Rutgers

On November 6, 1869, Rutgers University and Princeton University competed in the first ever intercollegiate football game. The site for the contest was a small plot of land on what is now College Avenue on Rutgers' campus in New Brunswick, New Jersey. The structure of the game resembled more of a rugby-style contest in which players were allowed to kick and bat the ball with their fists and hands, instead of modern-day football. At the time, Rutgers was referred to as the Queensmen, a homage to the school's chartered name of Queen's College. The Rutgers squad was captained by William J. Leggett and donned scarlet kerchiefs atop their heads in an effort to distinguish between the two teams. Rutgers won the contest by a score of 6–4. A week after the first game was held in New Brunswick, Rutgers visited Princeton for a second matchup. This time, Princeton prevailed by a score of 8–0. Rutgers and Princeton had planned for a third game in the 1869 season, but the contest never took place due to fears that the games were interfering with the students' studies. Thus, both schools would end the season with a record of 1–1. From 1929 to 1975, Rutgers was a member of the Middle Three Conference, which consisted of a round-robin against Lafayette College and Lehigh University. J. Wilder Tasker served as the head football coach of the Queensmen football program for seven seasons, from 1931 to 1937. Under his leadership, the Scarlet Knights compiled a record of 31–27–5. Tasker was replaced by Harvey Harman, who led the team from 1938 through the 1940s and into the 1950s (Rutgers did not field a football team from 1942 to 1946 due to World War II). Harman's record was 33–26–1 in a total of 14 seasons. Succeeding Tasker was John Stiegman, who compiled a record of 22–15 in four seasons. Starting in 1940, the 'conference champion' received the Little Brass Cannon. Following Lehigh's capture of the Little Brass Cannon in 1951, Rutgers became an independent team in 1952, but Rutgers still played games against Lafayette and the Middle Three round-robin in the 1953 season.

John Bateman succeeded Stiegman and coached the Scarlet Knights for 13 seasons, compiling a record of 73–51. After compiling an 8–1 record in their first year under Bateman, the 1961 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team compiled a pefect 9–0 record, the first undefeated season in program history, and won the Middle Atlantic Conference University Division championship. Center Alex Kroll was the 1961 team captain and selected as a consensus All-American. In 1961, Rutgers was one of two major teams to compile a perfect season, Alabama being the other. The Scarlet Knights were considered a contender for the Rose Bowl, but were not selected because university president Mason Welch Gross did not express the same interest with the Rose Bowl's organizers. Rutgers also compiled an 8–2 campaign in 1968. Although Rutgers continued to be a part of the Middle Three until 1975, Rutgers became a member of the Middle Atlantic Conference from 1958 to 1961. Rutgers won the conference championship in three of those four years (1958, 1960, and 1961) and was awarded the Wilmington Touchdown Club Trophy. Rutgers then again became independent, and then remained so until it joined the Big East Conference in 1991.

Frank Burns was promoted from assistant coach, to head coach after John Bateman's departure, under Burns, the Scarlet Knights enjoyed eight consecutive winning seasons, which included a 9–2 campaign in the 1975 season, and a perfect 11–0 season in 1976, followed by winning records of 8–3, 9–3, 8–3 and 7–4 seasons. In 1976, Rutgers declined an invitation to play an unranked McNeese State University team at the inaugural Independence Bowl, by feeling snubbed by more prestigious bowl games despite their 11–0 perfect season.

In 1978, Rutgers appeared in its first bowl game, the Garden State Bowl, which it lost to Arizona State by a score of 34–18. However, with consecutive 5–6 campaigns in 1981 and 1982, and a 3–8 record in 1983, resulted in Frank Burns being dismissed as Rutgers head coach. Frank Burns left Rutgers with a 78–43–1 overall record.

Penn State offensive line coach Dick Anderson was hired to replace Burns in 1984. The Scarlet Knights mostly struggled during Dick Anderson's tenure as head coach despite winning records in 1984, 1986 and 1987, which resulted in Anderson's firing after the end of the 1989 season.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive coordinator Doug Graber took over the Rutgers football program starting in 1990. Under Graber's tutelage, the Scarlet Knights achieved winning seasons in 1991 and 1992, but struggled to maintain consistency and, following a 4–7 campaign in 1995, Graber was fired with two years remaining on his original seven-year contract. Rutgers joined the Big East Conference in all sports in 1991. The team struggled to compete throughout the 1990s, facing powerhouse teams from Virginia Tech, Miami, and West Virginia on a yearly basis.

