Ball State Cardinals football


The Ball State Cardinals football team is a college football program representing Ball State University in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football. Ball State plays its home games at Scheumann Stadium on the campus of Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. The Cardinals compete in the Mid-American Conference as a member of the West Division. The team is currently led by head coach Mike Uremovich, who was hired on December 4, 2024.
The Cardinals have a 476-455-32 record, which ranks below the top 50 most victories among NCAA FBS programs. Ball State was originally classified as a teacher's college, participating in the National Junior College Athletic Association from 1937 until 1956. In 1957, they were classified as a Small College school until 1972. Ball State received Division II classification in 1973, before becoming a Division I-AA program in 1975 and a Division I-A program in 1981, dropping to Division I-AA for a single season before returning to Division I-A.
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Conference affiliations

Ball State has been an independent and affiliated with multiple conferences.

Championships

Conference championships (11)

1942Indiana Intercollegiate ConferenceJohn Magnabosco6–2
1964Indiana Collegiate ConferenceRay Louthen5–3
1965Indiana Collegiate ConferenceRay Louthen9–0–1
1966Indiana Collegiate ConferenceRay Louthen7–1–1
1967Indiana Collegiate ConferenceRay Louthen7–3
1976Mid-American ConferenceDave McClain8–3
1978Mid-American ConferenceDwight Wallace10–1
1989Mid-American ConferencePaul Schudel7–3–2
1993Mid-American ConferencePaul Schudel8–3–1
1996Mid-American ConferenceBill Lynch8–4
2020Mid-American ConferenceMike Neu6–1

Bowl games (9)

Ball State has appeared in nine NCAA Division I postseason bowl games, in which they have compiled a 1–8 record. Within all FBS teams, Ball State was one of eight that had never won a [List of NCAA NCAA Division I|Division I FBS football bowl records|sanctioned bowl game], until the 2020 Arizona Bowl.
1989December 9, 1989California BowlFresno StateL 6–27
1993December 17, 1993Las Vegas BowlUtah StateL 33–42
1996December 18, 1996Las Vegas BowlNevadaL 15–18
2007January 5, 2008International BowlRutgersL 30–52
2008January 6, 2009GMAC BowlTulsaL 13–45
2012December 21, 2012Beef 'O' Brady's BowlUCFL 17–38
2013January 5, 2014GoDaddy BowlArkansas StateL 20–23
2020December 31, 2020Arizona BowlSan Jose StateW 34–13
2021December 25, 2021Camellia BowlGeorgia StateL 20–51

Ball State also appeared in two NCAA College Division postseason bowl games, where they compiled a record of 0–1–1.
1965December 11, 1965Grantland Rice BowlTennessee StateT 14–14
1967December 9, 1967Grantland Rice BowlEastern KentuckyL 13–27

Head coaches

The Ball State Cardinals have had 17 head coaches throughout the program's history. With 68 victories, John Magnabosco has the most victories in the program's history, followed by Paul Schudel and Dave McClain.

Rivalries

Indiana State

Ball State leads the series with Indiana State 39–24–1 with the last game played in 2023.

Miami (OH)

Ball State first played the Miami RedHawks football team in 1931. Their rivalry began when Ball State joined the Mid-American Conference in the 1970s. Since 2017, the rivalry has been a protected cross-division game in the conference, with the Cardinals competing for the Red Bird Rivalry trophy against Miami. Through 2024, Miami leads the all-time series 24–13–1.

Northern Illinois

The Cardinals have played Northern Illinois six times in football since the launch of the Bronze Stalk Trophy. The trophy depicts several cornstalks in tribute to the prevalence of maize around the respective home states of the rivals. Northern Illinois holds a 24–21–2 lead in the series through the 2019 season.

Cardinals in professional football

Ball State has produced a total of 29 NFL draft selections.
The following "Active" and "All-Star" lists account for past and present Ball State University football players that have participated in the National Football League, Canadian Football League, Arena Football League, XFL, United States Football League, European Football League, Austrian Football League, German Football League and IFL.

Active

As of February 2023, there are a total of thirteen Cardinals listed on team rosters in the NFL, CFL, AFL, XFL, IFL, and USFL.

All-stars

Among the numerous Cardinals who have participated in the NFL, CFL, and AFL, three have received all-star recognition by their respective leagues.

Future non-conference opponents

Announced schedules as of September 3, 2025.
at Purdueat Ohio Stateat Iowaat Penn Stateat Indianaat LibertyLibertyWyomingMiddle Tennessee
at AuburnStony BrookWestern KentuckyIndiana Stateat Middle Tennessee
New Hampshireat LibertyUT Martinat Western Kentucky-
at UConnat Northwesternat Kentucky