This is a list of seasons completed by the Sam Houston Bearkats football team. The Bearkats compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) as a member of Conference USA. Sam Houston's first football team was fielded in 1912. The team plays its home games at the 12,593-seat Bowers Stadium in Huntsville, Texas.
Sam Houston has two national championships in their history, the first coming in 1964 as a member of the NAIA. The most recent title was in the 2021 spring season when Sam Houston defeated South Dakota State 23–21 in the NCAA Division I FCS national championship game.
The head coach of the Bearkats is K. C. Keeler, who has led the team since 2014. Keeler guided the Bearkats to six postseason appearances and is the all-time winningest head coach in FCS playoff history. The Bearkats were members of FCS (formerly I-AA) from 1984 to 2022, before moving up to join the FBS in 2023.
Seasons
| Legend | |
|---|---|
|
† National champions | |
| Season | Team | Head coach | Conference | Regular season results | Postseason results | Final ranking | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | Conference | Bowl game/Playoff result | AP/NCAA Poll | Coaches' Poll | ||||||||||
| Win | Loss | Tie | Win | Loss | Tie | Finish | ||||||||
| Sam Houston Normal | ||||||||||||||
| 1912 | 1912 | S. R. Warner | Independent | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | |||||
| 1913 | 1913 | 3 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | |||||||
| 1914 | 1914 | Gene Berry | 3 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | ||||||
| 1915 | 1915 | 5 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | |||||||
| 1916 | 1916 | 5 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | |||||||
| 1917 | 1917 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | |||||||
| 1918 | No team due to World War I | |||||||||||||
| 1919 | 1919 | 0 | 7 | 0 | — | — | — | |||||||
| 1920 | 1920 | Mutt Gee | 1 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | ||||||
| Sam Houston Normal Bear Cats | ||||||||||||||
| 1921 | 1921 | Mutt Gee | Independent | 3 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | |||||
| 1922 | 1922 | 2 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | |||||||
| Sam Houston State Bearkats | ||||||||||||||
| 1923 | 1923 | J. W. Jones | Independent | 4 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | |||||
| 1924 | 1924 | TIAA | 2 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 4th | — | — | — | ||
| 1925 | 1925 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 5th | — | — | — | |||
| 1926 | 1926 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2nd | — | — | — | |||
| 1927 | 1927 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3rd | — | — | — | |||
| 1928 | 1928 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 4th | — | — | — | |||
| 1929 | 1929 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3rd | — | — | — | |||
| 1930 | 1930† | 9 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1st† | — | — | — | |||
| 1931 | 1931 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 4th | — | — | — | |||
| 1932 | 1932 | Lone Star | 2 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3rd | — | — | — | ||
| 1933 | 1933 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5th | — | — | — | |||
| 1934 | 1934 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 4th | — | — | — | |||
| 1935 | 1935 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 6th | — | — | — | |||
| 1936 | 1936 | Henry O. Crawford | 2 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 5th | — | — | — | ||
| 1937 | 1937 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4th | — | — | — | |||
| 1938 | 1938 | Puny Wilson | 8 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2nd | — | — | — | ||
| 1939 | 1939 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2nd | — | — | — | |||
| 1940 | 1940 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2nd | — | — | — | |||
| 1941 | 1941 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 4th | — | — | — | |||
| 1942 | 1942 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2nd | — | — | — | |||
| 1943 | No team due to World War II | |||||||||||||
| 1944 | ||||||||||||||
| 1945 | ||||||||||||||
| 1946 | 1946 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2nd | — | — | — | |||
| 1947 | 1947 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 5th | — | — | — | |||
| 1948 | 1948 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5th | — | — | — | |||
| 1949 | 1949 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5th | — | — | — | |||
| 1950 | 1950 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3rd | — | — | — | |||
| 1951 | 1951 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3rd | — | — | — | |||
| 1952 | 1952 | Paul Pierce | 6 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 3rd | Won 1952 Shrimp Bowl vs. Northeastern State (OK), 41–20 ^ | — | — | ||
| 1953 | 1953 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2nd | Won 1953 Refrigerator Bowl vs. College of Idaho, 14–12 ^ | — | — | |||
| 1954 | 1954 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 4th | — | — | — | |||
| 1955 | 1955† | 6 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1st† | — | — | — | |||
| 1956[a] | 1956† | 10 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1st† | Won 1956 Refrigerator Bowl vs. Middle Tennessee State, 27–13 ^ | — | — | |||
| 1957 | 1957 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 4th | — | — | — | |||
| 1958 | 1958 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2nd | Lost 1958 Christmas Festival Bowl vs. Northwestern State, 11–18 ^ | — | — | |||
| 1959 | 1959 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 5th | — | — | — | |||
| 1960 | 1960 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 6th | — | — | — | |||
| 1961 | 1961† | 8 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1st† | — | — | — | ||||
| 1962 | 1962 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3rd | — | — | — | |||
| 1963 | 1963 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 4th | — | — | — | |||
| 1964 | 1964† | 9 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1st† | Tied 1964 Championship Bowl vs. Concordia, 7–7 ^ | 2 | 9 | |||
| 1965 | 1965 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 6th | — | — | — | |||
| 1966 | 1966 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3rd | — | — | — | |||
| 1967 | 1967 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 7th | — | — | — | |||
| 1968 | 1968 | Tom Page | 5 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 4th | — | — | — | ||
| 1969 | 1969 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 4th | — | — | — | |||
