The Furman Paladins football program is the intercollegiate American football team for the Furman University located in the state of South Carolina. The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) as members of the Southern Conference (SoCon). The school's first football team was fielded in 1889. The 1902 team won a state championship. The team plays its home games at the 16,000 seat Paladin Stadium in Greenville, South Carolina.
The 1988 Furman Paladins football team, coached by Jimmy Satterfield, won the NCAA Division I Football Championship. Clay Hendrix, who was a member of that championship team, has served as the team's head coach since 2017.
Contents
History
Classifications
1937–1942: NCAA College Division
1946–1957: NCAA University Division
1958–1972: NCAA College Division
1973–1977: NCAA Division I
1978–1981: NCAA Division I–A
1982–present: NCAA Division I–AA/FCS
Conference memberships
1889–1896: Independent
1897–1899: No football team
1900–1901: Independent
1902: Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association
1903–1912: No football team
1913–1914: Independent
1915–1929: Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association
1930–1931: Independent
1932–1935: Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association
1936–present: Southern Conference
Championships
Conference championships
The Paladins have won 15 conference titles, all in the Southern Conference, with seven shared and eight outright.
Postseason
NCAA Division I-AA/FCS playoffs
The Paladins have appeared in the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs 20 times with a record of 21–19. They were national champions in 1988 and runner-up in 1985 and 2001.
Players in the NFL draft
Future non-conference opponents
Announced schedules as of September 16, 2026.