Buffalo Bulls football
| Buffalo Bulls | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
 | |||
| First season | 1894 | ||
| Head coach | 1st season, 2–10 (.167) | ||
| Stadium | UB Stadium (capacity: 31,000) | ||
| Field surface | Momentum Turf | ||
| Location | Amherst, NY | ||
| Division | East | ||
| All-time record | 360–478–28 (.432) | ||
| Bowl record | 0–1 (.000) | ||
| Conference titles | 1 (2008) | ||
| Current uniform | |||
| File:MAC-Uniform-UB.png | |||
| Colors | Blue and White | ||
| Fight song | Victory March | ||
| Mascot | Victor E. Bull | ||
| Marching band | Thunder of the East | ||
| Rivals | Temple Owls | ||
| Website | Buffalo Bulls Football | ||
- For information on all University at Buffalo sports, see Buffalo Bulls
The Buffalo Bulls football program is the intercollegiate American football team for the University at Buffalo located in the U.S. state of New York. The team competes at the NCAA Division I level in the Football Bowl Subdivision and is a member of the Mid-American Conference. Buffalo's first football team was fielded in 1894. The team plays its home games at the 31,000 seat UB Stadium in Amherst, New York. The team's main rival are the Temple Owls football. The Bulls are coached by Jeff Quinn.[1]
History
UB offered football until 1970, and then reintroduced the sport in 1977. In 1993, the school made the jump to Division I-AA, and in 1999, moved up to I-A, now the Bowl Subdivision.
The early years: 1894–1903
In 1894, UB established an athletics association and fourteen UB Medical students formed the first UB football team[2]. This team played until 1903 with a record of 28-7-13. The team managed this despite lacking a coach for all but two of those years. In 1897, C. W. Dibble coached UB to a perfect 7-0-0 record and in 1903, Ray Turnbull led the UB team to a 3-3 record. After the 1903 season, UB would not again put a team on the field until 1915.
The UB Bisons: 1915–1930
In 1915, UB re-established the football program and instituted men's basketball. Both teams were named the 'Bisons' and used as their logo a caricature of a male American bison, often outfitted in a UB jersey. Frank Pleasant was called on to coach the football team but was replaced the following season after a 3-3 record. Art Powell would take over in 1916 and coach the team for six seasons (13-22-5). UB would go through two coaches in a span of two years - Jim Batterson in 1922 and James Bond in 1923 - before Russ Carrick would take over, serving five seasons despite winning only five games (while losing 30 and garnering two ties). The team would last be known as the Bisons under the command of Jay "Biffy" Lee, who coached for two seasons (until 1930), leading UB to a 8-7 record.
Welcome the Bulls: 1930–1942
In 1931, the University changed its mascot to the Bulls in order to distinguish UB from professional teams in the Queen City. The Bulls played every year until the outbreak of World War II mainly under the coaching guidance of Jim Peelle who was at the helm from 1935-1942 and would lead the Bulls to a 38-34-1 record including a 6-2 season in 1942.
Post-World War II: 1946–1954
After World War II, UB again took to the grid-iron under Jim Peelle, who led UB in two impressive seasons of 7-2 (1946) and 8-1 (1947), but were not selected to a bowl in either season. The program was next taken over by Frank Clair, who coached for two seasons, leaving with an impressive mark of 12-4-1. The following season represented one of the low points for UB when, under the guidance of coach Frtiz Febel, UB won only four games in three years with an overall record of 4-19-1.
Offenhamer era: 1955-1965
If the Febel season can be seen as one of the low points in UB football history, then Dick Offenhamer brought in UB's most successful era when from 1955 to 1965, he would coach UB to an impressive 58-37-5 record. In 1958, the football team won the Lambert Cup, emblematic of supremacy in Eastern U.S. small-college football. That led to the team's first bowl invitation, to the Tangerine Bowl in Orlando, Florida against Florida State University. But the Bulls would be allowed to participate only if back-up defensive end Mike Wilson and starting halfback Willie Evans, who were black, did not play. The team stood behind the two, and refused the bowl offer. The team was profiled on ESPN's Outside the Lines in 2008.[3] Buffalo would not be invited to or be bowl-eligible for another 50 years.
Several UB football stars from the Offenhamer years went on to play professional football, including quarterback John Stofa with the American Football League's Miami Dolphins and Cincinnati Bengals, and defensive lineman Gerry Philbin with the AFL's New York Jets. Philbin is a member of the AFL Hall of Fame and the All-time All-AFL Team. Philbin and UB's Willie Ross were the only UB graduates to play on professional football championship teams: Ross with the 1964 AFL Champion Buffalo Bills; and Philbin with the 1968 AFL Champion New York Jets, who went on to win Super Bowl III.
Out with a whimper: 1965-1970
Following the departure of Offenhamer in 1965, UB would last only five more years before suspending football in 1970. There was some success under coach Doc Urich, who led UB to an 18-12 record over three years, but declining performance under his successor, Bob Deming (1969-1970) and financial issues would cause UB to suspend its football program. The main reason that football was dropped was that the student body voted to stop funding the team. At the time athletics at UB were fully funded by student fees. It would be seven years until UB would again take the field.
