| Year: | 1988 |
| Team: | The Citadel Bulldogs |
| Sport: | football |
| Conference: | Southern Conference |
| Short Conf: | SoCon |
| Record: | 8–4 |
| Conf Record: | 5–2 |
| Head Coach: | Charlie Taaffe |
| Hc Year: | 2nd |
| Off Scheme: | Option |
| Stadium: | Johnson Hagood Stadium |
| Bowl: | I-AA First Round |
| Bowl Result: | L 20–38 vs. Georgia Southern |
The 1988 The Citadel Bulldogs football team represented The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina in the 1988 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The Bulldogs were led by second-year head coach Charlie Taaffe and played their home games at Johnson Hagood Stadium. They played as members of the Southern Conference, as they have since 1936. In 1988, The Citadel made its first appearance in the I-AA playoffs.