The Howard Bison football team represents Howard University in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level as a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC).
History
First FBS Victory On September 2, 2017, Howard football reached a milestone by defeating their first FBS opponent in program history. The Bison defeated the UNLV Rebels 43–40 in Sam Boyd Stadium. As of September 2017, Howard's victory against UNLV is the biggest point-spread upset in college football history, with UNLV being a 45.5 point favorite.
Classifications 1937–1972: NCAA College Division 1973–1977: NCAA Division II 1978–present: NCAA Division I–AA/FCS
Conference memberships 1893–1911: Independent 1912–1970: Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association 1971–present: Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
Championships
National championships
Year Coach Record Championship 1920 Edward Morrison 7–0 Black College National champions 1923 Louis L. Watson 7–0–1 Black College National champions 1925 Louis L. Watson 6–0–1 Black College National Champions 1926 Louis L. Watson 7–0 Black College National Champions 1993 Steve Wilson 11–1 Black College National Champions 1996 Steve Wilson 10–2 Black College National Champions Total national championships 6
Conference championships
Year Coach Conference Conference record 1912 Ernest Marshall Central Intercollegiate Athletics Association 2–0 1914 Ernest Marshall Central Intercollegiate Athletics Association 1–0 1993 Steve Wilson Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference 6–0 2022 Larry Scott Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference 4–1 2023 Larry Scott Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference 4–1 Total conference championships 5 See Note A
Bowl games The Bison have appeared in four bowl games, with a current record of 1–3. 1933 Orange Blossom Classic Jacksonville, FL Florida A&M L 6–9 1974 Orange Blossom Classic Miami, FL Florida A&M L 13–17 1996 Heritage Bowl Atlanta, GA Southern W 27–24 2023 Celebration Bowl Atlanta, GA Florida A&M L 26–30
Division I-AA/FCS playoffs results The Bison have appeared in the I-AA/FCS playoffs one time with an overall record of 0–1.
1993 First Round Marshall L 14–28
College Football Hall of Fame members Willie Jeffries Doug Porter
Alumni in the NFL Over 20 Howard alumni have played in the NFL, including: Ron Bartell Antoine Bethea Marques Douglas Omar Evans Derrick Faison Rupert Grant Gary Harrell John Javis Billy Jenkins Jimmie Johnson Troy Kyles Greg Pope Herman Redden Robert Sowell Leonard Stephens Elijah Thurmon Brandon Torrey Sean Vanhorse Jay Walker Tim Watson David Westbrook Jose White Tracy White Gary Willingham Marques Ogden Chris Rogers Steve Wilson Howie Williams
Rivals Howard's top rival is Hampton University. The two schools call their intense rivalry Battle of "The Real HU".
Howard also has a strong rivalry with Morgan State University in the Howard–Morgan State football rivalry.
Another of Howard's historic rivals is Morehouse College, more popularly known as the Howard/"Spel-House" rivalry due to Morehouse's close association with the all-women's HBCU Spelman College. This rivalry is not often played because Morehouse is a Division II athletic program, while Howard is Division I.
See also List of black college football classics
Notes A.Howard went 9–1 and won the MEAC championship in 1987, however a later investigation by Howard University and MEAC found that coach Willie Jeffries used ineligible players. All wins from the 1987 season were vacated and the MEAC Championship was transferred to Delaware State, who had been the runner-up. B.Rayford Petty was an assistant coach under Gary Harrell in 2011 and 2012. Gary Harrell stepped away from coaching Howard for the 2013 season for personal reasons, but remained under contract as the head coach to return in 2014. Rayford Petty was promoted to head coach for the 2013 season only, in a temporary role.
Future non-conference opponents Announced schedules as of March 5, 2026 vs Alabama A&M (Atlanta, GA) Princeton at Princeton at San Jose State Richmond at Indiana at Rutgers vs Hampton (Washington, DC) at Penn Morehouse
References
External links