Chicago State Cougars football

The Chicago State Cougars football team will represent the Chicago State University in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision level. Chicago's only NCAA Division I football program, they will compete as an independent in 2026 and in the Northeast Conference beginning in 2027.

Background

The team is the only NCAA Division I football program in the city of Chicago, Illinois.
The most recent NCAA Division I football program in Chicago was the 1939 edition of the Chicago Maroons football team representing the University of Chicago in the Big Ten Conference. Prior to the establishment of Chicago State, 10 schools had started NCAA Division I football programs since 2000, only two of them have been at the Football Championship Subdivision level and seven have been in Texas, Georgia or Florida. The last newly created Division I football program in Illinois was the Southern Illinois Salukis football program in 1904, which had its inaugural game on October 4, 1913.

On January 26, 2023, Chicago State announced an exploratory committee to consider pursuing Division I football competition. The committee included NFL veterans Howard Griffith, Vaughn Bryant, Tom Thayer and Otis Wilson, Chicago high school football coaches, community leaders and school officials. On September 21, 2023, Chicago State announced a fundraising initiative to expand its athletics program. When Chicago State announced that the Chicago State Cougars would be competing in the Northeast Conference on December 5, 2023, it was considered an early step towards launching a football program. On February 11, 2025, Chicago State began its football head coach search. The school announced Bobby Rome II as head coach for its newly created team on April 8, 2025.
The team will compete as an Independent in 2026 and in the Northeast Conference for 2027. University officials announced in December 2025 that the team would play their inaugural home opener at SeatGeek Stadium on August 29, and a temporary on-campus practice field was included in the initial decision to field a program. However, as of January 2026, initial temporary and eventual permanent stadium plans remain forthcoming.

Announced schedules as of February 2, 2026