Butler Bulldogs football

For information on all Butler University sports, see Butler Bulldogs.

The Butler Bulldogs football program is the intercollegiate American football team for Butler University located in the U.S. state of Indiana. The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and is a member of the Pioneer Football League (PFL). Butler's first football team was fielded in 1887. The team plays its home games at the 7,500 seat Bud and Jackie Sellick Bowl (historically Butler Bowl) in Indianapolis. The Bulldogs are coached by Kevin Lynch.

Butler Bulldogs football
2025 Butler Bulldogs football team
First season	1884; 141 years ago
Athletic director	Grant Leiendecker
Head coach	Kevin Lynch 1st season, 0–0 (–)
Stadium	Bud and Jackie Sellick Bowl (capacity: 7,500)
Field surface	FieldTurf
Location	Indianapolis, Indiana
NCAA division	Division I FCS
Conference	Pioneer Football League
All-time record	618–502–35 (.550)
Bowl record	1–3 (.250)
Conference titles	25
Rivalries	Valparaiso (rivalry)
Consensus All-Americans	17
Current uniform
Colors	Blue and white[1]
Fight song	The Butler War Song
Mascot	Butler Blue IV
Website	butlersports.com

History

Classifications

• 1962–1972: NCAA College Division
• 1973–1992: NCAA Division II
• 1993–present: NCAA Division I–AA/FCS

Conference memberships

• 1884–1915: Independent
• 1916–1917: Indiana College Athletic League
• 1918–1931: Independent
• 1932–1933: Missouri Valley Conference
• 1934–1947: Indiana Intercollegiate Conference
• 1947–1949: Mid-American Conference
• 1951–1989: Heartland Collegiate Conference
• 1990–1992: Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference
• 1993–present: Pioneer Football League

Notable former players

See also: Category:Butler Bulldogs football players

See also: List of Butler Bulldogs in the NFL draft

Notable alumni include:

• Bill Lynch
• Arnold Mickens
• Chris Salvi
• Joseph "The Gentle Giant" Holzmer
• David "Mr. Automatic" Lang^[2]

Championships

Football Conference championships

Year	Conference	Coach	Overall Record	Conference Record
1952	Indiana Collegiate Conference (co-championship)	Tony Hinkle	5–3–1	3–1–1
1953	Indiana Collegiate Conference	Tony Hinkle	6–2	5–0
1958	Indiana Collegiate Conference	Tony Hinkle	8–1	5–1
1959	Indiana Collegiate Conference	Tony Hinkle	9–0	6–0
1960	Indiana Collegiate Conference	Tony Hinkle	8–1	5–1
1961	Indiana Collegiate Conference	Tony Hinkle	9–0	6–0
1962	Indiana Collegiate Conference	Tony Hinkle	5–2–2	4–1–1
1963	Indiana Collegiate Conference	Tony Hinkle	8–1	6–0
1964	Indiana Collegiate Conference (co-championship)	Tony Hinkle	4–4–1	4–2
1972	Indiana Collegiate Conference (co-championship)	Bill Sylvester	5–5	4–1
1973	Indiana Collegiate Conference	Bill Sylvester	5–5	4–1
1974	Indiana Collegiate Conference	Bill Sylvester	8–2	6–0
1975	Indiana Collegiate Conference	Bill Sylvester	9–1	6–0
1977	Heartland Collegiate Conference (co-championship)	Bill Sylvester	5–5	3–1
1983	Heartland Collegiate Conference	Bill Sylvester	9–1–1	5–0–1
1985	Heartland Collegiate Conference (co-championship)	Bill Lynch	8–2	5–1
1987	Heartland Collegiate Conference	Bill Lynch	8–1–1	4–0–1
1988	Heartland Collegiate Conference	Bill Lynch	8–2–1	3–0–1
1989	Heartland Collegiate Conference	Bill Lynch	7–2–1	4–0
1991	Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference	Bob Bartolomeo	9–2	9–1
1992	Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference (co-championship)	Ken LaRose	8–2	8–2
1994	Pioneer Football League (co-championship)	Ken LaRose	7–3	4–1
2009	Pioneer Football League (co-championship)	Jeff Voris	11–1	7–1
2012	Pioneer Football League (co-championship)	Jeff Voris	8–3	7–1
2013	Pioneer Football League (co-championship)	Jeff Voris	9–4	7–1
Total conference championships (modern era)			25

Playoff appearances

NCAA Division I-AA/FCS playoffs

The Bulldogs have appeared in the FCS playoffs once, with an overall record of 0–1.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
2013	First Round	Tennessee State	L, 0–31

NCAA Division II playoffs

The Bulldogs made three appearances in the Division II playoffs, with a combined record of 0–3.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
1983	Quarterfinals	UC Davis	L, 6–25
1988	First Round	Tennessee–Martin	L, 6–23
1991	First Round	Pittsburg State	L, 16–26

PFL Gridiron Classic results

From 2006 through 2009, the PFL and Northeast Conference (NEC) staged the Gridiron Classic, an exempted postseason football game that matched the champions of the two conferences which were technically members of Division I FCS, but which were not the recipients of automatic invitations to the football championship playoff at the time. The Bulldogs appeared in the PFL Gridiron Classic once, with an overall record of 1–0.

Year	Opponent	Result
2009	Central Connecticut	W, 28–23

Future non-conference opponents

Announced schedules as of August 5, 2025.^[3]

2025	2026	2027
at Northern Iowa	at Montana State	at Northern Iowa
Truman State
at Hanover College
at Weber State