This is a list of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I schools that have never sponsored gridiron football as a varsity sport.
| This article needs additional citations for verification. (February 2013) |
Sprint football, a weight-restricted variant of the sport, has never been overseen by any major national college sports governing body. Schools that have only fielded sprint football teams are considered "non-football" by the NCAA.
More information Name, Location ...
Name |
Location |
Nickname |
Primary conference |
Type |
Enrollment (total) |
Founded |
Bellarmine University[lower-alpha 1] |
Louisville, Kentucky |
Bellarmine Knights |
Atlantic Sun Conference |
private, Catholic |
3,750 |
1950 |
Belmont University |
Nashville, Tennessee |
Belmont Bruins |
Missouri Valley Conference |
private, liberal arts |
7,244 |
1890 |
Binghamton University |
Vestal, New York[lower-alpha 2] |
Binghamton Bearcats |
America East Conference |
public |
16,098 |
1946 |
California State University, Bakersfield |
Bakersfield, California |
Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners |
Big West Conference |
public |
8,720 |
1965 |
Chicago State University |
Chicago, Illinois |
Chicago State Cougars |
Independent |
public |
7,131 |
1867 |
Cleveland State University |
Cleveland, Ohio |
Cleveland State Vikings |
Horizon League |
public |
17,204 |
1923 |
Coppin State University |
Baltimore, Maryland |
Coppin State Eagles |
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference |
public |
2,348 |
1900 |
Fairleigh Dickinson University |
Teaneck, New Jersey |
Fairleigh Dickinson Knights |
Northeast Conference |
private |
11,000 |
1942 |
Florida Gulf Coast University |
Lee County, Florida[lower-alpha 3] |
Florida Gulf Coast Eagles |
Atlantic Sun Conference |
public |
14,673 |
1991 |
George Mason University |
George Mason, Virginia[lower-alpha 4] |
George Mason Patriots |
Atlantic 10 Conference |
public |
33,917 |
1957 |
Grand Canyon University |
Phoenix, Arizona |
Grand Canyon Antelopes |
Western Athletic Conference[lower-alpha 5] |
private |
25,300 (on campus)/103,100 |
1949 |
University of Wisconsin–Green Bay |
Green Bay, Wisconsin |
Green Bay Phoenix |
Horizon League |
public |
6,700 |
1965 |
Indiana University Indianapolis[lower-alpha 6] |
Indianapolis, Indiana |
IU Indy Jaguars |
Horizon League |
public |
30,461 |
1969 |
University of Missouri–Kansas City |
Kansas City, Missouri |
Kansas City Roos |
Summit League |
public |
15,746 |
1933 |
Le Moyne College[lower-alpha 7] |
DeWitt, New York[lower-alpha 8] |
Le Moyne Dolphins |
Northeast Conference |
private, Catholic |
3,409 |
1946 |
Lipscomb University |
Nashville, Tennessee |
Lipscomb Bisons |
Atlantic Sun Conference |
private, Churches of Christ |
4,580 |
1891 |
University of Arkansas at Little Rock[lower-alpha 9] |
Little Rock, Arkansas |
Little Rock Trojans |
Ohio Valley Conference |
public |
13,176 |
1927 |
Longwood University |
Farmville, Virginia |
Longwood Lancers |
Big South Conference |
public |
4,800 |
1839 |
New Jersey Institute of Technology |
Newark, New Jersey |
NJIT Highlanders |
America East Conference |
public |
10,646 |
1881 |
University of New Orleans |
New Orleans |
New Orleans Privateers |
Southland Conference |
public |
8,000 |
1956 |
University of North Florida |
Jacksonville, Florida |
North Florida Ospreys |
Atlantic Sun Conference |
public |
16,372 |
1972 |
Northern Kentucky University |
Highland Heights, Kentucky |
Northern Kentucky Norse |
Horizon League |
public |
14,566 |
1968 |
Oakland University |
Auburn Hills & Rochester Hills, Michigan[lower-alpha 10] |
Oakland Golden Grizzlies |
Horizon League |
public |
20,169 |
1957 |
Oral Roberts University |
Tulsa, Oklahoma |
Oral Roberts Golden Eagles |
Summit League |
private, Christian |
3,335 |
1965 |
Purdue University Fort Wayne[lower-alpha 11] |
Fort Wayne, Indiana |
Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons |
Horizon League |
public |
10,208 |
1964 |
Queens University of Charlotte[lower-alpha 12] |
Charlotte, North Carolina |
Queens Royals[lower-alpha 13] |
Atlantic Sun Conference |
private |
2,463 |
1857 |
Quinnipiac University |
Hamden, Connecticut |
Quinnipiac Bobcats |
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference |
private |
9,000 |
1929 |
Radford University |
Radford, Virginia |
Radford Highlanders |
Big South Conference |
public |
9,798 |
1910 |
