Adrian Bulldogs football

Adrian Bulldogs football
First season	1892;133 years ago (1892)
Athletic director	Craig Rainey
Head coach	Joe Palka 2nd season, 6–4 (.600)
Stadium	Docking Stadium (capacity: 3,000)
Year built	2006
Field surface	FieldTurf
Location	Adrian, Michigan
NCAA division	Division III
Conference	MIAA
Past conferences	MOCC
Colors	Black and gold [1]
Mascot	Bulldogs
Website	adrianbulldogs.com

The Adrian Bulldogs football team represents Adrian College in college football at the NCAA Division III level. The Bulldogs are members of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA), fielding its team in the MIAA since 1937. The Bulldogs play their home games at Docking Stadium in Adrian, Michigan.

Their head coach is Joe Palka, who took over the position for the 2024 season. ^[2]

Championships

Conference championships

Adrian claims 18 conference titles, the most recent of which came in 2014.

Year	Conference	Overall Record	Conference Record	Coach
1911	Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association	7–1	3–1	Tom Leith
1930	Michigan-Ontario Collegiate Conference	5–4	N/A	Dale R. Sprankle
1931 [3]		5–4	4–0
1932† [4]		2–6–1	2–0–1
1933† [5]		5–3–1	N/A
1934		3–5–1	N/A
1935 [6]		7–3	3–0
1936 [7]		3–7	N/A	Frank Ballenger
1970†	Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association	6–3	4–1	William C. Davis
1971†		5–4	4–1
1972†		5–4	4–1
1980		9–0	5–0	Tom Heckert Sr.
1983		8–2	5–0	Ron Labadie
1988†		7–3	4–1
1989†		5–4	4–1
1997†		8–1	5–1	Jim Lyall
2012		9–2	6–0	Jim Deere
2014		8–3	5–1

† Co-champions

Postseason games

NCAA Division III playoff games

Adrian has appeared in the Division III playoffs four times, with an overall record of 0–4.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
1983	Quarterfinal	Augustana (IL)	L, 21–22
1988	First Round	Augustana (IL)	L, 7–25
2012	First Round	Franklin (IN)	L, 10–42
2014	First Round	Mount Union	L, 3–63

List of head coaches

Main article: List of Adrian Bulldogs head football coaches

References

1. "Adrian College Brand Guidelines" (PDF). Retrieved September 17, 2019.
2. Wickliffe, Greg (November 17, 2023). "'Tough to say goodbye': Joe Palka bids farewell as Saline's football coach". MLive . Retrieved December 3, 2023.
3. "Assumption To Play at Flint". The Border Cities Daily Star . Windsor, Ontario. November 17, 1931. p. 3, section 2. Retrieved December 27, 2024– via Newspapers.com .
4. "Vindal Elected M. O. C. Official". The Battle Creek Enquirer and The Evening News . Battle Creek, Michigan. November 17, 1932. p. 13. Retrieved December 27, 2024– via Newspapers.com .
5. "M.-O. Circuit Heads Convene". The Battle Creek Moon-Journal. Battle Creek, Michigan. November 20, 1933. p. 6. Retrieved December 27, 2024– via Newspapers.com .
6. "Michigan College Season Is Ended". The Grand Rapids Press . Grand Rapids, Michigan. Associated Press. November 25, 1935. p. 17. Retrieved December 27, 2024– via Newspapers.com .
7. "Kalamazoo, Undefeated, Wins Title". The New-Palladium . Benton Harbor, Michigan. Associated Press. November 9, 1936. p. 8. Retrieved March 22, 2024– via Newspapers.com .

External links

• Official website