Troy’s Success Under Each U.S. President Since 1909

Author’s Note: This post is not intended to be political at all. This is simply a fun exercise in two of my passions: Troy University Football and U.S. Presidential History.

Since the first Troy football squad hit the field in 1909, there have been 19 different Presidencies. These Presidents have led the country through the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. Some of these men are highly respected, others are footnotes in U.S. History—depending on your point of view.

This Election Day I’m looking at how Troy football and the Presidency have overlapped. There were many avenues through which to approach this—I chose to measure the team’s during each President’s time in office. 

To measure this success, I took the winning percentage across the seasons under each President. From there, I added 3 points for any Playoff or Bowl wins, 5 points for a Conference Championship, and 10 points for a National Championship. This allowed me to calculate a total that can apply to each of the different eras of Troy football. Without further ado, let’s look out how they rank. 

Note: Troy was not part of a conference until 1938, so teams before that year could not compete for a title. Opportunities for National Championships were also rare until the 1960s.

19) Woodrow Wilson (3/1913 – 3/1921) – 0 points

This is a pretty clear cut decision. During World War I, Troy didn’t field a football team from 1913-1920. As you’ll note, this pretty well covers the Wilson administration. No team equals no points.

18) John F. Kennedy (1/1961 – 11/1963) – 19.23 points

• 5 – 21 overall

Kennedy’s tragic assassination in 1963 cut short what could have been a longer presidency. As such, his score reflects his inability to finish his first term, which might have gotten him into the White House for another four years. If so, it’s not hard to imagine him being much higher on this list with Lyndon Johnson’s score. Interestingly enough, Johnson’s point total was also close to being a bit higher. Troy actually finished up its season in 1963 on November 16, a mere six days before JFK’s assassination. Had the season extended into late November or December like now, those wins would’ve been counted for LBJ.

17) Dwight D. Eisenhower (1/1953 – 1/1961) – 28.79 points

• 19 – 46 – 1 overall

This period was no doubt the worst eight-year period in Troy football history. The Red Wave didn’t win more than four games in a single season.

16) Warren G. Harding (3/1921 – 8/1923) – 38.89 points

• 7 – 11 overall

Harding only presided over two seasons. He died in August 1923, a month and 26 days before the 1923 season began.

15) Harry S. Truman – (4/1945 – 1/1953) – 44.78 points

• 30 – 43 – 3 overall, however there was no team in 1945.

14) Herbert Hoover – (3/1929 – 3/1933) – 54.55

• 12 – 8 – 2 overall, however there was no team in 1929.

13) William Howard Taft – (3/1909 – 3/1913) – 56.25 points

• 9 – 2 – 5 overall

The first President to oversee Troy football is also the only one to also serve on the Supreme Court. In Troy’s first two years the Trojans tied twice as many times as they won games. Then under George Penton Troy went 7-1-1.

12) George H. W. Bush – (1/1989 – 1/1993) – 57.14 points

• 24 – 18 overall

The post-Rhoades era was probably the hardest to swallow for Troy fans. The shortcomings so soon after two national titles clearly lit a fire that produced a diamond in legendary coach Larry Blakeney. His eventual success made the pain tolerable in retrospect.

11) Calvin Coolidge – (8/1923 – 3/1929) – 57.78 points

• 26 – 14 – 5 overall

This was without a doubt the most successful span in a presidential term before Troy joined a conference. Unfortunately, the Great Depression brought this success (and Troy football) to an end.

10) Barack Obama – (1/2009 – 1/2017) – 64.48 points.

• 48 – 51 overall

The Obama years only had a 48.48% win rate, but two Sun Belt Titles early in his presidency and two bowl wins vault him up 5 spots.

9) Franklin D. Roosevelt – (3/1933 – 4/1945) – 65 points

• 44 – 41 – 3 overall, however there were no teams in 1943 and 1944

FDR’s Troy teams could have been about as middling as their record, but three Alabama Intercollegiate Conference titles boost these teams. 

8) Jimmy Carter – (1/1977 – 1/1981) – 69.23 points

• 27 – 11 – 1 overall

The Carter years benefitted from the impact of Charlie Bradshaw, the legendary coach who built the foundation that would pay off with two national titles in the 1980s. Surprisingly, those 27 wins weren’t enough to bring in even a single conference title for the Carter Administration. 

7) Gerald Ford – (8/1974 – 1/1977) – 71.67 points

• 20 – 9 – 1 overall. 

Gerald Ford’s presidency was already strange, as he is the only President to hold the office without ever having a vote cast in his name. He was only president for the 1974, 1975, and 1976 seasons, something that would not have been the case if Nixon had not resigned. 

Ford wouldn’t have been in the top ten of this list if not for Troy winning the Gulf South Conference in 1976. While the Trojans weren’t in their prime in the 1970s, you could see the foundation had been set for future success.

6) George W. Bush – (1/2001 – 1/2009) – 72.17 points

• 52-44 overall

While the record during the second Bush administration was just over .500, W’s presidency did see Troy’s first sustained success in FBS. The Trojans won back-to-back-to-back Sun Belt titles from 2006-2008. During this time, Troy also got its first FBS bowl win in the 2006 New Orleans Bowl.

Had Troy been scheduling teams during the second Bush administration like it did during the Obama and Trump administrations, the record could have been much higher. Instead of one (and occasionally two) P5 teams like now, Troy would regularly face three to four of them in the early 2000s. 

5) Richard Nixon – (1/1969 – 8/1974) – 76.22 points

• 30 – 15 – 4 overall

The 61.22% win percentage of the Nixon years shouldn’t have been enough to earn him a spot in the top ten, but like Ford, championships boosted his numbers. Nixon’s administration came on the heels of Troy’s first national championship in 1968. 

Troy followed up that successful season by winning three out of its next five Conference Championships: the 1969 Alabama Collegiate Conference and the 1971 and 1973 Gulf South Conference titles.

It should also be noted that Nixon’s numbers aren’t as complete as they could’ve been, due to his resignation. Like Kennedy’s assassination, the timing of Nixon’s resignation meant that wins, losses, and ties were added to Gerald Ford’s totals. To see where Nixon’s full term might have ended up, just add Ford’s totals to these numbers.

4) Donald Trump – (1/2017 – Present) – 79.89 points

• 31 – 14 overall

The Trump time in the White House coincided with the peak (thus far) of Troy success at the FBS level. The Trojans had a 10 and an 11 win season under Neal Brown before the transition to Chip Lindsey. 

Troy contributed one Sun Belt Championship (2017) and two bowl wins (2017 New Orleans Bowl & 2018 Dollar General Bowl) to the point totals for Trump. 

3) Lyndon B. Johnson – (11/1963 – 1/969) – 87.22 points

• 30 – 19 overall

Troy had some of its first true success during the Johnson era. Under Coach Billy Atkins, Troy finally began playing up to its potential. The Trojans had a 61.22% win rate, four percentage points higher than the previous high (57% under Coolidge). 

Atkins also helped the Johnson administration’s point total by winning two Alabama Collegiate Conference titles in 1967 and 1968 to go along with Troy’s first National Championship, the 1968 NAIA title, winning two playoff games on the way.

2) Bill Clinton – (1/1993 – 1/2001) – 104.78 points

• 77 – 22 overall

The success of the 1990s Blakeney teams was one of the most impressive periods in Troy history, although it lacks the crowning achievement of a national championship. Troy won 77 games in 8 years, with only 22 losses. More impressively is that of eight possible trips, the Trojans made the DI-AA playoffs seven times. 

From 1996 until leaving for I-A in 2001, Troy won three Southland Football League (now Southland Conference) titles in the five years it was in the conference, effectively running the league. Of its seven trips to the playoffs, Troy won four playoff games. If things played out a little differently in a couple of years this would unquestionably be the most successful Presidency in Troy history. 

1. Ronald Reagan – (1/1981 – 1/1989) – 122.67 points

• 56 – 27 – 1 overall

The winning percentage of the Clinton era may be higher than the Reagan years (77.78% vs 66.67%), but boy, did those 80s Trojans know how to win when it counted. Between 1984 and 1987, then-Troy State demolished its competition in the Gulf South Conference en route to three conference titles (1984, 1986, and 1987) and two Division II National Championships (1984 and 1987). 

Troy won a total of 56 games during the Reagan administration, including 7 in the playoffs. Troy had only 1 playoff loss. The national titles and playoff wins are what set Reagan’s term just above the Clinton years. Either way, it’s easy to see the modern Troy really began here.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this dive into Troy’s success under each President as much as I did putting it together. It’s interesting to see how Troy has progressed over the first 100 seasons and how each era has changed the school that we love.