The Stetson Hatters football program is the intercollegiate American football team for Stetson University located in the U.S. state of Florida. The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and are members of the Pioneer Football League. Stetson's first football team was fielded in 1901, but the school dropped the sport in 1956 and did not reinstate it until 2013. The team plays its home games at the 6,000 seat Spec Martin Stadium in DeLand, Florida. The Hatters are coached by Michael Jasper.

History

The first organized football game in the state of Florida was an intramural contest between teams from Stetson. Played on November 29, 1894 on a field were the Cummings Gymnasium was later built, the "Forbes" team (named after university president John Forbes) coached by C.B. Rosa defeated the “Stetson” team coached by Harvey MacQuiston. Several more intramural games were played before a three-year suspension of football was instituted due to the perceived brutality of the sport.

On November 22, 1901, Stetson participated in the first intercollegiate football game in the state of Florida. Stetson beat Florida Agricultural College 6–0 in a game played as part of the State Fair in Jacksonville. Stetson claims state titles in 1901, 1903, 1905, 1906, 1907, and 1909.

The Hatters participated in one bowl game, the 1952 Tangerine Bowl. They won 35–20 over Arkansas State.

After a 57-year hiatus, on August 31, 2013, Stetson revived their football program against Warner University (who were playing in their inaugural football game) at Spec Martin Stadium. The Hatters held a lead of 10–3 with 12:35 remaining in the 2nd quarter when the game was suspended due to lightning. After more than a two-hour delay, the game was officially postponed until the next day. On September 1, 2013, the game resumed, and Stetson won 31–3. It was Stetson's first win since defeating the University of Havana 64–0 at the end of the 1956 season.

On May 5, 2017, Donald Payne was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Baltimore Ravens. Though he would be cut, he would be picked up by the Jacksonville Jaguars, where he would become a star on special teams, becoming the first player from Stetson to play in the NFL. Payne spent two months on the injured reserve list at Jacksonville near the end of 2018, and was waived in May 2019. He would then sign with the Ravens in August 2019

Stetson finished their 2018 season 8–2, finishing second in the PFL and finishing with their first winning record since renewing the program.

Classifications 2013–present: NCAA Division I FCS

Conference memberships 1901–1925: Independent 1926–1931: Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association 1932: Independent 1933–1940: Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association 1941–1947: Independent 1948–1949: Dixie Conference 1950–1956: Independent 1957–2012: No team 2013–present: Pioneer Football League

Notable former players

Notable alumni include:

Donald Payne- LB, Washington Commanders Donald Parham - TE, Los Angeles Chargers

List of head coaches Statistics correct as of the end of the 2024 season The Hatters have had 15 head coaches in over 50 seasons of (interrupted) play, with no play in 1915, from 1917 to 1918, 1941–1945, and 1957–2012. # Name Term GC OW OL OT O% PW PL 1 7 4 1 2 — — 2 22 13 6 3 — — 3 7 5 2 0 — — 4 3 3 0 0 — — 5 5 1 4 0 — — 6 4 3 1 0 — — 7 25 11 14 0 — — 8 102 53 40 9 — — 9 79 32 40 7 — — 10 10 4 5 1 — — 11 21 16 3 2 12 19 6 10 3 — — 13 81 31 50 0 — — 14 43 13 30 0 — — 15 12 3 9 0 — —

Bowl game appearances Date Bowl Opponent Result January 1, 1952 Tangerine Bowl Arkansas State W 35–20 Total 1 bowl game 1–0

Championships

Future non-conference opponents Announced schedules as of July 27, 2026.

at South Dakota State at West Georgia at West Georgia Webber International at Bethune–Cookman at UC Davis

Notes and references

External links