1985 Furman Paladins football team

American college football season

1985 Furman Paladins football

SoCon champion

NCAA Division I-AA Championship Game, L 42–44 vs. Georgia Southern

Conference| Southern Conference
Record| 12–2 (6–0 SoCon)
Head coach|

* Dick Sheridan (8th season)

Captain| Gene Reeder, Chas Fox, Bobby Lamb
Home stadium| Paladin Stadium

Seasons

<- 1984

1986 ->

1985 Southern Conference football standings

* v
* t
* e

| Conf |  |  | Overall

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Team | W |  | L |  | T |  |  | W |  | L |  | T
No. T–2 Furman $^  | 6  | - | 0  | - | 0 |  |  | 12  | - | 2  | - | 0
No. T–12 Appalachian State | 6  | - | 1  | - | 0 |  |  | 8  | - | 3  | - | 0
Chattanooga | 5  | - | 2  | - | 0 |  |  | 6  | - | 5  | - | 0
Marshall | 3  | - | 3  | - | 1 |  |  | 7  | - | 3  | - | 1
The Citadel | 2  | - | 4  | - | 1 |  |  | 5  | - | 5  | - | 1
Western Carolina | 2  | - | 4  | - | 1 |  |  | 4  | - | 6  | - | 1
VMI | 1  | - | 4  | - | 1 |  |  | 3  | - | 7  | - | 1
East Tennessee State | 0  | - | 7  | - | 0 |  |  | 0  | - | 10  | - | 1

* $ - Conference champion
* ^ - NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant

Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll

The 1985 Furman Paladins football team was an American football team that represented Furman University as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon) during the 1985 NCAA Division I-AA football season. In their eighth year under head coach Dick Sheridan, the Paladins compiled an overall record of 12–2 with a conference mark of 6–0, winning the SoCon title. Furman advanced to the NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship playoffs, where they defeated Rhode Island in the quarterfinals, Nevada in the semifinals, and were upset by Georgia Southern in the NCAA Division I-AA Championship Game.

## Schedule

[edit]

Date| Opponent| Rank| Site| Result| Attendance| Source

|
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|
|
|
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September 7| at South Carolina State*| |

* State College Stadium
* Orangeburg, SC

| W 38–31| | [1]
September 14| Newberry*| |

* Paladin Stadium
* Greenville, SC

| L 21–24| | [2]
September 21| at Western Carolina| |

* Whitmire Stadium
* Cullowhee, NC

| W 31–27| 12,635| [3]
September 28| at NC State*| No. 18|

* Carter–Finley Stadium
* Raleigh, NC

| W 42–20| 36,600| [4]
October 5| at Davidson*A| No. 10|

* Richardson Stadium
* Davidson, NC

| W 58–7| 4,000| [5]
October 12| No. 7 Marshall| No. 9|

* Paladin Stadium
* Greenville, SC

| W 34–3| 11,072| [6]
October 19| East Tennessee State| No. 5|

* Paladin Stadium
* Greenville, SC

| W 35–31| | [7]
October 26| No. 15 Appalachian State| No. 5|

* Paladin Stadium
* Greenville, SC

| W 21–7| 12,224| [8]
November 2| Mars Hill*| No. 2|

* Paladin Stadium
* Greenville, SC

| W 34–10| 13,854| [9]
November 16| at The Citadel| No. 2|

* Johnson Hagood Stadium
* Charleston, SC (rivalry)

| W 42–0| 29,592| [10]
November 23| Chattanooga| No. 2|

* Paladin Stadium
* Greenville, SC

| W 28–0| 13,134| [11]
November 23| No. 7 Rhode Island*| No. 2|

* Paladin Stadium
* Greenville, SC (NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal)

| W 59–15| 9,454| [12]
December 14| at No. T–2 Nevada*| No. T–2|

* Paladin Stadium
* Greenville, SC (NCAA Division I-AA Semifinal)

| W 35–12| 10,461| [13]
December 21| vs. No. 9 Georgia Southern*| No. T–2|

* Tacoma Dome
* Tacoma, WA (NCAA Division I-AA Championship Game)

| L 42–44| 5,306| [14]

