BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Patriot League formally announced the addition of the University of Richmond as an associate member for football on Tuesday afternoon. The Spiders will begin competition in the League for the 2025 football season.
 
The Patriot League's membership within the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) will expand to eight football teams with the addition of Richmond. They will join charter League members Bucknell University, Colgate University, The College of the Holy Cross, Lafayette College and Lehigh University, along with associate members Fordham University and Georgetown University. Before Richmond, Georgetown was the last football program to join the Patriot League, arriving for the 2001 season.
 
"We are elated to welcome the University of Richmond as our eighth football member," Patriot League Commissioner Jennifer Heppel said. "Richmond's consistent success on the field has made them a premier program in the FCS and their addition positions the League for continued competitive success at the national level. Beyond their on-field excellence, our shared commitment to prioritizing highly competitive academic and athletic experiences makes them an ideal institutional partner for the Patriot League."
  
"We look forward to University of Richmond joining the Patriot League for football beginning in 2025," Colgate University President and Chair of the Council of Presidents Brian W. Casey said. "Their academic reputation along with their success on the field and their dedication to providing an exemplary experience for their student-athletes will only help to solidify the tradition and mission of the League."
 
RICHMOND FOOTBALL FCS SUCCESS
Richmond football is one of the most successful programs in FCS history. The Spiders have won 13 conference championships, made 13 appearances in the NCAA Playoffs, and won the 2008 national championship, the University's first NCAA national title. Last year, Richmond shared the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) championship and advanced to the second round of the FCS Playoffs, making UR one of just eight programs to reach the Second Round in the last two seasons. More than 100 Spiders have gone on to play professionally, with more than 50 selected in the annual NFL Draft.
 
PATRIOT LEAGUE FOOTBALL HISTORY
The Patriot League will enter its 39th season of competition this fall at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level. The League formed in 1986 with charter members Bucknell, Colgate, Holy Cross, Lafayette and Lehigh. Fordham has maintained its football member status since 1990, as the Rams were full members from 1990-94 before becoming associate members in 1995. Georgetown has competed as a Patriot League football associate member since 2001. Davidson (1987-88) and Towson (1997-03) have also competed in the Patriot League as football associate members. Full Patriot League members - the U.S. Military Academy (Army West Point) and U.S. Naval Academy (Navy) - play football in the American Athletic Conference (AAC) in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS).
 
PATRIOT LEAGUE FOOTBALL SUCCESS
Patriot League Champion Lafayette and Holy Cross finished the 2023 season ranked in the top 25. The Leopards finished 19th in the FCS Coaches Poll and No. 21 in the STATS FCS Poll. Holy Cross finished the season No. 25 in the FCS Coaches Poll after having their streak of four straight League titles snapped. It marked the second consecutive season the Patriot League finished with two ranked teams after Holy Cross (No. 6 FCS Coaches, No. 7 STATS) and Fordham (No. 13 FCS Coaches, No. 16 STATS) concluded successful seasons in 2022. 
 
Since 2015, three Patriot League football teams have advanced to the quarterfinal round of the NCAA DI FCS Championship. Colgate accomplished the feat in 2015 and 2018 when the Raiders boasted the nation's top-scoring defense (9.3 ppg) before falling to eventual national champion North Dakota State. Holy Cross advanced to the quarterfinal round, falling to 2022 national champion South Dakota State. The 2022 season also marked the second time since 2015 that the Patriot League received multiple bids to the FCS Playoffs. 
 
Since the League's inception in 1986, 12 Patriot League football student-athletes have been selected in the NFL Draft, with Holy Cross offensive lineman C.J. Hanson most recently being a seventh-round pick by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2024. During the 2023 season, nine former Patriot League student-athletes spent time on NFL rosters, including Fordham All-American Chase Edmonds (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), who ranks fifth in FCS history in career rushing yards (5,862).
 
PATRIOT LEAGUE FOOTBALL ACADEMIC PROWESS
The Patriot League has been among the premier academic football conferences in NCAA Division I. According to the most recent data released by the NCAA in December 2023, the League's seven football programs recorded the best Graduation Success Rate (GSR) score (95) and top Federal Graduation Rate (FGR) score (78) among all NCAA DI FCS conferences. For more than a decade, the Patriot League has ranked among the best NCAA Division I conferences in GSR and FGR, posting the top FGR and ranking in the top two in GSR since 2020.
 
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its fourth decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League's athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes who are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.