The Sam Houston Bearkats football program is the intercollegiate

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

team for

Sam Houston State University Sam Houston State University (Sam Houston, SHSU or Sam) is a public research university in Huntsville, Texas, United States. Founded in 1879, it is the third-oldest public college or university in Texas. It is one of the first normal schools wes ...

located in the U.S. state of

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

. The team competes in the

NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision The NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), formerly known as Division I-A, is the highest level of college football in the United States. The FBS consists of the largest schools in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). As ...

(FBS) as a member of the

Conference USA Conference USA (CUSA) is a collegiate athletic conference of member institutions in the Southern and Western United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports. CUSA's offices are located in Dallas, Texas. Mem ...

. Sam Houston's first football team was fielded in 1912. The team plays its home games at the 14,000-seat

Bowers Stadium Elliott T. Bowers Stadium is a 14,000-seat multi-purpose stadium in Huntsville, Texas. The stadium has been home to the Sam Houston State University Sam Houston Bearkats football team since 1986. Previously, the team played their homes games at ...

Huntsville, Texas Huntsville is a city in and the county seat of Walker County, Texas, United States. Its population was 45,941 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the center of the Huntsville United States micropolitan area, micropolitan area ...

. On December 18, 2024, Phil Longo was named the 16th head coach in Sam Houston program history. In July 2021, the Bearkats left the

Southland Conference The Southland Conference (SLC) is a collegiate athletic conference which operates in the South Central United States (specifically Texas and Louisiana). It participates in the NCAA's Division I for all sports; for football, it participates in ...

to join the

Western Athletic Conference The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) is an NCAA Division I conference. The WAC covers a broad expanse of the Western United States with member institutions located in Arizona, California, Texas, Utah and Washington (state), Washington. Due to ...

, which relaunched its

football league The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...

at the FCS level at that time. Just a few months later, on November 5, 2021, the school accepted an invitation to join

at the

(FBS) level beginning in the 2023–24 season.

History

Sam Houston has fielded a football team since 1912 and have played continuously since 1946 following

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The only times the Bearkats did not field a football team were in 1918 for

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, from 1943 to 1945 for

, and 2020 due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

(although they did get a make-up season in the spring of 2021). The Bearkats competed independently from 1912 through 1923, in the

Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association The Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association (TIAA) was a college sports association that operated from 1909 to 1932. All of its members were located in the US state of Texas. History Founded in 1909 by Southwestern University, Austin Colle ...

(TIAA) from 1924 to 1931, in the

Lone Star Conference The Lone Star Conference (LSC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. Member institutions are located in the South Central states, with schools in Texas ...

from 1932 to 1984, in the Gulf Star Conference from 1982 to 1985 and in the

from 1986 to 2021. In July 2021, The Bearkats left the

to join the

, which relaunched its

at the FCS level at that time. Just a few months later, on November 5, 2021, the school accepted an invitation to join FBS

beginning in the 2023–24 season. The Bearkats won their first FCS National Championship in the 2020–21 college football season, beating South Dakota State 23–21. The Bearkats have 15 conference championships, and have seen postseason NCAA playoff action in 13 seasons, with back-to-back NCAA Division I Championship game appearances in 2011–2012. Sam Houston State also has 3 bowl victories in four games, and one claimed National Championship from NAIA in the 1964 season.

Head coaches

Ron Randleman is Sam Houston's and the Southland Conference's all-time winningest coach with 131 wins over a span of 23 years. Randleman also won conference Coach of the Year honors on four occasions, in the Gulf Star Conference in 1985 and 1986, and in the Southland Conference in 1991, and 2001.

Paul Pierce Paul Anthony Pierce (born October 13, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player. He played 19 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), predominantly with the Boston Celtics. As of September 2024, he is a contributo ...

coached the Bearkats to its only National Championship as a member of NAIA, and also won the 1965 Knute Rockne Little All-American Coach of the Year award.

