Toledo Rockets football
| Toledo Rockets | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| File:ToledoRockets.png | |||
| First season | 1917 | ||
| Head coach | 3rd season, 13–13 (.500) | ||
| Stadium | Glass Bowl (capacity: 26,248) | ||
| Year built | 1936 | ||
| Field surface | Field Turf | ||
| Location | Toledo, Ohio | ||
| Division | West | ||
| Past conferences |
| ||
| All-time record | 473–398–24 (.542) | ||
| Bowl record | 7–4 (.636) | ||
| Conference titles | 13 | ||
| Division titles | 5 | ||
| Consensus All-Americans | 2 | ||
| Colors | Midnight Blue and Gold | ||
| Website | Toledo Rockets | ||
The Toledo Rockets football team is a college football program in Division I FBS, representing the University of Toledo. The Rockets compete in the Mid-American Conference. Toledo began playing football in 1917, although it did not field teams in 1931, and 1943-1945. Since the inception of the AP Poll in 1936 Toledo has finished in the Top 25 four times. Its highest finish came in 1970 when it ranked #12 after finishing 12–0–0. Its current head coach is Tim Beckman.
History
Toledo first fielded a football team in 1917, under the leadership of John Brandeberry. According to Toledo Rockets lore, the team began when a group of students purchased uniforms from a sporting goods store, then arranged a game against the University of Detroit in order to settle the debt. Brandeberry stepped in to coach the team, which promptly lost the game 145–0 (but settled the debt).[1]
For the first few years Toledo played without a nickname, but was dubbed the "Rockets" after two long touchdown runs in a 1923 loss to Carnegie Tech. That season also saw Toledo win its first conference title.[1]
Bowling Green rivalry
Toledo and Bowling Green State University have a rivalry dating back to 1924, when BGSU challenged the participation of Toledo's captain, Gilbert Stick, after it was discovered that Stick also played for a local team in Genoa, Ohio. Conference rules did not prohibit such play, and BGSU's protest was overruled.[1] In 1950, Toledo's athletic director charged BGSU students a higher price for tickets at a basketball game than the general public, while rumors spread of a dog-napping attempt by BGSU against Toledo's mascot.[2] Another incident came in 1951, when a fight broke out after a hard hit by a BGSU player on fullback Mel Triplett. Don Greenwood, then Toledo's coach, participated, and resigned after the university failed to back him up. In Greenwood's view, the officials should have called a penalty for excessive roughness, and he had a duty to protect his players.[1]
Head Coaches
 |
- James Dwyer (1923–1925)
- Frank Lauterbur (1963–1970)
- John Murphy (1971–1976)
- Chuck Stobart (1977–1981)
- Dan Simrell (1982–1989)
- Nick Saban (1990)
- Gary Pinkel (1991–2000)
- Tom Amstutz (2001–2008)
- Tim Beckman (2009–present)
Facilities
- Glass Bowl
- Fetterman Indoor Training Center
- Larimer Athletic Complex
Season Breakdown
- 2009 Toledo Rockets football team
- 2010 Toledo Rockets football team
- 2011 Toledo Rockets football team
Championships and Bowl Games
Toledo has won thirteen conference titles and five division titles. In addition, Toledo has appeared in 11 post-season bowl games since 1969, and has a 7-4-0 record overall.[3][4]
| Year | Coach | Overall | Bowl/playoffs | Coaches# | AP° | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northwestern Ohio Intercollegiate Athletic Association (1921–1930) | |||||||||
| 1923 | James Dwyer | 6–4–0 | |||||||
| 1927 | Boni Petcoff | 5–2–0 | |||||||
| 1929 | Boni Petcoff | 4–2–1 | |||||||
| Mid-American Conference (1951–present) | |||||||||
| 1967 | Frank Lauterbur | 9–1–0 | |||||||
| 1969 | Frank Lauterbur | 11–0–0 | W Tangerine Bowl | ||||||
| 1970 | Frank Lauterbur | 12–0–0 | W Tangerine Bowl | 17 | 12 | ||||
| 1971 | John A. Murphy | 12–0–0 | W Tangerine Bowl | 13 | 14 | ||||
| 1981 | Chuck Stobart | 9–3–0 | W California Bowl | ||||||
| 1984 | Dan Simrell | 8–3–1 | L California Bowl | ||||||
| 1990 | Nick Saban | 9–2–0 | |||||||
| 1995 | Gary Pinkel | 11–0–1 | W Las Vegas Bowl | 24 | 24 | ||||
| 1997 | Gary Pinkel | 9–3 | |||||||
| 1998 | Gary Pinkel | 7–5 | |||||||
| 2001 | Tom Amstutz | 10–2 | W Motor City Bowl | 22 | 23 | ||||
| 2002 | Tom Amstutz | 9–5 | L Motor City Bowl | ||||||
| 2004 | Tom Amstutz | 9–4 | L Motor City Bowl | ||||||
| 2005 | Tom Amstutz | 9–3 | W GMAC Bowl | ||||||
| 2010 | Tim Beckman | 8–5 | L Little Caesars Pizza Bowl | ||||||
| Total: | N/A | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
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External links
References
- ^ a b c d Rothman, Seymour (November 10, 1991). "An intimate, informal, and irreverent look at the early days of UT football". Toledo Blade. Retrieved 2010-01-10.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Rothman, Seymour (February 19, 1950). "TU-Bowling Green Rivalry Overheating Rapidly". Toledo Blade. Retrieved 2010-01-10.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) [dead link] - ^ "Toledo In the Polls". College Football Data Warehouse. Retrieved 2010-01-10.
- ^ "Toledo Composite Championship Listing". College Football Data Warehouse. Retrieved 2010-01-10.