Towson Tigers

The Towson Tigers play FCS football out of Baltimore County, Maryland, competing in the Coastal Athletic Association at Johnny Unitas Stadium — named for the legendary quarterback and Towson alum. The Tigers are known for a program that has quietly built one of the more unique resumes in college football, having competed in the postseason at all three NCAA divisions. Towson's blue-collar, gritty identity mirrors its Baltimore-area roots, and the program has produced flashes of real national relevance in the CAA era.

Towson's football program began in 1969 under coach Carl Runk and progressed through Division III, Division II, and finally Division I-AA (FCS) by 1987 — becoming the first program in NCAA history to reach the playoffs at all three levels. After joining the CAA in 2001, the Tigers broke through with back-to-back conference championships in 2011 and 2012, and the 2013 season saw Towson advance all the way to the FCS National Championship Game. The Tigers have not won an FCS national title but remain one of the CAA's most storied recent success stories.