Samford University is a private Baptist university in Homewood, Alabama. It was founded in 1841 as Howard College by Baptists. In the fall of 2023, the university enrolled 5,791 students from 49 states, 1 U.S. territory, and 16 other countries.
John Burt Longwell was an American college football player and coach, college basketball coach, and dentist. He served as the head football coach at Howard College—now Samford University—in Birmingham, Alabama during the 1909, 1911, 1916 and 1917 seasons and at New York University (NYU) in 1919. Longwell was also the head basketball coach at Howard during the 1916–17 season, tallying a mark of 3–5.
The Samford Bulldogs are the 17 varsity teams that represent Samford University in NCAA Division I athletics. The men's basketball team made its first NCAA Tournament appearances in 1999 and 2000. They were led by Reed Rawlings, Marc Salyers, and Chris Weaver. The women's basketball team made its initial NCAA tournament appearance in the 2011 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament and made its second consecutive appearance in the tournament in 2012. The baseball team made its first NCAA tournament appearance in the 2012 NCAA Division I baseball tournament, reaching the finals of the Tallahassee Regional. Additionally, the softball team made its first NCAA Tournament Appearance in 2016. For the first time in history, the Lady Bulldogs won the regular-season championship as well as the Tournament Championship to cap off a record high of 40 wins on the season. The school is a member of the Southern Conference in Division I of the NCAA, after moving from the Ohio Valley Conference in 2008. The Samford Athletics staff is headed by athletic director Martin Newton, whose appointment was announced on March 9, 2011.
The Samford Bulldogs football program is the intercollegiate American football team for Samford University located in Homewood, Alabama. The team competes at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon). Samford's first football team was fielded in 1902. The team was known as the Howard Bulldogs through the 1965 season when Howard College was renamed as Samford University. Howard was located in Birmingham, Alabama prior to 1957. Since 1958, the Bulldogs have played their home games at Seibert Stadium, which now has a seating capacity of 6,700, in Homewood. Chris Hatcher has served as Samford's head coach since the 2015 season.
Lovick Pierce "Eddie" McLane was an American football, basketball, and baseball coach at Anniston High School, Samford University, and Louisiana Tech University. All three schools where McLane coached are nicknamed the Bulldogs. In McLane's final football season at Samford in 1933, his Bulldogs were Dixie Conference champions. McLane died on June 22, 1980, in Ruston, Louisiana.
The 2014 Samford Bulldogs football team represented Samford University in the 2014 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by eighth-year head coach Pat Sullivan, they played their home games at Seibert Stadium and were a member of the Southern Conference. The team finished the season with a 7–4 overall record, including a 5–2 mark in SoCon play, securing a tie for second place.
Chester C. Dillon was an American football player, coach of football, basketball, and baseball, college athletics administrator, and educator. He was the head football coach at Dakota Wesleyan University (1915), Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa (1916–1917), Howard College in Birmingham, Alabama—now known as Samford University, Oshkosh State Normal School—now known as the University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh (1920), Georgetown College in Georgetown, Kentucky (1929–1930), and Jacksonville State Teachers College—now known as Jacksonville State University. Dillon also served as the athletic director at each of those schools.
The 2016 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team represented Mississippi State University in the 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Bulldogs played their home games at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, Mississippi and competed in the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They were led by eighth-year head coach Dan Mullen. Despite having a 5–7 record, the first losing season since 2009, Mississippi State qualified for a bowl bid due to their high APR score. Mississippi State beat the Miami RedHawks in the St. Petersburg Bowl to finish the season at 6–7.
The 2018 The Citadel Bulldogs football team represented The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina in the 2018 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Bulldogs were led by third-year head coach Brent Thompson and played their home games at Johnson Hagood Stadium. They were members of the Southern Conference (SoCon). They finished the season 5–6, 4–4 in SoCon play to finish in a three-way tie for fifth place.
The 2018 Samford Bulldogs football team represented Samford University in the 2018 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by fourth-year head coach Chris Hatcher and played their home games at Seibert Stadium. They were a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon). They finished the season 6–5, 5–3 in SoCon play to finish in fourth place.
Timothy Michael Parenton was an American college baseball coach and third baseman. He played college baseball and college football at Mississippi State University. He then served as the head coach of the Samford Bulldogs (1998–2004) and the North Florida Ospreys (2018–2023).
Virgil Chapel Ledbetter was an American football and baseball coach. He served as the head football coach at Samford University in Homewood, Alabama from 1957 to 1958, compiling a record of 6–10–1. Ledbetter was also the school's head baseball coach from 1956 to 1965.
The 2019 Samford Bulldogs football team represents Samford University in the 2019 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They are led by fifth-year head coach Chris Hatcher and play their home games at Seibert Stadium. They are a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon).
The 2019–20 Samford Bulldogs men's basketball team represented Samford University in the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bulldogs, led by sixth-year head coach Scott Padgett, played their home games at the Pete Hanna Center in Homewood, Alabama as members of the Southern Conference. They finished the season 10–23, 4–14 in SoCon play to finish in eighth place. They lost in the first round of the SoCon tournament to VMI.
The 2020 Samford Bulldogs football team represented Samford University in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by sixth-year head coach Chris Hatcher and played their home games at Seibert Stadium. They played as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon).
DeMarcus Covington is an American football coach who is the defensive coordinator for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as an assistant coach at Eastern Illinois University, the University of Tennessee at Martin, University of Mississippi and University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).
The 2020–21 Samford Bulldogs men's basketball team represented Samford University in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bulldogs, led by first-year head coach Bucky McMillan, played their home games at the Pete Hanna Center in Homewood, Alabama as members of the Southern Conference.
The 2021 Samford Bulldogs football team represented Samford University in the 2021 NCAA Division I FCS football season as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon). The Bulldogs were led by seventh-year head coach Chris Hatcher and played their home games at Seibert Stadium in Homewood, Alabama.
The 1999–2000 Samford Bulldogs men's basketball team represented Samford University in the 1999–2000 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bulldogs, led by third-year head coach Jimmy Tillette, played their home games at the Siebert Hall in Homewood, Alabama as members of the Trans America Athletic Conference. After finishing third in the TAAC regular season standings, Samford won the TAAC tournament for the second straight season to receive an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. As No. 13 seed in the Midwest region, the Bulldogs were defeated by No. 4 seed Syracuse in the opening round.
The 2022 Samford Bulldogs football team represented Samford University as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon) during the 2022 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Bulldogs were led by eighth-year head coach Chris Hatcher and played their home games at Seibert Stadium in Homewood, Alabama.