Willie Fritz Willie Fritz (born April 2, 1960) is an American college football coach and former player. He is the head football coach at the University of Houston. Fritz served as the head football coach at University of Central Missouri from 1997 to 2009, Sa ...

coached Sam Houston to back-to-back conference championships and back-to-back national title game appearances in only three years, while being awarded the 2011 AFCA National Coach of the Year award and the 2012 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year award. He was also named the 2012 AFCA Regional Coach of the Year. On January 23, 2014, former

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states, South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey ...

head coach K. C. Keeler was named the 15th head coach in Sam Houston program history. Under Keeler, Sam Houston consistently made deep runs in the FCS playoffs, making appearances every year from 2014-2017 and claimed the ultimate prize winning the FCS National Championship in 2020 (played in Spring 2021). Keeler finished with a record of 97-39, winning four conference titles in his 11 seasons as head coach. The winner of the 2016 Eddie Robinson Award, as a Bearkat, Keeler became both the all-time FCS playoffs wins leader and the only coach to win an FCS title with two different schools. ^† Interim head coach

Championships

National championships

Sam Houston has two national championships, with one during their tenure in the

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) established in 1940, is a college athletics association for higher education, colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic schola ...

and the other coming in FCS. In their NAIA championship game, they played Concordia Cobbers for the championship, with the game resulting in a tie, becoming co-champions with Moorhead. In their third FCS championship game, they defeated South Dakota State to win their first FCS national championship.

Conference championships

Sam Houston has won 15 conference titles, seven shared and eight outright. † Denotes shared title. Conference affiliations * 1912–1923: Independent * 1924–1930:

* 1931–1981:

( NAIA) * 1982–1983: Lone Star Conference (

NCAA Division II NCAA Division II (D-II) is the intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environment ...

) * 1984–1986: Gulf Star Conference ( Division I FCS) * 1987–2020:

(Division I FCS) * 2021–2022:

( Division I FCS) * 2023–present:

( Division I FBS)

Bowl game appearances

Sam Houston appeared in five bowl games during their time in the NAIA, going 3–0–1 in these bowl games, with the final one notably being for the NAIA championship. Since joining Division I FBS, the Bearkats have been invited to one bowl game. non- Division I bowl game

Playoff appearances

NCAA Division I-AA/FCS

The Bearkats have appeared in the I-AA/FCS playoffs 13 times with an overall record of 24–12. They were NCAA Division I National Champions in 2020.

NAIA

The Bearkats appeared in the NAIA playoffs one time, with a combined record of 1–0–1.

Home stadiums

Pritchett Field (1912–1985)

The Bearkats' home for football was on Pritchett Field for 73 years (1912–1985) beginning with their first football game against

Rice University William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University, is a Private university, private research university in Houston, Houston, Texas, United States. Established in 1912, the university spans 300 acres. Rice University comp ...

in 1912. The field was named after Joseph Pritchett, brother of the university's fourth president Henry Carr Pritchett, and former owner of the land the field rests on. The final football game played on Pritchett Field was a victory for the Bearkats with a score of 51–7, defeating

Washburn University Washburn University (WU), formally Washburn University of Topeka, is a public university in Topeka, Kansas, United States. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs as well as professional programs in law and business. The university enroll ...

. Sam Houston Football began playing games at Bowers Stadium following the 1985 season. The complex is currently home to Sam Houston Women's Soccer and Club Lacrosse. On April 18, 2013, football was played on Pritchett Field for the first time since 1985 for the annual Orange-White spring game. The event also included the presentation of the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award to head coach

Bowers Stadium (1986–present)

, formerly Bearkat Stadium (1986–1989), is currently home to both Sam Houston Football and the Track and Field programs beginning with the 1986 season. Bowers Stadium has a capacity of 14,000. However, 16,148 fans packed Bowers Stadium in 1994 to watch

Alcorn State Alcorn State University (Alcorn State, ASU or Alcorn) is a public historically black land-grant university adjacent to Lorman, Mississippi. It was founded in 1871 and was the first black land grant college established in the United States. T ...

