The Citadel Bulldogs football
| The Citadel Bulldogs | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
 | |||
| First season | 1905 | ||
| Athletic director | Jim Senter | ||
| Head coach |
Brent Thompson 1st year, – | ||
| Stadium | Johnson Hagood Stadium | ||
| Field | Sansom Field | ||
| Year built | 1948 | ||
| Seating capacity | 21,000 | ||
| Field surface | Natural Grass | ||
| Location | Charleston, South Carolina | ||
| Conference | Southern Conference | ||
| All-time record | 487–546–32 (.472) | ||
| Bowl record | 1–0 (1.000) | ||
| Playoff appearances | 4 | ||
| Playoff record | 2–4 | ||
| Conference titles | 3 (1961, 1952, 2015) | ||
| Colors |
Citadel Blue and White[1] | ||
| Fight song | "The Fighting Light Brigade" | ||
| Mascot | Bulldog | ||
| Marching band | The Regimental Band and Pipes | ||
| Website | citadelsports.com | ||
The Citadel Bulldogs Football represent The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina in the NCAA Division I FCS. The Bulldogs play in the Southern Conference, as they have since 1936. The Bulldogs are coached by Brent Thompson, who was hired on January 19, 2016 to replace Mike Houston, who departed on January 18, 2016 for James Madison.[2][3][4]
Facilities
The Bulldogs first recorded stadium was College Park, located in the northeast corner of Hampton Park in Charleston, South Carolina. This field predated the current College Park at the same site, which is used as a practice facility for The Citadel Bulldogs baseball. Due to increasing attendance and the poor state of the stadium, the Bulldogs moved to the original Johnson Hagood Stadium in 1927. This stadium was replaced with the current Johnson Hagood Stadium in 1948.
Home stadium
The Bulldogs play their home games in Johnson Hagood Stadium, which lies just to the south of The Citadel's gates in Charleston. Johnson Hagood is a 21,000 seat stadium, in which The Citadel routinely ranks in the top 25 in attendance at the FCS level. In 2001, the Altman Athletic Center opened in the south end zone, complete with new home and visitor's locker rooms, official's locker rooms, and an upstairs hospitality area for donors. In 2008, The Citadel completed a re-construction of the west stands and West Side Tower. The stands contain reserved premium seats and bleacher seats, while the tower, shared with the South Carolina National Guard, contains twelve suites, a club level, and state of the art press box. During preparation for construction, workers discovered the remains of sailors from failed test runs of the H.L. Hunley. These remains were reinterred in Magnolia Cemetery in Charleston.
Beginning in 2012, The Citadel implemented a points system for parking and seat selection in Johnson Hagood Stadium, joining many large programs who use similar systems. The program is designed to reward long-time and large donors to The Citadel athletics by giving them preference in selecting seat and parking locations.[5]
Practice and on-campus facilities
Practices are held at the Maybank Triplets Practice Facility, an artificial turf field at the north edge of campus. The Bulldogs utilize Seignious Hall, located across from McAlister Field House for weightlifting, locker rooms, team meeting and video space, and academic tutoring. The Citadel Sports Medicine Department also utilizes Seignious Hall. [6]
Hazing
In 1992, Rick Reilly published an article in Sport Illustrated detailing alleged hazing that occurred following the 1991 defeat in the Wofford game. A first year player claimed to have been forced to undergo demeaning rituals, including a form of waterboarding, designed to punish him for his role in the loss.[7] The local community disputed the accuracy of the article, mainly pointing to the team's 10-1 record that year as evidence of cohesion and high morale, but not citing any factual evidence that the incidents did not occur.[8] The school did not take action against cadets named in the article, the athlete making the claims left following his first year as a direct result of the alleged abuse.[9]
Coaches and staff
Coaches from The Citadel have often been targeted for larger programs. Notable former head and assistant coaches at The Citadel include Bobby Ross, Charlie Taaffe, Ellis Johnson, Frank Beamer, Al Davis, and Ralph Friedgen.[10]
