Huntingdon Hawks football explained

Teamname:Huntingdon Hawks football
Firstyear:2003
Athleticdirector:Eric Levanda
Headcoach:Mike Turk
Headcoachyear:20th
Hcwins:139
Hclosses:60
Stadium:Charles Lee Field at Samford Stadium
Stadcapacity:2,500
Stadsurface:Artificial Turf
Location:Montgomery, Alabama
Conference:USA South Athletic Conference
Pastaffiliations:NCAA Division III independent (2003–2007, 2009–2012)
St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (2008)
Atwins:139
Atlosses:67
Playoffapps:7 (2009, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2022)
Playoffs:2–7
Natltitles:0
Conftitles:4 (2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2022)
Rivalries:Maryville
Birmingham–Southern (Wesley Cup)
LaGrange
Faulkner (Bible Bowl)
Allamericans:3
Mascotdisplay:Hawks
Color1:Scarlet
Color2:Grey
Hex1:FF2400
Hex2:B3B3B3
Websitename:huntingdonhawks.com
Websiteurl:http://www.huntingdonhawks.com/sports/fball/index

The Huntingdon Hawks football team represents Huntingdon College in the sport of American football. The team plays at Charles Lee Field at Samford Stadium in Montgomery, Alabama. The Huntingdon Hawks compete in Division III of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).[1] They compete in the USA South Athletic Conference and have won three conference championships in 2015, 2016, and 2017.[2] [3] The Hawks are currently coached by Mike Turk, who has served as the team's head football coach since 2004.[4]

Conference affiliations

Head coaching history

Huntingdon has only had two head coaches in their brief 21-year history. The Hawks first head football coach was Duane Trogdon, who served as in the position for Huntingdon's first season in 2003 leading the team to their only winless season to date with a record of 0–7.[6] In 2004 Huntingdon College hired then-Troy assistant coach and former Troy quarterback Mike Turk as their new head football coach. Turk has served as head coach for 20 years leading the Hawks to a record of 139–60 as of the 2023 season.[7]

Yearly records

Season Head coach Overall record Conf. record Conf. standing Conference Playoffs
2003 Duane Trogdon 0–7 D-III independent
2004 4–5 D-III independent
2005 Mike Turk 7–2 D-III independent
2006 Mike Turk 6–4 D-III independent
2007 Mike Turk 5–5 D-III independent
2008 Mike Turk 8–2 6–1 2nd
2009 Mike Turk 8–3 D-III independent
2010 Mike Turk 6–4 D-III independent
2011 Mike Turk 7–3 D-III independent
2012 Mike Turk 6–3 D-III independent
2013 Mike Turk 7–3 5–2 T–3rd
2014 Mike Turk 7–3 6–2 T–2nd USA South
2015 Mike Turk 10–2 7–0 1st USA South
2016 Mike Turk 9–2 6–1 T–1st USA South
2017 Mike Turk 9–2 7–0 1st USA South
2018 Mike Turk 4–5 4–3 T–3rd USA South
2019 Mike Turk 8–4 6–1 1st USA South NCAA Division III Second Round
2020 Mike Turk 3–1 2–1 - USA South
2021 Mike Turk 8–3 8–0 1st USA South
2022 Mike Turk 9–2 7–0 1st USA South
2023 Mike Turk 8–2 6–1 2nd USA South
[8]

Playoff appearances

NCAA Division III

The Hawks have appeared in the Division III playoffs six times, with an overall record of 2–6.

2009First RoundMississippi CollegeL, 35–56
2015First Round
Second Round
Hendrix
Mary Hardin-Baylor
W, 38–27
L, 23–43
2016First RoundWheaton (IL)L, 10–45
2017First RoundBerryL, 20–34
2019First Round
Second Round
Berry
Mary Hardin-Baylor
W, 27–24
L, 6–42
2021First RoundBirmingham–SouthernL, 14–24
2022First RoundMary Hardin-BaylorL, 0–54

Rivalries

Birmingham–Southern Panthers

The Wesley Cup is the annually game between the Huntingdon Hawks and the Birmingham–Southern Panthers. Starting in the 2009 season these two teams have played every year for the "Wesley Cup" trophy typically in the month of September. The game is named after John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist church, both, schools are private United Methodist Colleges. Birmingham-Southern leads the series 5–4.[9]

Faulkner Eagles

The Bible Bowl was a game played between Huntingdon and Faulkner. Both colleges are private Christian colleges located in Montgomery, Alabama. The series was played from 2007 through 2011 with Huntingdon winning all five meetings between the two schools to date. The series ended with the 2011 game being the last between the two schools for now. With Huntingdon looking to play more Division III opponents to better position themselves for playoffs. Along with the Faulkner playing football in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) a completely separate organization of college athletics than the NCAA. With their conference the Mid-South Conference requiring them to schedule 10 of their potential 10–11 games as conference opponents. Thus reducing the opportunity for the two schools scheduling each other.[10]

Maryville Scots

The Maryville Scots of Maryville, Tennessee and the Huntingdon Hawks have been annual foes since their first meeting in the 2004 season and have only missed one season playing each other, 2006. Huntingdon leads the all-time series versus Maryville 11–3 and won 10 straight from 2008 to 2017.

LaGrange Panthers

Huntingdon and LaGrange have been a fixture on each other's schedules since the 2006 season. Both Schools are private United Methodist colleges. Since 2006, the two schools have met a total of 13 times with Huntingdon dominating the series 10–3 and winning the most recent matchup 42–14 on November 11, 2018.[11] [12]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Division III football team news, schedules and results. D3football.
  2. Web site: USA South. USA South.
  3. Web site: USA South Football Past Champions & Coaches of the Year. USA South.
  4. Web site: Huntingdon College announces new athletic director. Katie. Windham. www.wsfa.com.
  5. Web site: Huntingdon. Huntingdon.
  6. Web site: Huntingdon Football on the Horizon. www.wsfa.com.
  7. Web site: Huntingdon football schedule and results. D3football.
  8. Web site: Huntingdon Year-By-Year Record. Huntingdon.
  9. Web site: Birmingham-Southern and Huntingdon announce annual gridiron showdown for Wesley Cup. July 1, 2009. Birmingham-Southern.
  10. Web site: Huntingdon, Faulkner end cross-town rivalry. Christine. Kneidinger. September 14, 2011. al.
  11. Web site: Huntingdon. Huntingdon.
  12. Web site: Huntingdon football schedule and results. D3football.