Rutgers Scarlet Knights
First season	1869
Athletic director	Tim Pernetti
Head coach	Greg Schiano
	8th year, 46–51  (.474)
Home stadium	Rutgers Stadium
Stadium capacity	52,454
Stadium surface	Field Turf
Location	Piscataway, New Jersey
Conference	Big East
All-time record	596–589–42 (.503)
Postseason bowl record	3–2–0
Claimed national titles	1 (Shared 1869)
Conference titles	7
Heisman winners	0
Current uniform
Colors	Scarlet
Fight song	The Bells Must Ring
Mascot	Scarlet Knight
Marching band	Marching Scarlet Knights
Website	Rutgers Scarlet Knights

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team represents Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) play. Since the 1991 season, Rutgers has competed within the Big East Conference, having finally abandoned the status of an Independent team.

The Rutgers football program is one of the most historic in the nation. In 1869, the original Rutgers football team defeated Princeton University in the first intercollegiate game ever played.^[1] Rutgers won the game by a score of 6 to 4.

Today, Rutgers is coached by Greg Schiano who has overseen a revival of the program. Schiano's teams struggled for the first four years of his tenure, until 2005, when Rutgers achieved its first winning record in more than a decade. Since then, the Scarlet Knights have compiled a 34–17 record.

[edit] History

Drawing from the first football game played between Rutgers and Princeton.

In 1869, when Rutgers and Princeton met for the inaugural intercollegiate football game, they were the only two teams playing. Rutgers won the first game with a score of six "runs" to Princeton's four, on November 6, 1869.^[2] However, Princeton was victorious in the next game, played the following week, with a score of eight to zero.^[2] A planned third game, scheduled November 29, 1869, did not occur as the faculties of both schools presumably thought that the game would interfere with the studies of the respective school's student bodies.^[3] Other sources claim that it may have been cancelled due to disagreement over what set of rules to play under.^[4] While some might consider the awarding of a championship in the 1869 "season" to be disingenuous—as there were only two teams playing "football" at the time, both showing 1–1 records—Princeton and Rutgers have been regarded as having shared the 1869 national championship.^[5]

The Rutgers College football team in 1882.

From 1946 to 1951, Rutgers was a member of the Middle Three Conference, winning that conference's championship in the first four years as a member, in 1946, 1947, 1948 and 1949. Rutgers became an independent team again in 1952. Rutgers was a member of the Middle Atlantic Conference from 1958 to 1961. The college won the conference championship in three of those four years (1958, 1960, and 1961). The 1961 season was particularly remarkable as it was the Scarlet Knights' first undefeated season (9–0)—with Alabama, one of only two undefeated teams in the nation—and the team was captained by future college football hall-of-famer Alex Kroll.^[6] In 1961, Rutgers was considered a contender for the Rose Bowl, but was not selected because university president Mason Welch Gross did not express interest with the Rose Bowl's organizers.^[7][8] The following year, Rutgers once again went independent, and remained so until it joined the Big East Conference in 1991. In 1976, Rutgers declined an invitation to play an unranked McNeese State University at the Independence Bowl, feeling snubbed by more prestigious bowls despite its undefeated 11–0 season.^[9] On September 12, 1996 Rutgers played their first nationally televised game on ESPN's Thursday night football against the University of Miami. The game was played at Rutgers in the old stadium. Miami won the contest 33-0.

Greg Schiano took over as head coach for the 2001 season. His first four years resulted in losing seasons, however, in 2005, the team achieved its first winning season since 1992. In 2006, the Scarlet Knights achieved a record of 11–2, including a first-ever postseason victory. In the following year, Rutgers received its first ever preseason rank. Since that break-out year in 2005, Rutgers under Schiano has achieved a winning season each year.^[10] The Scarlet Knights have only had one player drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft. In 2009, Kenny Britt was chosen No. 30th overall by the Tennessee Titans in the NFL draft. Britt, an Associated Press All-America selection, is the first player in Rutgers history to be selected in the first round of the NFL Draft. Britt becomes the sixth Scarlet Knight drafted in the last three years. It also marked the third consecutive year that a Scarlet Knight has been taken on the draft’s first day after Brian Leonard (2007) and Ray Rice (2008) were both second round draft selections.

[edit] Logos and uniforms

Rutger's 2009 uniform combinations

Note: Black jerseys and pants were worn only in the 2007 season, and are not part of the team's 2009 uniform combinations.

[edit] Bowl game results

Rutgers has gone to five bowl games in its 140-year history in college football of which it has won four.^[2]

[edit] Seasons

[edit] Head coaches

Twenty-five men have served as head coach of the Rutgers football team since 1891, when the first coach was hired. From 1869 to 1890, and 1892 to 1894, there was no coach.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
• The Official Site of Rutgers Athletics