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Howard Bison football
2026 Howard Bison football team
First season1893; 133 years ago (1893)
Head coachTed White
1st season, 1–1 (.500)
LocationWashington, D.C.
StadiumWilliam H. Greene Stadium
(capacity: 10,000)
NCAA divisionDivision I FCS
ConferenceMEAC
ColorsNavy blue and white[1]
   
All-time record530–512–40 [2] (.508)
Bowl record1–3 (.250)
Black college national championships
1920, 1923, 1925, 1926, 1993, 1996
Conference championships
CIAA: 1912, 1914
MEAC: 1993, 2022, 2023
RivalriesHampton (rivalry)
Morehouse
Morgan State (rivalry)
Marching band"Showtime"
Websitewww.hubison.com/football

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

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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.[3][4]

Classifications

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  • 1937–1972: NCAA College Division
  • 1973–1977: NCAA Division II
  • 1978–present: NCAA Division I–AA/FCS

Conference memberships

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Championships

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National championships

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Year Coach Record Championship
1920Edward Morrison7–0Black College National champions
1923Louis L. Watson7–0–1Black College National champions
1925Louis L. Watson6–0–1Black College National Champions
1926Louis L. Watson7–0Black College National Champions
1993Steve Wilson11–1Black College National Champions
1996Steve Wilson10–2Black College National Champions
Total national championships 6

Conference championships

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Year Coach Conference Conference record
1912Ernest MarshallCentral Intercollegiate Athletics Association2–0
1914Ernest MarshallCentral Intercollegiate Athletics Association1–0
1993Steve WilsonMid-Eastern Athletic Conference6–0
2022Larry ScottMid-Eastern Athletic Conference4–1
2023Larry ScottMid-Eastern Athletic Conference4–1
Total conference championships 5

See Note A

Bowl games

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The Bison have appeared in four bowl games, with a current record of 1–3.

Season Bowl Location Opponent Result
1933Orange Blossom ClassicJacksonville, FLFlorida A&ML 6–9
1974Orange Blossom ClassicMiami, FLFlorida A&ML 13–17
1996Heritage BowlAtlanta, GASouthernW 27–24
2023Celebration BowlAtlanta, GAFlorida A&ML 26–30

Division I-AA/FCS playoffs results

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The Bison have appeared in the I-AA/FCS playoffs one time with an overall record of 0–1.

Season Bowl Opponent Result
1993First RoundMarshallL 14–28

College Football Hall of Fame members

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Alumni in the NFL

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Over 20 Howard alumni have played in the NFL,[5] including:

Rivals

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Howard's top rival is Hampton University. The two schools call their intense rivalry Battle of "The Real HU".[6][7][8][9][10]

Howard also has a strong rivalry with Morgan State University in the Howard–Morgan State football rivalry.[11][12][13]

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.[14][15][16]

See also

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Notes

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A.^ Howard went 9–1 and won the MEAC championship in 1987,[17] however a later investigation by Howard University and MEAC found that coach Willie Jeffries used ineligible players.[18] 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

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Announced schedules as of March 5, 2026[19]

2026 2027 2028 2029 2032
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

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  1. ↑ Howard Bison Department of Intercollegiate Athletics Identity Guide (PDF). December 13, 2018. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  2. ↑ "Year By Year History". NCAA Statistics.
  3. ↑ Kirshner, Alex (September 3, 2017). "Cam Newton's little brother just led the biggest Vegas upset in college football history". sbnation.com. SB Nation. Retrieved September 3, 2017.
  4. ↑ Bromberg, Nick (September 3, 2017). "Howard's win over UNLV is biggest upset vs. spread in college football history". sports.yahoo.com. Yahoo Sports. Retrieved September 3, 2017.
  5. ↑ "Howard Players/Alumni". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  6. ↑ Webb, Brittany (September 15, 2016). "Column: Historically, Who's the Real HU". The Hilltop. Washington. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
  7. ↑ Wang, Gene (September 17, 2015). "Howard and Hampton reprise the battle for the 'real HU'". The Washington Post. Washington. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
  8. ↑ Freeman, Dennis (September 22, 2016). "Howard-Hampton: the real 'HU' rivalry continues". news4usonline.com. News4usonline. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
  9. ↑ Clarke, Chad (September 16, 2016). "HU VS HU: Nation's Classic To Highlight The Greatest HBCU Rivalry". The Hilltop. Washington. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
  10. ↑ Cuddihy, Madeline (September 14, 2016). "Who is the real HU? 100 year old football rivalry kicks off". WUSA 9. Washington. Archived from the original on December 27, 2016. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
  11. ↑ Wilbon, Michael (November 21, 1980). "Howard-Morgan State: The Game". The Washington Post. Washington. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
  12. ↑ Freeman, Rasheim (October 2, 2005). "Rivalry And Revelry". The Baltimore Sun. Baltimore. Archived from the original on December 27, 2016. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
  13. ↑ "Howard & Morgan Take Rivalry North to a Big Stage in the Big Apple". The Afro (Baltimore). September 25, 2011. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
  14. ↑ Yates, Clinton (September 12, 2014). "With rivalry renewed, Morehouse and Howard wrap up four-year series at RFK Stadium". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
  15. ↑ Crockett Jr., Stephen (September 13, 2014). "Howard vs. Morehouse: A Rivalry for the Ages". theroot.com. The Root. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
  16. ↑ Seymore Jr., Add. "Morehouse and Howard Renew Rivalry in the 2011 Nation's Football Classic in Washington, D.C." morehouse.edu. Morehouse College. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
  17. ↑ "Howard Bison, 1987 Schedule". cfbinfo.com. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
  18. ↑ "MEAC strips Howard of Division I-AA title". Sun-Sentinel. Fort Lauderdale, Florida. September 26, 1989. p. 2C. Retrieved February 13, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  19. ↑ "Future Howard Bison Football Schedules". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
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