Elon Phoenix football
Football program representing Elon University
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Elon Phoenix football program is the intercollegiate American football team for the Elon University located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The school first fielded a football team in 1909 and currently competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). After 11 seasons in the Southern Conference, Elon joined the Coastal Athletic Association for all sports, including football, in 2014. The Phoenix play their home games at the 13,100 seat Rhodes Stadium.
7th season, 38–37 (.507)
(capacity: 11,250)
| Elon Phoenix football | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
 | |||
| First season | 1909; 117 years ago | ||
| Head coach | Tony Trisciani 7th season, 38–37 (.507) | ||
| Location | Elon, North Carolina | ||
| Stadium | Rhodes Stadium (capacity: 11,250) | ||
| NCAA division | Division I FCS | ||
| Conference | CAA Football | ||
| Colors | Maroon and gold[1] | ||
| All-time record | 547–489–18 (.528) | ||
| NAIA national championships | |||
| NAIA Division I: 1980, 1981 | |||
| Conference championships | |||
| NSC: 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1938, 1941, 1957 CC: 1963, 1964, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974 SAC: 1976, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1981 | |||
| Website | ElonPhoenix.com | ||
History
Classifications
- 1991–1998: NCAA Division II
- 1999–present: NCAA Division I-AA/FCS
Conference affiliations
- Independent (1909–1931)
- North State Conference/Carolinas Conference (1932–1974)
- South Atlantic Conference (1975–1996)
- NCAA Division II independent (1997–1998)
- NCAA Division I-AA independent (1999–2001)
- Big South Conference (2002)
- Southern Conference (2003–2013)
- Coastal Athletic Association (2014–present)
Postseason history
NCAA Division I-AA/FCS
The Phoenix have appeared in the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs four times. Their record combined is 0–4.
NAIA
The Phoenix, then known as the Fighting Christians, appeared in the NAIA playoffs six times. Their combined record was 10–4.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Semifinals National Championship |
Wisconsin–La Crosse Abilene Christian |
W, 35–24 L, 14–42 |
| 1974 | Semifinals National Championship |
Henderson State Texas A&I |
W, 21–7 L, 23–34 |
| 1976 | Semifinals | Central Arkansas | L, 7–10 |
| 1978 | Quarterfinals Semifinals National Championship |
Concord Grand Valley State Angelo State |
W, 21–6 W, 13–7 L, 14–24 |
| 1980 | Quarterfinals Semifinals National Championship |
Concord East Texas State Northeastern State |
W, 17–14 W, 14–6 W, 17–10 |
| 1981 | Quarterfinals Semifinals National Championship |
Concord Hillsdale Pittsburg State |
W, 38–8 W, 41–13 W, 3–0 |
Championships
National
| Year | Association | Division | Coach | Selector | Record | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | NAIA | Division I | Jerry Tolley | Playoffs | 13–1–0 | Northeastern State (OK) | 17–10 |
| 1981 | NAIA | Division I | Jerry Tolley | Playoffs | 11–1–1 | Pittsburg State | 3–0 |
Conference
| Year | Coach | Conference | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1933 | Peahead Walker | North State Conference | 5–3–1 |
| 1934Co | Peahead Walker | North State Conference | 6–2–1 |
| 1935 | Peahead Walker | North State Conference | 6–4–0 |
| 1936 | Peahead Walker | North State Conference | 6–5–0 |
| 1938Co | Horace Hendrickson | North State Conference | 6–3–0 |
| 1941 | Horace Hendrickson | North State Conference | 8–1–0 |
| 1957 | Sid Varney | North State Conference | 6–0–0 |
| 1963Co | George Tucker | Carolinas Conference | 6–4–0 |
| 1964 | George Tucker | Carolinas Conference | 8–1–1 |
| 1971 | Shirley Wilson | Carolinas Conference | 8–3–0 |
| 1972Co | Shirley Wilson | Carolinas Conference | 7–3–1 |
| 1973 | Shirley Wilson | Carolinas Conference | 12–1–0 |
| 1974 | Shirley Wilson | Carolinas Conference | 10–2–0 |
| 1976 | Shirley Wilson | South Atlantic Conference | 11–1–0 |
| 1977 | Shirley Wilson | South Atlantic Conference | 9–2–0 |
| 1978Co | Shirley Wilson | South Atlantic Conference | 11–2–1 |
| 1980Co | Jerry Tolley | South Atlantic Conference | 13–1–0 |
| 1981 | Jerry Tolley | South Atlantic Conference | 11–1–1 |
| Total | 18 | ||
Notable former players
Future non-conference opponents
Announced schedules as of March 25, 2026.[3]
| 2026 | 2027 | 2028 |
|---|---|---|
| Glenville State | at Charlotte | at Wake Forest |
| at Davidson | Norfolk State | at Norfolk State |
| Wofford | ||
| at Stanford |
