Troy Trojans football

Troy Trojans football
Current season
File:Troy University logo.gif
First season	1909
Athletic director	John Hartwell
Head coach	Larry Blakeney
Home stadium	Veterans Memorial Stadium
Stadium capacity	30,000
Stadium surface	Turf
Location	Troy, Alabama
League	NCAA Division I (FBS)
Conference	SBC
All-time record	488–360–27
Postseason bowl record	2–3
Claimed national titles	3 (1 NAIA, 2 Division II)
Conference titles	Alabama Intercollegiate: 3 Alabama Collegiate: 3 Mid-South: 1 Gulf South: 5 Southland: 3 Sun Belt: 5
Heisman winners	0
Consensus All-Americans	6 NAIA 10 Div-II 13 FCS 0 FBS
Colors	Cardinal and Black
Fight song	"Trojans One & All"
Mascot	Trojan
Marching band	The Sound of the South
Rivals	Middle Tennessee State Jacksonville State
Website	TroyTrojans.com

The Troy Trojans football program represents Troy University, Alabama, in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision, formerly known as Division I-A, of which it has been a member since 2001. The football program joined the Sun Belt Conference in 2004, while the other Troy athletic programs didn't join the SBC until 2005.

History

Troy University has fielded a football team continuously since 1946. Prior to that year, the team was fielded with only a few interruptions from 1909 to 1942. Eight years were skipped due to lack of participation and later World War I from 1913–1920, while the Wall Street Crash of 1929 kept the team from playing that year. Having moved up from Division I-AA, the team has competed in the NCAA's Division I since 2001.

File:Troy Football Player.jpg

Troy Trojans football player Gary Banks during a game in October 2007.

Troy University football began playing in the NCAA's Division I-A in 2001, became a football only member of the Sun Belt Conference in 2004, and joined that conference for all other sports in 2005. In 2001, Troy defeated Mississippi State University at Scott Field in Starkville, Mississippi, by a count of 21-9 to notch the Trojans' first victory over a BCS level program. The Trojans began their 2004 campaign with a win over Marshall, and then garnered the program's largest win one game later as the Trojans defeated then #17 ranked Missouri, 24–14, in front of a Movie Gallery Stadium record crowd. The Trojan football team made its first bowl game appearance in the Silicon Valley Football Classic on December 30, 2004 that same season, but lost to Northern Illinois, 34–21. In 2006, Troy won the Sun Belt Conference for the first time after defeating Middle Tennessee State in dramatic fashion in the last game of the 2006 season in a game that is now referred to as "The Miracle in Murfreesboro". As the 2006 Sun Belt Conference champions, Troy played in the New Orleans Bowl on December 22, 2006 against Rice University, routing the Owls of Conference USA by a score of 41–17. The New Orleans Bowl victory was Troy's first bowl victory in history.

Troy football head coach Larry Blakeney is entering his 20th season as head coach. He has led the program to three Southland Football League titles and five straight Sun Belt Conference titles, as well as guided the Trojans to seven FCS playoff appearances and four FBS bowl games. Blakeney boasts an overall record of 152-71-1 as head coach at Troy. Blakeney is the winningest coach in the Troy University history and he is the 4th winningest collegiate coach all-time in the state of Alabama, only behind greats Paul "Bear" Bryant, Cleveland L. Abbott, and Ralph "Shug" Jordan. Blakeney is just one of two coaches to ever take a football program from Division II to I-A (the other is UCF’s Gene McDowell).

File:TroyTrojans10.jpg

Troy football team preparing to enter the field.

Troy's only perfect regular season record in football came at the conclusion of the 1995 season as the Trojans finished 11–0 and were crowned champions of the Southland Football League heading into the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs.

Troy won the NAIA national football championship in 1968 and the NCAA Division II national football championship in 1984 and 1987.

Troy has accomplished winning five straight Sun Belt Conference championships since 2006, breaking North Texas' record of four straight Sun Belt titles from 2001 to 2004. The Trojans have also compiled a 32-5 record against Sun Belt competition during the last five seasons.

Head coaches

Name	From	To	Record			Postseason
			W	L	T
Virgil P. McKinley	1909	1909	1	0	2
Dan Harren	1910	1910	1	1	2
George Penton	1911	1912	7	1	1
Professor J. W. Campbell	1921	1923	12	14	1
Flivver Ford	1924	1924	2	1	4
Otis Bynum	1925	1926	12	4	1
Gladwin Gaumer	1927	1928	6	7	0
No Coach	1930	1930	1	2	0
Albert Elmore	1931	1937	33	25	3
Albert Choate	1938	1942	28	25	1
Buddy McCollum	1947	1950	20	18	3	1948 Paper Bowl
Jim Grantham	1951	1954	11	23	1
William Clipson	1955	1965	26	68	0
Billy Atkins	1966	1971	44	16	2	1968 NAIA National Champions
Tom Jones	1972	1973	11	7	2
Byrd Whigham	1974	1975	12	8	0
Charlie Bradshaw	1976	1982	41	27	2
Chan Gailey	1983	1984	19	5	0	1984 NCAA Division II National Champions
Rick Rhodes	1985	1987	28	7	1	1987 NCAA Division II National Champions
Robert Maddox	1988	1990	13	17	0
Larry Blakeney	1990	Present	161	82	1	2004, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010 Bowl Appearances; 2006, 2010 Bowl Wins
Composite Record	1909	2008	488	358	27