Head Coaches[11]
| Name | First Year | Final Year | No. Seasons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Syd Smith | 1905 | 1905 | 1 |
| Ralph Foster | 1906 | 1908 | 3 |
| Sam Costen | 1909 | 1910 | 2 |
| Louis LeTellier | 1911 | 1912 | 2 |
| George Rogers | 1913 | 1919 | 4 |
| Harvey O'Brien | 1916 | 1921 | 5 |
| Carl Prause | 1922 | 1929 | 8 |
| Johnny Floyd | 1930 | 1931 | 2 |
| Tatum Gressette | 1932 | 1939 | 8 |
| Bo Rowland | 1940 | 1942 | 3 |
| J. Quinn Decker | 1946 | 1952 | 7 |
| John D. McMillan | 1953 | 1954 | 2 |
| John Sauer | 1955 | 1956 | 2 |
| Eddie Teague | 1957 | 1965 | 9 |
| Red Parker | 1966 | 1972 | 7 |
| Bobby Ross | 1973 | 1977 | 5 |
| Art Baker | 1978 | 1982 | 5 |
| Tom Moore | 1983 | 1986 | 4 |
| Charlie Taaffe | 1987 | 1995 | 9 |
| Don Powers | 1996 | 2000 | 5 |
| Ellis Johnson | 2001 | 2003 | 3 |
| John Zernhelt | 2004 | 2004 | 1 |
| Kevin Higgins | 2005 | 2013 | 9 |
| Mike Houston | 2014 | 2015 | 2 |
| Brent Thompson | 2016 | 1 |
Current Staff
The current coaching staff at the Citadel is:[12]
| Name | Position |
|---|---|
| Brent Thompson | Head Coach |
| Lou Conte | Slot Backs/Offensive Coordinator |
| Blake Harrell | Inside Linebackers/Defensive Coordinator |
| Joel Taylor | Safeties/Pass Defense Coordinator |
| Vacant | Special Teams Coordinator |
| J. P. Gunter | Recruiting Coordinator/Wide Receivers |
| Ron Boyd | Offensive Line |
| Quarterbacks/B-Backs | |
| Tripp Weaver | Outside Linebackers |
| Roy Tesh | Defensive Line |
| Scott Yielding | Tight Ends |
Seasons and results
Conference championships
The Citadel has claimed three conference championships in the Southern Conference. The 2015 title was the first co-championship in school history.
Postseason appearances
Following the 1960 season, the Bulldogs played in the 1960 Tangerine Bowl defeating Tennessee Tech 27-0. Conference champion VMI did not participate in bowl games. The Bulldogs declined a bid to play in the 1961 Tangerine Bowl.
The Bulldogs appeared in the FCS Playoffs in 1988, 1990, 1992, and 2015, posting a 2–4 record. They lost in the first round twice to Georgia Southern and in the Quarterfinals to Youngstown State in 1992 after defeating North Carolina A&T in the first round. They defeated Coastal Carolina in the first round of the 2015 playoffs, and fell to Charleston Southern in the second round.
Rivalries
The Citadel's primary rivals are the VMI Keydets football and Furman Paladins football. The game with VMI is known as the Military Classic of the South. The Citadel and Furman have been heated, annual rivals since both joined the Southern Conference in 1936.
| Opponent | Wins | Losses | Ties | First meeting | Last Citadel win | Last Opponent win |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VMI | 39 | 30 | 2 | 1920 | 2015 | 2003 |
| Furman | 34 | 58 | 3 | 1913 | 2015 | 2013 |
Record vs. Current SoCon opponents
- Excludes Furman and VMI, listed above.
- East Tennessee State returns to the SoCon in 2016.
| Opponent | Wins | Losses | Ties | First meeting | Last Citadel win | Last Opponent win |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chattanooga | 17 | 29 | 2 | 1926 | 2011 | 2015 |
| East Tennessee State[lower-alpha 1] | 9 | 15 | 0 | 1966 | 2002 | 2003 |
| Mercer[lower-alpha 2] | 8 | 4 | 1 | 1906 | 2015 | 1931 |
| Samford | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1989 | 2015 | 2014 |
| Western Carolina | 23 | 16 | 1 | 1972 | 2015 | 2014 |
| Wofford | 41 | 27 | 1 | 1916 | 2015 | 2014 |
Record vs instate opponents
- Division 1, non-SoCon only
| Opponent | Wins | Losses | Ties | First meeting | Last Citadel win | Last Opponent win |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charleston Southern | 5 | 5 | — | 2002 | 2012 | 2015[lower-alpha 1] |
| Clemson | 5 | 31 | 1 | 1909 | 1931 | 2013 |
| Coastal Carolina | 1 | 1 | — | 2014 | 2015[lower-alpha 2] | 2014 |
| Presbyterian | 50 | 11 | 1 | 1915 | 2010 | 1979 |
| South Carolina | 8 | 40 | 3 | 1905 | 2015 | 2011 |
| South Carolina State | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1989 | 2001 | none |
- ↑ The Bulldogs lost a 2015 matchup in the second round of the FCS Playoffs.
