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The Citadel Bulldogs football program represents
The Citadel The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, commonly known simply as The Citadel, is a Public college, public United States senior military college, senior military college in Charleston, South Carolina. Established in 1842, it is one ...
in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). The Bulldogs play in the
Southern Conference The Southern Conference (SoCon) is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I. Southern Conference football teams compete in the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly ...
, as they have since 1936. The Bulldogs are coached by
Brent Thompson Brent Keith Thompson (born January 9, 1971) is a Canadian former professional defenceman who played 121 games in the National Hockey League. He played for the Winnipeg Jets, Phoenix Coyotes, and Los Angeles Kings. Coaching career Thompson was ...
, who was hired on January 19, 2016, to replace Mike Houston, who became the head football coach of
James Madison University James Madison University (JMU, Madison, or James Madison) is a public research university in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Founded in 1908 as the State Normal and Industrial School for Women at Harrisonburg, the institution was renamed Madison Coll ...
on January 18, 2016.


History


Facilities

The Bulldogs first recorded stadium was College Park, located in the northeast corner of Hampton Park in
Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...
. This field predated the current College Park at the same site, which is used as a practice facility for
The Citadel Bulldogs baseball The Citadel Bulldogs baseball team represents The Citadel in college baseball. They are classified as NCAA Division I and play in the Southern Conference. The Bulldogs are led by Tony Skole, who will lead his first season in 2018. They made their o ...
. Due to increasing attendance and the poor state of the stadium, the Bulldogs moved to the original
Johnson Hagood Stadium Johnson Hagood Stadium, is an 11,500-seat football stadium, the home field of The Citadel Bulldogs football team, in Charleston, South Carolina, United States. The stadium is named in honor of Brigadier General Johnson Hagood, CSA, class of 1847, ...
in 1927. In 1948, that stadium was replaced by the current
Johnson Hagood Stadium Johnson Hagood Stadium, is an 11,500-seat football stadium, the home field of The Citadel Bulldogs football team, in Charleston, South Carolina, United States. The stadium is named in honor of Brigadier General Johnson Hagood, CSA, class of 1847, ...
, 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 ''H. L. Hunley'', often referred to as ''Hunley'', '' CSS H. L. Hunley'', or as ''CSS Hunley'', was a submarine of the Confederate States of America that played a small part in the American Civil War. ''Hunley'' demonstrated the advantages and th ...
''. 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. In 2016, The Citadel determined that lead paint needed remediation on the east (visitor's) side of the stadium. The work resulted in the entire east side being closed for the first game of the 2016 season and some sections being opened for subsequent games. The capacity was thus 10,500 for the first game and about 15,000 for later games. The Board of Visitors decided to fully renovate the east side of the stadium, announcing that decision on December 2, 2016.


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 McAlister Field House is a 6,000-seat multi-purpose arena on the campus of The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina, United States. It was built in 1939 and is home to The Citadel Bulldogs basketball, wrestling and volleyball teams. Office space ...
for weightlifting, locker rooms, team meeting and video space, and academic tutoring. The Citadel Sports Medicine Department also utilizes Seignious Hall.


Coaches and staff

Coaches from The Citadel have often been targeted for larger programs. Former head and assistant coaches at The Citadel include
Bobby Ross Robert Joseph Ross (born December 23, 1936) is an American former football coach. He served as the head football coach at The Citadel (1973–1977), the University of Maryland, College Park (1982–1986), the Georgia Institute of Technology (1 ...
,
Charlie Taaffe Charlie Taaffe (April 20, 1950 – October 29, 2019) was an American gridiron football coach. After retiring in 2014, he was hired by a company called Quarterback Country to run a year-round quarterback training and development program. He serve ...
, Ellis Johnson,
Frank Beamer Franklin Mitchell Beamer (born October 18, 1946) is a retired American college football coach, most notably for the Virginia Tech Hokies, and former college football player. He is the father of current South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Shane ...
,
Al Davis Allen Davis (July 4, 1929 – October 8, 2011) was an American football coach and executive. He was the principal owner and general manager of the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League (NFL) for 39 years, from 1972 until his death in ...
,
Ralph Friedgen Ralph Harry Friedgen (born April 4, 1947) is a former American football coach. He was most recently the special assistant coach for Rutgers in 2015 after serving as their offensive coordinator in the 2014 season. He was the head coach at the Uni ...
, and Mike Houston.