| 1970 | 1970 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 2nd | — | T-20[b] | — | |||
| 1971 | 1971 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 5th | — | — | — | |||
| 1972 | 1972 | Allen Boren | 5 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 4th | — | — | — | ||
| 1973 | 1973 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 7th | — | — | — | |||
| 1974 | 1974 | Billy Tidwell | 4 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 5th | — | — | — | ||
| 1975 | 1975 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 6th | — | — | — | |||
| 1976 | 1976 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 6th | — | — | — | |||
| 1977 | 1977 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 7th | — | — | — | |||
| 1978 | 1978 | Melvin Brown | 6 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 3rd | — | — | — | ||
| 1979 | 1979 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 8th | — | — | — | |||
| 1980 | 1980 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 6th | — | — | — | |||
| 1981 | 1981 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 6th | — | — | — | |||
| 1982[c] | 1982 | Ron Randleman | 3 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 8th | — | — | — | ||
| 1983 | 1983 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 7th | — | — | — | |||
| 1984[d] | 1984 | Gulf Star | 8 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2nd | — | — | — | ||
| 1985 | 1985† | 8 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1st† | — | — | — | |||
| 1986 | 1986† | 9 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1st† | NCAA Division I-AA Playoffs — First Round ^ | 11 | — | |||
| 1987 | 1987 | Southland | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2nd | – | 19 | — | ||
| 1988 | 1988 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 7th | — | — | — | |||
| 1989 | 1989 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 5th | — | — | — | |||
| 1990 | 1990 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3rd | — | — | — | |||
| 1991 | 1991† | 8 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1st† | NCAA Division I-AA Playoffs — First Round ^ | 12 | — | |||
| 1992 | 1992 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3rd | — | — | — | |||
| 1993 | 1993 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 5th | — | — | — | |||
| 1994 | 1994 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5th | — | — | — | |||
| 1995 | 1995 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 3rd | — | — | — | |||
| 1996[e] | 1996 | 4 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 3rd | — | — | — | |||||
| 1997 | 1997 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 4th | — | — | — | |||||
| 1998 | 1998 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 6 | 8th | — | — | — | |||||
| 1999 | 1999 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4th | — | — | — | |||||
| 2000 | 2000 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4th | — | — | — | |||||
| 2001 | 2001† | 10 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 1st† | NCAA Division I-AA Playoffs — Quarterfinals ^ | 7 | — | |||||
| 2002 | 2002 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 5th | — | — | — | |||||
| 2003 | 2003 | 2 | 9 | 1 | 4 | 4th | — | — | — | |||||
| 2004 | 2004† | 11 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 1st† | NCAA Division I-AA Playoffs — Semifinals ^ | 4 | — | |||||
| 2005 | 2005 | Todd Whitten | 3 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 5th | — | — | — | ||||
| 2006 | 2006 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 2nd | — | — | — | |||||
| 2007 | 2007 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 2nd | — | — | — | |||||
| 2008 | 2008 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 6th | — | — | — | |||||
| 2009 | 2009 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 5th | — | — | — | |||||
| 2010 | 2010 | Willie Fritz | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3rd | — | — | — | ||||
| 2011 | 2011† | 14 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 1st† | NCAA Division I FCS Playoffs – National Championship Game ^ | 2 | 2 | |||||
| 2012 | 2012† | 11 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 1st† | NCAA Division I FCS Playoffs – National Championship Game ^ | 2 | 2 | |||||
| 2013 | 2013 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3rd | NCAA Division I FCS Playoffs — Second Round ^ | 14 | 13 | |||||
| 2014 | 2014† | K.C. Keeler | 11 | 5 | 7 | 1 | 1st† | NCAA Division I FCS Playoffs – Semifinals ^ | 6 | 6 | ||||
| 2015 | 2015 | 11 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 2nd | NCAA Division I FCS Playoffs — Semifinals ^ | 3 | 4 | |||||
| 2016 | 2016† | 12 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 1st† | NCAA Division I FCS Playoffs — Quarterfinals ^ | 5 | 5 | |||||
| 2017 | 2017 | 12 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 2nd | NCAA Division I FCS Playoffs — Semifinals ^ | 4 | 3 | |||||
| 2018 | 2018 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4th | — | — | — | |||||
| 2019 | 2019 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 4th | — | — | — | |||||
| 2020[f] | 2020† | 10 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1st† | NCAA Division I FCS Playoffs — Champions ^ | 1 | 1 | |||||
| Sam Houston Bearkats | ||||||||||||||
| 2021 | 2021† | K.C. Keeler | WAC | 11 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 1st† | NCAA Division I FCS Playoffs — Quarterfinals ^ | 5 | 4 | |||
| 2022[g] | 2022 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | ||||||
| 2023[h] | 2023 | C-USA | 3 | 9 | 2 | 6 | — | — | — | |||||
| Totals | All-time: 564–486–36 (.536) |
Conference: 309–285–16 (.520) |
Postseason: 28–13–1 (.679) |
|||||||||||
Notes
- ^ Sam Houston State was classified as an NAIA program, which began sponsoring football in 1956.
- ^ Ranking from the 1970 small college poll.
- ^ Sam Houston State joined the NCAA in 1982 as a Division II program.
- ^ The Bearkats moved up to NCAA Division I-AA (now FCS) status in 1984.
- ^ Overtime rules were added for NCAA football in 1996, thereby eliminating ties.
- ^ The Fall 2020 Southland football season was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with league play resuming in a shortened Spring 2021 season.
- ^ Sam Houston was ineligible for the WAC championship and FCS postseason due to their FBS transition. They played a WAC schedule but their games did not count in the conference standings.
- ^ Sam Houston moved up to the Division I FBS ranks in 2023 as a member of Conference USA.
References
- ^ "Sam Houston Football Record Book" (PDF). GoBearkats.com. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
This page was last edited on 9 February 2024, at 21:16