USA College Football

Irish Players have played College Football since the 19th Century:

Below you will find a list of links to Irish Connections with the NCAA and NAIA stateside:

Division 1 Football Bowl Series and Division 1 Football Championship Series, were known as Division 1A and Division 1AA respectively. This was before the separation of the Big 5 Conferences in the FBS into the College Football Playoff.

Featured Image Credit: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA – CIRCA 1998: a postage stamp printed in USA showing an image of four players of Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team, circa 1998. Picture Credit: ©mmphotos2017/123RF.COM Image ID: 156057748 [Internet] Available from: https://www.123rf.com/photo_156057748_united-states-of-america-circa-1998-a-postage-stamp-printed-in-usa-showing-an-image-of-four-players-.html?vti=llmbgfd2qyd1ypd3d6-1-6 [Accessed 7 January 2022]

Croke Park Classic 2014 Official Match Programme- University of Central Florida Knights v Penn State Nittany Lions - Croke Park 2014 — Croke Park Classic 2014 Official Match Programme- University of Central Florida Knights v Penn State Nittany Lions – Croke Park 2014

Picture Credit: Croke Park Classic 2014 Official Match Programme- University of Central Florida Knights v Penn State Nittany Lions – Croke Park 2014 – Author’s Personal Collection

Irish-born College Football Players

Particular attention shall be given by Eirball to Notre Dame Fighting Irish (the big Irish Catholic university in South Bend, Indiana) and San Jose State Spartans (as Dublin is twinned with San Jose) as well as any Irish-born Football players in the NCAA FBS.

Irish-Born College Players & Coaches

NCAA;

Irish-Born College, Pro & NFL American Football Players

Adrian Young 1964-67

USC Trojans 1964-1967

Neil O’Donoghue Irish-Born GAA Football, Soccer and NFL American Football Player 1970-1985

(Auburn Tigers (NCAA Div IA), Buffalo Bills (NFL), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (NFL), St. Louis Cardinals (NFL))

Michael Mullen Irish-Born College American Football Player 1988-1990

(Wisconsin Badgers NCAA Div IA))

Emmett Waldron | Irish-Born Pro & College American Football Player 1993-1999

(Rice Owls (NCAA Div IA), Scottish Claymores (WLAF-NFLE)

Glenn Baker | Irish Born College American Football Player 2006-2007

(Cheshire Academy Cats (Prep School), Mount Ida Mustangs (NCAA Div III)

Connor Leckey | Irish-Born College American Football Player 2009-2011

(West Liberty Hilltoppers (NCAA Div III))

Darragh O’Neill | Irish Born College American Football Player 2011-2014

(Colorado Buffaloes (NCAA Div 1 FBS))

Sean Galvin | Irish-Born College American Football Player 2012-2014

(UCF Central Florida Knights (NCAA Div 1 FBS))

Irish-Born College Football Coaches & Personnel

Ian Jones Irish-Born GAA Football, Rugby Union and NFL American Football Coach 2010-Present

(South Carolina Gamecocks (NCAA Div 1 FBS), Penn State Nittany Lions (NCAA Div 1 FBS), Cleveland Browns (NFL) Houston Texans (NFL), Salt Lake Stallions (AAF))

Conal Fagan Irish-Born College American Football Cheerleader 2018-2020

(Notre Dame Fighting Irish (NCAA Div 1 FBS)

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA – CIRCA 1998: a postage stamp printed in USA showing an image of four players of Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team, circa 1998.

Picture Credit: ©mmphotos2017/123RF.COM

Image ID:

156057748

[Internet] Available from: https://www.123rf.com/photo_156057748_united-states-of-america-circa-1998-a-postage-stamp-printed-in-usa-showing-an-image-of-four-players-.html?vti=llmbgfd2qyd1ypd3d6-1-6 [Accessed 7 January 2022]

NCAA College Football

The National Collegiate Athletic Association is the biggest of USA’s College Sports Assiociations, taking in all major American Sports, as well as Athletics, Soccer and numerous other sports. The NCAA Football Program is divided into four Divisions – In order of Merit they are: FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision), FCS (Football Championship Subdivision), Division II and Division III.