led by

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

bound quarterback

Steve McNair Stephen LaTreal McNair (February 14, 1973 – July 4, 2009),Steve McNair Found Dead

in a 48–23 SAM HOUSTON victory on regional ABC-TV.McNair Hurt As Alcorn St. Loses, 48–23
''Washington Post'' (September 25, 1994). Retrieved July 17, 2014. via

HighBeam Research HighBeam Research was a paid search engine and full text online archive owned by Gale, a subsidiary of Cengage, for thousands of newspapers, magazines, academic journals, newswires, trade magazines, and encyclopedias in English. It was headqua ...

Rivalries

Stephen F. Austin

The Sam Houston/Stephen F. Austin rivalry game, also known as the Battle of the Piney Woods, is a yearly rivalry held at

NRG Stadium NRG Stadium (previously known as Reliant Stadium) is a multi-purpose stadium in Houston, Texas, United States. Construction was completed in 2002, at a cost of $352 million and has a seating capacity of 72,220. It was the first NFL facility to h ...

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

. The two teams have met 91 times with Sam Houston leading the series 60–34–2. The Battle of the Piney Woods is Texas' second longest FCS rivalry. The most recent meeting ending with the Bearkats defeating the Lumberjacks 21–20 and clinching their 10th win in a row. However, the rivalry is now in question as Sam Houston left the

for

in 2023.

Texas State

Sam Houston's second longest rivalry (dating back to 1915) is

Texas State University Texas State University (TXST) is a public university, public research university with its main campus in San Marcos, Texas, United States, and another campus in Round Rock, Texas, Round Rock. Since its establishment in 1899, the university has ...

. The two teams held annual rivalry games in mainly football and basketball with Texas State boasting a 50–37–5 record in football (last game in 2011) and a 64–51 record in men's basketball (last game in 2012). The two universities are in the same university system (sharing many similarities) and competed in the same athletic conferences until Texas State left the

for the

in 2012, eventually ending up in the

Sun Belt Conference The Sun Belt Conference (SBC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference that has been affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA's NCAA Division I, Division I since 1976. Originally a non-football confe ...

only a year later in 2013. The football rivalry has since been renewed beginning in the 2024 season.

Notable former players

Bearkats in the National Football League

Sam Houston has had 30 alumni play in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

, with 21 players selected in the

Draft Draft, the draft, or draught may refer to: Watercraft dimensions * Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel * Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail * Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a v ...

. During the

2018 NFL draft The 2018 NFL draft was the 83rd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2018 NFL season. The draft was held on April 26–28 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington southwest of Dallas; it was ...

, the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...

selected defensive lineman P. J. Hall in the second round. This represents the highest a Bearkat player has been drafted by an NFL team. * Tucker Addington (2022-Present), LS,

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

Washington Commanders The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) East division ...

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

*Scorpio Babers (2008–2009), CB,

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...

* Michael Bankston (1992–2000), DL,

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...

*Campbell Black (1932–1935), QB, Chicago Cardinals *

Stan Blinka Stanley John Blinka (born April 29, 1957) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the New York Jets in the fifth round of the 1979 NFL draft. He was the s ...

(1979–1983), LB,

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...

* Rhett Bomar (2009–2012), QB,

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...

* Davion Davis (2019–Present), WR,

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...

* Keith Davis (2002–2008), DB,

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

* Tim Denton (1998–2000), DB,

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...

* Johnnie Dirden (1978–1981), WR,

Houston Oilers The Houston Oilers were a professional American football team that played in Houston, Texas, from its founding in 1960 Houston Oilers season, 1960 to 1996 Houston Oilers season, 1996. The Houston Oilers began play as a charter member of the Ame ...

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

* Trey Diller (2013), WR,

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...

* Matt Dominguez (2001), TE,

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

* Lac Edwards (2016–2021), P,

* Timothy Flanders (2014–2015), RB,

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...

* Timothy Flanders CFL (2015–2021), RB/WR,

BC Lions The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Lions compete in the West Division (CFL), West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and play their home games at BC Place. The Lions playe ...

