
The Wofford Terriers are the athletic teams that represent the
Wofford College
Wofford College is a private liberal arts college in Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1854, it is one of the few four-year institutions in the southeastern United States founded before the American Civil War that still ope ...
, located in
Spartanburg, South Carolina
Spartanburg is a city in and the county seat of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. The city had a population of 38,732 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in South Carolina, 11th ...
, in intercollegiate sports at the
Division I level of the
National Collegiate Athletic Association
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. ...
(NCAA), primarily competing in the
Southern Conference
The Southern Conference (SoCon) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I. Southern Conference College football, football teams c ...
since the 1997–98 academic year. Wofford and the other SoCon members play football in the
Football Championship Subdivision
The NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), formerly known as Division I-AA, is the second-highest level of college football in the United States, after the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, Football Bowl Subdivision (F ...
. 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
Gibbs Stadium is a 13,000-seat multi-purpose stadium in Spartanburg, South Carolina. It opened in 1996 and is home to the Wofford College Terriers football team. It is also formerly the home to the Spartanburg High School varsity football team. ...
. The basketball teams moved to the new
Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium for the 2017–18 season.
The Wofford campus is also the former site of the training camp of the NFL's
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 ...
, whose former owner,
Jerry Richardson
Jerome Johnson Richardson Sr. (July 18, 1936 – March 1, 2023) was an American businessman, professional football player, and owner in the National Football League (NFL). A native of Spring Hope, North Carolina, he played college football f ...
, is a Wofford alumnus.
Teams
A member of the
Southern Conference
The Southern Conference (SoCon) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I. Southern Conference College football, football teams c ...
, Wofford College sponsors teams in nine men's, eight women's, and one coed
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. ...
sanctioned sports:
Baseball
Although the sport has a story with the college that traces to the 1860s, the first Wofford team was formed in 1889, though records of that era are thin. Between 1898 and 1903, a well-balanced Wofford baseball team won about 33 games with 13 losses. Early Wofford teams played at textile parks until the field was leveled and expanded to add a baseball diamond.
[
Home games are played at Russell C. King Field, with a capacity of 2,500.][2024 Baseball Media Guide]
on woffordterriers.com
Men's basketball
The first basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
teams started in early 1900s, with class teams and a varsity team. The first Wofford game recorded was a 1906 win over Wake Forest. Due to the lack of records about those years, the court where Wofford played their games until the Andrews Fieldhouse opened in 1929 is still unknown.[
The Terriers' men's basketball team competes in the Southern Conference. They have won 4 regular season SoCon Titles and 5 SoCon Tournament Championships and 1 SoCon Tournament Runner-Up. The Terriers currently hold a 1–5 record in the NCAA Tournament. Wofford has defeated various high major opponents during their 27 years in D1. They have beaten North Carolina twice, South Carolina twice, Georgia twice, Clemson, Georgia Tech, NC State, Seton Hall, Purdue, Tulane, Wake Forest, Cincinnati, Auburn, Virginia Tech, Air Force, George Mason, Xavier and Texas A&M since joining D1 for the 1995–96 season.]
Women's basketball
The women's basketball team played its first tournament in 1980–81.[2024-24 Women's basketball Media Guide]
on woffordterriers.com Wofford has defeated Alabama and Virginia, among others
Football
Wofford fielded its first football team in 1889
Events January
* January 1
** The total solar eclipse of January 1, 1889 is seen over parts of California and Nevada.
** Paiute spiritual leader Wovoka experiences a vision, leading to the start of the Ghost Dance movement in the Dakotas ...
. 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.[From the archives - Sports: The early years]
on Wofford.edu Wofford has made the Division 1AA playoffs on several occasions, including advancing to the semifinals.
Soccer
The Terriers fielded their first team in 1975, currently competing in the SoCon. Wofford's records include most victories (14) in 1994, fewest losses (3) in 1994 and 2009, 11 consecutive wins in 1994, most goals scored (53) in 1994, fewest goals allowed (14) in 1991. Since its inception, the team has been under the guidance of six coaches.[2024 Men's Soccer Record Book]
on woffordterriers.com
Wofford has also competed in the NCAA Division I tournmanet, making one appearance in the 2009
2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...
edition, when the team lost to Santa Barbara 1–0 in first round.
References
External links
*
{{South Carolina Sports