The Franklin & Marshall Diplomats football program represents Franklin & Marshall College in college football at the NCAA Division III level. The Diplomats have competed as members of the Centennial Conference since 1983 and play their home games at Shadek Stadium in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Tom Blumenauer has served as the team's head coach since 2022.
| Franklin & Marshall Diplomats football | |
|---|---|
| First season | 1887 |
| Head coach | Tom Blumenauer 3rd season, 19–11 (.633) |
| Stadium | Shadek Stadium (capacity: 2,500) |
| Field surface | Artificial turf |
| Location | Lancaster, Pennsylvania |
| NCAA division | Division III |
| Conference | Centennial Conference |
| Past conferences | Eastern Pennsylvania Conference (1937–1940) Middle Atlantic Conference (1958–1982) |
| Bowl record | 10–6 (.625) |
| Conference titles | 7 |
| Colors | Blue, white, and light blue[1] |
Franklin & Marshall first formed a football team in 1887 and began playing other colleges in 1889. From 1889 to 1895, the program was coached by team captains. Alfred E. Bull was hired in 1896 as Franklin & Marshall's first professional coach.[2] The Diplomats have never appeared in the NCAA Division III Football Championship playoffs, but have played in 15 NCAA Division III bowl games.
Conference championships
editFranklin & Marshall has won seven Centennial Conference titles, two of them outright.
| Season | Coach | Conference | Overall record | Conference record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986† | Tom Gilburg | Centennial Conference | 8–3 | 6–1 |
| 1987 | Tom Gilburg | Centennial Conference | 9–1–1 | 7–0 |
| 1988† | Tom Gilburg | Centennial Conference | 7–3 | 6–1 |
| 1993† | Tom Gilburg | Centennial Conference | 6–4 | 5–2 |
| 1995 | Tom Gilburg | Centennial Conference | 7–3 | 6–1 |
| 2004† | Shawn Halloran | Centennial Conference | 8–3 | 4–2 |
| 2017† | John Troxell | Centennial Conference | 10–1 | 8–1 |
† Co-champions
Division championships
editIn their time in the Middle Atlantic Conferences, the Diplomats won the Southern Division championship seven times.[3]
| Season | Overall record | Conference record |
|---|---|---|
| 1964 | 8–0 | 7–0 |
| 1968† | 6–2 | 6–1 |
| 1971 | 6–2 | 6–1 |
| 1972 | 9–0 | 8–0 |
| 1973 | 8–1 | 8–1 |
| 1974 | 9–0 | 8–0 |
| 1976 | 8–1 | 8–1 |
† Co-champions
Bowl games
editThe Diplomats are 10–6 in bowl games.[4]
| Season | Bowl | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | ECAC Southern Championship | Wagner | L 28–40 |
| 1987 | ECAC Southern Championship | Kean | W 21–0 |
| 1989 | ECAC Southwest Championship | St. John's (N.Y.) | W 31–18 |
| 1996 | ECAC South Championship | Merchant Marine | L 0–20 |
| 2004 | ECAC South Championship | Moravian | W 37–20 |
| 2005 | ECAC South Championship | Salisbury | L 23–27 |
| 2009 | ECAC South Atlantic Championship | Wilkes | W 29–24 |
| 2010 | ECAC Southwest Championship | Washington & Jefferson | L 41–54 |
| 2012 | ECAC Southeast Championship | Albright | L 34–38 |
| 2013 | ECAC Southeast Championship | Delaware Valley | W 38–14 |
| 2016 | Centennial-MAC Bowl Series | Albright | L 23–28 |
| 2017 | Centennial-MAC Bowl Series | Widener | W 21–7 |
| 2018 | Centennial-MAC Bowl Series | Lycoming | W 21–20 |
| 2019 | Centennial-MAC Bowl Series | Misericordia | W 31–13 |
| 2021 | Centennial-MAC Bowl Series | Stevenson | W 42–28 |
| 2023 | Centennial-MAC Bowl Series | King's (Pa.) | W 30–7 |
References
edit- ^ "Franklin & Marshall College Athletics Identity Guide" (PDF). Retrieved December 14, 2021.
- ^ "Holman Leads 27 F & M Coaches In Gettysburg Grid Series That Started in 1890". Lancaster New Era. Lancaster, Pennsylvania. November 17, 1951. p. 11. Retrieved September 17, 2021 – via Newspapers.com
.
- ^ "Franklin & Marshall Football Championship Teams".
- ^ "Franklin & Marshall Football Bowl Appearances".
External links
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