The Towson Tigers football team represents Towson University in the sport of American football. The Tigers compete in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) as a member of the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA). The Tigers are currently coached by Pete Shinnick. Their home games are played at Johnny Unitas Stadium in Towson, Maryland.
History
Towson University has had four head coaches since the program began in 1969 and has competed at three levels of NCAA Football: Division III (1969–1978), Division II (1979–1986), and Division I-AA (FCS) (1987–present). The Tigers have qualified for post-season play at each level.
Division III (1969–1978) The Towson Tigers football program debuted in 1969 with Carl Runk as the first-ever head coach. The first Tiger team posted a 4–4–1 record. The first program win came against Frostburg State University in a 53–16 blowout victory. In only the second season of Tiger football in 1970, the program posted its first winning season at 6–2.
After a dismal 1–8 record in 1971 and Carl Runk's resignation, Phil Albert became the new Tiger head coach for the 1972 season. Albert's first season was unsuccessful as the Tigers went 1–9; however, the Towson team would follow this season with 14 consecutive non-losing seasons under Albert's leadership. In 1974, the Towson Tigers went 10–0 in the programs only unbeaten season. Towson's first All-American player came the following year when QB Dan Dullea led the team to a 6–4 record. The 1976 season saw the program's first playoff berth after posting an 8–2 record. Towson beat C.W. Post (14–10) and St. Lawrence (38–36) on their way to the NCAA Division III Championship game. In the Stagg Bowl, Towson trailed St. John's of Minnesota 28–0 until quarterback Dan Dullea rallied the team to tie 28–28 with a minute left. Eventually St. John's won with a 19-yard field goal with only seconds remaining. The final score was 31–28.
The 1978 season was the final season that the Tigers played in Division III and the first season that the Tigers played in Towson Stadium. The new lighted 5,000-seat facility was christened with a 38–6 win over Mansfield before a crowd of 4,126 fans. Towson's Division III tenure would end on a positive note, as the Tigers finished the season with a 7–3 record. The Tigers ended their run in Division III with a record of 54–42–2.
Division II (1979–1986)
The Tigers' debut Division II game was against crosstown rival Morgan State. The Bears won 34–7 in front of an over capacity crowd of 6,311. The following week, the Tigers upset Division I-AA Maine by a score of 13–7. This would be the start of a nine-game winning streak that would leave the Tigers with a 9–1 record on the season.
The 1982 season saw the Tigers establishing themselves as a Division II power in the East. With quarterback Joe Anderson at the helm, the school ran a high powered passing game that lead to a 7–4 season, including the school's first wins over Morgan State and Bucknell.
The 1983 season saw a stellar defense that only allowed 5.8 points per game, a stat that led all Division II teams. The Tigers went 10–1 which earned them their first playoff bid in Division II. In their first Division II playoff game, the Tigers would lose to the eventual national champion North Dakota State Bison in Fargo, ND. The team was honored as the ECAC Division II Team of the Year while also winning the Lambert Award as the top Division II team in the East. Coach Albert was named as Kodak Region 3 "Coach of the Year".
The 1984 season saw similar success, with the team fighting to a 7–0 start to the season. The year ended with an 8–3 record with two of the losses coming from Division I-AA opponents. In the Tigers second Division II playoff appearance, the team beat Norfolk State 31–21 in the first round. In the semi-final, the Tigers would lose to the eventual national champions for the second straight year, falling 45–3 to Troy.
The Tigers opened 1985 with the 100th victory in school history, a 28–10 win over Shepherd. The Tigers also extended their regular season winning streak against Division II teams to 20 until a tie with Indiana (Pa.) 21–21. Despite finishing the season at 7–2–1 and not earning a playoff berth, the team managed to end the season ranked No. 10 in the nation.
The 1986 season was then Towson's last season that they would play in Division II. After finishing the regular season at 8–3–1, the Tigers would make the playoffs for the third time in four years. Their year and time in Division II would end with a 31–0 loss to Central State (OH) in the first round.
Division I-AA (FCS) (1987–present)
Under Phil Albert (1987–1991) In their third game as an NCAA Division I-AA program, the Tigers made their presence known with their first I-AA win, a 17–14 victory at No. 4 Maine. The Tigers also stunned Howard University with a 30–14 victory, which would be the Bison's only loss of the year.
Their first Division I-AA season also provided a showcase for the talents of tailback David Meggett. A transfer from Morgan State where he played defensive back, he was switched to tailback at Towson. In 1987, Meggett scored a school record 16 touchdowns and led Division I-AA in all-purpose yardage, averaging 199 yards per game.
In 1988, the Tigers showed improvement against a rugged schedule, finishing with a 5–5 record as Meggett continued to make headlines. In the season opener, he scored four touchdowns, including a 100-yard kickoff return for a TD, in a 45–34 win over Northeastern. Later in the season, he rushed for a school record 220 yards in a win over New Haven. He finished his career as the most decorated player in Towson football history, winning the Walter Payton Award as the top player in NCAA Division I-AA. He also earned a spot on several All-American teams. Meggett also became the first Tiger to play in the Senior Bowl and was named as the Most Valuable Player for the North squad. A fifth round draft pick by the New York Giants, he became an All-Pro player in the NFL and helped the Giants win Super Bowl XXV.
