Wofford Terriers football

Last updated
For information on all Wofford College sports, see Wofford Terriers

Wofford Terriers football
AmericanFootball current event.svg 2024 Wofford Terriers football team
Wofford football textlogo.png
First season1889;136 years ago (1889)
Athletic directorRichard Johnson
Head coach Shawn Watson
2nd season, 10–19 (.345)
Stadium Gibbs Stadium
(capacity: 13,000)
Field surface Grass
Location Spartanburg, South Carolina
NCAA division Division I FCS
Conference Southern Conference
Past conferences Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association
All-time record478–467–35 (.506)
Bowl record0–1 (.000)
Playoff record9–10
Conference titles7 (2003, 2007, 2010, 2012, 2017, 2018, 2019)
Rivalries The Citadel (rivalry)
Furman (rivalry)
ColorsOld gold and black [1]
   
MascotTerriers
Website woffordterriers.com

The Wofford Terriers football program is the intercollegiate American football team for Wofford College located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) as members of the Southern Conference (SoCon). Wofford's first football team was fielded in 1889. The team plays its home games at the 13,000 seat Gibbs Stadium in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Josh Conklin is the current head coach for the Terriers.

Contents

History

Wofford fielded its first football team in 1889. That season, Wofford and Furman played the first intercollegiate football game in South Carolina. There is no record of more than four games in a season before 1900. [2]

Wofford moved from Division II to join the Division I-AA Southern Conference in the 1996–97 season. Since then, Wofford has won 7 Southern Conference Championships, and received bids to the FCS Playoffs 10 times with the most recent bid coming in 2019. Wofford is typically one of the strongest teams in the Southern Conference every year.

Wofford's best finish since moving from Division II was a trip to the National Semi-finals at Delaware in 2003, where they fell 24–9. Mike Ayers, Wofford's winningest and most honored coach who served as head coach for thirty years, retired following the 2017 season, when Wofford made it to the national quarterfinals and finished #8 in the national polls. In recent years, Wofford's football and other athletic teams have finished near the top in the country in APR, which measures athletic performance of athletes. Numerous football players have been elected to Phi Beta Kappa.

Classifications

Conference memberships

Conference championships

Wofford has won seven conference championships, three outright and four shared.

SeasonConferenceCoachOverall recordConference record
2003 Southern Conference Mike Ayers 12–28–0
2007†9–45–2
2010†10–37–1
2012†9–46–2
2017 10–37–1
2018† Josh Conklin 9–46–2
2019 8–57–1

† denotes co–champions

Bowl game appearances

SeasonCoachBowlOpponentResult
1949 Phil Dickens Cigar Bowl Florida State L 6–19

Playoff appearances

NCAA Division I-AA/FCS

The Terriers have appeared in the I-AA/FCS playoffs ten times with an overall record of 9–10.

YearRoundOpponentResult
2003 First Round
Quarterfinals
Semifinals		North Carolina A&T
Western Kentucky
Delaware		W 31–0
W 34–17
L 9–24
2007 First Round
Quarterfinals		Montana
Richmond		W 23–22
L 10–21
2008 First RoundJames MadisonL 35–38
2010 Second Round
Quarterfinals		Jacksonville State
Georgia Southern		W 17–14
L 20–23
2011 Second RoundNorthern IowaL 21–28
2012 Second Round
Quarterfinals		New Hampshire
North Dakota State		W 23–7
L 7–14
2016 First Round
Second Round
Quarterfinals		Charleston Southern
The Citadel
Youngstown State		W 15–14
W 17–3
L 23–30 2OT
2017 Second Round
Quarterfinals		Furman
North Dakota State		W 28–10
L 10–42
2018 First Round
Second Round		Elon
Kennesaw State		W 19–7
L 10–13
2019 First RoundKennesaw StateL 21–28

NCAA Division II

The Terriers have appeared in the Division II playoffs two times with an overall record of 0–2.

