Students at Wake Forest College were playing against each other in intramural football as early as 1882. In 1888, Wake Forest fielded its first official football team and participated in North Carolina's first intercollegiate football game against the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (U.N.C.), in Wake Forest's only game of that inaugural season. Coached to a 6-4 victory over U.N.C., the team was lead by the school's student coaches William Carey Dowd, Sr. and Wallace Carl Riddick, Jr. In the subsequent years, intercollegiate rivalries gained roots in these football competitions between Wake Forest and neighboring schools N.C. State, U.N.C. and Trinity College (now Duke University). During the years between that first game and 1894, the Wake Forest College football team was subject to irregular game schedules, and during the 1890 season, had no football team. In 1895, citing the violence of the sport, academic intereference, and financial expenses, college administration, trustees, and faculty decided to ban intercollegiate football from the campus. Despite years of opposition from the students, intercollegiate football was not reinstated until 1908.
Significant eras of Wake Forest football history include seasons coached by Douglas Clyde "Peahead" Walker, Bill Tate, Cal Stoll, Al Groh, Bill Dooley, and Jim Grobe. In each of these eras the Wake Forest football team experienced moderate conference success and/or at least one siginificant winning season.
Peahead Walker coached at Wake Forest for 14 seasons from 1937 to 1950. Walker coached the Deacons in two bowl games, but after failing to secure a salary increase, resigned from Wake Forest in 1951 and was replaced by Tom Rogers. Rogers coached successful seasons at Wake Forest but resigned in 1956 and was succeeded by Paul Amen after the school rejected the head coach application of then New York Giants offensive assistant Vince Lombardi.
In 1964, the football team recruited the first African American football players out of high school. Under head coach Bill Tate, Bob Grant and Kenneth "Butch" Henry were among the first African American atheltes at Wake Forest. Bill Tate also coached ACC football standout Brian Piccolo.
In 1970 the football team won it's first ACC title under the leadership of head coach Cal Stoll. Through the late-1970s and mid-1980s the Demon Deacons football team experienced a succession of coaches including Tom Harper (1972), Chuck Mills (1973-1977), John Mackovic (1978-1980), Al Groh (1981-1986), and Bill Dooley (1987-1992). In 1993 Wake Forest hired James (Jim) Caldwell, the team's first African American head coach. Caldwell was replaced by Jim Grobe in 2001. Grobe is tied with Peahead Walker as the winningest coach in the history of Wake Forest football. Under Grobe's leadership, the team won the 2006 ACC football championship and played in the 2007 Orange Bowl.
The Wake Forest football team was coached by Dave Clawson from 2014 until the end of the 2024 season. Clawson coached the football team in 7 out of 17 bowl appearances. Notable football athlete alumni include former North Carolina Senator Richard M. Burr, Aaron Curry, Brian Piccolo, Rusty LaRue, George Coghill, Rickey Proehl, and Matt James.
As of the 2024 season, the Wake Forest Demon Deacons have appeared in 17 bowl games with an overall record of 11 wins and 6 losses. The teamm's earliest bowl appearance was at the inaugural Gator Bowl in 1946. The team's most recent bowl game was a 27-17 victory against the University of Missouri in 2022 at the Gasparilla Bowl. Jake Dickert is the current head coach for the Wake Forest football team.
"The History of Wake Forest University, Volume IV, 1943-1967. Available in Digital Collections
The History of Wake Forest University, Volume V, 1967-1983. Available in Digital Collections
These records document the history and current activities of the Wake Forest Demon Deacons Football team. Materials in this collection include game day programs, media guides, season game schedules, promotional materials, player artifacts, and materials related to individuals involved with the WFU intercollegiate football program. Season-related and game day publications are located in Series 3. Publications.
Common abbreviations found in this collection are the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA), the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (U.N.C.) and North Carolina State University (N.C. State), the University of Virginia (U.V.A.), and the University of Maryland at College Park (U.M.D.). Other abbreviations that can be found in this collection include the National Football League (NFL).
This collection is arranged into four series, Series 1. Publications, Series 2. Game and Season materials, Series 3. Student athlete and Coach materials, and Series 4. Artifacts.
Series 1. Publications is arranged chronologically and Series 2. Game and Season materials, Series 3. Student athlete and Coach materials, and Series 4. Artifacts. are arranged alphabetically.
Athletics Department. Football Records (RG 21.9), Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.
This collection is open for use.
The nature of the WFU Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives means that copyright or other information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine despite reasonable efforts. The Archives and Special Collections of ZSR Library claims only physical ownership of most materials. The materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to the U.S. Copyright Law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.
Related collections and items available at Z. Smith Reynolds Library that document the Demon Deacons Men's Football Team include: