Youngstown State Penguins

The Youngstown State Penguins are one of the FCS's premier programs, built on a golden era of national championship football in the 1990s. Based in northeast Ohio, the Penguins developed a reputation as an FCS powerhouse under head coach Jim Tressel, producing NFL talent and a run of title-game appearances that few programs at the level can match.

Youngstown State's football program began play in 1938. Under head coach Jim Tressel, the Penguins won four NCAA Division I-AA national championships between 1991 and 1997, defeating Marshall twice, Boise State, and McNeese State in title games. That run built Youngstown State's reputation as one of the winningest programs in FCS history, trailing only North Dakota State and Georgia Southern in national titles.