Longtime assistant coach Terry Shea was hired to replace Graber in December 1995, However, the Rutgers program suffered its worst five-year stretch in program history. Shea's tenure not only failed to produce a single winning season, it failed to win more than three games in a single season with the exception of a 5–6 campaign in 1998. After the 2000 season Shea was fired.

Greg Schiano took over as head coach after Terry Shea's termination. Despite some early recruiting successes, his first four years resulted in losing seasons. In 2005, the team achieved its first winning season since Graber's 7-4 campaign in 1992, which notched them a rematch bowl berth against Arizona State in the 2005 Insight Bowl. In that game, Rutgers lost 45–40 in a shootout, but was led by a 100-yard rushing performance from freshman running back Ray Rice. In 2006, Rutgers started the season with nine straight wins, culminating in a momentous eighteen-point comeback victory at home against the Louisville Cardinals, ranked third at the time, in what became known as the "Pandemonium In Piscataway." Kicker Jeremy Ito sealed the 28–25 win with a field goal.

The following week, Rutgers got to its highest polling rank in school history, topping out at No. 7 in the AP Poll and No. 6 in the BCS. At year's end, the Scarlet Knights had a record of 11–2 and a postseason rank of No. 12 in the AP Poll, with a victory in the postseason: Rutgers beat Kansas State 37–10 in the Texas Bowl. It was the first bowl win in Rutgers history. The following year, Rutgers received its first ever preseason rank in the AP Poll at No. 16. 2007 was an up-and-down year for the Scarlet Knights, rising into the Top 10 for the second consecutive year, only to suffer back-to-back losses. Highlighted by a 30–27 upset over second ranked South Florida, and ended with an 8–5 record and a 52–30 victory over Ball State in the International Bowl. 2008 saw Rutgers again go 8–5, beginning the year 1–5 with a slow start, before seven straight victories to finish the season, winning 29–23 in the PapaJohns.com Bowl with a victory over NC State.

In 2009, Rutgers entered the season as the favorite to win the Big East Conference. However, the season opener was a loss to Cincinnati, who would end up with a perfect regular season—and the conference title. Rutgers finished the season with a 9–4 record, defeating UCF 45–24 in the St. Petersburg Bowl. Rutgers' streak of five consecutive bowl appearances ended in 2010, a year marred by a spinal cord injury suffered by defensive lineman Eric LeGrand in the sixth game of the season against Army. Rutgers lost its final six games that year, and finished with a record of 4–8. In 2011 the Scarlet Knights finished 9–4 with a postseason win over Iowa State 27–13 in the Pinstripe Bowl.

After the 2011 season, Schiano left Rutgers less than a week before National Signing Day to become the head coach of the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Schiano left Rutgers with a 68–67 overall record. Schiano also finished 5–1 overall in the post season in eleven years as head coach. He left Rutgers ranked second on the all-time wins list.

Kyle Flood was promoted from offensive line coach and took over as head coach after Schiano's departure. He was the 29th head coach in Rutgers football history. In 2012, Rutgers began the season 7–0, including a 35–26 defeat of Arkansas on the road in Fayetteville. The team reached a No. 15 ranking in both the BCS and AP Polls, before a surprise homecoming loss to Kent State by a score of 35–23. Rutgers would go on to finish the regular season 9–3, including a heartbreaking 20–17 loss to Louisville in the last game of the season, in which the winner would clinch the conference's BCS Bowl berth. Rutgers suffered yet another bowl loss in the Russell Athletic Bowl, dropping an overtime decision to former Big East foe Virginia Tech by a score of 13–10. In November 2012, Rutgers was announced as a formal expansion acquisition of the Big Ten Conference, alongside rival Maryland of the ACC. Both Maryland and Rutgers were unanimously accepted to join the conference in all sports, effective July 1, 2014. Before this, however, Rutgers competed for one season in the American Athletic Conference, created from the remaining teams of the former Big East Conference.

