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South Carolina State Bulldogs football

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South Carolina State Bulldogs football
2024 South Carolina State Bulldogs football team
First season1907; 117 years ago (1907)[a]
Head coachChennis Berry
1st season, 6–2 (.750)
StadiumOliver C. Dawson Stadium
(capacity: 22,000)
Field surfaceFieldturf
LocationOrangeburg, South Carolina
ConferenceMEAC
All-time record564–358–27 (.609)
Bowl record7–7 (.500)
Playoff record2–6
Claimed national titles0 (FCS/I-AA)
6 (Black College): 1976, 1977, 1981, 1994, 2009, 2021
Unclaimed national titles2 (Black College): 1982, 2008
Conference titles18 (MEAC) *1974, 1975*, 1976*, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1994, 2004*, 2008, 2009, 2010*, 2013*, 2014*, 2019*, 2021 *denotes co-champions
ColorsGarnet and blue[1]
   
Marching bandThe Marching 101
Websitescsuathletics.com

The South Carolina State Bulldogs football team represents South Carolina State University in college football. The Bulldogs play in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) as a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC).

A historically dominant football program, the Bulldogs lead the MEAC in conference championships. The school has produced four players enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame including Harry Carson, Deacon Jones, Marion Motley, and Donnie Shell. Other legendary Bulldog players include Robert Porcher, Shaquille Leonard, Charlie Brown and Orlando Brown Sr. among others.

Former SC State Coach Willie Jeffries became the first African American Head Coach of a predominantly white Division I-A football program, when he was hired to coach the Wichita State football program in 1979.[2] Jeffries is enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame.

History

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List of South Carolina State Bulldogs football seasons

Classifications

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  • 1956–1972: NCAA College Division
  • 1967–1969: NAIA
  • 1970–1978: NAIA Division I
  • 1973–1977: NCAA Division II
  • 1978–present: NCAA Division I–AA/FCS

Conference memberships

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Bulldogs vs. in-state NCAA Division I schools

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School Record Percentage Streak First Meeting Last Meeting
Charleston Southern 7–0 1.000 Won 7 1991 1999
Clemson 0–5 .000 Lost 5 2008 2021
Coastal Carolina 0–5 .000 Lost 5 2005 2015
Furman 5–12 .294 Lost 1 1982 2015
Presbyterian 2–0 1.000 Won 2 1989 1990
South Carolina 0–2 .000 Lost 2 2007 2009
The Citadel 3–4 .428 Won 2 1989 2024
Wofford 3–6 .333 Won 1 1974 2019
South Carolina State 19 – in-state NCAA Division I Schools 33

Championships

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National championships

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The Bulldogs have been awarded an NCAA-recognized black college football national championship six times in program history.[3]

Year Coach Selector Record Bowl
1976 Willie Jeffries ADW, Jet, MBN, NPC 10–1 W Bicentennial Bowl
1977 Willie Jeffries NPC 9–1–1 W Gold Bowl
1981 Bill Davis ADW, SBN 10–3
1994 Willie Jeffries ADW, BCSP, Heritage Bowl 10–2 W Heritage Bowl
2009 Oliver Pough ADW, AURN, B-CP, B-MP, BCSP, PCWDC 10–2
2021 B-CP, Celebration Bowl, DCCC-M, HBCUS-UP 7–5 W Celebration Bowl

Conference championships

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South Carolina State has won eighteen Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference titles, ten outright and eight shared. Asterisk denotes shared title.

Year Coach Overall record Conference record
1974* Willie Jeffries 8–4 5–1
1975* Willie Jeffries 8–2–1 5–1
1976* Willie Jeffries 10–1 5–1
1977 Willie Jeffries 9–1–1 6–0
1978 Willie Jeffries 8–2–1 5–0–1
1980 Bill Davis 10–1 5–0
1981 Bill Davis 10–3 5–0
1982 Bill Davis 9–3 4–1
1983 Bill Davis 7–3 4–0
1994 Willie Jeffries 10–2 6–0
2004* Oliver Pough 9–2 6–1
2008 Oliver Pough 10–3 8–0
2009 Oliver Pough 10–2 8–0
2010* Oliver Pough 9–3 7–1
2013* Oliver Pough 9–4 7–1
2014* Oliver Pough 8–4 6–2
2019* Oliver Pough 8–3 6–2
2021 Oliver Pough 7–5 5–0

Division I-AA/FCS Playoffs results

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The Bulldogs have appeared in the I-AA/FCS playoffs six times with a record of 2–6.