Head coaches


Seasons and results


Conference championships

The Citadel has won four conference championships, three outright and one shared. † denotes co–champions


Postseason appearances


Bowl games


FCS playoffs

The Citadel has appeared in the
NCAA Division I Football Championship The NCAA Division I Football Championship is an annual post-season college football game, played since 2006, used to determine a national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). From 1978 to 2005, the game was kn ...
playoffs five times, posting a 2–5 record.


Rivalries

The Citadel's primary rivals are the
VMI Keydets football The VMI Keydets football team represents the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia. The Keydets compete in the Southern Conference of the NCAA Division I FCS, and are coached by Danny Rocco, named head coach on December 3, 2022. VMI p ...
and
Furman Paladins football 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 t ...
. The game with VMI is known as the
Military Classic of the South The Military Classic of the South is an American college football rivalry game played between The Citadel and the Virginia Military Institute. The first game between the two military schools was in 1920. The game has been played nearly continuous ...
. The Citadel and Furman have been heated, annual rivals since both joined the Southern Conference in 1936. The Citadel is 151-174-9 all-time against in-state opponents. Record vs. Current SoCon opponents
:''Excludes Furman and VMI, listed above.'' :''East Tennessee State returned to the SoCon in 2016.'' Record vs instate opponents
:''Division 1, non-SoCon only''


Bulldogs in professional football

Many Citadel alumni have played in various professional leagues, including the
National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
,
Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...
and
Arena Football League The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 season, making it the third longest-running professional football league in ...
. Sixteen players have been drafted in the
NFL Draft The National Football League Draft, also called the NFL Draft or (officially) the Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the league's most common source of player recruitment. Each team is given a position in the drafting o ...
and
AFL Draft The Australian Football League draft is the annual draft of unsigned players, especially new nominations, by Australian rules football teams that participate in the main competition of that sport, the Australian Football League (AFL). History ...
, and other players have signed as undrafted free agents. Likely the most famous Citadel alumni in professional football are Running Back
Stump Mitchell Lyvonia Albert "Stump" Mitchell (born March 15, 1959) is an American football coach and former player who is the running backs coach for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He served as head football coach at Morgan State ...
and broadcaster
Paul Maguire Paul Leo Maguire (born August 22, 1938) is a former American professional football player and television sportscaster. Early sports career Maguire attended Ursuline High School in Youngstown, Ohio where he was an All State wide receiver and ...
. Currently, Andre Roberts is a member of the
Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...
and
Cortez Allen Cortez Lequon Allen (born October 29, 1988) is a former American football cornerback. Allen grew up in Citra, Florida and played college football at The Citadel. Allen was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fourth round of the 2011 N ...
recently played with the
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 club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...
for 5 seasons; Running Back
Travis Jervey Travis Richard Jervey (born May 5, 1972) is a former American football running back. He played for the Green Bay Packers, San Francisco 49ers, and Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). With the Packers, he won Super Bowl XXXI ove ...
played in 2 Super Bowls with the
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 club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
and was named an All Pro as a special teams player.
NFL Draft The National Football League Draft, also called the NFL Draft or (officially) the Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the league's most common source of player recruitment. Each team is given a position in the drafting o ...

AFL Draft The Australian Football League draft is the annual draft of unsigned players, especially new nominations, by Australian rules football teams that participate in the main competition of that sport, the Australian Football League (AFL). History ...


Individual honors

All-Americans
''This list includes selected First Team All-Americans at The Citadel''


Honored jerseys

Numbers has not been retired and remain active


Future non-conference opponents

Announced schedules as of December 12, 2022.


References


External links

* {{Southern Conference football navbox Citadel football Citadel football