| Teamname: | Howard Bison football |
| Currentseason: | 2024 Howard Bison football team |
| Headcoach: | Larry Scott |
| Headcoachyear: | 4th Season |
| Hcwins: | 14 |
| Hclosses: | 22 |
| Stadium: | William H. Greene Stadium |
| Stadcapacity: | 10,000 |
| Stadsurface: | Field Turf |
| Conference: | MEAC |
| Location: | Washington, D.C. |
| Ncaadivision: | I FCS |
| Websitename: | www.hubison.com/football |
| Websiteurl: | http://hubison.com/index.aspx?path=football&tab=football2 |
| Atwins: | 521 |
| Atlosses: | 497 |
| Atties: | 40 |
| Bowlwins: | 1 |
| Bowllosses: | 3 |
| Playoffapps: | 1 |
| Playoffs: | 0–1 |
| Natltitles: | 0 (FCS/I-AA) 5 (Black College):1920, 1925, 1926, 1993, 1996 |
| Unnatltitles: | 2 (Black College): 1923, 1987 |
| Conftitles: | CIAA 1912, 1914 |
| Rivalries: | Hampton Morehouse Morgan State Georgetown |
| Marchingband: | "Showtime" |
The Howard Bison football team represents Howard University in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level as a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC).
See also: List of Howard Bison football seasons.
| Year | Coach | Record | Championship | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920 | Edward Morrison | 7–0 | Black College National champions | ||
| 1925 | Louis L. Watson | 6–0–1 | Black College National Champions | ||
| 1926 | Louis L. Watson | 7–0 | Black College National Champions | ||
| 1993 | 11–1 | Black College National Champions | |||
| 1996 | Steve Wilson | 10–2 | Black College National Champions | ||
| Total national championships | 5 | ||||
| Year | Coach | Conference | Conference record | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1912 | Ernest Marshall | 2–0 | |||
| 1914 | Ernest Marshall | Central Intercollegiate Athletics Association | 1–0 | ||
| 1993 | 6–0 | ||||
| 2022 | 4–1 | ||||
| 2023 | Larry Scott | 4–1 | |||
| Total conference championships | 5 | ||||
The Bison have appeared in four bowl games, with a current record of 1–3.
| 1933 | Jacksonville, FL | L 6–9 | |||
| 1974 | Miami, FL | L 13–17 | |||
| 1996 | Atlanta, GA | W 27–24 | |||
| 2023 | Atlanta, GA | L 26–30 |
The Bison have appeared in the I-AA/FCS playoffs one time with an overall record of 0–1.
| First Round | Marshall | L 14–28 |
Over 20 Howard alumni have played in the NFL,[3] including:
Howard's top rival is Hampton University. The two schools call their intense rivalry Battle of "The Real HU".[4] [5] [6] [7] [8]
Howard also has a strong rivalry with Morgan State University in the Howard–Morgan State football rivalry.[9] [10] [11]
Another of Howard's historic rivals is Morehouse College, more popularly known as the Howard/"Spel-House" rivalry due to Morehouse's close association with the all-women's HBCU Spelman College. This rivalry is not often played because Morehouse is a Division II athletic program, while Howard is Division I.[12] [13] [14]
A new rivalry has developed between Howard and Georgetown University. The two schools compete in a contest called The DC Cup. Currently, Georgetown holds a 2–1 series lead in the contest.[15]
A.Howard went 9–1 and won the MEAC championship in 1987,[16] however a later investigation by Howard University and MEAC found that coach Willie Jeffries used ineligible players.[17] All wins from the 1987 season were vacated and the MEAC Championship was transferred to Delaware State, who had been the runner-up.
B.Rayford Petty was an assistant coach under Gary Harrell in 2011 and 2012. Gary Harrell stepped away from coaching Howard for the 2013 season for personal reasons, but remained under contract as the head coach to return in 2014. Rayford Petty was promoted to head coach for the 2013 season only, in a temporary role.