Season Round Opponent Result
1981 Quarterfinals Tennessee State W 26–25 OT
Semifinals Idaho State L 12–41
1982 First round Furman W 17–0
Quarterfinals Louisiana Tech L 3–38
2008 First round Appalachian State L 21–37
2009 First round Appalachian State L 13–20
2010 First round Georgia Southern L 16–41
2013 First Round Furman L 20–30

Bowl game results

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The Bulldogs have appeared in 14 bowl games, with a record of 7–7.[4]

Year Bowl Opponent Result
1946 Pecan Bowl Johnson C. Smith W 13–6
1947 Pecan Bowl Allen (SC) W 7–0
1950 Peninsula Bowl Allen L 13–47
1973 Orange Blossom Classic Florida A&M L 12–23
1974 Textile Bowl Wofford L 0–20
1974 Pelican Bowl Grambling State L 7–28
1975 Pelican Bowl Southern L 12–15
1976 Bicentennial Bowl Norfolk State W 26–10
1977 Gold Bowl Winston-Salem State W 10–7
1979 Gold Bowl Norfolk State W 39–7
1994 Heritage Bowl Southern L 0–11
1994 Heritage Bowl Grambling State W 31–27
1997 Heritage Bowl Southern L 28–34
2021 Celebration Bowl Jackson State W 31–10

Pro Football Hall of Fame members

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Main article: Pro Football Hall of Fame
See also: List of Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees
Pro Football Hall of Fame members
Player Pos. Years at SCSU Year inducted Ref.
Harry Carson LB 1972–1975 2006 [5]
Deacon Jones DE 1958 1980 [6]
Marion Motley FB 1939–1940 1968 [6]
Donnie Shell S 1970–1973 2020 [7]

College Football Hall of Fame members

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Main article: College Football Hall of Fame
See also: List of College Football Hall of Fame inductees (players, A–K); List of College Football Hall of Fame inductees (players, L–Z); and List of College Football Hall of Fame inductees (coaches)
College Football Hall of Fame members
Player Pos. Years at SCSU Year inducted
Harry Carson DE 1972–1975 2002
Willie Jeffries HC 1973–1978, 1989–2001 2010
Donnie Shell S 1970–1973 1998

Alumni in the NFL

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Over 40 South Carolina State alumni have played in the NFL,[8] including:

Rivalries

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SC State has maintained heated rivalries with the North Carolina A&T Aggies, Florida A&M Rattlers, and Bethune-Cookman Wildcats.

NCAA Record

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On November 19, 2016, Joe Thomas Sr., father of Green Bay Packers linebacker Joe Thomas, became the oldest player to play in an NCAA Division I game. At 55 years of age, Thomas Sr. had one carry for three yards as a running back in a contest versus Savannah State.[10][11]

See also

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Notes and references

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  1. ^ The team was disbanded from 1908 to 1914, then reinstalled. It was canceled once again from 1917 to 1922, and re-launched in 1923; 101 years ago (1923).
  1. ^ South Carolina State University Style Manual (PDF). Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  2. ^ ""ESPN SportsCentury" Willie Jeffries (TV Episode 2002)". IMDb – via www.imdb.com.
  3. ^ http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_records/2022/FCS.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  4. ^ http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_records/2022/Bowls.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  5. ^ "Harry Carson | Pro Football Hall of Fame Official Site". www.profootballhof.com.
  6. ^ a b "David (Deacon) Jones | Pro Football Hall of Fame Official Site". www.profootballhof.com.
  7. ^ "Donnie Shell | Pro Football Hall of Fame Official Site". www.profootballhof.com.
  8. ^ "South Carolina St. Players/Alumni". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  9. ^ D'Andrea, Christian (December 18, 2016). "Bears' Ka'Deem Carey gets helmet decal knocked off by huge hit". SBNation.com.
  10. ^ "Joe Thomas Sr. runs S.C. State into college football history, is ready to play again". The Times and Democrat. Chris Clark T&D Sports. November 24, 2016.
  11. ^ Wire, S. I. (November 19, 2016). "55-year-old running back makes D-I football history". Sports Illustrated.
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