Division III football: 1977-1992
In 1977 UB began playing football at the Division III level under Coach Bill Dando, who would be the Bulls' longest serving coach, lasting thirteen years. UB had moderate success during his tenure, but back-to-back sub-par seasons led to a coaching change in 1990. Sam Sanders would take over, but last only two seasons before Jim Ward was brought in to usher in UB's return to Division I football.
Division I-AA (FCS): 1993-1999
UB's return to Division I football started in Division I-AA (known today as the Football Championship Subdivision). UB would have only one winning season during their time in I-AA. Under Coach Craig Cirbus, UB would go 8-3 in 1996. This would be UB's last season at or above .500 for a dozen years. In 1999 UB joined the Mid-American Conference in Division I-A (Football Bowl Subdivision) football.
1999-2005: Return to Division I-A (Football Bowl Subdivision)
In 1999, the Bulls moved to their current conference, the Mid-American Conference. They retained their head coach from their I-AA seasons, Craig Cirbus. After a few years of dismal results, the team hired Jim Hofher a former head coach at Division I-AA Cornell University to be the head coach. However, Hofher's teams were marked by poor discipline and lack of effort, and won only 8 games during his five seasons at UB. Buffalo won only 10 games and lost 69 during this seven-year period, the second-worst record in the Football Bowl Subdivision during that time.
2006-2009: Turner Gill era
In early December 2005, Hofher was replaced by Green Bay Packers assistant coach and former Heisman Trophy candidate Turner Gill. The former University of Nebraska quarterback led the program in a remarkable turnaround, helping the team to a 5-7 (5-3 MAC East divisional co-champions) in 2007, their best season since the school joined the MAC.
On November 21, 2008, the Buffalo Bulls won their first outright MAC Eastern Division Championship, sealing the win with a thrilling 2-OT victory over Bowling Green, 40-34. Down 27-7 at the beginning of the 4th quarter, the Bulls stormed back to tie the game at 27 and force it into overtime. In the second OT, running back James Starks ran 25 yards on the first play for a touchdown and a Bulls win. The quarterback coach for Bowling Green that day was former UB head coach Jim Hofher.
Following a loss to Kent State that broke a five-game winning streak for Buffalo, the Bulls entered the conference title game at 7-5, while MAC West champion Ball State was an unblemished 12-0. However, on December 5, at Ford Field in Detroit, Buffalo's defense returned two fumbles for touchdowns and the Bulls defeated the Cardinals, 42-24, to become Mid-American Conference champions for 2008. Their successful season earned the Bulls an invitation to the International Bowl in Toronto, Ontario to face Connecticut. The Bulls went on to lose that game to UConn by a score of 38-20.
2009 would not be as successful as Starks was lost before the season even started to a shoulder injury. The offense also struggled without four-year starting quarterback Drew Willy as new quarterback Zach Maynard had an up-and-down season. UB finished 5-7 and Gill left to become head coach of Kansas.
2010-Present: Jeff Quinn era
On December 20, 2009, it was first reported that Jeff Quinn would be the new head coach. He took over after coaching Cincinnati in the 2010 Sugar Bowl.
Notable former players
Notable alumni include:
- Drew Haddad: Wide Receiver
- Trevor Scott: Defensive End (Oakland Raiders 2008–present)
- Jamey Richard: Offensive Lineman (Indianapolis Colts 2008–present)
- Drew Willy: Quarterback (Las Vegas Locomotives 2010–present)
- James Starks: Running Back (Green Bay Packers 2010–present)
- Ramon Guzman: Linebacker (Montreal Alouettes CFL 2009–present)
- Naaman Roosevelt: Wide Receiver (Buffalo Bills 2010–present)