YearRoundOpponentResult
1990 First RoundMississippi CollegeL 19–70
1991 First RoundMississippi CollegeL 15–28

NAIA

The Terriers appeared in the NAIA playoffs one time. Their combined record was 1–1.

YearRoundOpponentResult
1970 Semifinals
National Championship Game		 New Mexico Highlands
Texas A&I 		W, 28–23
L, 7–48

Wofford vs. in-state NCAA Division I schools

SchoolRecordPercentageStreakFirst meetingLast meeting
Charleston Southern 14–01.000Won 1419932016
Clemson 3–13.200Lost 518962019
Coastal Carolina 0–1.000Lost 120062006
Furman 33–54–7.388Won 118892019
Presbyterian 41–40–3.506Won 619142017
South Carolina 4–20.167Lost 1718952017
South Carolina State 6–3.667Lost 119742019
The Citadel 30–42–1.418Won 419162019
Total: 124–169–11

Notable former players

Yearly results

Year [4] CoachWinLossTie
1889Edwin Kerrison200
1890020
1893010
1894010
1895William Wertenbaker310
1896220
1900121
1901J. Norman Walker230
1914Curtis McCoy161
1915Harvey Hester350
1916Leslie Moser270
1917Leslie Moser540
1918Bernard Peters030
1919J.P. Major321
1920John F. Gorsuch081
1921John Gilroy270
1922J.P. Major270
1923J.P. Major630
1924J.P. Major370
1925J.P. Major370
1926J.P. Major280
1927Tommy Scaffe243
1928Tommy Scaffe721
1929Tommy Scaffe360
1930Tommy Scaffe290
1931Tommy Scaffe450
1932Tommy Scaffe361
1933Tommy Scaffe360
1934Jules Carson441
1935Jules Carson441
1936Jules Carson171
1937Jules Carson270
1938Jules Carson081
1939Jules Carson153
1940Jules Carson342
1941Jules Carson460
1942Ted Petoskey250
1946Ted Petoskey180
1947Phil Dickens650
1948Phil Dickens405
1949Phil Dickens1110
1950Phil Dickens721
1951Phil Dickens631
1952Phil Dickens650
1953 Conley Snidow 641
1954 Conley Snidow 820
1955 Conley Snidow 740
1956 Conley Snidow 730
1957 Conley Snidow 820
1958 Conley Snidow 370
1959 Conley Snidow 550
1960 Conley Snidow 530
1961 Conley Snidow 542
1962 Conley Snidow 280
1963 Conley Snidow 460
1964 Conley Snidow 640
1965 Conley Snidow 540
1966 Conley Snidow 631
1967 Jim Brakefield 460
1968 Jim Brakefield 470
1969 Jim Brakefield 920
1970 Jim Brakefield 1110
1971Jack Peterson640
1972Jack Peterson640
1973Jack Peterson461
1974 Steve Satterfield 740
1975 Steve Satterfield 731
1976 Steve Satterfield 470
1977 Buddy Sasser 731
1978 Buddy Sasser 380
1979 Buddy Sasser 550
1980 Buddy Sasser 722
1981 Buddy Sasser 650
1982 Buddy Sasser 830
1983Bill Parker650
1984Bill Parker290
1985 Rick Gilstrap 380
1986 Rick Gilstrap 461
1987 Rick Gilstrap 1100
1988 Mike Ayers 550
1989 Mike Ayers 650
1990 Mike Ayers 930
1991 Mike Ayers 930
1992 Mike Ayers 650
1993 Mike Ayers 731
1994 Mike Ayers 560
1995 Mike Ayers 470
1996 Mike Ayers 650
1997 Mike Ayers 370
1998 Mike Ayers 470
1999 Mike Ayers 650
2000 Mike Ayers 740
2001 Mike Ayers 470
2002 Mike Ayers 930
2003 Mike Ayers 1220
2004 Mike Ayers 830
2005 Mike Ayers 650
2006 Mike Ayers 740
2007 Mike Ayers 940
2008 Mike Ayers 930
2009 Mike Ayers 380
2010 Mike Ayers 1030
2011 Mike Ayers 840
2012 Mike Ayers 940
2013 Mike Ayers 560
2014 Mike Ayers 650
2015 Mike Ayers 560
2016 Mike Ayers 1040
2017 Mike Ayers 1030
2018 Josh Conklin 940
2019 Josh Conklin 840
2020 Josh Conklin 140
2021 Josh Conklin 1100
2022 Josh Conklin 050
2022 Shawn Watson 330
2023 Shawn Watson 290
Total55154336