Winnipeg Blue Bombers The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a professional Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Blue Bombers compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division (CFL), West division. They play thei ...

Calgary Stampeders The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division (CFL), West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium a ...

Ottawa RedBlacks The Ottawa Redblacks (officially stylized as REDBLACKS) (Canadian French, French: ) are a professional Canadian football team based in Ottawa, Ontario. The team plays in the East Division (CFL), East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL ...

* P. J. Hall (2018–Present), DT,

* Odie Harris (1988–1995), DB,

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...

, Arizona Cardinals, Houston Oilers * Keith Heinrich (2002–2004, 2007), TE,

, Cleveland Browns, Tampa Bay Buccaneers *

Jimmy Hill James William Thomas Hill, Order of the British Empire, OBE (22 July 1928 – 19 December 2015) was an English football in England, footballer and later a television personality. His career included almost every role in the sport, including pla ...

(1955–1966), DB, Chicago/St. Louis Cardinals, Detroit Lions, Kansas City Chiefs * Ed Kallina (1928), OL,

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

* Garry Kimble (1987), CB, Washington Redskins * Tristin McCollum (2022-Present), DB,

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...

* Zyon McCollum (2022-Present), DB,

Josh McCown Joshua Treadwell McCown (born July 4, 1979) is an American professional American football, football coach and former quarterback who is the quarterbacks coach for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college foo ...

(2002–2020), QB, Arizona Cardinals, Detroit Lions,

, Carolina Panthers,

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

, Chicago Bears, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cleveland Browns,

, Philadelphia Eagles, Houston Texans * Guido Merkens (1978–1987), DB QB P WR, Houston Oilers,

* Mike Nelms (1980–1984), DB, Washington Redskins * Ralph Ruthstrom (1945–1949), FB HB QB, Cleveland/LA Rams, Washington Redskins,

Baltimore Colts The Baltimore Colts were a professional American football team that played in Baltimore from 1953 to 1983, when owner Robert Irsay moved the franchise to Indianapolis. The team was named for Baltimore's history of horse breeding and racing. It w ...

* Julian Spence (1956–1961), DB,

Chicago Cardinals The professional American football team now known as the Arizona Cardinals previously played in Chicago, Illinois, as the Chicago Cardinals from 1898 to 1959 before relocating to St. Louis, Missouri, for the 1960 through 1987 seasons. Roots ca ...

, Houston Oilers * D. D. Terry (2007–2008), RB,

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...

* George Wright (1970–1972), DT, Baltimore Colts, Cleveland Browns

Individual awards

National awards

Sam Houston has had a total of 96 players selected into the

College Football All-America Team The College Football All-America Team is an honor given annually to the best college football players in the United States at their respective positions. The original use of the term '' All-America'' seems to have been to the 1889 College Footbal ...

, including 66 NCAA All-Americans and 30 NAIA All-Americans. A number of these players have also been considered for major national awards. In 2016, quarterback Jeremiah Briscoe became the first Bearkat to win the Payton Award. In 2017 he became the first Bearkat to win two Payton Awards and only the second FCS player to win multiple Payton Awards after former Appalachian State quarterback Armanti Edwards became the first in 2009. ''Major honors'' * Walter Payton Award Finalists
Most Outstanding FCS Offensive Player :Chris Chaloupka, QB, 1999 – 13th :

, QB, 2001 – 7th : Dustin Long, QB, 2004 – 2nd :D. D. Terry, RB, 2006 – 16th : Timothy Flanders, RB, 2011 – 7th, 2012 – 13th, 2013 - 16th : Jeremiah Briscoe, QB, 2016 – Winner, 2017 Winner :Eric Schmid, QB, 2021 - 12th * Jerry Rice Award
Most Outstanding FCS Freshman Player :P.J. Hall, DE, 2014 - 3rd :Nathan Stewart, WR, 2016 - 3rd * Buck Buchanan Award Finalists
Most Outstanding FCS Defensive Player :Keith Davis, DB, 2001 – 7th :Darnell Taylor, S, 2012 – 14th : P. J. Hall, DE, 2016 – 3rd :

Derick Roberson Derick Roberson (born November 15, 1995) is an American football linebacker for the DC Defenders of the United Football League (UFL). Following two seasons with Texas, Roberson played college football at Sam Houston State. Professional caree ...

