Furman Paladins football

For information on all Furman University sports, see Furman Paladins.

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.

Furman Paladins football
2025 Furman Paladins football team
First season	1889; 136 years ago
Athletic director	Jason Donnelly
Head coach	Clay Hendrix 9th season, 54–37 (.593)
Stadium	Paladin Stadium (capacity: 16,000)
Year built	1981
Field surface	Artificial Turf
Location	Greenville, South Carolina
NCAA division	Division I FCS
Conference	Southern Conference
All-time record	645–496–38 (.563)
Claimed national titles	1 (1988)
Conference titles	15
Rivalries	The Citadel (rivalry) Wofford (rivalry)
Colors	Royal purple and white[1]
Website	furmanpaladins.com

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

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.

Year	Conference	Coach	Overall Record	Conference Record
1978†	Southern Conference	Dick Sheridan	8–3	4–1
1980			9–1–1	7–0
1981			8–3	5–2
1982			9–3	6–1
1983			10–2–1	6–0–1
1985			12–2	6–0
1988†		Jimmy Satterfield	13–2	6–1
1989			12–2	7–0
1990			9–4	6–1
1999†		Bobby Johnson	9–3	7–1
2001†			12–3	7–1
2004†		Bobby Lamb	10–3	6–1
2013†		Bruce Fowler	8–6	6–2
2018†		Clay Hendrix	6–4	6–2
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.

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

Furman vs. in-state NCAA Division I schools

School	Record	Percentage	Streak	First meeting	Last meeting
Charleston Southern[2]	2–1	.667	Lost 1	2019	2024
Clemson Tigers	10–43–4	.211	Lost 31	1896	2018
Coastal Carolina	1–7	.125	Lost 6	2006	2016
Presbyterian	42–13–1	.759	Lost 1	1913	2014
South Carolina	20–28–1	.418	Lost 2	1892	2023
South Carolina State	12–5	.706	Won 1	1982	2015
The Citadel	64–37–3	.630	Won 4	1913	2024
Wofford	56–34–7	.613	Lost 1	1889	2023
Total: 199–165–16

Notable former players

• Braniff Bonaventure
• Luther Broughton
• Ben Browder
• Sederrik Cunningham
• Dakota Dozier
• Jerome Felton
• Omari Hardwick^[3]
• 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

B	Back	K	Kicker	NT	Nose tackle
C	Center	LB	Linebacker	FB	Fullback
DB	Defensive back	P	Punter	HB	Halfback
DE	Defensive end	QB	Quarterback	WR	Wide receiver
DT	Defensive tackle	RB	Running back	G	Guard
E	End	T	Offensive tackle	TE	Tight end

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[4]

Future non-conference opponents

Announced schedules as of March 24, 2025.^[5]

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	Richmond
at Clemson