Bulldogs

Samford University, whose football team has carried the Bulldogs name into the field at Bobby Bowden Field at Pete Hanna Stadium since 1902. The program grew out of what was then Howard College.

What the Bulldogs have produced, more than banners, is a stream of players who went on to matter elsewhere. Jimbo Fisher passed through in 1987 on his way to a Hall of Fame coaching career. Jaquiski Tartt left for a second-round selection by the San Francisco 49ers. Devlin Hodges took the Walter Payton Award in 2018. More recently, Chris Oladokun went from Samford's offense to a Super Bowl ring with the Kansas City Chiefs.

The playoff appearances tell a similar story of occasional peaks — six trips to the FCS postseason, with quarterfinal runs in 1991 and 2022 standing as the furthest the Bulldogs have pushed.