Seattle University |
Seattle, Washington |
Seattle Redhawks |
Western Athletic Conference[lower-alpha 5] |
private, Jesuit |
7,755 |
1891 |
University of South Carolina Upstate |
Spartanburg, South Carolina |
USC Upstate Spartans |
Big South Conference |
public |
5,500 |
1967 |
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville |
Edwardsville, Illinois |
SIU Edwardsville Cougars |
Ohio Valley Conference |
public |
13,972 |
1957 |
University of California, Irvine |
Irvine, California |
UC Irvine Anteaters |
Big West Conference |
public, research |
30,757 |
1965 |
University of Maryland, Baltimore County |
Catonsville, Maryland[lower-alpha 14] |
UMBC Retrievers |
America East Conference |
public |
13,979 |
1966 |
University of North Carolina at Asheville[lower-alpha 9] |
Asheville, North Carolina |
UNC Asheville Bulldogs |
Big South Conference |
public |
3,644 |
1927 |
University of North Carolina at Greensboro |
Greensboro, North Carolina |
UNC Greensboro Spartans |
Southern Conference |
public |
18,502 |
1891 |
University of North Carolina Wilmington |
Wilmington, North Carolina |
UNC Wilmington Seahawks |
Colonial Athletic Association |
public |
12,743 |
1979 |
University of Southern Indiana[lower-alpha 12] |
Perry Township, Indiana[lower-alpha 15] |
Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles |
Ohio Valley Conference |
public |
9,758 |
1965 |
University of Texas Rio Grande Valley[lower-alpha 9][lower-alpha 16][lower-alpha 17] |
Edinburg, Texas[lower-alpha 18] |
UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros |
Southland Conference |
public |
28,700 |
1927/ 2015[lower-alpha 19] |
Utah Valley University |
Orem, Utah |
Utah Valley Wolverines |
Western Athletic Conference |
public |
31,556 |
1941 |
Virginia Commonwealth University |
Richmond, Virginia |
VCU Rams |
Atlantic 10 Conference |
public |
31,163 |
1838 |
Winthrop University |
Rock Hill, South Carolina |
Winthrop Eagles |
Big South Conference |
public |
6,170 |
1886 |
Wright State University |
Fairborn, Ohio[lower-alpha 20] |
Wright State Raiders |
Horizon League |
public |
17,595 |
1967 |
Close
Bellarmine added sprint football, a form of the sport with severe limits on player weight that is not governed by the NCAA, in the 2022–23 school year.[1]
The mailing address for the main campus is Fairfax.
Grand Canyon and Seattle join the West Coast Conference in July 2025.
In 2024, the Indiana University and Purdue University systems dissolved IUPUI, replacing it with separate IU- and Purdue-affiliated institutions. The athletic program transferred to the new IU Indianapolis. The athletic branding of the new institution is IU Indy.[2]
Began transition from NCAA Division II to Division I in July 2023. Full D-I membership in 2027.
These schools had football teams when they were junior colleges, but none have since becoming universities.
The campus is physically divided between Auburn Hills and Rochester Hills, and its mailing address is Rochester.
Purdue Fort Wayne inherited its athletic program from the former Indiana University – Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW), which was dissolved on July 1, 2018. Degree programs in health sciences became exclusive to the IU system as Indiana University Fort Wayne, with all other degree programs becoming exclusive to the Purdue system as Purdue University Fort Wayne (PFW). Shortly before the split became official, PFW announced that the athletic program would change its branding from "Fort Wayne" to "Purdue Fort Wayne".
Began transition from NCAA Division II to Division I in July 2022. Full D-I membership in 2026.
Often referred to by media as "Queens (NC)" because of the existence of Queens College in New York City, which remained in D-II after the North Carolina school moved to D-I in 2022.
In January 2021, UTRGV explored the addition of a football program. The university has since confirmed that it will play an exhibition schedule in 2024 before starting full varsity play in 2025. Football will compete in that conference, starting in the 2025 season.[5]
UTRGV has multiple campuses throughout its service area, but its athletic program is based from the former UTPA main campus in Edinburg.
UTRGV was formally founded in 2013 and began full operation in 2015, but inherited its athletic program from UTPA, which was founded in 1927 as the two-year Edinburg College.
The campus mailing address is Dayton.