A Look Back: Celebrating The 25th Anniversary Of The Bulldogs' Historic 1995 Football Squad

The 1995 Ferris State Bulldogs: Men On A Mission

Note: This fall marks the 25th anniversary of the Bulldogs' historic 1995 squad. This is the first of a series celebrating the accomplishments and remembering the 1995 Ferris State University football squad that reached the NCAA Division II National Semifinals for the first time in school history.

Big Rapids, Mich. - In the Ferris State University football locker room in the 1990's, there was a motivational display on the wall that defined success.

Success is a journey, not a destination.

The Bulldogs traveled on a path that held not only success, but lasting memories as well.

Indeed, the men which comprised the 1995 Ferris State football team were on a mission to not only defend their Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference (MIFC) title for an unprecedented fourth time, but claim the national championship.

While Ferris fell just short of its national championship quest, the Bulldogs managed to secure their fourth consecutive conference title. FSU also recorded its third straight undefeated season and advanced to the semifinal round of the NCAA Division II National Championship Playoffs before falling to eventual national champion North Alabama. Nevertheless, the team earned the distinction of advancing farther than any previous Bulldog gridiron team in school history.

Longtime FSU assistant Jeff Pierce was named head coach in the offseason prior to the '95 campaign. Twin brothers Brian and Jeff Browe were featured in the 1995 Sports Illustrated college football preview issue. The script of the storybook campaign couldn't have been written more appropriately as Ferris capped off its second 10-0 regular season with the greatest comeback in NCAA Division II history, a 46-42 regular-season ending win over visiting Saginaw Valley State. The Bulldogs, who trailed 28-0 after the first quarter, completed the rally when Chris Pulliams scored on a 97- yard TD run with 2:57 remaining in the game.

Through extraordinary efforts like Pulliams', the Bulldogs were able to extend their regular season unbeaten streak to a remarkable 39 games (37-0-2) while not losing a regular season contest since the third week of the 1992 season.

Ferris began post-season play ranked third nationally and first in the Northeast Region. The Bulldogs hosted the opening two playoff rounds and utilized their home field advantage with victories over Millersville and New Haven.

All season long, FSU rallied behind one phrase – Every player, every play. That philosophy laid the foundation for the program's success in those years.

The concept proved instrumental throughout the campaign as the Bulldogs set or tied an impressive 51 school records.

Senior All-America quarterback Bill Love was accorded the team's highest individual honor. Love, the 1995 MIFC Player-of-the-Year, attained runner-up honors in balloting for the prestigious Harlon Hill Trophy, awarded to the nation's most outstanding Division II player.

On the sidelines, Pierce made the most of his head coaching debut by being selected as the MIFC's Coach-of-the-Year.

The 13-week fall journey will be remembered forever as the embodiment of Ferris State football program's winning tradition.

"I have to give a lot of credit to our seniors," said Pierce. "These guys accomplished some things that a lot of people have never done. They went four years with only two regular-season losses and that's a great tribute to them."

1995 Schedule / Results:
9/9 - vs Ashland* W 20-13
9/16 - @ Indianapolis* W 50-0
9/23 - @ Hillsdale* W 17-10
9/30 - vs Grand Valley State* W 30-21
10/7 - @ Northern Michigan* W 41-27
10/14 - vs Wayne State*(Homecoming) W 39-30
10/21 - @ Northwood* W 56-14
10/28 - vs Michigan Tech* W 38-17
11/4 - @ St. Joseph's (Ind.)* W 43-26
11/11 - vs Saginaw Valley State*W 46-42
11/18 - NCAA Playoffs - vs Millersville (Pa.) W 36-26
11/25 - NCAA Quarterfinals - vs New Haven (Conn.) W 17-9
12/2 - NCAA Semifinals - @ North Alabama L 7-45 

*Denotes MIFC games
(Home Games in Bold)