, DE, 2018 – 2nd :Jahari Kay, DL, 2020 - 7th, 2021 - 15th * AFCA Coach of the Year :Willie Fritz, National, 2011 :Willie Fritz, Regional, 2011 & 2012 * Eddie Robinson Award
Coach of the Year : K. C. Keeler – 2016

Conference awards

Sam Houston has had 750 All-Conference selections and honorable mentions, including 15 in Conference USA, 28 in the Western Athletic Conference, 433 in the Southland Conference, 27 in the Gulf Star Conference, 239 in the Lone Star Conference, and 8 in the Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association. * Player of the Year :Lanny Dycus, QB, Gulf Star (1985) :Chris Chaloupka, QB, Southland (1999) :Josh McCown, QB, Southland (2001) :Dustin Long, QB, Southland (2004) :Timothy Flanders, RB, Southland (2011 & 2012) :Jeremiah Briscoe, QB, Southland (2016) :Eric Schmid, QB, Southland (2016) * Offensive Player of the Year :Chris Chaloupka, QB, Southland (1999) :D. D. Terry, RB, Southland (2006) :Richard Sincere, WR, Southland (2011) :Jared Johnson, QB, Southland (2015) :Yedidiah Louis, WR, Southland (2016) :Davion Davis, WR, Southland (2017) * Defensive Player of the Year :Keith Davis, DB, Southland (2000) :Darnell Taylor, S, Southland (2011 & 2012) :P.J. Hall, DE, Southland (2016) :Kavian Gaither, LB, WAC (2022) * Freshman of the Year :Bart Bradley, P, Gulf Star (1986) :Victor McKnight, C, Southland (1996) :Matt Dominguez, WR, Southland (1997) :P.J. Hall, DE, Southland (2014) :Nathan Stewart, WR, Southland (2016) :Kamren Washington, DL, WAC (2021) :DJ McKinney, RB, Conference USA (2024) * Newcomer of the Year :Tim Denton, DB, Southland (1995) :Chris Chaloupka, QB, Southland (1999) :Timothy Flanders, RB, Southland (2010) :Trace Mascorro, DL, Southland (2019) :Jequez Ezzard, WR, Southland (2020) * Coach of the Year :Ron Randleman, Gulf Star (1986) :Ron Randleman, Southland (1991 & 2001) :Willie Fritz, Southland (2011) :K. C. Keeler, Southland (2016 & 2020) :K. C. Keeler, WAC (2021)

Individual program records

Rushing records

*Most rushing attempts, career: 999, Timothy Flanders (2010–2013) *Most rushing attempts, season: 298, Timothy Flanders (2011) *Most rushing attempts, game: 39, Charles Harris vs

North Texas North Texas is a term used primarily by residents of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex to refer to a geographic area of Texas, generally considered to include the area south of Oklahoma, east of Abilene, Texas, Abilene, west of Paris, Texas, Par ...

(1993) *Most rushing yards, career: 5,664, Timothy Flanders (2010–2013) *Most rushing yards, season: 1,644, Timothy Flanders (2011) *Most rushing yards, game: 287, Timothy Flanders vs

Montana Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...

(2011) *Most rushing touchdowns, career: 66, Timothy Flanders (2010–2013) *Most rushing touchdowns, season: 22, Timothy Flanders (2011) *Most rushing touchdowns, game: 5, Timothy Flanders (September 20, 2011, vs.

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

) *Longest rush from scrimmage: 90 yards, Charles Harris vs

Rice Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...

