The Saint Francis Cougars football program represents the University of Saint Francis in college football. The team competes in the Mideast League (MEL) of the Mid-States Football Association (MSFA), which is affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Kevin Donley has served as head coach since the inception of the program in 1998.[1] Saint Francis plays its home game at Bishop John M. D'Arcy Stadium in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
| Saint Francis Cougars football | |
|---|---|
| First season | 1998 |
| Head coach | Kevin Donley 26th season, 234–68 (.775) |
| Stadium | Bishop John M. D'Arcy Stadium (capacity: 3,500) |
| Field surface | Sporturf |
| Location | Fort Wayne, Indiana |
| Conference | Mid-States Football Association |
| All-time record | 224–58 (.794) |
| Playoff appearances | 19 |
| Playoff record | 33–17 |
| Claimed national titles | 2 (NAIA) |
| Division titles | 13 |
| Rivalries | Marian (IN) (rivalry) |
Under Donley, the Saint Francis won consecutive NAIA Football National Championship in 2016 and 2017. The Cougars have won the MSFA's Mideast League 13 times and have made 19 appearances in the NAIA playoffs.
Season-by-season record
edit| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | NAIA# | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saint Francis Cougars (Mid-States Football Association) (1998–present) | |||||||||
| 1998 | Saint Francis | 2–8 | 1–5 | 7th (MEL) | |||||
| 1999 | Saint Francis | 8–3 | 6–0 | 1st (MEL) | L NAIA First Round | 12 | |||
| 2000 | Saint Francis | 10–2 | 6–0 | 1st (MEL) | L NAIA Quarterfinal | 6 | |||
| 2001 | Saint Francis | 9–2 | 5–1 | T–1st (MEL) | L NAIA First Round | 14 | |||
| 2002 | Saint Francis | 11–1 | 6–0 | 1st (MEL) | L NAIA Quarterfinal | 8 | |||
| 2003 | Saint Francis | 12–1 | 6–0 | 1st (MEL) | L NAIA Semifinal | 4 | |||
| 2004 | Saint Francis | 13–1 | 7–0 | 1st (MEL) | L NAIA Championship | 2 | |||
| 2005 | Saint Francis | 13–1 | 7–0 | 1st (MEL) | L NAIA Championship | 2 | |||
| 2006 | Saint Francis | 13–1 | 6–0 | 1st (MEL) | L NAIA Championship | 2 | |||
| 2007 | Saint Francis | 11–2 | 6–1 | 2nd (MEL) | L NAIA Semifinal | 4 | |||
| 2008 | Saint Francis | 12–1 | 6–0 | 1st (MEL) | L NAIA Semifinal | 4 | |||
| 2009 | Saint Francis | 7–3 | 5–2 | T–2nd (MEL) | 17 | ||||
| 2010 | Saint Francis | 10–2 | 6–1 | 2nd (MEL) | L NAIA Quarterfinal | 5 | |||
| 2011 | Saint Francis | 9–3 | 3–2 | 3rd (MEL) | L NAIA Quarterfinal | 7 | |||
| 2012 | Saint Francis | 9–3 | 4–1 | T–1st (MEL) | L NAIA Quarterfinal | 6 | |||
| 2013 | Saint Francis | 9–3 | 5–1 | 1st (MEL) | L NAIA Quarterfinal | 6 | |||
| 2014 | Saint Francis | 6–5 | 4–2 | 3rd (MEL) | |||||
| 2015 | Saint Francis | 11–1 | 6–0 | 1st (MEL) | L NAIA Semifinal | 4 | |||
| 2016 | Saint Francis | 13–1 | 5–1 | 2nd (MEL) | W NAIA Championship | 1 | |||
| 2017 | Saint Francis | 14–0 | 6–0 | 1st (MEL) | W NAIA Championship | 1 | |||
| 2018 | Saint Francis | 10–3 | 4–2 | 3rd (MEL) | L NAIA Semifinal | 3 | |||
| 2019 | Saint Francis | 7–3 | 4–2 | T–2nd (MEL) | L NAIA First Round | 11 | |||
| 2020 | Saint Francis | 2–2 | 2–2 | 3rd (MEL) | 17 | ||||
| Saint Francis: | 221–52 | 116–23 | |||||||
| Total: | 221–52 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Program statistics
edit| Statistic | Saint Francis | [Opponents] |
|---|---|---|
| Games played | 271 | |
| Wins | 220 | 51 |
| Ties | 0 | |
| Wins in championship game appearances | 2 | 3 |
| Home wins | 123 | 28 |
| Road wins | 95 | 20 |
| Neutral site wins | 2 | 3 |
| Home regular season wins | 96 | 15 |
| Road regular season wins | 91 | 19 |
| Home playoff wins | 27 | 13 |
| Road playoff wins | 4 | 1 |
| Neutral site playoff wins | 2 | 3 |
| Most consecutive wins | 27 (2016-2018) | 7 (1998) |
| Most consecutive regular season wins | 54 (2001-2007) | 7 (1998) |
| Most consecutive playoff wins | 10 (2016-2018) | 2 (2000-2001) (2018-present) |
| Most consecutive home wins | 56 (2002-2009) | 3 (1998) |
| Most consecutive road/neutral wins | 20 (2015-2018) | 4 (1998) |
| Most points scored in a game by one team | 84 (2000 - USF 84, Iowa Wesleyan 9) | 71 (1998 - Tri-State 71, USF 27) |
| Most points scored in a game by one team in a loss | 41 (1998 - Walsh 44, USF 41) | 42 (2015 - USF 48, Taylor 42) (2015 - USF 45, Marian 42) |
| Fewest points scored in a game by one team in a win | 12 (2004 - USF 12, Georgetown 7) | 7 (2018 – Concordia 7, USF 3) |
| Fewest points scored in a regular season game by one team | 3 (2018 – Concordia 7, USF 3) | 0 (Done 13 times, most recently in 2017) |
| Fewest points scored in a playoff game by one team | 0 (1999 - Georgetown 38, USF 0) (2002 - Georgetown 24, USF 0) |
3 (Done 5 times, most recently in 2018) |
| Most points scored in a game by both teams | 98 (1998 - Tri-State 71, USF 27) (2002 - USF 77, Quincy 21) (2007 - USF 69, Taylor 29) | |
| Fewest points scored in a game by both teams | 10 (2018 – Concordia 7, USF 3) | |
| Largest margin of victory | 75 (2000 - USF 84, Iowa Wesleyan 9) | 44 (1998 - Tri-State 71, USF 27) |
References
edit- ^ Bansch, John (September 22, 1998). "St. Francis passes its initial tests by getting program off the ground". The Indianapolis Star. Indianapolis, Indiana. p. D6. Retrieved November 3, 2021 – via Newspapers.com
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