- ↑ The Bulldogs won a 2015 matchup in the first round of the FCS Playoffs.
Bulldogs in the Pros
Many Citadel alumni have played in various professional leagues, including the National Football League, Canadian Football League and Arena Football League. Sixteen players have been drafted in the NFL Draft and AFL Draft, and other players have signed as undrafted free agents. Likely the most famous Citadel alumni in professional football are Running back Stump Mitchell and broadcaster Paul Maguire. Currently, Andre Roberts and Cortez Allen are on active NFL rosters, with the Washington Redskins and Pittsburgh Steelers, respectively.[13]
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National Football League Draft
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American Football League Draft
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Individual honors
All-Americans
This list includes selected First Team All-Americans at The Citadel[14]
| Year | Name | AFCA | AP | Walter Camp | Sports Network/STATS | Football Gazette |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Brian Ruff |  | ||||
| 1985 | Jim Gabrish | | ||||
| 1986 | Scott Thompson | | ||||
| 1988 | Carlos Avalos | | | | | |
| 1990 | J. J. Davis | | ||||
| 1991 | Lester Smith | | | |||
| 1992 | Lester Smith | | | | ||
| Carey Cash | | | | |||
| Terrence Forney | | |||||
| Lance Hansen | | | ||||
| 1994 | Levi Davis | | ||||
| 1995 | Brad Keeney | | ||||
| 1997 | Carlos Frank | | ||||
| 2008 | Andre Roberts | | | |||
| 2012 | Mike Sellers | | | | ||
| 2015 | Tyler Renew | | ||||
| Dee Delaney | |
Retired Jerseys
14 - Jack Douglas
15 - Lester Smith
35 - Stump Mitchell
51 - Brian Ruff
59 - Marc Buoniconti
66 - John Small
Future schedules
This represents the most recent verified future non-conference games. The current season schedule can be found at 2015 The Citadel Bulldogs football team.
2016
| Date | Opponent | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Sept. 17 | Gardner–Webb | Boiling Springs, NC |
| Oct. 8 | North Greenville | Charleston, SC |
| Nov. 19 | North Carolina | Chapel Hill, NC |
2017
| Date | Opponent | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Nov. 18 | Clemson | Clemson, SC |
2018
| Date | Opponent | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Nov. 17 | Alabama | Tuscaloosa, AL |
References
- ↑ "Brand Toolbox: Colors - The Citadel - Charleston, SC". Citadel.edu. Retrieved 2016-04-08.
- ↑ Jeff Hartsell (January 9, 2014). "The Citadel introduces new football coach Mike Houston". Post and Courier (Charleston, SC). Retrieved January 9, 2014.
- ↑ Kevin Bilodeau (January 18, 2016). "Mike Houston leaves The Citadel for James Madison". WCSC-TV. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
- ↑ Kevin Bilodeau (January 19, 2016). "The Citadel names Brent Thompson as new head coach". WCSC-TV. Retrieved January 19, 2016.
- ↑ "Priority Points System". The Citadel. Retrieved 2012-05-12.
- ↑ 2011 Citadel Football Media Guide. e-digitaleditions.com. p. 7. Retrieved 2012-03-24.
- ↑ http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1004233/
- ↑ https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1893&dat=19920925&id=JskfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=lNgEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4352,3160623
- ↑ http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1004233/
- ↑ 2011 Citadel Football Media Guide. e-digitaleditions.com. pp. 10–11. Retrieved 2012-03-24.
- ↑ 2011 Citadel Football Media Guide. e-digitaleditions.com. p. 142. Retrieved 2012-03-24.
- ↑ Jeff Hartsell (January 17, 2014). "Citadel football welcomes back Maurice Drayton as defensive coordinator". Post and Courier (Charleston, SC). Retrieved January 18, 2014.
- ↑ 2011 Citadel Football Media Guide. e-digitaleditions.com. p. 12. Retrieved 2012-03-24.
- ↑ 2011 Citadel Football Media Guide. e-digitaleditions.com. p. 133. Retrieved 2012-08-14.
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