The Gardner–Webb Runnin' Bulldogs football program is the intercollegiate American football team for Gardner–Webb University in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The team competes in the Division I FCS and are members of the Big South–OVC Football Association.[2] Gardner–Webb's first football team was fielded in 1970. The team plays its home games at the 9,000-seat Ernest W. Spangler StadiuminBoiling Springs, North Carolina. The Runnin' Bulldogs are coached by Cris Reisert.
| Gardner–Webb Runnin' Bulldogs | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
 | |||
| First season | 1970; 54 years ago (1970) | ||
| Athletic director | Andrew T. Goodrich | ||
| Head coach | Cris Reisert 1st season, 0–0 (–) | ||
| Stadium | Ernest W. Spangler Stadium (capacity: 9,000) | ||
| Field surface | Turf | ||
| Location | Boiling Springs, North Carolina | ||
| NCAA division | Division I FCS | ||
| Conference | Big South–OVC Football Association | ||
| All-time record | 270–309–2 (.466) | ||
| Conference titles | 6 | ||
| Colors | Red and black[1] | ||
| Marching band | The Sounds of the Springs | ||
| Website | GWUSports.com | ||
| Year | Coach | Conference | Overall record | Conference record | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Woody Fish | South Atlantic Conference | 11–2 | 6–1 | |
| 1992 | 12–2 | 7–0 | |||
| 2002 | Steve Patton | Big South Conference | 9–1 | 3–0 | |
| 2003 | 8–4 | 4–0 | |||
| 2022 | Tre Lamb | 7–6 | 5–0 | ||
| 2023† | Big South–OVC Football Association | 7–5 | 5–1 | ||
| Conference Championships | 6 | ||||
† denotes co-championship
The Runnin' Bulldogs appeared in the NAIA playoffs two times, with an overall record of 3–2.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | First Round Quarterfinals |
Moorhead State Carson–Newman |
W, 27–7 L, 24–27 |
| 1992 | Quarterfinals Semifinals National Championship Game |
Concord Shepherd Central State |
W, 28–21 W, 22–7 L, 16–19 |
The Runnin' Bulldogs have appeared in the NCAA Division I FCS playoffs two times, with an overall record of 1–2.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | First Round Second Round |
Eastern Kentucky William & Mary |
W, 52–41 L, 14–54 |
| 2023 | First Round | Mercer | L, 7–17 |
Notable alumni include:
Future non-conference opponents announced as of January 19, 2023.[4]
| 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| atAppalachian State | atJames Madison | atWestern Carolina | atThe Citadel | ||
| Elon | atCharlotte | atGeorgia Tech | |||
| atEast Carolina | The Citadel | ||||
| atAustin Peay | atOhio | ||||
| Eastern Kentucky |
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