Wofford entered the matchup 9–2, and as the No. 7 national seed, having received a first-round bye and home field advantage in the rivalry for the second time in a row. Furman entered the contest with a record of 8–4, after defeating Elon in the first round the week before.

Wofford's Blake Morgan opened the scoring nearly halfway through the first quarter on a short rush, though Furman took a 10–7 lead in the second quarter following a 41 yard field goal by Grayson Atkins and a 20 yard pass from P.J. Blazejowski to Logan McCarter. From there, Wofford finished the first half with a 33 yard passing touchdown, this one from Brandon Goodson to Blake Morgan, to take a 14–10 lead into halftime. Wofford extended their lead with one touchdown each in the third and fourth quarters; Chase Nelson found the end zone from 2 yards out with three minutes to play, and Miller Mosely scored on a similar rush with just under six minutes to play in the contest. This 28–10 lead held, and Wofford advanced to the FCS quarterfinals; there they faltered against fourth-ranked North Dakota State.

Notes

Furman's football teams were referred to as the Hurricanes until 1963.

References

^ "Wofford 2019 Media Guide" (PDF). pp. 68, 122. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 6, 2022. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
^ "2019 Furman Football Yearbook" (PDF). pp. 109–114, 152–160. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 7, 2019. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
^ "Furman-Wofford set to renew Deep South's oldest football rivalry on Saturday". The Times and Democrat. Archived from the original on February 19, 2020. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
^ Hooper, John (January 16, 2017). "Looking at the I-85 rivalry between Furman and Wofford". Mid-Major Madness. Archived from the original on February 19, 2020. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
"Wofford runs past rival Furman in FCS second round". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on February 21, 2020. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
"Origins and Development of College football in South Carolina, 1889–1930" (PDF). South Carolina State Library Digital Collections. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
^ "Wofford and Furman renew SC's oldest rivalry". Wofford College Athletics. Archived from the original on February 20, 2020. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
"Furman University – 2014 FB Record Book". Archived from the original on December 19, 2014. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
Shanesy, Todd. "Double take: Wofford, Furman meet again". GoUpstate. Archived from the original on February 20, 2020. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
^ "The Bonhomie, 1949". scdl.contentdm.oclc.org. p. 191. Archived from the original on February 21, 2020. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
Argeris, Steve (November 13, 2004). "SoCon Rivalry gets more intense". The State. p. 33. Retrieved October 24, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
Rollins, Glenn (October 19, 1989). "Oldest rivalry in S.C." The Charlotte Observer. p. 59. Retrieved October 24, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
"Wofford College | Records of the Athletics Office". www.wofford.edu. Archived from the original on February 20, 2020. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
"Football opts out of remainder of spring season". Wofford Terriers Athletics. April 5, 2021. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
"Distance Between Wofford College and Furman University". www.mapdevelopers.com. Archived from the original on September 6, 2022. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
Hooper, John (September 11, 2019). "Dates to circle on the 2019–20 SoCon schedule". Mid-Major Madness. Archived from the original on February 20, 2020. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
"Time Machine: The Beginning of the I-85 Rivalry". www.atlantafalcons.com. Archived from the original on February 20, 2020. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
"Atlanta Falcons vs. Carolina Panthers – Betting News". www.bettingnews.com. Archived from the original on February 20, 2020. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
"2017 FCS Football Official Bracket | NCAA.com". www.ncaa.com. Archived from the original on July 7, 2020. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
^ "The First Football Game – 118 years ago today". From the Archives. December 14, 2007. Archived from the original on September 5, 2019. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
Shanesy, Todd. "Wofford 24, Furman 7: Five things to know". GoUpstate. Archived from the original on February 20, 2020. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
^ Shanesy, Todd (September 30, 2006). "Wofford-Furman a one-sided rivalry". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
"Wofford College | Wofford History". www.wofford.edu. Archived from the original on April 17, 2020. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
"Bohemian [yearbook] 1948". The Bohemian. Wofford College: 141–142. January 1, 1948. Archived from the original on February 20, 2020. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
"Wofford College – Bohemian Yearbook (Spartanburg, SC), Class of 1949, Cover". e-yearbook.com. Archived from the original on February 20, 2020. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
"Bohemian [yearbook] 1949". The Bohemian: 148–149. January 1, 1949. Archived from the original on February 20, 2020. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
^ "Wofford College – Bohemian Yearbook (Spartanburg, SC), Class of 1952, Cover". e-yearbook.com. Archived from the original on February 20, 2020. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
"The Bonhomie, 1952". scdl.contentdm.oclc.org. p. 197. Archived from the original on February 20, 2020. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
"Bohemian [yearbook] 1952". The Bohemian: 148. January 1, 1952. Archived from the original on February 20, 2020. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
^ "The Bonhomie, 1952". scdl.contentdm.oclc.org. p. 202. Archived from the original on February 20, 2020. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
"Furman vs. Wofford – Game Summary – December 2, 2017 – ESPN". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on February 21, 2020. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
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v t e Furman Paladins football
Venues	Manly Field (1919–1936) Sirrine Stadium (1936–1980) Paladin Stadium (1981–present)
Bowls & rivalries	The Citadel Wofford
Culture & lore	Marching Band Miracle on the Mountain
People	Head coaches NFL draftees
Seasons	1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897–1899 1900 1901 1902 1903–1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943–1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
National championship seasons in bold

v t e Wofford Terriers football
Venues	Synder Field (1930–1995) Gibbs Stadium (1996–present)
Bowls & rivalries	1950 Cigar Bowl The Citadel Furman
People	Head coaches NFL draftees
Seasons	1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902–1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024

v t e Southern Conference football rivalries
Conference	The Citadel–Furman Military Classic of the South (The Citadel–VMI) The Citadel–Wofford Furman–Wofford
Non-conference	Battle for the Old Mountain Jug (Appalachian State–Western Carolina) Jacksonville State–Samford Richmond–VMI VMI–Virginia Tech VMI–William & Mary

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