- Josh Thomas: Cornerback (Dallas Cowboys 2011-present)
Records[4]
| Year | Coach | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1894 | No Coach | 0-1-1 |
| 1895 | No Coach | 0-1-1 |
| 1896 | No Coach | 1-0-2 |
| 1897 | C.W. Dibble | 7-0 |
| 1898 | No Coach | 4-1 |
| 1899 | No Coach | 6-0 |
| 1900 | No Coach | 1-1-2 |
| 1901 | No Coach | 4-2 |
| 1902 | No Coach | 2-4-1 |
| 1903 | Ray Turnbull | 3-3 |
| 1915 | Frank Pleasant | 3-3 |
| 1916 | Art Powell | 3-5-2 |
| 1917 | Art Powell | 4-4 |
| 1918 | Art Powell | 3-1 |
| 1919 | Art Powell | 0-5-1 |
| 1920 | Art Powell | 1-4 |
| 1921 | Art Powell | 2-3-2 |
| 1922 | Jim Patterson | 1-5 |
| 1923 | James Bond | 2-5-1 |
| 1924 | Russ Carrick | 1-7 |
| 1925 | Russ Carrick | 3-4-1 |
| 1926 | Russ Carrick | 0-7 |
| 1927 | Russ Carrick | 0-6-1 |
| 1928 | Russ Carrick | 1-6 |
| 1929 | Jay Lee | 5-2 |
| 1930 | Jay Lee | 3-5 |
| 1931 | Bill Pritchard | 2-6 |
| 1932 | Jim Wilson | 1-5-1 |
| 1933 | Jim Wilson | 2-3-2 |
| 1934 | George VanBibber | 2-4-1 |
| 1935 | George VanBibber | 2-6 |
| 1936 | Jim Peelle | 5-3 |
| 1937 | Jim Peelle | 4-4 |
| 1938 | Jim Peelle | 2-6 |
| 1939 | Jim Peelle | 0-7 |
| 1940 | Jim Peelle | 3-5 |
| 1941 | Jim Peelle | 3-4-1 |
| 1942 | Jim Peelle | 6-2 |
| 1946 | Jim Peelle | 7-2 |
| 1947 | Jim Peelle | 8-1 |
| 1948 | Frank Clair | 6-1-1 |
| 1949 | Frank Clair | 6-3 |
| 1950 | Jim Wilson | 5-3 |
| 1951 | Jim Wilson | 4-4 |
| 1952 | Frtiz Febel | 1-7 |
| 1953 | Frtiz Febel | 1-5-1 |
| 1954 | Frtiz Febel | 2-7 |
| 1955 | Dick Offenhamer | 4-4-1 |
| 1956 | Dick Offenhamer | 5-3 |
| 1957 | Dick Offenhamer | 5-4 |
| 1958 | Dick Offenhamer | 8-1 |
| 1959 | Dick Offenhamer | 8-1 |
| 1960 | Dick Offenhamer | 4-6 |
| 1961 | Dick Offenhamer | 4-5 |
| 1962 | Dick Offenhamer | 6-3 |
| 1963 | Dick Offenhamer | 5-3-1 |
| 1964 | Dick Offenhamer | 4-4-1 |
| 1965 | Dick Offenhamer | 5-3-2 |
| 1966 | Doc Ulrich | 5-5 |
| 1967 | Doc Ulrich | 6-4 |
| 1968 | Doc Ulrich | 7-3 |
| 1969 | Bob Deming | 6-3 |
| 1970 | Bob Deming | 2-9 |
| 1977 | Bill Dando | 0-3-1 |
| 1978 | Bill Dando | 3-6 |
| 1979 | Bill Dando | 4-5 |
| 1980 | Bill Dando | 6-5 |
| 1981 | Bill Dando | 5-5 |
| 1982 | Bill Dando | 5-5 |
| 1983 | Bill Dando | 8-2 |
| 1984 | Bill Dando | 6-4 |
| 1985 | Bill Dando | 4-6 |
| 1986 | Bill Dando | 9-2 |
| 1987 | Bill Dando | 3-7 |
| 1988 | Bill Dando | 2-8 |
| 1989 | Bill Dando | 4-6 |
| 1990 | Sam Sanders | 2-8 |
| 1991 | Sam Sanders | 3-7 |
| 1992 | Jim Ward | 4-6 |
| 1993 | Jim Ward | 1-10 |
| 1994 | Jim Ward | 3-8 |
| 1995 | Craig Cirbus | 3-8 |
| 1996 | Craig Cirbus | 8-3 |
| 1997 | Craig Cirbus | 2-9 |
| 1998 | Craig Cirbus | 4-7 |
| 1999 | Craig Cirbus | 0-11 |
| 2000 | Craig Cirbus | 2-9 |
| 2001 | Jim Hofher | 3-8 |
| 2002 | Jim Hofher | 1-11 |
| 2003 | Jim Hofher | 1-11 |
| 2004 | Jim Hofher | 2-9 |
| 2005 | Jim Hofher | 1-10 |
| 2006 | Turner Gill | 2-10 |
| 2007 | Turner Gill | 5-7 |
| 2008 | Turner Gill | 8-6 |
| 2009 | Turner Gill | 5-7 |
| 2010 | Jeff Quinn | 2-10 |
Bowl games
| Year and bowl | Winning team | Losing team | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 International Bowl | Connecticut | 38 | Buffalo | 20 |
Broadcasting
WECK currently holds the broadcast rights to Bulls games, with WIVB-TV sports anchor Paul Peck on play-by-play and former Buffalo Bills wide receiver Lou Piccone on color commentary. The broadcasts are also simulcast on WHTK in Rochester.
A separate feed is available from the student Part 15 radio station, WRUB.
References
- ^ "Cincinnati's Quinn is new UB football coach". Buffalo News. December 20, 2009. Retrieved 2009-12-20. [dead link]
- ^ http://www.ubbullrun.com/2010/05/ub-football-101.html
- ^ Eric Neel, "All or Nothing", ESPN.com, retrieved November 20, 2008.
- ^ http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=sportsnetwork&page=cfoot/teams/direct664.htm