In 1989, the Tigers struggled in Division I-AA. Despite terrific individual performances from All-Americans Rodney Smith and Mike Smith, the Tigers were only 2–8 on the year, their worst record since 1972. In 1990, the Tigers continued to struggle with a 2–9 record.
In 1991, the Tigers finished with a 1–10 record, losing 10 games for the first time. Their 13–7 win over Howard was Albert's final victory as the Tiger coach. He resigned after leading Towson to a 117–91–3 mark in 20 years.
Under Gordy Combs (1992–2008) The Tigers opened the 1992 season with a new coach as long-time assistant Gordy Combs inherited Albert's position. In their first season under their new head coach, the Tigers showed resiliency as they posted several thrilling come-from-behind wins in a 5–5 season. In October, the Tigers rallied from a 33–14 deficit with eight minutes left for a 35–33 win at Indiana of Pa. They also posted a 33–32 win over Northeastern, scoring on the game's final play. Running back Tony Vinson, a transfer from Purdue, made his debut and in 1992 and rushed for more than 1,000 yards in just eight games.
In 1993, the Tigers became Division I-AA playoff contenders for the first time. With 27 seniors on the roster, the Tigers celebrated their 25th anniversary season in victorious style. Towson posted an 8–2 record and broke or tied 46 school records.
Vinson led the Tigers to a 32–30 win at nationally ranked Delaware by scoring his fourth TD of the game with ten seconds left. He set 15 Towson records and 11 NCAA records. In a win over Bucknell, Vinson ran for 364 yards, a Division I-AA record. His 2,016 yards on the year set another Division I-AA record as the All-American won the “Triple Crown,” leading the nation in rushing, scoring and all-purpose yards. The second Tiger to play in the Senior Bowl, he was a fifth round draft pick by the San Diego Chargers.
The 1994 season was almost a carbon copy of 1993 as Towson went 8-2 and broke 36 records. Quarterback Dan Crowley and wide receiver Mark Orlando combined to form one of the top passing combinations ever to play at Towson. Orlando was a first team All-American in 1994. He caught a career record 178 passes for a record 3,460 yards and 31 TD's. Crowley finished his career by setting school records with 8,900 yards passing and 81 TD passes.
After the 1994 season, football would change direction and started playing non-scholarship football. In 1995, the Tigers posted a 6–4 record competing in the ECAC-IFC.
In 1996, the biggest news came off the field. It was announced the Tigers would join the non-scholarship Patriot League for the 1997 season, providing the program with an emotional lift and an exciting conference affiliation. On the field, the Tigers recorded their fourth straight winning season. They won the final four games of the year to post a 6–4 record. Highlighting the season was a 33–32 triple overtime win at Marist, a game in which quarterback Kevin Smith passed for a school record 471 yards.
Towson's first Patriot League season was a rough one as the Tigers went 2–8 with their only two wins coming in non-league games. Defensive backs Khalid McLeod and Jabari Garrett were both named first team All-Patriot League.
In 1998, Towson's 30th season of football, the Tigers showed signs of improvement. The Tigers got off to a 2–0 start, beating rival Morgan State in the opener. They also claimed their first Patriot League win, beating Fordham in overtime. After a midseason slump against the league's heavyweights, the Tigers beat St. Mary's and Drake. Garrett was a first team All-Patriot League pick at defensive back for a second straight year. Jason Corle led the league in rushing, scoring and all-purpose yards, earning second team all-league honors.
The Tigers posted a second straight 7–4 record in 2000. Tailback Noah Read led the Patriot League in rushing with 1,422 yards, the second highest single season total by a Tiger. He rushed for over 100 yards in 10 of the 11 games. Meanwhile, Hollingsworth enjoyed a tremendous season at defensive end. Although sidelined for most of the last three games with an ankle injury, he led the nation with 18 sacks. Towson's first consensus first team All-American, he was named Defensive Player of the Year and Player of the Year by the Patriot League.
In 2001, the Tigers struggled offensively due to an unsettled situation at quarterback. On their way to a 3–7 record, the Tigers started three different signal-callers. Defensive back Sporty Evans was the only first team All-Patriot League selection.
Once again, the Tiger football program was on the move. Prior to the start of the 2002 season, it was announced that Towson would be joining the Atlantic-10 Football Conference as the conference's 12th member. The move would be effective for the 2004 season.
The Tigers were in the process of having a great year in 2002 when the injury bug hit, derailing the offense and turning an impressive 5–2 start into a very disappointing 1–3 finish. By the eighth game, the Tigers had lost 60 percent of their starting offensive line to season-ending injuries. The Tigers’ 5–2 start included a first-ever win over Lehigh and a big road victory at Holy Cross. The season finale marked the end of White's record-breaking career. White closed out his career as Towson's all-time leading receiver as well as the Patriot League's all-time leader with 219 receptions. Safety Edmund Carazo led the Patriot League with seven interceptions.