Championships

Troy has won 20 total conference championships to go along with 3 national championships. The program won the 1968 NAIA National Championship against Texas A&I (now Texas A&M-Kingsville). Troy beat North Dakota State in 1984 to win their first Division II national title. They won their second Division II national title in 1987 after defeating Portland State.

Conference Year Overall Record Coach Alabama Intercollegiate Conference 1939 7–4–0 Albert Choate 1941 5–4–0 1942 4–3–0 1967 8–2–0 Billy Atkins 1968† 11–1–0 1969 8–1–1 Mid-South Athletic Conference 1971 6–3–0 Gulf South Conference 1973 7–2–1 Tom Jones 1976 8–1–1 Charlie Bradshaw 1984^ 12–1–0 Chan Gailey 1986 10–2–0 Rick Rhoades 1987^ 12–1–1 Southland Conference 1996 12–2 Larry Blakeney 1999 11–2 2000 10–2 Sun Belt Conference 2006 8–5 2007 8–4 2008 8–5 2009 9–4 2010 8–5 Bold indicates national championship. † Denotes NAIA National Championship. ^ Denotes NCAA Division II National Championship.

Season Records

Troy Trojans football seasons

Bowl history

Non-FBS Post-season History

W/L	Date	PF	Opponent	PA	Game
L	12-18-1948	0	Jacksonville State	19	Paper Bowl
W	12-14-1968	43	Texas A&M-Kingsville	35	Championship Bowl
W	12-08-1984	18	North Dakota State	17	Palm Bowl
W	12-12-1987	31	Portland State	17	Palm Bowl

• Palm Bowl = NCAA Division II National Championship & Championship Bowl = NAIA National Championship

FBS Bowl History

W/L	Date	PF	Opponent	PA	Bowl
L	12-30-2004	21	NIU	34	Silicon Valley Classic
W	12-22-2006	41	Rice	17	New Orleans Bowl
L	12-21-2008	27	Southern Mississippi	30	New Orleans Bowl
L	01-06-2010	41	Central Michigan	44	GMAC Bowl
W	12-18-2010	48	Ohio	21	New Orleans Bowl

NFL Players

Trojans in the NFL
NFL Draft selections
Total selected:	34
First picks in draft:	0
1st Round:	2

Current Players

• DeMarcus Ware
• Leodis McKelvin
• Osi Umenyiora
• Sherrod Martin
• Leonard Wheeler
• Brannon Condren
• Elbert Mack
• Gary Banks
• Trevor Ford
• Dion Gales
• Steve McLendon
• Lawrence Tynes
• Levi Brown
• Cameron Sheffield
• Jerrel Jernigan
• Jonathan Massaquoi
• Jorrick Calvin
• Stanley Arukwe
• James Brown
• DuJuan Harris

Former Players

• Patrick Epkins
• Sherill Busby
• Matt Allen
• Aaron Fields
• Kerry Jenkins
• Reggie Lowe
• Al Lucas
• Larry Mason
• Jimmy McClain
• Jack Peavey
• Rayshun Reed
• Shawn Stuckey
• Rod Walker
• Pratt Lyons
• Michael Moore
• Orlando Parker
• Jonathan Carter
• Perry Griggs
• Wade Brantley
• Titus Dixon
• Clifford Ivory
• Mareno Philyaw
• Jack Smith
• Marcus Spriggs
• Davern Williams
• Reggie Dwight
• Willie Tullis
• Mitch Geier
• John McKinnon
• Anthony Henton
• Kelvin Murdock
• Virgil Seay
• Greg Harris
• Willie McCray
• Ronnie Shelley
• Glenn Thompson
• Rob Austin
• Michael O'Daniel
• Donnie Van Wie

Rivalries

Troy plays Middle Tennessee in the annual Battle for the Palladium. Troy and Middle Tennessee first played each other in 1936, but it wasn't until 2003 that schools started playing annually for the Palladium Trophy.

Troy used to play Jacksonville State in the annual Battle for the Ol' School Bell. The schools first played in 1924 and was one of the fiercest rivalries for both schools. The game hasn't been played since 2001 after Troy joined the FBS.

Future non-conference opponents

2013	2014	2015
vs UAB	at UAB	at Mississippi State
vs Savannah State	at South Carolina
at Mississippi State	vs Duke
at Ole Miss
at Duke