49ers

General Information

• NCAA Division: Division I
  
• Conference: Conference USA (2015-present)
  
• City: Charlotte, N.C.
  
• Stadium: Jerry Richardson Stadium

Championships

• National Championships: None
• Conference Titles: None
• Divisional Championships: None

Past Conferences

None 

Team History

The Charlotte 49ers are a Division I team based in Charlotte, N.C. Charlotte competes in Conference USA and is coached by Biff Poggi.

Charlotte’s inaugural season was in 2013. The program started as an independent at the Football Championship Subdivision level (formerly known as Division I-AA), before transitioning to the Football Bowl Subdivision in 2015. Coached by Brad Lambert, the 49ers went 2-10 during their first year in C-USA.

Lambert was fired following a 5-7 finish in 2018, ending his six-year stint with an overall record of 21-48. He was replaced by Will Healey, who achieved immediate success in the Queen City. In his first season, Healey guided the 49ers to a program record seven wins and their first bowl appearance — a 31-9 loss to Buffalo in the Bahamas Bowl.

Instead of building on that success, the 49ers regressed to a 2-4 finish in the COVID-disrupted 2020 season. The 49ers followed that with a 5-7 record in 2021, although they did notch their first-ever win over a Power Five opponent, beating Duke 31-28.

Healey was dismissed following a 1-7 start to the 2022 season. His final record with the school was 15-24. To find his full-time replacement, the school turned to Poggi, a former associate head coach under Jim Harbaugh at Michigan.

With just one winning record over their first eight seasons at the FBS level, the 49ers will face long odds as they move to a new conference in 2023. The 49ers were one of six C-USA schools invited to the American Athletic Conference, joining UAB, Florida Atlantic, North Texas, Rice, and UTSA.

While Charlotte’s program is still relatively young, the 49ers do have a small representation in the NFL. Four former 49ers were drafted between 2017-20: defensive end Larry Ogunjobi (third round, 65th overall by Cleveland Browns, 2017), offensive guard Nate Davis (third round, 82nd overall by Tennessee Titans, 2019), linebacker Alex Highsmith (third round, 102nd overall by Pittsburgh Steelers, 2020) and offensive tackle Cameron Clark (fourth round, 129th overall by New York Jets, 2020).

 All-Time Receords

Passing Yards

• Chris Reynolds: 10,262
• Hasaan Klugh: 3,242
• Matt Johnson: 883
• Lee McNeill: 881
• Kevin Olsen: 842

 Rushing Yards

• Ben LeMay: 3,232
• Kalif Phillips: 1,874
• Aaron McAllister: 1,487
• Shadrick Byrd: 1,203
• Hasaan Klugh: 1,162

 Receiving Yards

• Victor Tucker: 3,066
• Grant Dubose: 1,684
• Austin Duke: 1,337
• Elijah Spencer: 1,324
• Workpeh Kofa: 1,204