Centenary Football Returns To The Field In Shreveport

It may have taken over 70 years, but football is back on the campus of Shreveport's Centenary College.

Last night, the school hosted their first scrimmage in decades. The Gents squad hosted East Texas Baptist University at Mayo Field. It wasn't Centenary's first scrimmage, but it was their first in Shreveport. Last week the Gents traveled to Mississippi to scrimmage Millsaps College.

Long ago, the Centenary football program was one of the most dominant in the region. In the early 1900s, the Centenary Gentlemen football program was a national college football powerhouse. Historic records say that Centenary's football program owns wins over schools like Notre Dame, LSU, Texas, Oklahoma State, Iowa, Louisville, Boston College, and Mississippi State. The Gents even beat Texas A&M, when the Aggies were nationally ranked.

Centenary's football program still holds NCAA Division 1 records in football as well. Some of which will never be broken.

The Centenary football program was also home to two All American football players. Including consensus All American Paul Geisler, and College and Pro Football Hall of Fame member Cal Hubbard. For his time as a Centenary Gent, Hubbard was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1962. After his NFL career, Hubbard was a member of the first ever class inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963.

Not only that, former Centenary star Hubbard is in the Baseball Hall of Fame as well...making him the only member of both the Football and Baseball Hall of Fames.

Centenary even played in a bowl game. They played Arkansas to a tie in the Dixie Classic, which was the game that evolved into the Cotton Bowl.

However, this new version of Centenary football won't play the same type of names as the previous incarnation. This version of the program will participate in the NCAA's Division III, which gives them an opportunity to play in their post-season playoff structure.

But the hopes of those playoffs will have to wait a few years. This year is a "club" year for the program. While they will play NCAA schools, this will be a ramp up year for the program. They will begin to play full NCAA football in 2024, and will be aiming for an automatic bid into the playoffs in 2025.

The Centenary football team will return to the field in Shreveport on September 9th at Evangel Christian Academy when they host Community Christian College.