Future non-conference opponents

Announced schedules as of January 24, 2025. [5]

2025202620272028
at South Carolina State South Carolina State at South Carolina
Richmond at Clemson
at Virginia Tech
Norfolk State

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wofford Terriers</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of Wofford College

The Wofford Terriers are the athletic teams that represent the Wofford College, located in Spartanburg, South Carolina, in intercollegiate sports at the Division I level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), primarily competing in the Southern Conference since the 1997–98 academic year. Wofford and the other SoCon members play football in the Football Championship Subdivision. Prior to the 1995–96 year, the Terriers played in Division II in all sports, and until the 1988–89 period, Wofford's athletic teams were members of the NAIA. The football team plays in Gibbs Stadium. The basketball teams moved to the new Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium for the 2017–18 season.

Mike Ayers is an American former college football coach. He served as the head football coach at East Tennessee State University from 1985 to 1987 and Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina from 1988 to 2017, compiling career head coaching record of 218–160–2. Ayers' Wofford Terriers won five Southern Conference title, in 2003, 2007, 2010, 2012, and 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norfolk State Spartans football</span> College football team

The Norfolk State Spartans football team represents Norfolk State University in Division I FCS college football. The team plays their home games at William "Dick" Price Stadium in Norfolk, Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Furman Paladins football</span> Football team of Furman University

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elon Phoenix football</span> Football program representing Elon University

The Elon Phoenix football program is the intercollegiate American football team for the Elon University located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The school first fielded a football team in 1909 and currently competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). After 11 seasons in the Southern Conference, Elon joined the Coastal Athletic Association for all sports, including football, in 2014. The Phoenix play their home games at the 13,100 seat Rhodes Stadium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chattanooga Mocs football</span> Intercollegiate college football team

The Chattanooga Mocs football program is the intercollegiate college football team for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and are members of the Southern Conference. The school's first football team was fielded in 1904. The team plays its home games at the 20,668 seat Finley Stadium. They are coached by UTC alumni, Rusty Wright. He was an assistant coach under Russ Huesman.

The Gardner–Webb Runnin' Bulldogs football program is the intercollegiate American football team for Gardner–Webb University in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The team competes in the Division I FCS and are members of the OVC–Big South Football Association. Gardner–Webb's first football team was fielded in 1970. The team plays its home games at the 9,000-seat Ernest W. Spangler Stadium in Boiling Springs, North Carolina. The Runnin' Bulldogs are coached by Cris Reisert.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jackson State Tigers football</span> College football team of Jackson State University

The Jackson State Tigers football team represents Jackson State University in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level as a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Carolina Central Eagles football</span> College football team representing North Carolina Central University

The North Carolina Central Eagles football program is a college football team representing North Carolina Central University. The Eagles play at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level as a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Presbyterian Blue Hose football</span> Football program representing Presbyterian College

The Presbyterian Blue Hose football program is the intercollegiate American football team for Presbyterian College located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS); while Presbyterian is a full member of the Big South Conference, it plays football in the Pioneer Football League. Presbyterian's first football team was fielded in 1913. The team plays its home games at the 6,500 seat Bailey Memorial Stadium in Clinton, South Carolina. The Blue Hose were coached by Kevin Kelley, who was hired to lead the program on May 6, 2021, but who left at the end of the season. The current coach is Steve Englehart. The Blue Hose began a transition to non-scholarship football in 2017 and left Big South football after the 2019 season, while otherwise remaining a full Big South member. The Blue Hose football program played the 2020–21 season as an independent and joined the Pioneer League in July 2021 upon completion of its transition.

