Furman Paladins football

{{hatnote|For information on all Furman University sports, see Furman Paladins.}}

{{Infobox college football team

| CurrentSeason = 2024 Furman Paladins football team

| TeamName = Furman Paladins football

| Image = Furman Paladins logo.svg

| ImageSize = 175

| FirstYear = 1889; {{Years or months ago|1889}}

| AthleticDirector = Jason Donnelly

| HeadCoach = Clay Hendrix

| HeadCoachYear = 9th

| HCWins = 54

| HCLosses = 37

| OtherStaff =

| Stadium = Paladin Stadium

| StadiumBuilt = 1981

| StadCapacity = 16,000

| StadSurface = Artificial Turf

| Location = Greenville, South Carolina

| NCAAdivision = I FCS

| Conference = Southern Conference

| ATWins = 645

| ATLosses = 496

| ATTies = 38

| BowlWins =

| BowlLosses =

| BowlTies =

| NatlTitles = 1 (1988)

| ConfTitles = 15

| DivTitles =

| AllAmericans =

| uniform =

| Rivalries = The Citadel (rivalry)
Wofford (rivalry)

| WebsiteName = furmanpaladins.com

| WebsiteURL = http://www.furmanpaladins.com/sports/m-footbl/index

}}

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 the Southern Conference (SoCon). The school's first football team was fielded in 1889. The team plays its home games at the 16,000 seat Paladin Stadium in Greenville, South Carolina.

The 1988 Furman Paladins football team, coached by Jimmy Satterfield, won the NCAA Division I Football Championship. Clay Hendrix, who was a member of that championship team, has served as the team's head coach since 2017.

History

=Classifications=

1937–1942: NCAA College Division
1946–1957: NCAA University Division
1958–1972: NCAA College Division
1973–1977: NCAA Division I
1978–1981: NCAA Division I–A
1982–present: NCAA Division I–AA/FCS

=Conference memberships=

1889–1896: Independent
1897–1899: No football team
1900–1901: Independent
1902: Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association
1903–1912: No football team
1913–1914: Independent
1915–1929: Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association
1930–1931: Independent
1932–1935: Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association
1936–present: Southern Conference

Championships

=National championships=

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

{{CollegePrimaryHeader|team=Furman Paladins|Season|Coach|Selector|Record|Result|Opponent}}

1988

Jimmy Satterfield

NCAA Division I-AA

15–0

W 17–12

Georgia Southern

=Conference championships=

The Paladins have won 15 conference titles, all in the Southern Conference, with seven shared and eight outright.

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" {{CollegePrimaryHeader\|team=Furman Paladins\|Year\|Conference\|Coach\|Overall Record\|Conference Record}}
1978†	rowspan="15"\|Southern Conference	rowspan="6"\|Dick Sheridan	8–3	4–1
align="center" \| 1980	9–1–1	7–0
align="center" \| 1981	8–3	5–2
align="center" \| 1982	9–3	6–1
align="center" \| 1983	10–2–1	6–0–1
align="center" \| 1985	12–2	6–0
align="center" \| 1988†	rowspan="3"\|Jimmy Satterfield	13–2	6–1
align="center" \| 1989	12–2	7–0
align="center" \| 1990	9–4	6–1
align="center" \| 1999†	rowspan="2"\|Bobby Johnson	9–3	7–1
align="center" \| 2001†	12–3	7–1
align="center" \| 2004†	Bobby Lamb	10–3	6–1
align="center" \| 2013†	Bruce Fowler	8–6	6–2
align="center" \| 2018†	rowspan="2"\|Clay Hendrix	6–4	6–2
align="center" \| 2023	10-3	7–1

Postseason

=NCAA Division I-AA/FCS playoffs=

The Paladins have appeared in the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs 20 times with a record of 21–19. They were national champions in 1988 and runner-up in 1985 and 2001.

class="wikitable" {{CollegePrimaryHeader\|team=Furman Paladins\|Year\|Round\|Opponent\|Result}}
align="center" \| 1982	First Round	South Carolina State	L 0–17
align="center" \| 1983	Quarterfinals Semifinals	Boston University Western Carolina	W 35–16 L 7–14
align="center" \| 1985	Quarterfinals Semifinals National Championship Game	Rhode Island Nevada Georgia Southern	W 59–15 W 35–12 L 42–44
align="center" \| 1986	First Round	Eastern Kentucky	L 10–23
align="center" \| bgcolor=lightyellow\|1988	First Round Quarterfinals Semifinal National Championship Game	Delaware Marshall Idaho Georgia Southern	W 21–7 W 13–9 W 38–7 W 17–12
align="center" \| 1989	First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals	William & Mary Youngstown State Stephen F. Austin	W 24–10 W 42–23 L 19–21
align="center" \| 1990	First Round Quarterfinals	Eastern Kentucky Nevada	W 45–17 L 35–42 ^3OT
align="center" \| 1996	First Round Quarterfinals	Northern Arizona Marshall	W 42–31 L 0–54
align="center" \| 1999	First Round	Massachusetts	L 23–30 ^OT
align="center" \| 2000	First Round	Hofstra	L 24–31
align="center" \| 2001	First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals National Championship Game	WKU Lehigh Georgia Southern Montana	W 24–20 W 34–17 W 24–17 L 6–13
align="center" \| 2002	First Round	Villanova	L 38–45
align="center" \| 2004	First Round Quarterfinals	Jacksonville State James Madison	W 49–7 L 13–14
align="center" \| 2005	First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals	Nicholls State Richmond Appalachian State	W 14–12 W 24–20 L 23–29
align="center" \| 2006	First Round	Montana State	L 13–31
align="center" \| 2013	First Round Second Round	South Carolina State North Dakota State	W 30–20 L 7–38
align="center" \| 2017	First Round Second Round	Elon Wofford	W 28–27 L 10–28
align="center" \| 2019	First Round	Austin Peay	L 6–42
align="center" \| 2022	First Round Second Round	Elon Incarnate Word	W 31–6 L 38–41
align="center" \| 2023	Second Round Quarterfinals	Chattanooga Montana	W 26–7 L 28–35 ^OT

Furman vs. in-state NCAA Division I schools

class="wikitable" ! School !! Record !! Percentage !! Streak !! First meeting !! Last meeting
align="center" \| Charleston Southern{{Cite web \|title=Football History vs Furman University \|url=https://www.csusports.com/sports/football/opponent-history/furman/45 \|access-date=2022-09-28 \|website=Charleston Southern University \|language=en}}	2–1	{{winpct\|2\|1}}	Lost 1	2019	2024
align="center" \| Clemson Tigers	10–43–4	{{winpct\|10\|43\|4}}	Lost 31	1896	2018
align="center" \| Coastal Carolina	1–7	{{winpct\|1\|7}}	Lost 6	2006	2016
align="center" \| Presbyterian	42–13–1	{{winpct\|42\|13\|1}}	Lost 1	1913	2014
align="center" \| South Carolina	20–28–1	{{winpct\|20\|28\|1}}	Lost 2	1892	2023
align="center" \| South Carolina State	12–5	{{winpct\|12\|5}}	Won 1	1982	2015
align="center" \| The Citadel	64–37–3	{{winpct\|64\|37\|3}}	Won 4	1913	2024
align="center" \| Wofford	56–34–7	{{winpct\|56\|34\|7}}	Lost 1	1889	2023
align="center" \| colspan=6\| Total: 199–165–16

==Notable former players==

Braniff Bonaventure
Luther Broughton
Ben Browder
Sederrik Cunningham
Dakota Dozier
Jerome Felton
Omari Hardwick{{Cite web|url = https://www.nytimes.com/movies/person/480754/Omari-Hardwick/biography|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160325144405/http://www.nytimes.com/movies/person/480754/Omari-Hardwick/biography|url-status = dead|archive-date = 2016-03-25|department = Movies & TV Dept.|work = The New York Times|author = Cammila Collar|date = 2016|title = Omari Hardwick Biography}}
Clay Hendrix
Louis Ivory
Stanford Jennings
Bob King
Bobby Lamb
Ingle Martin
William Middleton
Billy Napier
Bear Rinehart
Orlando Ruff
Terry Smith
James H. "Speedy" Speer
Ryan Steed
David Whitehurst
Sam Wyche

Players in the NFL Draft

=Key=

class="wikitable"

| B

| Back

| K

| Kicker

| NT

| Nose tackle

| Center

| LB

| Linebacker

| FB

| Fullback

| Defensive back

| P

| Punter

| HB

| QB

| WR

| RB

| G

| Guard

| End

| T

| Offensive tackle

| TE

| Tight end

class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
Year !Round !Pick in round !Overall pick !Player !Team !Position
2014 \|4 \|37 \|137 \|Dakota Dozier \|Jets \|T
2009 \|5 \|2 \|138 \|William Middleton \|Falcons \|DB
2008 \|5 \|11 \|146 \|Jerome Felton \|Lions \|RB
2006 \|5 \|15 \|148 \|Ingle Martin \|Packers \|QB
2000 \|4 \|14 \|108 \|John Keith \|49ers \|DB
2000 \|7 \|2 \|208 \|Desmond Kitchings \|Chiefs \|WR
1997 \|5 \|25 \|155 \|Luther Broughton \|Eagles \|TE
1986 \|4 \|8 \|90 \|Charles Fox \|Chiefs \|WR
1985 \|10 \|19 \|271 \|Dennis Williams \|Cardinals \|RB
1984 \|3 \|9 \|65 \|Stanford Jennings \|Bengals \|RB
1984 \|6 \|11 \|151 \|Ernest Gibson \|Patriots \|DB
1977 \|8 \|11 \|206 \|David Whitehurst \|Packers \|QB
1970 \|17 \|2 \|418 \|Joe Brunson \|Bears \|DT
1967 \|10 \|17 \|254 \|Lavern Barrs \|Cardinals \|DB
1963 \|7 \|11 \|95 \|Olin Hill \|Packers \|T
1962 \|11 \|8 \|148 \|Larry Jepson \|49ers \|C
1962 \|15 \|9 \|205 \|Joe Monte \|Colts \|G
1957 \|24 \|8 \|285 \|Bob Jennings \|Redskins \|C
1957 \|30 \|9 \|358 \|Mike Shill \|Lions \|T
1956 \|22 \|7 \|260 \|Johnny Popson \|Packers \|B
1954 \|5 \|5 \|54 \|Bob Griffis \|Bears \|G
1953 \|29 \|9 \|346 \|Bob Griffis \|Giants \|G
1951 \|6 \|4 \|66 \|Ed Jasonek \|Cardinals \|B
1950 \|16 \|7 \|203 \|Harry Bierman \|Cardinals \|E
1950 \|29 \|2 \|367 \|Ed Jasonek \|Bulldogs \|B
1949 \|5 \|9 \|50 \|Tom Wham \|Cardinals \|E
1943 \|3 \|6 \|21 \|Dewey Proctor \|Giants \|B
1943 \|4 \|1 \|26 \|Ralph Hamer \|Lions \|B
1943 \|7 \|1 \|51 \|Paul Sizemore \|Lions \|E
1941 \|18 \|2 \|162 \|Bill Cornwall \|Steelers \|T
1940 \|3 \|4 \|19 \|Rhoten Shetley \|Dodgers \|B[http://www.drafthistory.com/index.php/colleges/f DraftHistory.com]

class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"

Year

!Round

!Pick in round

!Overall pick

!Player

!Team

!Position

2014

|37

|137

|Dakota Dozier

|Jets

2009

|138

|William Middleton

|Falcons

|DB

2008

|11

|146

|Jerome Felton

|Lions

|RB

2006

|15

|148

|Ingle Martin

|Packers

|QB

2000

|14

|108

|John Keith

|49ers

|DB

2000

|208

|Desmond Kitchings

|Chiefs

|WR

1997

|25

|155

|Luther Broughton

|Eagles

|TE

1986

|90

|Charles Fox

|Chiefs

|WR

1985

|10

|19

|271

|Dennis Williams

|Cardinals

|RB

1984

|65

|Stanford Jennings

|Bengals

|RB

1984

|11

|151

|Ernest Gibson

|Patriots

|DB

1977

|11

|206

|David Whitehurst

|Packers

|QB

1970

|17

|418

|Joe Brunson

|Bears

|DT

1967

|10

|17

|254

|Lavern Barrs

|Cardinals

|DB

1963

|11

|95

|Olin Hill

|Packers

1962

|11

|148

|Larry Jepson

|49ers

1962

|15

|205

|Joe Monte

|Colts

1957

|24

|285

|Bob Jennings

|Redskins

1957

|30

|358

|Mike Shill

|Lions

1956

|22

|260

|Johnny Popson

|Packers

1954

|54

|Bob Griffis

|Bears

1953

|29

|346

|Bob Griffis

|Giants

1951

|66

|Ed Jasonek

|Cardinals

1950

|16

|203

|Harry Bierman

|Cardinals

1950

|29

|367

|Ed Jasonek

|Bulldogs

1949

|50

|Tom Wham

|Cardinals

1943

|21

|Dewey Proctor

|Giants

1943

|26

|Ralph Hamer

|Lions

1943

|51

|Paul Sizemore

|Lions

1941

|18

|162

|Bill Cornwall

|Steelers

1940

|19

|Rhoten Shetley

|Dodgers

|B[http://www.drafthistory.com/index.php/colleges/f DraftHistory.com]

Future non-conference opponents

Announced schedules as of March 24, 2025.{{cite web |title=Furman Paladins Football Future Schedules |publisher=FBSchedules.com |url=https://fbschedules.com/ncaa/furman/ |access-date=March 24, 2025}}

class="wikitable"

{{CollegePrimaryHeader|team=Furman Paladins|2025|2026|2027|2028|2029}}

William & Mary

| at Tennessee

| at South Carolina

| at Florida

| at Clemson

Presbyterian

| South Carolina State

| at South Carolina State

at Campbell

| at Richmond