The Villanova Wildcats football program represents Villanova University in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS, known as Division I-AA until 2006).
The Wildcats compete in the Patriot League for football only. They play on campus at Villanova Stadium with capacity of 12,000. They are led by head coach Mark Ferrante. Former head coach Andy Talley was head coach of the program from its reinstatement in 1985 through 2016 and led the program to its first NCAA Division I FCS national championship in 2009. In 2026 they moved from the Coastal Athletic Association to the Patriot League.
History
The Wildcats football team played their first game in November 1894 coached by Mike Murphy. They continued to play as an independent team for 87 seasons, participating in several Bowl Games and sending numerous players into professional football, including Hall of Fame defensive end Howie Long, a second round selection in the 1981 NFL draft.
On April 14, 1981, the program was officially disbanded due to weak attendance and monetary reasons cited by the university board of trustees. Athletic Director Ted Aceto had stated they had sold only 750 season tickets for the 1980 season with 95 scholarship players; the Wildcats' 1980 season record was 6–5.
Under heavy pressure from alumni and students, the program was reinstated by the board of trustees in April 1984 and sponsored a sold out Blue-White intrasquad game for Homecoming that November. Led by head coach Andy Talley, they began playing a limited schedule of regulation NCAA games in September 1985. The reborn program had instant success, beginning with an undefeated five-game schedule against Division III competition, and beating the Navy junior varsity. The program moved up to Division I-AA (now FCS) and joined the Yankee Conference in 1987, beginning official competition in 1988.
Led by quarterback Kirk Schulz and wide receiver Robert Brady, the Wildcats reached the I-AA playoffs in 1989, bowing to eventual champion Georgia Southern in a spirited, high scoring game.
With All-American linebacker Curtis Eller, the 'Cats returned to the I-AA playoffs in 1991 and 1992, bowing each time to eventual champion Youngstown State.
All-American wide receiver Brian Finneran led the Wildcats to the I-AA playoffs in 1996 before bowing to East Tennessee State.
The 1997 season marked Villanova's first undefeated, untied regular season, as well as their first time reaching No. 1 in the I-AA rankings. The 1997 'Cats featured two future Payton Award winners- Finneran and freshman running back Brian Westbrook. The Cat's defeated Colgate in the I-AA playoffs before falling a 3rd time to nemesis Youngstown State.
In 2002, led by All-American QB Brett Gordon, Villanova advanced to the NCAA I-AA semifinals, defeating Fordham and Furman before falling to McNeese State. Gordon broke his throwing hand early in the Fordham game, and played the final 2 1/2 playoff games with the injury, amassing nearly 1,000 yards of total offense, justifying his first runner-up finish in the Payton Award race.
In 2008, Villanova's roster consisted primarily of sophomores, led by running back Matt Szczur and quarterback Chris Whitney. Ben Ijalana was the starting tackle and started every game of his college career. He was later in the second round of the NFL draft by the Indianapolis Colts. Ijalana was drafted the 2nd highest in school history, behind Hall-of-Famer Howie Long and in front of pro-bowler Brian Westbrook. Linebacker Darrell Young signed with the Washington Redskins, where he transitioned from a collegiate linebacker to a starting fullback in the NFL.
Other players that contributed were WR Brandyn Harvey, WR Norman White, FL Phil Atkinson, RB Aaron Ball, RB Angelo Babbaro, Tony Canci, Ross DB Ventrone, Ramin Mobasseri, Fred Maldonado, and many others. Harvey ended up signing with the Atlanta Falcons, and Ventrone was on the New England Patriots in 2012, appearing in the Super Bowl, the 4th Wildcat to do so (Siani, Long and Westbrook are the others). Ventrone became wildly popular in the NFL locker rooms for his off the field comedic antics, and was featured in a segment on NFL countdown in 2012 by ESPN. Tony Canci and Ramin Mobasseri were walk-ons who earned scholarships through their play. Canci was a dominant blocker at fullback, and was a key factor in Villanova becoming the championship team that dominated the 2009 season. Mobasseri was the first walk-on in school history to earn 'most improved' award. Villanova went 10–3 losing only 2 FCS games all season. Both losses were to James Madison on a "Hail Mary" game ending TD in the regular season and a last minute quarterfinal loss in the NCAA playoff quarterfinals.
In 2009, Villanova won the NCAA Division I FCS national championship, defeating Montana 23–21 in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and finished with a 14–1 overall record. Junior Matt Szczur was voted championship game MVP and was selected as a 1st team All-American at two positions- offense and special teams. Junior Chris Whitney was also voted 1st team All-American. On their way to the championship Villanova defeated FBS Temple, losing only to New Hampshire, and was CAA co-conference Champion with the Richmond Spiders, whom Villanova defeated at Richmond on a 4th down TD pass. Villanova hosted three playoff games, defeating Holy Cross, avenging their regular season loss to New Hampshire with a lopsided victory played in a driving snowstorm, and edging CAA rival William & Mary 14–13 under the ESPN TV lights on a frigid night.
