1986 Davidson Wildcats football team

The 1986 Davidson Wildcats football team represented Davidson College as a member of the Southern Conference during the 1986 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by second-year head coach Vic Gatto, the Wildcats compiled an overall record of 0–9 with a mark of 0–6 in conference play, placing last out of nine teams in the SoCon. Although not SoCon members, their games against Bucknell and Lafayette were designated Southern Conference games.

1986 Davidson Wildcats football
Conference	Southern Conference
Record	0–9 (0–6 SoCon)
Head coach	Vic Gatto (2nd season)
Home stadium	Richardson Stadium

1986 Southern Conference football standings

	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 6 Appalachian State $^	6	–	0	–	1			9	–	2	–	1
Western Carolina	5	–	2	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
No. 15 Furman ^	4	–	2	–	1			7	–	3	–	2
East Tennessee State	4	–	3	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Marshall	3	–	3	–	0			6	–	4	–	1
Chattanooga	2	–	4	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
VMI	1	–	5	–	0			1	–	10	–	0
The Citadel	0	–	6	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 6	Lenoir–Rhyne*	Richardson Stadium Davidson, NC	L 14–31	4,700
September 13	Wofford*	Richardson Stadium Davidson, NC	L 10–20	3,000
September 20	at East Tennessee State	Memorial Center Johnson City, TN	L 6–41
October 4	at No. 8 Appalachian State	Conrad Stadium Boone, NC	L 6–63	21,217
October 11	Bucknell	Richardson Stadium Davidson, NC	L 7–27	1,000
October 18	Lafayette	Richardson Stadium Davidson, NC	L 14–51	2,700
October 25	at Marshall	Fairfield Stadium Huntington, WV	L 14–63	12,130
November 8	at Furman	Paladin Stadium Greenville, SC	L 0–59	8,989
November 15	at Catawba*	Shuford Stadium Salisbury, NC	L 28–51	300
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee Poll released prior to the game