Despite high expectations, Rutgers had an underwhelming 2013 season in the AAC, finishing 6–7 after losing the New Era Pinstripe Bowl to Notre Dame by a score of 29–16. 2014 marked Rutgers football's first official season of Big Ten play, with conference home games against Penn State, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Indiana, as well as road games against Ohio State, Nebraska, Michigan State, and Maryland. Rutgers finished the 2014 season in the Big Ten with a conference record of 3–5, including its first ever Big Ten Conference win over conference member Michigan, and an overall record of 7–5. Rutgers became bowl-eligible with that record and earned an invitation to play on December 26, 2014, in the 2014 Quick Lane Bowl, where it trounced North Carolina 40–21 and capped off its inaugural Big Ten season at 8–5. After the 2014 season, the Scarlet Knights were awarded their first ever Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy, being recognized as the top team in the eastern region. Looking to back up its strong showing in 2014 with another successful campaign in the Big Ten, the Scarlet Knights struggled in 2015, beleaguered before the onset of the season by the arrest of multiple active players on assault-related charges. During the season, the Scarlet Knights failed to gain traction, finishing 4–8 with a 1–7 Big Ten Record. Amid the disappointment of a poor season and off-the field issues, both head coach Kyle Flood and athletic director Julie Hermann were both fired on November 29, 2015.

On December 7, 2015, Rutgers officially announced Ohio State defensive coordinator Chris Ash as the Scarlet Knights' new head football coach, becoming the 30th head coach in program history. Rutgers posted a 2–10 record in Ash's first season, in the 2016 campaign. In 2017, Rutgers started their first 4 games with only 1 win against Morgan State by the score of 65–0. They won their second game of the season in Illinois, for their first Big Ten win in 2 years. Rutgers finished 4–8 overall in Chris Ash second season as head coach. In 2018, Rutgers had a disappointing season, finishing 1–11 in Chris Ash third season as head coach. Rutgers won their home season opener against Texas State 35–7. Rutgers finished last in Big Ten play. Chris Ash, entering his fourth season as head coach, started the 2019 Rutgers football season with a win over the UMass Minutemen 48–21. On September 29, 2019, a day after a 52–0 loss to Michigan, Ash was fired as the Rutgers football head coach. Assistant Nunzio Campanile would replace him as interim head coach. Chris Ash had a dismal record in the four seasons he was with the Scarlet Knights, he finished 8–32 overall.

On December 1, 2019, Rutgers and Greg Schiano agreed to an 8-year, $32 million contract that would see him return as the head coach of the Scarlet Knights. The 2020 season presented unforeseen challenges dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. Playing a Big Ten-only schedule, the Scarlet Knights were one of just two teams in the conference to play all nine of its scheduled games. Rutgers, despite missing spring and summer camp, matched the program high with three Big Ten victories, all away to equal the number of league road wins the previous six seasons combined. Rutgers finished the 2020 season 3–6 overall. The program also achieved academic success with 46 student-athletes recognized on the Fall Academic All-Big Ten list, the most for the Scarlet Knights since joining the conference. The team posted its highest GPA ever as a program during the spring 2020 semester. In 2021 Schiano's second season back as head coach and playing a full schedule, Rutgers went 5–7 overall. It was an improvement but also disappointing given that expectations were for bowl eligibility. However On December 23, the NCAA football oversight committee approved Rutgers as the first bowl alternate, under rules whereby five-win teams are ranked by Academic Progress Rate (APR) calculations. Rutgers finished first in APR among the five-win schools and was given the option to accept the bid. Rutgers accepted the bowl bid to play in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl to play against Wake Forest with only a week of preparation for the game, the Scarlet Knights would go on to lose by a score of 38–10 to conclude the 2021 season.

In 2022, Rutgers won their first three games of the season, then would go on to win only one game the rest of the season, winning against the Indiana Hoosiers for their only conference win, finishing the season with a disappointing 4–8 overall record. However, despite the team's losing record, it was a milestone year for head coach Greg Schiano becoming the all-time winningest coach in the programs history with 79 career wins, passing legendary coach Frank Burns 78 career wins.

In 2023 Rutgers won seven games to secure its first winning season since 2014. The Scarlet Knights picked up three Big Ten wins to match the program high previously set in 2014, 2017 and 2020. Rutgers strength of schedule was ranked second nationally heading into bowl season and finished number four and highest among Big Ten teams according to the ESPN College Football Power Index. Eight opponents from the regular season appeared in bowl games. Rutgers solid defense and running back Kyle Monangai who rushed for 1,262 yards with 8 touchdowns led the Scarlet Knights to the postseason where Rutgers defeated the Miami Hurricanes in the Pinstripe Bowl by a score of 31–24 in which Monangai rushed for 163 yards and 1 rushing touchdown and was the MVP of the game.