* *Non-conference game
* Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee Poll released prior to the game

A.^ Before the start of the season, Southern Conference directors elected to make this game count as a conference game for Davidson, but not for Furman.[15]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Furman comeback tops S.C. State". Anderson Independent-Mail. September 8, 1985. Retrieved March 25, 2022 - via Newspapers.com.
2. ^ "Newberry shocks Furman". The State. September 15, 1985. Retrieved March 26, 2022 - via Newspapers.com.
3. ^ "Furman escapes with close victory over Catamounts". The Charlotte Observer. September 22, 1985. Retrieved March 26, 2022 - via Newspapers.com.
4. ^ "Furman breezes past Wolfpack, 42–20". The News and Observer. September 29, 1985. Retrieved March 26, 2022 - via Newspapers.com.
5. ^ "Furman trounces Davidson 58–7". The Charlotte Observer. October 6, 1985. Retrieved March 26, 2022 - via Newspapers.com.
6. ^ "Furman rolls in 34–3 rout of foe Marshall". The Times and Democrat. October 13, 1985. Retrieved March 26, 2022 - via Newspapers.com.
7. ^ "Bucs get 31 first downs, but still lose to Furman". Kingsport Times-News. October 20, 1985. Retrieved March 26, 2022 - via Newspapers.com.
8. ^ "Paladins cruise past Mountaineers, 21–7". The Greenville News. October 27, 1985. Retrieved March 26, 2022 - via Newspapers.com.
9. ^ "Paladins rip Lions, 34–10". Asheville Citizen-Times. November 3, 1985. Retrieved March 26, 2022 - via Newspapers.com.
10. ^ "Bagwell propels Paladins past hapless Citadel, 42–0". The Times and Democrat. November 17, 1985. Retrieved March 26, 2022 - via Newspapers.com.
11. ^ "Paladins display their championship form, 28–0". The Greenville News. November 24, 1985. Retrieved March 26, 2022 - via Newspapers.com.
12. ^ Ian Thomsen (December 8, 1985). "URI is thrown out of play-offs, 59–15". The Boston Globe. p. 74 - via Newspapers.com.
13. ^ "Furman more than semi-tough". Reno Gazette-Journal. December 15, 1985. Retrieved March 26, 2022 - via Newspapers.com.
14. ^ "Erk's Eagles land with a title". The Atlanta Constitution. December 22, 1985. Retrieved March 26, 2022 - via Newspapers.com.
15. ^ "The Lineup: Furman vs. Davidson". The Columbia Record. October 4, 1985. Retrieved November 26, 2022.

* v
* t
* e

Furman Paladins football

Venues|

* Manly Field (1919–1936)
* Sirrine Stadium (1936–1980)
* Paladin Stadium (1981–present)

Bowls & rivalries|

* The Citadel
* Wofford

Culture & lore|

* Marching Band
* Miracle on the Mountain

People|

* Head coaches
* NFL draftees

Seasons|

* 1889
* 1890
* 1891
* 1892
* 1893
* 1894
* 1895
* 1896
* 1897–1899
* 1900
* 1901
* 1902
* 1903–1912
* 1913
* 1914
* 1915
* 1916
* 1917
* 1918
* 1919
* 1920
* 1921
* 1922
* 1923
* 1924
* 1925
* 1926
* 1927
* 1928
* 1929
* 1930
* 1931
* 1932
* 1933
* 1934
* 1935
* 1936
* 1937
* 1938
* 1939
* 1940
* 1941
* 1942
* 1943–1945
* 1946
* 1947
* 1948
* 1949
* 1950
* 1951
* 1952
* 1953
* 1954
* 1955
* 1956
* 1957
* 1958
* 1959
* 1960
* 1961
* 1962
* 1963
* 1964
* 1965
* 1966
* 1967
* 1968
* 1969
* 1970
* 1971
* 1972
* 1973
* 1974
* 1975
* 1976
* 1977
* 1978
* 1979
* 1980
* 1981
* 1982
* 1983
* 1984
* 1985
* 1986
* 1987
* 1988
* 1989
* 1990
* 1991
* 1992
* 1993
* 1994
* 1995
* 1996
* 1997
* 1998
* 1999
* 2000
* 2001
* 2002
* 2003
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009
* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024

