Then and now: Troy football moving on up

In light of Troy’s first home game and win of the 2017 football season, I thought we could take a look at the history of Troy’s football program.

Not only was Saturday’s game the first win of the season, but it was also a record-breaking game for attendance at Veterans Memorial Stadium; a record 29,278 people attended the game.

In 1991, Larry Blakeney was hired as Troy’s head coach, marking the start of a new era for Troy football. During that time in Troy football history, Blakeney led the Trojans to a 178-113-1 overall record, eight conference championships and five bowl appearances.

In June 1999, the Board of Trustees approved plans to enter Division I in time for the 2001 season.

At the start of the 2004 season, Troy State University joined the Sun Belt Conference as a football-only member. The Trojans went on to win the Sun Belt Conference Championship in their first year, and finished their season with an appearance in the Silicon Valley Bowl.

In 2006, Troy won its first bowl game in school history against Rice University in the R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl.

Last year, Troy became the first Sun Belt team to be ranked by The Associated Press. After an amazing season, the Trojans pulled out a No. 25 ranking.

Of course, there are still some potentially historic games in the books for this season and those to come, including the upcoming game against LSU on Sept. 30.