The Furman Paladins are the varsity athletic teams representing Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina, in intercollegiate athletics.
Ted Cain is a former American football coach who coached in the college football ranks for over 30 years. He is the former offensive coordinator, former special teams coordinator, and former tight-ends coach at Vanderbilt. He was at Vanderbilt as offensive coordinator and tight ends coach for nine years under head coach Bobby Johnson whom he followed to Vanderbilt from Furman, his alma mater, and later as tight-ends coach and special teams coordinator under head coach Robbie Caldwell. He coached standouts Jay Cutler and Earl Bennett, both of whom were voted All-SEC during their time in Nashville. Cain started his career in 1977 at Furman and remained there until the 1986 season, where he took over as NC State's offensive coordinator and tight ends coach. He served as offensive coordinator until the 1997 season, when he was hired as the head football coach at Virginia Military Institute (VMI).
Robert Emory Lamb is an American college football coach and former player. He is the head football coach for Anderson University, a position he has held since 2024. He was previously the head football coach at Mercer University, a position he assumed in 2011 when Mercer reinstated their football program after a 72-year hiatus. The Mercer Bears football program resumed play in 2013. Lamb served as the head football coach at Furman University from 2002 until his resignation in 2010.
The Furman Paladins football program is the intercollegiate American football team for the Furman University located in the state of South Carolina. The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) as members of the Southern Conference (SoCon). The school's first football team was fielded in 1889. The team plays its home games at the 16,000 seat Paladin Stadium in Greenville, South Carolina.
Robbie Caldwell is a retired American football coach, and previously served as the offensive line coach for Clemson University. Caldwell was formerly the head coach of the Vanderbilt Commodores football team. He has also been an assistant coach at Furman University, North Carolina State University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Vanderbilt University. On February 2, 2011 Clemson University named Caldwell offensive line coach to replace the retiring Brad Scott.
Carroll McCray is an American football coach. He was the head football coach at Gardner–Webb University from 2013 to 2019. McCray was the head football coach at Austin Peay State University from 2003 to 2006 and North Greenville University in 2012.
Antonio "Tony" Elliott is an American football coach who is currently the head coach at the University of Virginia. He previously served as an assistant coach at Clemson University from 2011 to 2021, most recently as associate head coach, offensive coordinator, and tight ends coach, after serving most of those years as running backs coach and/or co-offensive coordinator.
The 2017 Furman Paladins team represented Furman University as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon) during the 2017 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by first-year head coach Clay Hendrix, the Paladins compiled an overall record of 8–5 with a mark of 6–2 in conference play, tying for second-place in the SoCon. Furman received an at-large bid to the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs, where they defeated Elon in the first round before losing to the SoCon champion, Wofford, in the second round. The team played home games at Paladin Stadium in Greenville, South Carolina.
William Hall Napier is an American football coach currently serving as head coach at the University of Florida. From 2017 until 2021, he was head coach at the University of Louisiana, amassing a 40–12 record in four seasons with three consecutive 10+ win seasons and two seasons finishing in the AP Poll, both firsts in the program's history. Prior to Louisiana, he was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Arizona State University in 2017.
The 2018 Furman Paladins team represented Furman University as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon) during the 2018 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by second-year head coach Clay Hendrix, the Paladins compiled an overall record of 6–4 with a mark of 6–2 in conference play, sharing the SoCon title with East Tennessee and Wofford. After tiebreakers, Furman did not receive the SoCon's automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs and the team did not receive an at-large bid. Furman home games at Paladin Stadium in Greenville, South Carolina.
Frank T. DeBusk is an American former college football coach and player. He was the head football coach at Tusculum University in Greeneville, Tennessee, from 1998 to 2015.
The 2019 Furman Paladins team represented Furman University as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon) during the 2019 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by third-year head coach Clay Hendrix, the Paladins compiled an overall record of 8–5 with a mark of 6–2 in conference play, placing second in the SoCon. Furman received an at-large bid to the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs, where they lost to Austin Peay in the first round. The team played home games at Paladin Stadium in Greenville, South Carolina.
Andrew Danny Cronic is an American college football coach. He is the offensive coordinator for the United States Naval Academy, a position he has held since 2024. He was the head football coach for Reinhardt University from 2015 to 2016, Lenoir–Rhyne University from 2018 to 2019, and Mercer University from 2020 to 2023. He also coached for West Georgia, James Madison, and Furman. He played college football for Georgia as a wide receiver.
The 2020 Furman Paladins football team represented Furman University as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon) during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by fourth-year head coach Clay Hendrix, the Paladins compiled an overall record of 3–4 with an identical mark in conference play, placing sixth in the SoCon. Furman home games at Paladin Stadium in Greenville, South Carolina.
Desmond "Des" Kitchings is an American football coach and former wide receiver who is currently the offensive coordinator for the Virginia Cavaliers.
The 2021 Furman Paladins team represented Furman University as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon) during the 2021 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by fifth-year head coach Clay Hendrix, the Paladins compiled an overall record of 6–5 with a mark of 4–4 in conference play, placing in a three-way tie for fourth in the SoCon. Furman played home games at Paladin Stadium in Greenville, South Carolina.
The 2022 Furman Paladins football team represented Furman University as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon) during the 2022 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Paladins were led by sixth-year head coach Clay Hendrix and played their home games at Paladin Stadium in Greenville, South Carolina.
George Quarles is an American college football coach. He is the tight ends coach at Austin Peay, a position he has held since 2024. He was the head football coach at East Tennessee State University from 2022 to 2023. Prior to East Tennessee State, he was the associate head coach, offensive coordinator, and quarterbacks coach at Furman University, where he played college football. Before he joined the Furman coaching staff, Quarles was the head coach at Maryville High School in Tennessee from 1999 to 2016, where he recorded a 250–16 record.
The 2023 Furman Paladins football team represented Furman University as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon) during the 2023 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Paladins were led by seventh-year head coach Clay Hendrix and played their home games at Paladin Stadium in Greenville, South Carolina.
