Samford Bulldogs


The Samford Bulldogs are the 17 varsity teams that represent Samford University in NCAA Division I athletics. The Men's basketball team made its first NCAA appearance in the 1999 and 2000 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. The women's basketball team made its initial NCAA tournament appearance in the 2011 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament and made its second consecutive appearance in the tournament in 2012. The baseball team made its first NCAA tournament appearance in the 2012 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament, reaching the finals of the Tallahassee Regional. Additionally, the softball team made its first NCAA Tournament Appearance in 2016. For the first time in history, the lady bulldogs won the Regular Season Championship as well as the Tournament Championship to cap off a record high of 40 wins on the season. The school is a member of the Southern Conference in Division I of the NCAA, after moving from the Ohio Valley Conference in 2008. The Samford Athletics staff is headed by athletic director Martin Newton, whose appointment was announced on March 9, 2011.

Teams

A member of the Southern Conference, Samford sponsors teams in eight men's and nine women's NCAA sanctioned sports:
Men's Intercollegiate SportsTeam ArticleHead CoachWomen's Intercollegiate SportsTeam ArticleHead Coach
BaseballBulldogs baseballCasey DunnBasketballBulldogs women's basketballMike Morris
BasketballBulldogs men's basketballScott PadgettCross CountryChad Balyo
Cross CountryChad BalyoGolfRachel Ingram
FootballBulldogs footballChris HatcherSoccerTodd Yelton
GolfAl Del GrecoSoftballMandy Burford
TennisRahim EsmailTennisDavid Vest
Track & Field Rod TiffinTrack & Field Rod Tiffin
VolleyballKeylor Chan

Facilities

Samford's intercollegiate athletics teams are nicknamed the Bulldogs, and the team is represented by a costumed bulldog, complete with spiked collar and nasty growl, at football and basketball games. Spike, as he is called, has also been known to appear at other competitions where Samford is competing.
Even when it was Howard College, the school's colors were Red and Blue. Today, the red tends to be a bright color and the blue is usually depicted as a darker, navy blue. Both colors are primary.

Rivalries

Samford, as the newest member of the Southern Conference, has made new rivalries with their newfound conference foes. Their geographically closest conference opponents are Chattanooga and Furman.
Samford also contends against SEC powerhouses and fellow Alabama institutions Alabama and Auburn in some sports—and often fares well. For example, in 2006 the Samford baseball team defeated Auburn in the annual game at the Hoover Met and in 2010 the Samford basketball team defeated Auburn for the third time. Samford's baseball team also defeated #21 Alabama in 2011. But, as they were shut-out by Auburn in the penultimate game of the Tigers' 2019 season, the Samford Bulldogs evidently still need a lot of work as a football team.