In 2010 season, Villanova returned to the NCAA semifinals, this time going on a 9,000-mile odyssey while defeating No. 3 Stephen F. Austin and No. 1 ranked Appalachian State before losing to eventual champion Eastern Washington. Villanova ended the 2010 campaign ranked No. 3 in the nation in FCS and knocked off two No. 1 ranked teams on the road in 3 weeks late in the season including National Runner-up Delaware. Following the 2010 season, Szczur signed with the Chicago Cubs and made his major league debut in 2014.
The 2012 season saw Villanova win the CAA Conference Championship and reach the NCAA playoffs, finishing 8–4. The roster included several notable underclassmen, including freshman QB John Robertson and Sophomore running back Kevin Monangai.
Villanova returned to prominence in 2014, dropping a thrilling opener at FBS Syracuse 27–26 in double overtime, serving notice that the Cats were back. QB Robertson continued to march his way into the record books, aided by seniors Poppy Livers (WR) and Monangai. The much improved Cat defense was led by a standout linebacking corps of juniors Don Cherry and Dillon Lucas, and Senior Joey Harmon. Senior Joe Sarnese anchored the defensive backfield while senior NT Pat Williams has steadied the defensive line. The offensive line was led by senior Ross Hall. The kicking game struggled to fill the void left by the graduation of four year P/PK Mark Hamilton. The Cats reached the NCAA FCS quarterfinals defeating Liberty and losing to Sam Houston State at home. Payton award winner Robertson was concussed late in the Liberty game and unable to play in the Sam Houston game, where his backup played admirably in a losing effort.
Coach Talley returned the NCAA FCS playoffs for the 12th and final time in 2016, defeating St. Francis before bowing to South Dakota State on a last second snow blown field goal banked off the upright by the Jack's Adam Vinatierri, Jr.
In 2026 they moved from the Coastal Athletic Association to the Patriot League.
Andy Talley era (1985–2016) Villanova head coach Andy Talley completed 37 seasons as a collegiate head coach, including 32 seasons at Villanova. The winningest coach in school history and the winningest coach in CAA history, Talley's Villanova record stands at an impressive 230–137–1. Throughout his Main Line career, Talley guided the Wildcats to twelve NCAA playoff appearances, six conference championships, three Lambert Meadowlands Cup, three ECAC Team of the Year awards. Included in the NCAA appearances are three NCAA semifinal appearances and the 2009 National Championship.
A graduate of Haverford (Pa.) High School just five minutes from the Villanova campus, Coach Talley is a native of Bryn Mawr. When he was head coach, he could feel responsible for every facet of the Villanova program, having started it from scratch after he was hired on May 29, 1984 as the school's 29th head coach. Talley led Villanova teams to NCAA FCS (Formerly Division I-AA) playoff appearances in 1989, 1991, 1992, 1996, 1997, 2002, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2016. Following his National Championship success in 2009, Talley received numerous coaching honors. Highlighting the list was the AFCA National Coach of the Year Award. Talley also earned this award in 1997 and becomes just the 17th coach to win the award twice. He also garnered the 2009 CAA Coach of the Year, the Sportsman's Award from the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation and the Maxwell Club President's Award. In 2008, Talley was named the AFCA Regional Coach of the Year, the Field Turf/Howie Long FCS National Coach of the Year and the Maxwell Club Coach of the Year. Talley's all-time College Coaching record stands at 218–135–2 including his 5 years at the helm of St Lawrence College where he had advanced to the D-III National Semifinals in 1982.
Football upgrade controversy
Following the 2009 NCAA championship season, Villanova has considered moving into the Football Bowl Subdivision and joining the Big East Conference in football. Villanova Stadium located on-campus stadium seats only 12,500, less than the 15,000 requirement for an FBS-eligible team. In September 2010, the Big East informally discussed the possibility that Villanova might become a football member. The school undertook a feasibility study involving the costs involved with such an upgrade. An upgrade of the football program would require building new football facilities and corresponding increases to its women's sports program due to Title IX issues, as well as a move to a larger game venue in the region with speculation focused on the new PPL Park soccer stadium. Prior to the scheduled April 12, 2011, Board of Trustees vote on the football upgrade, several Big East football schools objected to the Villanova plans to use PPL Park. That venue seats 18,500 and Villanova proposed an expansion of the capacity, which was never fulfilled after the upgrade fell through. With the ongoing uncertainty of the Big East Football Conference after losing founding football members Syracuse, Pittsburgh, and West Virginia, the Villanova Board of Trustees has never voted regarding the topic of moving to FBS.
In December 2012, Villanova's administration announced its intentions to split away from the now-former Big East (now The American Athletic Conference) configuration along with the other 6 "basketball centric" Big East Schools to form their own all-sports conference highlighted by their deep basketball traditions. For the present, Villanova will continue to compete for National Championships in the College Football Championship Subdivision as a member of the Colonial Athletic Conference ("CAA"). This decision had the effect of ending the question of whether Villanova should move up to the FBS for football. The new basketball centric Big East has proven to be a great success for Villanova University catapulting the Men's Basketball program to the top of the NCAA winning National Championships in 2016 and 2018.
Championships National championships The Wildcats won their first national championship on December 18, 2009 under Andy Talley. The team defeated the Montana Grizzlies in the national championship game in Chattanooga by a score of 23–21.
2009 FCS National Championship Andy Talley 14–1 Montana W 23–21
Conference affiliations NCAA Division I-A Independent (1894–1980)