The Sam Houston Bearkats football program is the intercollegiate American football team for Sam Houston State University located in the U.S. state of Texas. The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) as a member of the Conference USA. Sam Houston's first football team was fielded in 1912. The team plays its home games at the 14,000-seat Bowers Stadium in Huntsville, Texas. On December 18, 2024, Phil Longo was named the 16th head coach in Sam Houston program history.

The South Carolina State Bulldogs football team represents South Carolina State University in college football. The Bulldogs play in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) as a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC).

The South Dakota Coyotes football program is the intercollegiate American football team for the University of South Dakota located in the U.S. state of South Dakota. The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) as a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC). South Dakota's first football team was fielded in 1889. The team plays its home games at the 9,100-seat DakotaDome in Vermillion, South Dakota.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southeastern Louisiana Lions football</span> Intercollegiate American football team

The Southeastern Louisiana Lions football program is the intercollegiate American football team for Southeastern Louisiana University located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and are members of the Southland Conference. Southeastern Louisiana's first football team was fielded in 1930. The team plays its home games at the 7,408 seat Strawberry Stadium in Hammond, Louisiana. The Lions are coached by Frank Scelfo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Utah Thunderbirds football</span> American Football team

The Southern Utah Thunderbirds football program is a college football team that represents Southern Utah University (SUU). With a history dating back to 1963, SUU currently competes in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision as a member of the United Athletic Conference.

The East Tennessee State Buccaneers football program is the intercollegiate American football team for East Tennessee State University (ETSU) located in Johnson City, Tennessee. The team was dormant from the end of the 2003 season until being reinstated for the 2015 season. They played all of their 2015 home games and all but one of their 2016 home games at Kermit Tipton Stadium before the opening of the new William B. Greene Jr. Stadium for the 2017 season. The remaining 2016 home game, against Western Carolina on September 17, was played at nearby Bristol Motor Speedway, which was already set up for football due to a game the prior week between the University of Tennessee and Virginia Tech. Before ETSU dropped football, it competed in NCAA Division I as a Southern Conference (SoCon) football program. The revived program played as an independent in 2015 before returning to the SoCon in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bethune–Cookman Wildcats football</span> College football team

The Bethune–Cookman Wildcats football team represents Bethune–Cookman University in the sport of college football. The Wildcats compete in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Starting with the fall 2021 season, they compete in the East Division of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), after having been members of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) since 1979. They play their home games at Daytona Stadium. The Wildcats have won two black college football national championships and seven MEAC titles in the history of their football program.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Connecticut Blue Devils football</span> Football program representing Central Connecticut State University

The Central Connecticut Blue Devils football program is the intercollegiate football team for Central Connecticut State University located in the U.S. state of Connecticut. The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and are members of the Northeast Conference. Central Connecticut State's first football team was fielded in 1935. The team plays its home games at the 5,500 seat Arute Field in New Britain, Connecticut. The Blue Devils are coached by Adam Lechtenberg.

David Shiel Wood Jr. is an American football coach who is the defensive coordinator for the Texas Tech Red Raiders.

References

  1. ↑ Wofford College Athletics Brand Book 2023. January 1, 2023. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  2. ↑ From the archives - Sports: The early years on Wofford.edu
  3. ↑ Hoffer, Richard. "The Franchise". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on June 22, 2014. Retrieved June 22, 2014.
  4. ↑ "2023 Football Media Guide (PDF)" (PDF). Wofford College Athletics. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
  5. ↑ "Wofford Terriers Football Future Schedules". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved January 24, 2025.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.