Troy Trojans football

Troy Trojans football
2015 Troy Trojans football team
First season	1909
Athletic director	Jeremy McClain
Head coach	Neal Brown 1st year, 4–8 (.333)
Other staff	Kenny Edenfield (Co-OC) Matt Moore (Co-OC) Vic Koenning (DC)
Stadium	Veterans Memorial Stadium
Seating capacity	30,000
Field surface	Turf
Location	Troy, Alabama
NCAA division	NCAA Division I (FBS)
Conference	SBC
All-time record	504–378–27 (.569)
Bowl record	2–3 (.400)
Claimed nat'l titles	3 (1 NAIA, 2 Division II)
Conference titles	Alabama Intercollegiate: 3 Alabama Collegiate: 3 Mid-South: 1 Gulf South: 5 Southland: 3 Sun Belt: 5
Heisman winners	0
Consensus All-Americans	6 NAIA 10 Div-II 13 FCS 1 FBS
Colors	Cardinal, Black, and Silver
Fight song	"Trojans One & All"
Mascot	Trojan
Marching band	The Sound of the South
Rivals	Middle Tennessee State Jacksonville State South Alabama
Website	TroyTrojans.com

The Troy Trojans football program represents Troy University in Troy, Alabama, in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision, formerly known as Division I-A, of which it has been a member since 2001. The current head coach of the team is Neal Brown. The football program joined the Sun Belt Conference in 2004, while the other Troy athletic programs didn't join the SBC until 2005.

History

Troy University has fielded a football team continuously since 1946. Prior to that year, the team was fielded with a lot of interruptions from 1909 to 1942. Eight years were skipped due to lack of participation and later World War I from 1913–1920, while the Wall Street Crash of 1929 kept the team from playing that year. Having moved up from Division I-AA (now known as Division I FCS), the team has competed in the NCAA's Division I-A/FBS since 2001.

Troy Trojans football player Gary Banks during a game in October 2007.

Troy University football began playing in the NCAA's Division I-A in 2001, became a football only member of the Sun Belt Conference in 2004, and joined that conference for all other sports in 2005. In 2001, Troy defeated Mississippi State University at Scott Field in Starkville, Mississippi, by a count of 21-9 to notch the Trojans' first victory over a BCS level program. The Trojans began their 2004 campaign with a win over Marshall, and then garnered the program's largest win one game later as the Trojans defeated then #17 ranked Missouri, 24–14, in front of a Movie Gallery Stadium record crowd. The Trojan football team made its first bowl game appearance in the Silicon Valley Football Classic on December 30, 2004 that same season, but lost to Northern Illinois, 34–21. In 2006, Troy won the Sun Belt Conference for the first time after defeating Middle Tennessee in dramatic fashion in the last game of the 2006 season in a game that is now referred to as "The Miracle in Murfreesboro". As the 2006 Sun Belt Conference champions, Troy played in the New Orleans Bowl on December 22, 2006 against Rice University, routing the Owls of Conference USA by a score of 41–17. The New Orleans Bowl victory was Troy's first bowl victory in history.

Troy football former head coach Larry Blakeney officially retired at the end of the 2014 season. He led the program to three Southland Football League titles and five straight Sun Belt Conference titles, as well as guided the Trojans to seven FCS playoff appearances and four FBS bowl games. Blakeney finished with an overall record of 178-113-1 as head coach at Troy. Blakeney is the winningest coach in the Troy University history and he is the 4th winningest collegiate coach all-time in the state of Alabama, only behind greats Paul "Bear" Bryant, Cleveland L. Abbott, and Ralph "Shug" Jordan. Blakeney is just one of two coaches to ever take a football program from Division II to I-A (the other is UCF’s Gene McDowell).

Troy football team preparing to enter the field.

Troy's only perfect regular season record in football came at the conclusion of the 1995 season as the Trojans finished 11–0 and were crowned champions of the Southland Football League heading into the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs.

Troy won the NAIA national football championship in 1968 and the NCAA Division II national football championship in 1984 and 1987.

Troy has accomplished winning five straight Sun Belt Conference championships since 2006, breaking North Texas' record of four straight Sun Belt titles from 2001 to 2004. The Trojans have also compiled a 32-5 record against Sun Belt competition during the last five seasons.

