Ball State Cardinals football

History

Conference affiliations

Ball State has been an independent and affiliated with multiple conferences.

• Indiana Intercollegiate Conference (1924–1949)
• Indiana Collegiate Conference (1950–1969)
• Conference of Midwestern Universities (1970–1971)
• Mid-American Conference (1973–present)

Championships

Conference championships (11)

Division championships (4)

Bowl games (9)

Ball State has appeared in nine NCAA Division I postseason bowl games, in which they have compiled a 1–8 record. Within all FBS teams, Ball State was one of eight that had never won a sanctioned bowl game, until the 2020 Arizona Bowl.

Ball State also appeared in two NCAA College Division postseason bowl games, where they compiled a record of 0–1–1.

Head coaches

Main article: List of Ball State Cardinals head football coaches

The Ball State Cardinals have had 17 head coaches throughout the program's history. With 68 victories, John Magnabosco has the most victories in the program's history, followed by Paul Schudel (60 wins) and Dave McClain (46).

Rivalries

Indiana State

Main article: Blue Key Victory Bell

Ball State leads the series with Indiana State 39–24–1 with the last game played in 2023.

Miami (OH)

Ball State first played the Miami RedHawks football team in 1931. Their rivalry began when Ball State joined the Mid-American Conference in the 1970s. Since 2017, the rivalry has been a protected cross-division game in the conference, with the Cardinals competing for the Red Bird Rivalry trophy against Miami. Through 2024, Miami leads the all-time series 24–13–1.

Northern Illinois

Main article: Bronze Stalk Trophy

The Cardinals have played Northern Illinois six times in football since the launch of the Bronze Stalk Trophy. The trophy depicts several cornstalks in tribute to the prevalence of maize around the respective home states of the rivals. Northern Illinois holds a 24–21–2 lead in the series through the 2019 season.

Cardinals in professional football

Ball State has produced a total of 29 NFL draft selections. The following "Active" and "All-Star" lists account for past and present Ball State University football players that have participated in the National Football League, Canadian Football League, Arena Football League, XFL, United States Football League, European Football League, Austrian Football League, German Football League and IFL.

Active

As of February 2023, there are a total of thirteen Cardinals listed on team rosters in the NFL, CFL, AFL, XFL, IFL, and USFL.

• Christian Albright - DL - Saskatchewan Roughriders
• Nate Davis - QB - Duke City Gladiators
• Walter Fletcher - RB - Montreal Alouettes
• Justin Hall - WR - Houston Gamblers
• Caleb Huntley - RB - Atlanta Falcons
• Hassan Littles - WR - Green Bay Blizzard
• Jonathan Newsome - DE - Birmingham Stallions
• Antonio Phillips - CB - Vegas Vipers
• Danny Pinter - OL - Indianapolis Colts
• Drew Plitt - QB - Arlington Renegades
• Tuni Ropati - DL - Bay Area Panthers
• Willie Snead IV - WR - San Francisco 49ers
• Jaylin Thomas - LB - Seattle Sea Dragons
• Damon Kaylor - Firefighter - Huntington North Vikings

All-stars

Among the numerous Cardinals who have participated in the NFL, CFL, and AFL, three have received all-star recognition by their respective leagues.

• Blaine Bishop - S

• Timmy Brown - RB

• Kenny Stucker - K

Future non-conference opponents

Announced schedules as of September 3, 2025.

References

• Ball State Historical Data, College Football Data Warehouse.
• Michael Maccambridge (ed.), ESPN College Football Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Game, ESPN, 2005, .

References

1. (2024-12-04). "Mike Uremovich Named 19th Head Coach in Ball State Football History".
2. "2022 NCAA FBS Records".
3. DeLassus, David. "Ball State Historical Data". College Football Data Warehouse.
4. "Reference at www.arcadiapublishing.com".
5. (December 10, 1922). "New State Athletic Association Formed". The Star Press (Muncie, IN).
6. (November 20, 1950). "New League Sets Sports Schedules". Journal and Courier (Evansville, IN).
7. "Ball State Cardinals Bowls".
8. "Ball State vs. San José State - Game Summary - December 31, 2020 - ESPN".
9. (November 2018). "Ball State Football Year-by-year results". Ball State University Athletic Department.
10. "15therecordbook (PDF)".
11. Tribune-Star, Todd Golden. "ISU football defeats Ball State 27-20 to win Victory Bell".
12. RedHawks, Miami University. (October 19, 2021). "RedBird Rivalry On The Line Versus Ball State".
13. (November 21, 2022). "Ball State, Miami meet for Red Bird Rivalry".
14. "RedHawks Host Ball State in 2020 Football Opener".
15. Doug Zaleski. (November 23, 2007). "BSU-Northern Illinois winner will collect Bronze Stalk trophy". Gannett.
16. "Winsipedia - Ball State Cardinals vs. Northern Illinois Huskies football series history".
17. "Ball St. Drafted Players/Alumni". USA Today Sports Digital Properties.
18. "NFL Players by College - B". ESPN.
19. "Active Players". [[Canadian Football League]].
20. "AFL Players". ArenaFan.
21. "Blaine Bishop NFL Football Statistics". USA Today Sports Digital Properties.
22. "Timmy Brown NFL Football Statistics". USA Today Sports Digital Properties.
23. "Kenny Stucker". ArenaFan.
24. "Ball State Cardinals Football Future Schedules". FBSchedules.com.