The Samford Bulldogs college football team represents Samford University as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon). The Bulldogs competes as part of the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision. The program has had 36 head coaches, since it began play during the 1902 season. Since December 2014, Chris Hatcher has served as head coach at Samford.
Five coaches have led Saamford to the postseason: Bobby Bowden, Wayne Grubb, Terry Bowden, Pat Sullivan, and Hatcher. Four of those coaches also won conference championships: Eddie McLane captured one and Billy Bancroft two, as a member of the Dixie Conference; Sullivan and Hatcher each captured one as a member of Southern Conference.
Hatcher is the leader in seasons coached, with 10 years as head coach and games coached (100) and won (57). Bobby Bowden has the highest winning percentage at 0.838. Maxwell James and Bub Walker have the lowest winning percentage of those who have coached more than one game, with 0.000. Of the 36 different head coaches who have led the Bulldogs, Bobby Bowden and Sullivan have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
Key
| General | Overall | Conference | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Order of coaches | GC | Games coached | CW | Conference wins | PW | Postseason wins |
| DC | Division championships | OW | Overall wins | CL | Conference losses | PL | Postseason losses |
| CC | Conference championships | OL | Overall losses | CT | Conference ties | PT | Postseason ties |
| NC | National championships | OT | Overall ties | C% | Conference winning percentage | ||
| † | Elected to the College Football Hall of Fame | O% | Overall winning percentage | ||||
Coaches
| No. | Name | Season(s) |
GC | OW | OL | OT | O% | CW | CL | CT | C% | PW | PL | PT | CC | NC | Awards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Houston Gwin | 1902–1903 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0.571 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 2 | Walter T. O'Hara | 1903 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.500 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 3 | Davis F. Stakely | 1905 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0.375 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 4 | John Counselman |
1906–1908 | 20 | 9 | 10 | 1 | 0.475 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 5 | William A. Blount | 1908 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0.500 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 6 | John B. Longwell | 1909 1911 1916–1917 |
31 | 14 | 14 | 3 | 0.500 | 3 | 11 | 2 | 0.250 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 7 | James C. Donnelly | 1910 | 9 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 0.111 | 0 | 5 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 8 | B. L. Noojin | 1912–1914 | 25 | 10 | 13 | 2 | 0.440 | 0 | 4 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 9 | Eugene Caton | 1915 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0.438 | 0 | 3 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 10 | C. W. Streit |
1917 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.500 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 11 | Maxwell James | 1918 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 12 | Chester C. Dillon | 1919 1927–1928 |
32 | 16 | 11 | 5 | 0.578 | 5 | 8 | 2 | 0.400 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 13 | Robert C. Marshall | 1920–1921 | 18 | 6 | 11 | 1 | 0.361 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0.300 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 14 | Harris G. Cope | 1922–1923 | 20 | 5 | 10 | 5 | 0.375 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0.214 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 15 | Jenks Gillem | 1924–1926 | 27 | 13 | 12 | 2 | 0.519 | 7 | 8 | 1 | 0.469 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 16 | Eddie McLane | 1929–1933 | 53 | 28 | 19 | 6 | 0.585 | 16 | 11 | 4 | 0.581 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | — |
| 17 | Clyde Propst | 1934 | 9 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 0.444 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0.500 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 18 | Billy Bancroft | 1935–1939 | 44 | 22 | 18 | 4 | 0.545 | 15 | 6 | 3 | 0.688 | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | — |
| 19 | William C. White | 1940–1941 1954 |
28 | 10 | 17 | 1 | 0.375 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0.813 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 20 | Euil Snider | 1943 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0.500 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 21 | Bub Walker | 1944–1945 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 22 | Ted McCrary | 1948 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0.500 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 23 | Earl Gartman | 1949–1953 | 43 | 14 | 28 | 1 | 0.337 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 24 | Howard Foote | 1955–1956 | 18 | 3 | 13 | 2 | 0.222 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 25 | Virgil Ledbetter | 1957–1958 | 17 | 6 | 10 | 1 | 0.382 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 26 | Bobby Bowden | 1959–1962 | 37 | 31 | 6 | 0 | 0.838 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | — |
| 27 | Bubba Scott | 1963–1965 | 28 | 13 | 13 | 2 | 0.500 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | — |
| 28 | John Lee Armstrong | 1966–1968 | 31 | 20 | 9 | 2 | 0.677 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | — |
| 29 | Wayne Grubb | 1969–1973 | 48 | 25 | 20 | 3 | 0.552 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | — |
| 30 | Kim Alsop | 1984–1986 | 27 | 6 | 21 | 0 | 0.222 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | — |
| 31 | Terry Bowden | 1987–1992 | 69 | 45 | 23 | 1 | 0.659 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | 0 | — |
| 32 | Chan Gailey | 1993 | 11 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 0.455 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | — |
| 33 | Pete Hurt | 1994–2001 | 82 | 42 | 39 | 1 | 0.518 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | — |
| 34 | Bill Gray | 2001–2006 | 60 | 27 | 33 | — | 0.450 | 31 | 32 | — | 0.492 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | OVC Coach of the Year (2003) |
| 35 | Pat Sullivan | 2007–2014 | 90 | 47 | 43 | — | 0.522 | 31 | 32 | — | 0.492 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | SoCon Co-Coach of the Year (2012) |
| 36 | Chris Hatcher | 2015–present | 100 | 57 | 43 | — | 0.570 | 43 | 29 | — | 0.597 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — |
Notes
- Samford University previously competed as Howard College from 1841 to 1965.
- Although the first Rose Bowl Game was played in 1902, it has been continuously played since the 1916 game, and is recognized as the oldest bowl game by the NCAA. "—" indicates any season prior to 1916 when postseason games were not played.
- A running total of the number of head coaches, with coaches who served separate tenures being counted only once. Interim head coaches are represented with "Int" and are not counted in the running total. "—" indicates the team played but either without a coach or no coach is on record. "X" indicates an interim year without play.
- Overtime rules in college football were introduced in 1996, making ties impossible in the period since.
- When computing the win–loss percentage, a tie counts as half a win and half a loss.
- Statistics correct as of the end of the 2023 NCAA Division I FCS football season.
- Samford did not field teams in 1904, 1942, 1946–1947, and from 1974–1983.
- Counselman resigned after the first two games of the 1908 season. Winton M. Blount served as head coach for the final four games. Howard finished the season with an overall record of 2–4.
- John B. Longwell coached only the first five games of the 1917 season. Streit coached the final two games of the season.
References
- "Samford hires Chris Hatcher as football coach". ESPN.com. Associated Press. December 11, 2014. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
- National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) (2011). Bowl/All-Star Game Records (PDF). Indianapolis, Indiana: NCAA. pp. 5–10. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 5, 2011. Retrieved August 21, 2011.
- Whiteside, Kelly (August 25, 2006). "Overtime system still excites coaches". USA Today. McLean, Virginia. Archived from the original on September 6, 2010. Retrieved September 25, 2009.
- Finder, Chuck (September 6, 1987). "Big plays help Paterno to 200th". The New York Times. New York City. Archived from the original on September 28, 2013. Retrieved October 22, 2009.
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