Head coaches

Championships

Troy has won 20 total conference championships to go along with 3 national championships. The program won the 1968 NAIA National Championship against Texas A&I (now Texas A&M-Kingsville). Troy beat North Dakota State in 1984 to win their first Division II national title. They won their second Division II national title in 1987 after defeating Portland State.

FBS Records (2001-Present)

Troy Trojans football seasons

All-time record vs. Sun Belt teams

Official record (including any NCAA imposed vacates and forfeits) against all current Sun Belt opponents:

Traditions

Trojan Walk

Before each Troy home football game, hundreds of Troy fans and students line University Avenue on campus to cheer on the team as they march with the Sound of the South band and cheerleaders from the Quad to Tailgate Terrace, surrounded by fans who pat them on the back and shake their hands as they walk toward Veterans Memorial Stadium.

Band Show on University

Before each home game, the Sound of the South marching band performs a pre-game show on University Avenue in between all of the tailgating areas before the Trojan Walk begins.

Trojan Fanfare

During the pre-game show at Veterans Memorial Stadium, the Sound of the South will perform what is known as the "Trojan Fanfare." It is a favorite among most fans and energizes the fanbase leading up to kickoff.

Post-game Band Show

After every home football game, the Sound of the South marching bands performs a final show for fans in attendance.

Players/Band Celebration

After Troy wins a home game, the players will go to the corner of the stadium where the Sound of the South is and will sing the fight song, alma mater, and sometimes do chants with them.

Trojan Warrior

Before every game and after every touchdown, the Trojan Warrior or Trojan Princess would blaze down the football field on a horse named "Big Red." This tradition is no longer used because the football field turf was changed from grass to artificial grass. There has been recent talk of bringing the tradition back.

Bowl history

Non-FBS Post-season History

• Palm Bowl is NCAA Division II National Championship. Championship Bowl is the NAIA National Championship.

FBS Bowl History

NFL Players

DeMarcus Ware.

Osi Umenyiora.

Current Players

• DeMarcus Ware
• Leodis McKelvin
• Osi Umenyiora
• Sherrod Martin
• Leonard Wheeler
• Brannon Condren
• Elbert Mack
• Gary Banks
• Trevor Ford
• Dion Gales
• Steve McLendon
• Lawrence Tynes
• Levi Brown
• Cameron Sheffield
• Jerrel Jernigan
• Jonathan Massaquoi
• Jorrick Calvin
• Stanley Arukwe
• James Brown
• DuJuan Harris
• Mario Addison

Former Players

• Patrick Epkins
• Sherill Busby
• Matt Allen
• Aaron Fields
• Kerry Jenkins
• Reggie Lowe
• Al Lucas
• Larry Mason
• Jimmy McClain
• Jack Peavey
• Rayshun Reed
• Shawn Stuckey
• Rod Walker
• Pratt Lyons
• Michael Moore
• Orlando Parker
• Jonathan Carter
• Perry Griggs
• Wade Brantley
• Titus Dixon
• Clifford Ivory
• Mareno Philyaw
• Jack Smith
• Marcus Spriggs
• Anthony Henton
• Davern Williams
• Reggie Dwight
• Willie Tullis
• Mitch Geier
• John McKinnon
• Anthony Henton
• Kelvin Murdock
• Virgil Seay
• Greg Harris
• Willie McCray
• Ronnie Shelley
• Glenn Thompson
• Rob Austin
• Michael O'Daniel
• Donnie Van Wie
• Eric Sloan

Rivalries

Troy's newest rivalry is with South Alabama. The series is tied 2-2 and South Alabam won the inaugural Battle For The Belt in 2015.

Troy's rivalry with UAB first played in 1993. UAB was in Conference USA and the two teams had scheduled each other due to their close proximity as non-conference opponents for several years. The two schools have played annually since 2009 until 2014. Troy holds the lead of the inactive rivalry 7-5 due to UAB cutting their football program in 2014 (though UAB football is set to be reinstated in 2017).

Troy's rivalry with Middle Tennessee, now dormant following Middle Tennessee's 2013 move to Conference USA, is known as the Battle for the Palladium. Troy and Middle Tennessee first played each other in 1936, but it wasn't until 2003 that schools started playing annually for the Palladium Trophy.

Troy used to play Jacksonville State in the annual Battle for the Ol' School Bell. The schools first played in 1924 and was one of the fiercest rivalries for both schools. The game hasn't been played since 2001 after Troy joined FBS.

Future non-conference opponents

Announced schedules as of August 5, 2015

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References