Hampton Pirates football

The Hampton Pirates football team represents Hampton University in college football. The Pirates compete in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) as a member of CAA Football, the legally separate football league operated by the multi-sports Colonial Athletic Association (CAA).

Classifications

 * 1950–1972: NCAA College Division
 * 1973–1994: NCAA Division II
 * 1995–present: NCAA Division I–AA/FCS

Conference memberships

 * 1902–1911: Independent
 * 1912–1994: Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association
 * 1995–2017: Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
 * 2018: Independent
 * 2019–2021: Big South Conference
 * 2022–present: CAA Football

Notable alumni
Over 25 Hampton alumni have played or coached in the NFL, including:


 * Jamal Brooks
 * Chris Baker
 * Darian Barnes
 * Travis Coleman
 * Reggie Doss
 * Justin Durant
 * Kenrick Ellis
 * Kendall Langford
 * Jerome Mathis
 * Michael Ola
 * Lucien Reeberg
 * Carl Painter
 * Greg Scott
 * Zuriel Smith
 * Ricardo Silva
 * Derius Swinton II
 * Cordell Taylor
 * Terrence Warren
 * Marcus Dixon
 * Antico Dalton

In 2022, former Hampton Pirate defensive back, Destin Route, more well known as JID on-stage, was nominated for a Grammy for his rap album, The Forever Story.

Also in 2022, Pirates player Byron Perkins came out as gay, making him the first openly gay football player at any historically black college or university.

NCAA Division I–AA/FCS
The Pirates have appeared in the I-AA/FCS playoffs five times with an overall record of 0–5.

NCAA Division II
The Pirates appeared in the Division II playoffs three times with an overall record of 1–3.

Rivalries

 * Battle of the Bay (Hampton–Norfolk State)
 * The Real HU (Hampton–Howard)