Norfolk State Spartans football
College football team
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The Norfolk State Spartans football team represents Norfolk State University in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level, as a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). The Spartans play home games at William "Dick" Price Stadium in Norfolk, Virginia.
2nd season, 1–11 (.083)
(capacity: 30,000[1])
| Norfolk State Spartans football | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| |||
| First season | 1938 | ||
| Head coach | Michael Vick 2nd season, 1–11 (.083) | ||
| Location | Norfolk, Virginia | ||
| Stadium | William "Dick" Price Stadium (capacity: 30,000[1]) | ||
| NCAA division | Division I FCS | ||
| Conference | MEAC | ||
| Colors | Green and gold[2] | ||
| All-time record | 354–416–13 (.460) | ||
| Bowl record | 0–3 (.000) | ||
| Conference championships | |||
| EIAC: 1941, 1949, 1950, 1957, 1959 CIAA: 1974, 1975, 1976, 1984 | |||
| Division championships | |||
| CIAA North: 1984 | |||
| Rivalries | Hampton (rivalry) Old Dominion (rivalry) | ||
| Mascot | Spartans | ||
| Website | NSU Athletics | ||
History
_(cropped).jpg)
Classifications
- 1956–1972: NCAA College Division
- 1965–1969: NAIA
- 1970–1984: NAIA Division I
- 1973–1996: NCAA Division II
- 1997–present: NCAA Division I-AA/FCS
Conference memberships
- 1938–1939: Independent
- 1940–1961: Eastern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
- 1962–1996: Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association
- 1997–1998: NCAA Division I-AA independent
- 1999–present: Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
Championships
Conference championships
| Year | Coach | Conference | Conference record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1941 | James Gill | Eastern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | 3–0–1 |
| 1949 | Leroy Porter | Eastern Athletic Intercollegiate Conference | 5–0 |
| 1950 | Leroy Porter | Eastern Athletic Intercollegiate Conference | 4–0–1 |
| 1957 | Joe Echols | Eastern Athletic Intercollegiate Conference | 4–0 |
| 1959 | Joe Echols | Eastern Athletic Intercollegiate Conference | 5–1 |
| 1974 | Dick Price | Central Intercollegiate Athletics Association | 8–0 |
| 1975 | Dick Price | Central Intercollegiate Athletics Association | 7–1 |
| 1976 | Dick Price | Central Intercollegiate Athletics Association | 7–1 |
| 1984 | Willard Bailey | Central Intercollegiate Athletics Association | 6–1 |
Division championships
| Year | Coach | Division | Division Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Willard Bailey | CIAA Northern Division |
Postseason results
Bowl games
The Spartans have appeared in four bowl games, with a record of 0–3–1.[3]
| Season | Bowl | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1947 | Cotton-Tobacco Bowl | Richmond | T 0–0 |
| 1974 | Gate City Bowl | Tuskegee | L 14–15 |
| 1976 | Bicentennial Bowl | South Carolina State | L 10–26 |
| 1979 | Gold Bowl | South Carolina State | L 7–39 |
NCAA Division I playoffs
The Spartans have appeared in the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs one time with an overall record of 0–1.
| Season | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | First Round | Old Dominion | L 18–35 |
NCAA Division II playoffs
The Bears have appeared in the NCAA Division II football championship playoffs one time with an overall record of 0–1.
| Season | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Quarterfinals | Towson State | L 21–31 |
Rivalries
Old Dominion
NSU and Old Dominion played for the first time on November 26, 2011 in the first round of the FCS playoffs which resulted in a 35–18 Spartan loss. Old Dominion and NSU announced a new deal for a home and away series in 2013 and 2015 to help fill out open game dates for ODU's transition to the FBS.[4] ODU plays at Foreman Field; NSU at Dick Price Stadium.
| Norfolk State victories | Old Dominion victories | Tie games |
| No. | Date | Location | Winning team | Losing team | Series | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | November 26, 2011 | Foreman Field | #10 Old Dominion | 35 | #19 Norfolk State | 18 | Old Dominion 1–0 |
| 2 | October 26, 2013 | Dick Price Stadium | Old Dominion | 27 | Norfolk State | 24 | Old Dominion 2–0 |
| 3 | September 12, 2015 | Foreman Field | Old Dominion | 24 | Norfolk State | 10 | Old Dominion 3–0 |
Hampton
As of the 2025 season, Norfolk State has a 30–29–1 series lead over the Pirates of Hampton University, another historically black university in the Hampton Roads area.
Future non-conference opponents
Announced schedules as of February 18, 2026[5]
| 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | 2030 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winston–Salem State | at Old Dominion | vs Jackson State1 | at Wake Forest | at East Carolina |
| at Old Dominion | North Carolina A&T | at Rutgers | at Miami (OH) | at James Madison |
| at Virginia | Richmond | Elon | ||
| Hampton | at Towson | VMI | ||
| at Chicago State | at Elon | |||
| at Robert Morris | ||||
| Virginia–Lynchburg |
Notes
- Norfolk State won the 2011 MEAC football title, but the championship was subsequently stripped by the NCAA in June 2016.