(1993), Arthur Louis vs SFA (1978), Dennis Gann vs Texas A&I (1966) *Most games with at least 100 rushing yards, career: 30, Timothy Flanders (2010–2013) *Most games with at least 100 rushing yards, season: 10, Timothy Flanders (2012) *Most games with at least 200 rushing yards, career: 2, Charles Harris (1993), D. D. Terry (2006), Timothy Flanders (2011–2012) *Most games with at least 200 rushing yards, season: 2, Charles Harris (1993, D. D. Terry (2006)

Passing records

*Most passing attempts, career: 1,328, Jeremiah Briscoe (2015–17) *Most passing attempts, season: 579, Jeremiah Briscoe (2017) *Most passing attempts, game: 69, Rhett Bomar vs Southeastern Louisiana (2008) *Most passing completions, career: 1,328, Jeremiah Briscoe (2015–17) *Most passing completions, season: 333, Dustin Long (2004) *Most passing completions, game: 38, Dustin Long vs

Eastern Washington Eastern Washington is the region of the U.S. state of Washington located east of the Cascade Range. It contains the city of Spokane (the second largest city in the state), the Tri-Cities, the Columbia River and the Grand Coulee Dam, the H ...

at FCS Quarterfinals (2004) *Most passing yards, career: 11,488, Jeremiah Briscoe (2015–17) *Most passing yards, season: 5,003, Jeremiah Briscoe (2004) *Most passing yards, game: 577, Dustin Long vs McNeese State (2004) *Most passing touchdowns, career: 116, Jeremiah Briscoe (2015–17) *Most passing touchdowns, season: 57, Jeremiah Briscoe (2016) *Most passing touchdowns, game: 7, Jeremiah Briscoe (2016) *Longest pass completion: 99 yards, Binky Ford to Frankie Reescano vs

Howard Payne University Howard Payne University is a Private university, private Baptist university in Brownwood, Texas, United States. It is affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas. Noah T. Byers and John David Robnett founded Howard Payne College in 18 ...

(1980) *Most games with at least 300 passing yards, season: 11, Jeremiah Briscoe (2016) *Most Victories as a Starting Quarterback: 39, Brian Bell (2010–2013)

Receiving records

*Most receptions, career: 294, Yedidiah Louis (2014–2017) *Most receptions, season: 99, Jarrod Fuller (2004) *Most receptions, game: 13, Four Times: Jason Mathenia (2004), Torrance Williams (2013), Davion Davis (2017, 2018) *Most receiving yards, career: 3,942, Yedidiah Louis (2014–2017) *Most receiving yards, season: 1,648, Nathan Stewart (2017) *Most receiving yards, game: 268, Nathan Stewart vs McNeese (2016) *Most touchdown receptions, career: 40, Davion Davis (2015–2018) *Most touchdown receptions, season: 18, Jonathon Cooper (2001) *Most touchdown receptions, game: 4, Matt Dominguez vs Nicholls State (1999) *Longest pass reception: 97 yards, Frankie Reescano from Blinky Ford vs Howard Payne (1980) *Most games with at least 100 receiving yards, career: 16, Nathan Stewart (2016–2019)

Defensive records

*Most tackles, career: 538, Stan Blinka (1975–1978) *Most tackles, season: 211, Stan Blinka (1978) *Most tackles, game: 24, Stan Blinka (1978 vs Stephen F. Austin) *Most sacks, career: 42, P. J. Hall (2014–2017) *Most sacks, season: 15, Andre Finley (1988) *Most sacks, game: 4, Michael Bankston (1991 vs Angelo State), Will Henry (2010 vs Nicholls State) *Most interceptions, career: 14, Daxton Swanson (2009–2012) *Most interceptions, season: 8, Daxton Swanson (2011) *Most interceptions, game: 3, Charles Stanley vs. Howard Payne (1977), Mark Hughes vs. McNeese State (2004)

Future non-conference opponents

Future non-conference opponents announced as of May 20, 2025.

References

External links

* {{Conference USA football navbox American football teams established in 1912 1912 establishments in Texas