Duquesne Dukes football


The Duquesne Dukes football program is the intercollegiate American football team for Duquesne University located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision and is a member of the Northeast Conference.
Duquesne has played football as a club team from 1891–1894, 1896–1903, 1913–1914, and 1920–1928, in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision from 1929–1942 and 1947–1950, again as a club team from 1969–1978, in NCAA Division III from 1979–1992 and in the NCAA Division I FCS from 1993–present.
The Dukes have won or shared 16 conference championships in the past 25 years.
The team plays its home games at the 2,200-seat Arthur J. Rooney Athletic Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Dukes are coached by Jerry Schmitt.
The Dukes have qualified for the FCS playoffs twice due to an automatic bid for being NEC champions in 2015 at 8-3 and again in 2018 at 8-3.

History

The Dukes started play in 1891 and have had a continuous program since 1969. They were Northeast Conference co-champions in 2011, 2013, 2016 and 2018 and outright champions in 2015. Previously, Duquesne football was a member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, winning or sharing 11 conference titles.
Duquesne was the ECAC Bowl champions and NCAA Division I FCS Mid-Major National Champions in 2003. The team was the 1995 ECAC Bowl Champions, as well. Duquesne was rated #1 in NCAA Division I by the Massey Ratings for the 1941 season and won a NCFA Club National Championship in 1973 after the program was revived in 1969 by then student-athlete Sam Costanzo in cooperation with university administration.

Major bowl games

The Dukes had some success before NCAA college football's alignment into divisions. Duquesne won the 1934 Festival of Palms Bowl and 1937 Orange Bowl. The Dukes turned down invitations from the Cotton Bowl, Sun Bowl, and Olympic Bowl in 1939.

FBS AP Poll appearances

From 1933 to 1942, Duquesne was among the elite college football teams in the United States, garnering the sixth-highest winning percentage in the nation behind Alabama, Tennessee, Duke, Fordham and Notre Dame. In 1941, Duquesne finished the season undefeated and untied, earning a No. 8 Associated Press ranking while leading the nation in scoring defense, rushing defense and total defense.
Duquesne is noted for establishing numerous firsts in collegiate football. Former head coach Elmer Layden is credited with devising the system of hand signals that officials use today. The signal system was put to use for the first time on November 11, 1928, when Duquesne hosted Thiel College at Pitt Stadium. Layden was also the first coach to use two sets of uniform jerseys for home and away contests. In 1929, graduate student manager John Holohan conceived the idea of Pittsburgh's first night game at Forbes Field. On the evening of November 1 that year, the Dukes made history by defeating Geneva College, 27-7, in front of more than 27,000 spectators. This led to the Duquesne Football team's nickname "the Night Riders."
At the club level, Duquesne won the 1973 National Club Football Association national championship at Three Rivers Stadium and was runner-up in 1977.
The Dukes football team also boasts the greatest all-time intraconference winning streak in NCAA Division I FCS history with 39 straight wins in the MAAC. The 39-game streak also ties for the second-longest intraconference winning streak in NCAA Division I Football history, five games shy of the all-time record.

