| Franklin & Marshall Diplomats football | |
|---|---|
| First season | 1887 |
| Head coach | Michael Phelan 1st season, 0–0 (–) |
| Stadium | Shadek Stadium (capacity: 2,500) |
| Field surface | Artificial turf |
| Location | Lancaster, Pennsylvania |
| NCAA division | Division III |
| Conference | Centennial |
| Past conferences | Eastern Pennsylvania Conference (1937–1940) Middle Atlantic Conference (1958–1982) |
| Bowl record | 10–6 (.625) |
| Conference titles | 7 |
| Colors | Blue, white, and light blue [1] |
The Franklin & Marshall Diplomats football program represents Franklin & Marshall College in college football at the NCAA Division III level. The Diplomats have competed as members of the Centennial Conference since 1983 and play their home games at Shadek Stadium in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Tom Blumenauer has served as the team's head coach since 2022.
Franklin & Marshall first formed a football team in 1887 and began playing other colleges in 1889. From 1889 to 1895, the program was coached by team captains. Alfred E. Bull was hired in 1896 as Franklin & Marshall's first professional coach. [2] The Diplomats have never appeared in the NCAA Division III Football Championship playoffs, but have played in 15 NCAA Division III bowl games.
Franklin & Marshall has won seven Centennial Conference titles, two of them outright.
| Season | Coach | Conference | Overall record | Conference record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986† | Tom Gilburg | Centennial Conference | 8–3 | 6–1 |
| 1987 | Tom Gilburg | Centennial Conference | 9–1–1 | 7–0 |
| 1988† | Tom Gilburg | Centennial Conference | 7–3 | 6–1 |
| 1993† | Tom Gilburg | Centennial Conference | 6–4 | 5–2 |
| 1995 | Tom Gilburg | Centennial Conference | 7–3 | 6–1 |
| 2004† | Shawn Halloran | Centennial Conference | 8–3 | 4–2 |
| 2017† | John Troxell | Centennial Conference | 10–1 | 8–1 |
† Co-champions
In their time in the Middle Atlantic Conferences, the Diplomats won the Southern Division championship seven times. [3]
| Season | Overall record | Conference record |
|---|---|---|
| 1964 | 8–0 | 7–0 |
| 1968† | 6–2 | 6–1 |
| 1971 | 6–2 | 6–1 |
| 1972 | 9–0 | 8–0 |
| 1973 | 8–1 | 8–1 |
| 1974 | 9–0 | 8–0 |
| 1976 | 8–1 | 8–1 |
† Co-champions
The Diplomats are 10–6 in bowl games. [4]
| Season | Bowl | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | ECAC Southern Championship | Wagner | L 28–40 |
| 1987 | ECAC Southern Championship | Kean | W 21–0 |
| 1989 | ECAC Southwest Championship | St. John's (N.Y.) | W 31–18 |
| 1996 | ECAC South Championship | Merchant Marine | L 0–20 |
| 2004 | ECAC South Championship | Moravian | W 37–20 |
| 2005 | ECAC South Championship | Salisbury | L 23–27 |
| 2009 | ECAC South Atlantic Championship | Wilkes | W 29–24 |
| 2010 | ECAC Southwest Championship | Washington & Jefferson | L 41–54 |
| 2012 | ECAC Southeast Championship | Albright | L 34–38 |
| 2013 | ECAC Southeast Championship | Delaware Valley | W 38–14 |
| 2016 | Centennial-MAC Bowl Series | Albright | L 23–28 |
| 2017 | Centennial-MAC Bowl Series | Widener | W 21–7 |
| 2018 | Centennial-MAC Bowl Series | Lycoming | W 21–20 |
| 2019 | Centennial-MAC Bowl Series | Misericordia | W 31–13 |
| 2021 | Centennial-MAC Bowl Series | Stevenson | W 42–28 |
| 2023 | Centennial-MAC Bowl Series | King's (Pa.) | W 30–7 |
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