Cumberland Phoenix football should not be confused with Cumberlands Patriots football.
| Teamname: | Cumberland Phoenix football |
| Firstyear: | 1894 |
| Athleticdirector: | Ron Pavan |
| Headcoach: | Tim Mathis |
| Headcoachyear: | 6th |
| Hcwins: | 24 |
| Hclosses: | 34 |
| Stadium: | Nokes-Lasater Field |
| Location: | Lebanon, Tennessee |
| Conference: | Mid-South Conference |
| Pastaffiliations: | Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (1895–1903) Smoky Mountain Conference (1932–1941) |
| Conftitles: | 2 |
| Websitename: | www.gocumberlandathletics.com |
| Websiteurl: | https://www.gocumberlandathletics.com/football/ |
The Cumberland Phoenix football team represents Cumberland University in National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing in the Mid-South Conference. The Phoenix formerly competed in the TranSouth Athletic Conference and Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association.
Cumberland football began on October 26, 1894[1] with a 6–6 tie with Peabody and finished that first year with a 2–1–1 season record.
The early days of Cumberland football were very promising. The 1901 team played three games, with one recorded loss, but the following year, the 1902 team had a 3-5 record, with a victory over Mississippi A&M (now Mississippi State University).
The pinnacle of the early days of CU football was the 1903 team. The season that began with a (6–0) win over Vanderbilt then a (0–6) loss to Sewanee and continued with a five-day road trip with victories over Alabama (44–0) November 14, 1903, LSU (41–0) November 16, 1903, and Tulane (28–0) November 18, 1903. Cumberland would play a postseason game against Coach John Heisman's Clemson team on Thanksgiving Day that ended in an 11–11 tie and a record of 4–1–1 [2] which gave Coach A. L. Phillips and Cumberland University the Championship of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association.[3] [4]
The 1904 team went 3-1, a victory over Mississippi A&M (now Mississippi State University). The 1905 team had a 3-4 record, with victories over Georgia and Ole Miss.
The 1916 game against Georgia Tech is famous as the most lopsided-scoring game in the history of college football; Georgia Tech defeated Cumberland by a score of 222–0.[5]
In 2001, Jacksonville State University Gamecocks placekicker Ashley Martin became the first woman to play and score in an NCAA Division I American football game when she kicked an extra point in the first quarter of a game against Cumberland University.[6]
For the 2008 season, CU's football earned a share of the Mid-South Conference West Division.
In 2016, the team changed its name from Bulldogs to the Phoenix.[7]
| Year | Conference | Coach | Overall record | Conference record | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6–1–1 | 4–1–1 | ||||
| 1935[8] | 7–3 | 5–0 |
Cumberland Athletics Hall of Fame
All-Southerns