The Bucknell Bison football team represents

Bucknell University Bucknell University is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal-arts college in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1846 as the University at Lewisburg, it now consists of the College of Arts a ...

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

at the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

Division I Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) level. Bucknell is a member of the

Patriot League The Patriot League is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference comprising primarily leading Private university, private institutions of higher education and two United States service academies based in the Northeastern United ...

. Bucknell won the first Orange Bowl, 26–0, over the

Miami Hurricanes The Miami Hurricanes, known informally as The U, UM, or The 'Canes, are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. The Hurricanes compete in NCAA Division I, Division I of the National Coll ...

on January 1, 1935.

History

The Bucknell football team was established in 1883 after a group of students from

Lafayette College Lafayette College is a private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Easton, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1826 by James Madison Porter and other citizens in Easton, the college first held classes in 18 ...

journeyed west to play a group of students from the University at Lewisburg, as Bucknell University was then called. The Lewisburg students lost the game, 59–0, and did not play another game until 1887. In 1918, Bucknell had its first of its three undefeated seasons. On October 10, 1925, Bucknell played

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

at home on the day that

Christy Mathewson Christopher Mathewson (August 12, 1880 – October 7, 1925), nicknamed "Big Six," "the Christian Gentleman," "Matty," and "the Gentleman's Hurler," was an American professional baseball pitcher who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball for ...

was buried in Lewisburg. In his honor, there was no cheering in the first quarter. In 1931, Clarke Hinkle led Bucknell to a 6–0–3 record. In 1960, the team won its first Lambert Cup. In 1989, the newly renovated

Christy Mathewson–Memorial Stadium Christy Mathewson–Memorial Stadium is a 13,100-seat multi-purpose stadium at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. Originally built in 1924, the stadium was renovated and renamed in honor of Mathewson in 1989. It is home to the Buckn ...

was renamed in Mathewson's honor. In 1996, Bucknell won its first conference championship. Bucknell football celebrated its seventh-straight winning season in 2001.

Classifications

*1937: NCAA College Division *1938–1947: NCAA University Division *1948–1972: NCAA College Division *1973–1977: NCAA Division II *1978–present: NCAA Division I–AA/FCS

Conference memberships

*1881–1957: Independent *1958–1969: Middle Atlantic States Collegiate Athletic Corporation *1970–1972: Independent *1973–1977: Division II Independent *1978–1985: Division I–AA Independent *1986–present:

Bowl games

Individual award winners

College Football Hall of Fame

Pro Football Hall of Fame

Future non-conference opponents

Announced schedules as of March 28, 2025.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bucknell Bison Football American football teams established in 1883 1883 establishments in Pennsylvania