Stillman Tigers football
| Stillman Tigers football | |
|---|---|
| First season | 1999 |
| Last season | 2015 |
| Stadium | Stillman Stadium (capacity: 9,000) |
| Field surface | Natural Grass |
| Location | Tuscaloosa, Alabama |
| Conference | SIAC |
| All-time record | 90–84 (.517) |
| Rivalries | Miles Golden Bears West Alabama |
| Colors | Navy blue and Vegas gold[1] |
| Mascot | Tigers |
| Marching band | Blue Pride Marching Band |
The Stillman Tigers football team represented Stillman College in the NCAA Division II, competing as part of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference until 2015. Stillman played its home games at the 9,000 seat Stillman Stadium, which is located on-campus in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Although only fielding a team since the 1999 season, Stillman previously fielded a team that was disbanded following the 1950 season.[2] The program was discontinued after their 2015 season when the school eliminated all athletic teams, except for men's and women's basketball, due to increased costs associated with the athletic program.[3][4]
History
[edit]Stillman originally fielded a football squad for the 1922 season, and would compete on and off through its abandonment following the 1950 season.[5] By 1999, the football program was revived and on September 4, 1999, the Tigers were defeated by Arkansas-Monticello 30–7 in the first Stillman game since 1950.[6] Competing as a Division III Independent though the 2003 season, Stillman would revive its rivalry game with Miles College in 2001 as the Steel City Classic.[7] The Tigers would enter the 2003 season as a Division II Independent, and compete as an Independent through the 2005 season when Stillman was admitted to the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in football. Stillman College football discontinued after the fall season of 2015.[8]
Following the 2008 season, Greg Thompson was fired as head coach, and on December 3, 2008, L. C. Cole was announced as the program's third head coach since the reinstatement of the program in 1999.[9] In the 2009 NFL draft, the Detroit Lions drafted defensive tackle Sammie Hill, the first player from Stillman to be drafted. He is also the second to play in the NFL from Stillman after Brian Witherspoon was signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars as an undrafted free agent in 2008.[10] Following the 2010 season, Cole was fired as head coach, and on December 3, 2010, Stillman alumnus Teddy Keaton was announced as the program's fourth and last head coach since the reinstatement of the program in 1999.[11] The program was discontinued after they completed their 2015 season.[3][4]
Seasons
[edit]| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | Coaches# | AP° | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stillman Tigers (Division III Independent) (1999–2002) | |||||||||
| 1999 | Theophilus Danzy | 3–6 | Independent | ||||||
| 2000 | Theophilus Danzy | 6–3 | Independent | ||||||
| 2001 | Theophilus Danzy | 6–3 | Independent | ||||||
| 2002 | Theophilus Danzy | 8–2 | Independent | ||||||
| Stillman Tigers (Division II Independent) (2003–2004) | |||||||||
| 2003 | Theophilus Danzy | 5–5 | Independent | ||||||
| 2004 | Theophilus Danzy | 5–5 | Independent | ||||||
| Stillman Tigers (Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) (2005–2015) | |||||||||
| 2005 | Theophilus Danzy | 6–4 | SIAC | 4th | |||||
| 2006 | Greg Thompson | 6–4 | SIAC | T–4th | |||||
| 2007 | Greg Thompson | 7–4 | SIAC | T–5th | |||||
| 2008 | Greg Thompson | 3–8 | SIAC | 8th | |||||
| 2009 | L. C. Cole | 4–7 | SIAC | 9th | |||||
| 2010 | L. C. Cole | 3–8 | SIAC | 9th | |||||
| 2011 | Teddy Keaton | 7–4 | SIAC | T–1st (West) | |||||
| 2012 | Teddy Keaton | 6–5 | SIAC | 3rd (West) | |||||
| 2013 | Teddy Keaton | 6–5 | SIAC | T–2nd (West) | |||||
| 2014 | Teddy Keaton | 6–5 | SIAC | 3rd (West) | |||||
| 2015 | Teddy Keaton | 3–6 | SIAC | T–4th (West) | |||||
| Total: | 90–84 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
Head coaches
[edit]| Tenure | Coach | Years | Record | Pct. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999–2005 | Theophilus Danzy | 7 | 39–28 | .582 |
| 2006–2008 | Greg Thompson | 3 | 16–16 | .500 |
| 2009–2010 | L. C. Cole | 2 | 7–15 | .318 |
| 2010–2015 | Teddy Keaton | 5 | 27–26 | .509 |
| Totals | 4 coaches | 18 | 90–84 | .517 |
References
[edit]- ^ "About Stillman Athletics". Retrieved September 10, 2016.
- ^ Crenshaw Jr., Solomon (August 19, 1999). "The new game in town: Football's back at Stillman after 50-year hiatus". The Birmingham News.
- ^ a b Stephenson, Creg (December 3, 2015). "Stillman to drop football, all other sports except basketball". AL.com. Retrieved April 4, 2017.
- ^ a b Deas, Tommy (December 3, 2015). "Stillman College to eliminate football program". The Tuscaloosa News. Retrieved April 4, 2017.
- ^ Stillman College Tigers 2006 Football Preseason Prospectus "Football History," Stillman College, 2006. p. 3. Accessed 2008-12-29
- ^ Muro, Louis (September 5, 1999). "Stillman celebrates return despite loss". The Birmingham News.
- ^ Muro, Louis (September 28, 2001). "Long time coming - After 51 years, Miles, Stillman meet again". The Birmingham News.
- ^ "Stillman College dropping football, other sports". ABC 33/40. December 3, 2015.
- ^ Carroll, Andrew (December 4, 2008). "L.C. Cole is Stillman Tigers' new head football coach". The Tuscaloosa News.
- ^ Walsh, Christopher (April 27, 2009). "West Blocton's Hill taken in fourth round by Lions". The Tuscaloosa News.
- ^ Carroll, Andrew (December 8, 2010). "Keaton enthusiastic about Stillman College job".