Old Dominion Monarchs

The Old Dominion Monarchs are one of college football's youngest FBS programs, having relaunched football in 2009 and rapidly climbed from FCS independent to Sun Belt Conference membership. Playing at S.B. Ballard Stadium in Norfolk, Virginia, Old Dominion has built its brand on rapid modernization and an ambitious athletic department eager to establish a new football identity in Hampton Roads. The Monarchs represent one of the more compelling 21st-century football startup stories in the sport.

Old Dominion's modern football program was founded in 2009, decades after an earlier incarnation played as the William & Mary Norfolk Division in the 1930s. The Monarchs competed as an FCS independent before joining the Colonial Athletic Association in 2011, then jumped to FBS and Conference USA in 2014, sharing a division title with Western Kentucky in 2016. Old Dominion moved to the Sun Belt Conference in 2022 and continues to build its young FBS résumé, including multiple bowl appearances.