National championship seasons in bold

* v
* t
* e

Southern Conference football champions

Pre-SEC|

* Vanderbilt, Georgia Tech & North Carolina (1922)
* Vanderbilt & Washington and Lee (1923)
* Alabama (1924)
* Alabama & Tulane (1925)
* Alabama (1926)
* Georgia Tech, Tennessee, & NC State (1927)
* Georgia Tech (1928)
* Tulane (1929)
* Alabama & Tulane (1930)
* Tulane (1931)
* Tennessee & Auburn & LSU (1932)

Pre-ACC|

* Duke (1933)
* Washington and Lee (1934)
* Duke (1935)
* Duke (1936)
* Maryland (1937)
* Duke (1938)
* Duke (1939)
* Clemson (1940)
* Duke (1941)
* William & Mary (1942)
* Duke (1943)
* Duke (1944)
* Duke (1945)
* North Carolina (1946)
* William & Mary (1947)
* Clemson (1948)
* North Carolina (1949)
* Washington and Lee (1950)
* Maryland & VMI (1951)
* Duke (1952)

Post-ACC|

* West Virginia (1953)
* West Virginia (1954)
* West Virginia (1955)
* West Virginia (1956)
* VMI (1957)
* West Virginia (1958)
* VMI (1959)
* VMI (1960)
* The Citadel (1961)
* VMI (1962)
* Virginia Tech (1963)
* West Virginia (1964)
* West Virginia (1965)
* East Carolina & William & Mary (1966)
* West Virginia (1967)
* Richmond (1968)
* Davidson & Richmond (1969)
* William & Mary (1970)
* Richmond (1971)
* East Carolina (1972)
* East Carolina (1973)
* VMI (1974)
* Richmond (1975)
* East Carolina (1976)
* Chattanooga & VMI (1977)
* Chattanooga & Furman (1978)
* Chattanooga (1979)
* Furman (1980)
* Furman (1981)

I-AA/FCS|

* Furman (1982)
* Furman (1983)
* Chattanooga (1984)
* Furman (1985)
* Appalachian State (1986)
* Appalachian State (1987)
* Furman & Marshall (1988)
* Furman (1989)
* Furman (1990)
* Appalachian State (1991)
* The Citadel (1992)
* Georgia Southern (1993)
* Marshall (1994)
* Appalachian State (1995)
* Marshall (1996)
* Georgia Southern (1997)
* Georgia Southern (1998)
* Appalachian State, Furman, & Georgia Southern (1999)
* Georgia Southern (2000)
* Furman & Georgia Southern (2001)
* Georgia Southern (2002)
* Wofford (2003)
* Furman & Georgia Southern (2004)
* Appalachian State (2005)
* Appalachian State (2006)
* Appalachian State & Wofford (2007)
* Appalachian State (2008)
* Appalachian State (2009)
* Appalachian State & Wofford (2010)
* Georgia Southern (2011)
* Appalachian State, Georgia Southern, & Wofford (2012)
* Chattanooga, Furman, & Samford (2013)
* Chattanooga (2014)
* Chattanooga & The Citadel (2015)
* The Citadel (2016)
* Wofford (2017)
* East Tennessee State, Furman, & Wofford (2018)
* Wofford (2019)
* VMI (2020)
* East Tennessee State (2021)
* Samford (2022)
* Furman (2023)

National championships in bold

* v
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* e

1985 NCAA Division I-AA football playoff participants

* Akron
* Arkansas State
* Eastern Washington
* Furman
* Georgia Southern
* Grambling State
* Idaho
* Jackson State
* Middle Tennessee
* Nevada
* Northern Iowa
* Rhode Island

Champion – Georgia Southern Eagles

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*[v]: View this template
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*[Conf]: Conference record
*[W]: Wins
*[L]: Losses
*[T]: Ties
*[No.]: Number