| Teamname: | Carnegie Mellon Tartans football |
| Headcoach: | Ryan Larsen |
| Headcoachyear: | 2nd |
| Hcwins: | 21 |
| Hclosses: | 2 |
| Hcties: | 0 |
| Stadium: | Gesling Stadium |
| Location: | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Stadcapacity: | 3,900 |
| Stadiumbuilt: | 1990 |
| Ncaadivision: | III |
| Conference: | Presidents' Athletic Conference |
| Pastaffiliations: | University Athletic Association (1990–2017) Presidents' Athletic Conference (1968–1989) |
| Firstyear: | 1906 |
| Websitename: | athletics.cmu.edu |
| Websiteurl: | http://athletics.cmu.edu/sports/fball/index |
| Mascotdisplay: | Scottie Dog |
| Rivalries: | Case Western Reserve Spartans (rivalry) |
The Carnegie Mellon Tartans football team represents Carnegie Mellon University in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III competition.[1] [2]
On November 28, 1926, the 6–2 Carnegie Tech football team shut out Knute Rockne's undefeated Notre Dame Fighting Irish 19–0 at Forbes Field.[3] It was the only loss for the Irish that season and only the second time they allowed a touchdown.[4] The game was ranked the fourth-greatest upset in college football history by ESPN.[5]
In the 1930s, Carnegie Tech (as it was known then) was among the top college football programs in the country. In 1938 and 1939, the team achieved national rankings in the AP Poll. Ranked sixth at the end of the 1938 regular season, the Tartans earned a January bowl game invitation,[6] but lost to top-ranked TCU in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.[7] [8]
Carnegie Tech's AP ranking history:
The team lost 26 straight games from 1942 through 1948 (the 1944 and 1945 seasons were cancelled due to World War II). In the last game of the 1948 season, the team beat Grove City, 7–0, on a 51-yard touchdown run by freshman halfback John Luchok. The team improved over the next six years, culminating in the first undefeated season in school history in 1954. That team was led by quarterback Guy Carricato, halfback Eddy Miller and end Chuck Luchok, John Luchok's younger brother.
In 2006, the varsity football team was offered a bid to the NCAA Division III playoffs, and became one of the first teams in school history (the first team to win a Division III playoff game was in 1977, when Carnegie Mellon beat Dayton) and University Athletic Association (UAA) conference history to win an NCAA playoff game with a 21–0 shutout of Millsaps College of the SCAC conference.[9] In addition to winning a playoff game, several team members were elected to the All American and All Region Squads. The 2006 team won 11 games in a single season, which is tied for the most in school history. The team was previously coached by Rich Lackner, who is also a graduate of Carnegie Mellon and who was the head coach from 1986 to 2021. In 2022, Ryan Larsen, took over as Head Football Coach. The Tartans went 11-1 in 2022, which included going 10-0 in the regular season, winning the Presidents' Athletic Conference Championship, and going to the second round of the NCAA Playoffs. The 11 wins in 2022 ties the 2006 team for most wins in a season.
The Tartans have appeared in the Division III playoffs eight times, with an overall record of 4–7.
| 1978 | Quarterfinals Semifinals | Dayton Baldwin-Wallace | W, 24–21 L, 6–31 | |
| 1979 | Quarterfinals Semifinals | Minnesota–Morris Ithaca | W, 31–25 L, 6–15 | |
| 1983 | Quarterfinals | Salisbury State | L, 14–16 | |
| 1985 | First Round | Salisbury State | L, 22–35 | |
| 1990 | First Round | Lycoming | L, 7–17 | |
| 2006 | First Round Second Round | Millsaps Wesley | W, 21–0 L, 0–37 | |
| 2021 | First Round | North Central (IL) | No Contest | |
| 2022 | First Round Second Round | DePauw North Central (IL) | W, 45–14 L, 7–28 |