Butler

The Dayton Flyers football program is the intercollegiate American football team for the University of Dayton located in the U.S. state of Ohio. The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and are members of the Pioneer Football League. Dayton's first football team was fielded in 1905. The team plays its home games at the 11,000 seat Welcome Stadium in Dayton, Ohio. The Flyers are coached by Trevor Andrews.

History Classifications 1906–1955: NCAA 1956–1972: NCAA University Division 1973–1976: NCAA Division I 1977–1992: NCAA Division III 1993–present: NCAA Division I–AA/FCS

Conference memberships 1905–1925: Independent 1926–1934: Ohio Athletic Conference 1935–1938: Buckeye Athletic Association 1939–1955: Independent 1956–1972: University Division Independent 1973–1976: Division I Independent 1977–1992: Division III Independent 1993–present: Pioneer Football League

Notable former players

Notable alumni include: Jon A. Husted (1985–1989), Incumbent United States Senator from Ohio, Lt. Governor 2019-2025 Jon Gruden (1982–1984), graduated in 1985 and former head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Las Vegas Raiders. Kelvin Kirk (1953–2003), first Mr. Irrelevant and CFL player Gary Kosins (born 1949), American football player Bill Lange (1928–1995), American football player Jim Katcavage (1952–1956), New York Giants football player for 13 years and three time all-Pro defensive end. Chuck Noll (1948–1952), Cleveland Browns football player and 4x Super Bowl winning coach for Pittsburgh Steelers. Brandon Staley (2003–2004), former Dayton Flyers quarterback and former head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers. Adam Trautman (2015–2019), American football player on the Denver Broncos. He was the first Dayton player drafted (2020) since 1977. Trevor Andrews (1994–1997), American football safety and current head coach of the Dayton Flyers football team.

Championships National championships Dayton has won two national championships, both during their tenure in Division III. Dayton has made five appearances in the NCAA Division III National Championship Game, also known as the Stagg Bowl. The Flyers defeated Ithaca, 63–0 in the 1980 championship game, and defeated Union (NY) 17–7 in the 1989 championship game. The Flyers were unsuccessful in three other championship game appearances, losing 17–10 to Widener in 1981, 19–3 to Wagner in 1987, and 34–20 to Ithaca in 1991. The Flyers have also won two FCS Mid-Major National Championships the first in 2002 and again in 2007.

1980 Rick Carter Division III 14–0 63–0 Ithaca 1989 Mike Kelly 13–0–1 17–7 Union (NY)

Conference championships Dayton has won 12 conference championships, six outright and six shared. 1993 Pioneer Football League Mike Kelly 9–1 5–0 1994† 8–2 4–1 1996 11–0 5–0 1997 9–1 5–0 1999 6–4 4–0 2000† 8–3 3–1 2001 10–1 4–0 2002 11–1 4–0 2007† 11–1 6–1 2009† Rick Chamberlin 9–2 7–1 2010† 10–1 8–0 2015† 10–2 7–1 † denotes co-champions

Divisional championships From 2001–2005, the Pioneer Football League was divided into North and South Divisions, with the winners of those divisions participating in a conference championship game. As winners of the Pioneer Football League's North Division, Dayton has made two appearances in the Pioneer Football League Championship Game, in 2001 and 2002.

2001 PFL North Jacksonville W, 46–14 2002 PFL North Morehead State W, 28–0

Bowl game appearances Dayton has participated in one bowl game, with the Flyers having a record of 0–1. 1951 Joe Gavin Salad Bowl Houston L, 21–26

They also played in the Gridiron Classic in 2007 against Northeast Conference opponent Albany, winning 42–21.

The Sports Network Cup was a way of determining the best mid major team in Division I FCS, with first place votes determining the winner between teams from the Pioneer Football League, the Northeast Conference, and the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. SeasonChampionRunner-up2001Sacred Heart Pioneers 15Dayton Flyers 62002Dayton Flyers 17Albany Great Danes 72005San Diego Toreros 26Dayton Flyers 02007Dayton Flyers 30San Diego Toreros 0

Playoff appearances NCAA Division I FCS Dayton has made one appearance in the FCS playoffs. Their record is 0–1. 2015 First Round Western Illinois L, 7–24

NCAA Division III The Flyers made eleven appearances in the NCAA Division III football playoffs. Their combined record was 16–9. 1978 Quarterfinals Carnegie Mellon L, 21–24 1980 QuarterfinalsSemifinalsStagg Bowl Baldwin WallaceWidenerIthaca W, 34–0W, 28–24W, 63–0 1981 QuarterfinalsSemifinalsStagg Bowl Augustana (IL)LawrenceWidener W, 19–7W, 38–0L, 10–17 1984 Quarterfinals Augustana (IL) L, 13–14 1986 First Round Mount Union L, 36–42 1987 First RoundQuarterfinalsSemifinalsStagg Bowl CapitalAugustana (IL)Central (IA)Wagner W, 28–52W, 38–36W, 34–0L, 3–19 1988 First Round Wittenberg L, 28–35 1989 First RoundQuarterfinalsSemifinalsStagg Bowl John CarrollMillikinSaint John's (MN)Union (NY) W, 35–10W, 28–16W, 28–0W, 17–7 1990 First RoundQuarterfinals Augustana (IL)Allegheny W, 24–14L, 23–31 1991 First RoundQuarterfinalsSemifinalsStagg Bowl Baldwin WallaceAlleghenySaint John's (MN)Ithaca W, 27–10W, 28–25 <br/ >W, 19–7L, 20–34 1992 First Round Mount Union L, 10–27

Future non-conference opponents Announced schedules as of January 15, 2026.

Fairmont State Thomas More at South Dakota State Thomas More at Western Illinois at Eastern Kentucky

References

External links