Some notable former players

Notable alumni include:
Yellow =.500 record; Orange = above.500 record; Green = undefeated
YearWinsLossesTiesCoachRankingRegular Season Championship/Postseason AppearanceNational Championship
Total46833625---
2019650Jerry Schmitt-
2018940Jerry Schmitt#22 NCAA Division I FCS Writers Poll, #24 NCAA Division I FCS Coaches PollNortheast Conference Champions/National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Second Round-
2017740Jerry Schmitt-
2016830Jerry SchmittNEC Champions-
2015840Jerry SchmittNEC Champions/NCAA Division I First Round-
2014660Jerry Schmitt-
2013740Jerry SchmittNEC Champions-
2012560Jerry Schmitt-
2011920Jerry SchmittNEC Champions-
2010740Jerry Schmitt-
2009380Jerry Schmitt-
2008370Jerry Schmitt-
2007640Jerry Schmitt#8 NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision Mid-Major Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Champions-
2006730Jerry Schmitt#6 NCAA Division I FCS Mid-Major MAAC Champions-
2005730Jerry Schmitt#3 NCAA Division I FCS Mid-Major MAAC Champions-
2004730Greg Gattuso#5 NCAA Division I FCS Mid-Major MAAC Champions-
2003830Greg Gattuso#1 NCAA Division I FCS Mid-Major MAAC Champions
Eastern College Athletic Conference Bowl Champions		NCAA Division I FCS Mid-Major National Champions
20021110Greg Gattuso#2 NCAA Division I FCS Mid-Major MAAC Champions
ECAC Bowl Runners-up		-
2001830Greg Gattuso#4 NCAA Division I FCS Mid-Major MAAC Champions
ECAC Bowl Runners-up		-
20001010Greg GattusoMAAC Champions-
1999830Greg GattusoMAAC Champions-
1998830Greg Gattuso-
1997730Greg Gattuso-
19961010Greg GattusoMAAC Champions
ECAC Bowl Runners-up		-
19951010Greg GattusoMAAC Champions
ECAC Bowl Champions		-
1994640Greg Gattuso'-
1993460Greg Gattuso'-
1992540Dan McCann-
1991090Dan McCann-
1990181Dan McCann-
1989640Dan McCann-
1988270Dan McCann-
1987270Terry Russell-
1986531Terry Russell-
1985360Terry Russell-
1984351Terry Russell-
1983541Dan McCann-
1982630Dan McCann-
1981450Dan McCann-
1980450Dan McCann-
1979540Dan McCann'-
1978530Dan McCann#7 club football -
1977720Dan McCann#2 club football NCFA Championship Game Runners-up-
1976620Dan McCann#4 club football -
1975540Dan McCann-
1974520Dan McCann#6 club football -
19731000Dan McCann#1 club football Children's Hospital Bowl ChampionsNCFA National Champions
1972710Dan McCann#3 club football -
1971440Dan McCann-
1970431Dan McCann#15 club football -
1969240Joe Nicoletti'-
1950261Phil Ahwesh / Doc Skender-
1949360Phil Ahwesh-
1948270Kass Kovalcheck-
1947280Kass Kovalcheck-
1942630Aldo Donelli-
1941800Aldo Donelli#8 NCAA Division I FBS #1 NCAA Division I FBS
1940710Aldo Donelli-
1939801Aldo Donelli#10 NCAA Division I FBS declined Cotton Bowl, Sun Bowl and "Olympic Bowl" invitations-
1938460Clipper Smith-
1937640Clipper Smith-
1936820Clipper Smith#14 NCAA Division I FBS Orange Bowl Champions-
1935630Christy Flanagan-
1934820Joe Bach-
19331010Elmer LaydenFestival of Palms Bowl Champions-
1932721Elmer Layden-
1931353Elmer Layden-
1930730Elmer Layden-
1929901Elmer Layden-
1928810Elmer Layden-
1927441Elmer Layden-
1926251Frank McDermott-
1925070Frank McDermott-
1924242Mike Shortley-
1923440Hal Ballin-
1922080Hal Ballin-
1921041E.A. Jake Stahl-
1920331E.A. Jake Stahl-
1914150Dr. Budd-
1913351Dr. Budd-
1903350T.A. Giblin-
1902160Captain Hickson-
1901120Coach UnknownRecord Incomplete-
1900231Coach UnknownRecord Incomplete-
1899202WalkerRecord Incomplete-
1898541J. Van CleveRecord Incomplete-
1897241J.P. WolfeRecord Incomplete-
18961210Mr. Brown-
1894721Dr. G.S. Proctor-
1893020Coach UnknownRecord Incomplete-

1891-1892: Results Unavailable

Conference championships

FCS Playoffs results

The Dukes have made two appearances in the FCS Playoffs. Their combined record is 1–2.
2015First RoundWilliam & MaryL 49–52
2018First Round
Second Round		Towson
South Dakota State		W 31–10
L 6–51

Major bowl game appearances