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.
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.
The Bulldog Marching Band is the marching band for Samford University located in Homewood, Alabama. The band supports all Bulldogs athletic teams and performs at all football home games. Students from all academic disciplines can participate in the band.
The 2011 Samford Bulldogs team represented Samford University in the 2011 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Bulldogs were led by fifth-year head coach Pat Sullivan and played their home games at Seibert Stadium. They are a member of the Southern Conference. They finished the season 6–5, 4–4 in SoCon play to finish in fifth place.
The Samford Bulldogs baseball team is a varsity intercollegiate athletic team of Samford University in Homewood, Alabama, United States. The team is a member of the Southern Conference, which is part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I. The team plays its home games at Joe Lee Griffin Stadium in Homewood, Alabama. The Bulldogs are coached by Tony David.
The 1965 Howard Bulldogs football team represented Howard College as an independent during the 1965 NCAA College Division football season. Led by head coach Bubba Scott Howard played their home games at Seibert Stadium.
Phillip S. Ervin is an American professional baseball outfielder for the New Jersey Jackals of the Frontier League. Prior to playing professionally, Ervin attended Samford University, where he played college baseball for the Bulldogs. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds and Seattle Mariners.
The Jacksonville State–Samford football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the Jacksonville State Gamecocks and Samford Bulldogs. The two schools are located 80 miles apart from each other in eastern Alabama.
The 2014 Samford Bulldogs football team represented Samford University in the 2014 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by eighth year head coach Pat Sullivan and played their home games at Seibert Stadium. They were a member of the Southern Conference. They finished the season 7–4, 5–2 in SoCon play to finish in a tie for second place.
The 2014 Southern Conference football season was the 93rd season of college football for the Southern Conference (SoCon) and formed a part of the 2014 NCAA Division I FCS football season.
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.
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 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).
Brock Benefield Vandagriff is an American football quarterback for the Kentucky Wildcats. He was a member of the 2021 and 2022 Georgia Bulldogs that won back-to-back national championships.
The 1921 Howard Bulldogs football team was an American football team that represented Howard College as a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA) during the 1921 college football season. In their second year under head coach Robert C. Marshall, the team compiled a 3–6 record.
The 1919 Howard Bulldogs football team was an American football team that represented Howard College as a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA) during the 1919 college football season. In their first year under head coach Chester Dillon, the team compiled a 3–5–2 record.
The 1955 Howard Bulldogs football team was an American football team that represented Howard College as an independent during the 1955 college football season. In their first year under head coach Howard Foote, the team compiled a record of 1–8. Seniors James Chandler and Wayne Walker were the team captains.
The 2021–22 Samford Bulldogs men's basketball team represented Samford University in the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bulldogs, led by second-year head coach Bucky McMillan, played their home games at the Pete Hanna Center in Homewood, Alabama as a member of the Southern Conference. They finished the season 21–11, 10–8 in SoCon play to finish in a tie for third place. As the No. 3 seed in the SoCon tournament, they defeated UNC Greensboro before losing to Furman in the semifinals.
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.
