The Hampton Pirates football team represents Hampton University in college football. The Pirates compete in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) as a member of CAA Football, the legally separate football league operated by the multi-sports Coastal Athletic Association (CAA).

History Classifications 1950–1972: NCAA College Division 1973–1994: NCAA Division II 1995–present: NCAA Division I–AA/FCS

Conference memberships 1902–1911: Independent 1912–1994: Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association 1995–2017: Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference 2018: Independent 2019–2021: Big South Conference 2022–present: CAA Football

Championships Black college national championships 1922 Gideon Smith PC 6–1 1985 Fred Freeman Jet 10–2 1994 Joe Taylor AURN 10–1 1997 10–2 2004 ASW, AURN, DCCC-M 10–2 2005 ADW, ASW 11–1 2006 ASW, BCSP, DCCC-M 10–2 Black college national championships 7

Conference championships 1913 L. L. Pepin Central Intercollegiate Athletics Association 6–0 4–0 1914† Charles Holston Williams 3–1 2–1 1915 4–0 3–0 1916 4–0 3–0 1922 Gideon Smith 6–1 4–1 1925 4–1–1 4–1–1 1926 7–0–1 6–0–1 1928 8–1 8–0 1931 8–0–1 6–0–1 1985 Fred Freeman 10–2 7–1 1987 9–3 6–2 1992 Joe Taylor 9–2–1 5–0–1 1993 12–1 8–0 1994 10–1 8–0 1997 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference 10–2 7–0 1998† 9–3 7–1 2004† 10–2 6–1 2005 11–1 8–0 2006 10–2 7–1 Conference championships 19

Notable alumni Over 25 Hampton alumni have played or coached in the NFL, including:

Jamal Brooks Chris Baker Darian Barnes Travis Coleman Reggie Doss Justin Durant Kenrick Ellis Kendall Langford Jerome Mathis Michael Ola Lucien Reeberg Carl Painter Greg Scott Zuriel Smith Ricardo Silva Derius Swinton II Cordell Taylor Terrence Warren Marcus Dixon Antico Dalton

In 2022, former Hampton Pirate defensive back, Destin Route, more well known as JID on-stage, was nominated for a Grammy for his rap album, The Forever Story.

Also in 2022, Pirates player Byron Perkins came out as gay, making him the first openly gay football player at any historically black college or university.

Playoff appearances NCAA Division I–AA/FCS The Pirates have appeared in the I-AA/FCS playoffs five times with an overall record of 0–5.

1997 First Round Youngstown State L 13–28 1998 First Round Connecticut L 34–42 2004 First Round William & Mary L 35–42 2005 First Round Richmond L 10–38 2006 First Round New Hampshire L 38–41

NCAA Division II The Pirates appeared in the Division II playoffs three times with an overall record of 1–3.

1985 First Round Bloomsburg (PA) L 28–38 1992 First Round North Alabama L 21–33 1993 First RoundSecond Round Albany State (GA)North Alabama W 33–7L 28–38

Rivalries Battle of the Bay (Hampton–Norfolk State) The Real HU (Hampton–Howard)

Future non-conference opponents Announced schedules as of February 6, 2026.

Virginia–Lynchburg at Georgia Tech at Old Dominion at Virginia at Morgan State at Maryland at Norfolk State vs Howard (Washington, DC)

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