Dayton Flyers football

For information on all University of Dayton sports, see Dayton Flyers.

The Dayton Flyers football program is the intercollegiate American football team for the University of Dayton located in the U.S. state of Ohio. The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and are members of the Pioneer Football League. Dayton's first football team was fielded in 1905. The team plays its home games at the 11,000 seat Welcome Stadium in Dayton, Ohio. The Flyers are coached by Trevor Andrews.

Dayton Flyers football
2025 Dayton Flyers football team
First season	1905; 120 years ago
Athletic director	Neil Sullivan
Head coach	Trevor Andrews 2nd season, 10–12 (.455)
Stadium	Welcome Stadium (capacity: 11,000)
Location	Dayton, Ohio
NCAA division	Division I FCS
Conference	Pioneer Football League
All-time record	711–396–40 (.637)
Bowl record	0–1 (.000)
Claimed national titles	2 (Division III)
Playoff appearances	1 (Division I FCS) 11 (Division III)
Playoff record	0-1 (Division I FCS) 16-9 (Division III)
Conference titles	12 (1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2015)
Division titles	2 (2001, 2002)
Colors	Red and blue[1]
Mascot	Rudy Flyer
Website	DaytonFlyers.com

History

Classifications

• 1906–1955: NCAA
• 1956–1972: NCAA University Division
• 1973–1976: NCAA Division I
• 1977–1992: NCAA Division III
• 1993–present: NCAA Division I–AA/FCS

Conference memberships

• 1905–1925: Independent
• 1926–1934: Ohio Athletic Conference
• 1935–1938: Buckeye Athletic Association
• 1939–1955: Independent
• 1956–1972: University Division Independent
• 1973–1976: Division I Independent
• 1977–1992: Division III Independent
• 1993–present: Pioneer Football League

Notable former players

See also: Category:Dayton Flyers football players

Notable alumni include:

• Jon A. Husted (1985–1989), Incumbent United States Senator from Ohio, Lt. Governor 2019-2025
• Jon Gruden (1982–1984), graduated in 1985 and former head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Las Vegas Raiders.
• Kelvin Kirk (1953–2003), first Mr. Irrelevant and CFL player
• Gary Kosins (born 1949), American football player
• Bill Lange (1928–1995), American football player
• Jim Katcavage (1952–1956), New York Giants football player for 13 years and three time all-Pro defensive end.
• Chuck Noll (1948–1952), Cleveland Browns football player and 4x Super Bowl winning coach for Pittsburgh Steelers.
• Brandon Staley (2003–2004), former Dayton Flyers quarterback and former head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers.
• Adam Trautman (2015–2019), American football player on the Denver Broncos. He was the first Dayton player drafted (2020) since 1977.
• Trevor Andrews (1994–1997), American football safety and current head coach of the Dayton Flyers football team.

Championships

National championships

Dayton has won two national championships, both during their tenure in Division III. Dayton has made five appearances in the NCAA Division III National Championship Game, also known as the Stagg Bowl. The Flyers defeated Ithaca, 63–0 in the 1980 championship game, and defeated Union (NY) 17–7 in the 1989 championship game. The Flyers were unsuccessful in three other championship game appearances, losing 17–10 to Widener in 1981, 19–3 to Wagner in 1987, and 34–20 to Ithaca in 1991.

Season	Coach	Selector	Record	Score	Opponent
1980	Rick Carter	Division III	14–0	63–0	Ithaca
1989	Mike Kelly		13–0–1	17–7	Union (NY)

Conference championships

Dayton has won 12 conference championships, six outright and six shared.

Season	Conference	Coach	Overall Record	Conference Record
1993	Pioneer Football League	Mike Kelly	9–1	5–0
1994†			8–2	4–1
1996			11–0	5–0
1997			9–1	5–0
1999			6–4	4–0
2000†			8–3	3–1
2001			10–1	4–0
2002			11–1	4–0
2007†			11–1	6–1
2009†		Rick Chamberlin	9–2	7–1
2010†			10–1	8–0
2015†			10–2	7–1

† denotes co-champions

Divisional championships

From 2001–2005, the Pioneer Football League was divided into North and South Divisions, with the winners of those divisions participating in a conference championship game. As winners of the Pioneer Football League's North Division, Dayton has made two appearances in the Pioneer Football League Championship Game, in 2001 and 2002.

Season	Division	Opponent	Result
2001	PFL North	Jacksonville	W, 46–14
2002	PFL North	Morehead State	W, 28–0

Bowl game appearances

Dayton has participated in one bowl game, with the Flyers having a record of 0–1.

Season	Coach	Bowl	Opponent	Result
1951	Joe Gavin	Salad Bowl	Houston	L, 21–26

They also played in the Gridiron Classic in 2007 against Northeast Conference opponent Albany, winning 42–21.

The Sports Network Cup was a way of determining the best mid major team in Division I FCS, with first place votes determining the winner between teams from the Pioneer Football League, the Northeast Conference, and the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.

Season	Champion		Runner-up
2001[2]	Sacred Heart Pioneers	15	Dayton Flyers	6
2002[3]	Dayton Flyers	17	Albany Great Danes	7
2005[4]	San Diego Toreros	26	Dayton Flyers	0
2007[5]	Dayton Flyers	30	San Diego Toreros	0

Playoff appearances

NCAA Division I FCS

Dayton has made one appearance in the FCS playoffs. Their record is 0–1.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
2015	First Round	Western Illinois	L, 7–24

NCAA Division III

The Flyers made eleven appearances in the NCAA Division III football playoffs. Their combined record was 16–9.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
1978	Quarterfinals	Carnegie Mellon	L, 21–24
1980	Quarterfinals Semifinals Stagg Bowl	Baldwin Wallace Widener Ithaca	W, 34–0 W, 28–24 W, 63–0
1981	Quarterfinals Semifinals Stagg Bowl	Augustana (IL) Lawrence Widener	W, 19–7 W, 38–0 L, 10–17
1984	Quarterfinals	Augustana (IL)	L, 13–14
1986	First Round	Mount Union	L, 36–42
1987	First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Stagg Bowl	Capital Augustana (IL) Central (IA) Wagner	W, 28–52 W, 38–36 W, 34–0 L, 3–19
1988	First Round	Wittenberg	L, 28–35 OT
1989	First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Stagg Bowl	John Carroll Millikin Saint John's (MN) Union (NY)	W, 35–10 W, 28–16 W, 28–0 W, 17–7
1990	First Round Quarterfinals	Augustana (IL) Allegheny	W, 24–14 L, 23–31
1991	First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Stagg Bowl	Baldwin Wallace Allegheny Saint John's (MN) Ithaca	W, 27–10 W, 28–25 OT W, 19–7 L, 20–34
1992	First Round	Mount Union	L, 10–27

Future non-conference opponents

Announced schedules as of August 1, 2025.^[6]

2025	2026	2027	2028
at Eastern Illinois	Thomas More	Thomas More	at South Dakota State
Thomas More	at Eastern Kentucky	at Western Illinois
at Robert Morris