Wake Forest Demon Deacons football

History

Early history (1888–1972)

Wake Forest first fielded a football team in 1888. The team was coached by W. C. Dowd and W. C. Riddick. That team played only one game, and went 1–0, a victory against North Carolina in the first-ever collegiate football game played in the state of North Carolina. From 1891 to 1893, under head coach E. Walter Sikes, Wake Forest posted a 6–2–1 record. Harry Rabenhorst coached Wake Forest for two seasons, posting a 3–8 record. Hank Garrity served as head football coach from 1923 to 1924. He compiled a 19–7–1 record in those two seasons. His .704 winning percentage is the highest in Wake Forest football history. F. S. Miller served as Wake Forest's head football coach for four seasons, posting a record of 18–15–4. His first two seasons were winning seasons, 6–5–1 and 5–3–1, respectively. Jim Weaver, who would become the ACC's first commissioner, coached the Demon Deacons football team for four seasons. His final record is 10–23–1.

Peahead Walker came to the Demon Deacons from Elon and was Wake Forest's head football coach for 14 seasons, compiling a record of 77–51–6. He is tied with Jim Grobe as the winningest head football coach in Demon Deacon football history. Walker led the Deacons to two bowl games, a win over South Carolina in the inaugural Gator Bowl in 1946 and a loss to Baylor in the 1949 Dixie Bowl. He resigned after the 1950 season and was inducted into the Wake Forest Athletics Hall of Fame in 1971. Tom Rogers led the Demon Deacons from 1951 to 1955, succeeding Walker. Rogers yearly records at Wake Forest were 6–4, 5–4–1, 3–6–1, 4–7–1 and 5–4–1. In 1951, the Demon Deacons compiled a 6–4 record and finished in a tie for seventh place in the Southern Conference. End Jack Lewis and linebacker Bill George were selected by the Associated Press as first-team players on the 1951 All-Southern Conference football team. In their second season under Rogers, the Demon Deacons compiled a 5–4–1 record and finished in a tie for second place in the Southern Conference with a 5–1 record against conference opponents. End Jack Lewis was selected by the United Press as a first-team player on the 1952 All-Southern Conference football team. This was followed by a 3–6–1 campaign in 1953 that saw Wake Forest finish in a three-way tie for third place in the Atlantic Coast Conference with a 2–3 record against conference opponents. In 1954, the Demon Deacons compiled a 3–6–1 record and finished in sixth place in the Atlantic Coast Conference with a 1–4–1 record against conference opponents. End Ed Stowers and tackle Bob Bartholomew were selected by the Associated Press as first-team players on the 1954 All-Atlantic Coast Conference football team. Bartholomew was the only unanimous selection by all 43 voters. In 1955, their fifth season under Rogers, the Demon Deacons compiled a 5–4–1 record and finished in fourth place in the Atlantic Coast Conference with a 3–3–1 record against conference opponents. Tackle Bob Bartholomew was selected by both the Associated Press and the United Press International as a first-team player on the 1955 All-Atlantic Coast Conference football team. Rogers was replaced as Wake Forest head coach after five seasons.

Chuck Mills era (1973–1977)

Chuck Mills was hired away from Utah State and served as the Demon Deacons head football coach for five seasons, compiling an 11–43–1 record before he was fired due to the team's continued lackluster on-the-field performance. In 1973, Mills' first season, the Demon Deacons compiled a 1–9–1 record and finished in last place in the Atlantic Coast Conference. This was followed by a 1–10 record and last place finish in the Atlantic Coast Conference in 1974. Mills' third season in 1975 saw the Demon Deacons go 3–8 record and finish in fourth place in the Atlantic Coast Conference. In 1976, the Demon Deacons compiled a 5–6 record and finished in third place in the Atlantic Coast Conference. In their fifth and final season under Mills in 1977, the Demon Deacons compiled a 1–10 record and finished in last place in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

John Mackovic era (1978–1980)

Purdue offensive coordinator and associate head coach John Mackovic took over as head coach of his alma mater in 1978 and re-energized the Wake Forest football program, turning the program around from 1–10 to 8–4 in one year, for which Mackovic won ACC Coach of the Year honors. His teams were aggressive and fast. In 1979, its second season under head coach John Mackovic, the team compiled an 8–4 record, finished in fourth place in the Atlantic Coast Conference, and lost to LSU in the 1979 Tangerine Bowl. Mackovic won the Walter Camp Coach of the Year Award in 1979. In its third season under head coach John Mackovic, the team compiled a 5–6 record and finished in a three-way tie for fourth place in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Following the 1980 season, Mackovic left Wake Forest to take an assistant coaching position with the NFL's Dallas Cowboys. Mackovic's final record at Wake Forest is 14–20.

Al Groh era (1981–1986)

Under head coach Al Groh, the Demon Deacons compiled a 26–40 record. In 1981, their first season under Groh, the Demon Deacons compiled a 4–7 record and finished in sixth place in the Atlantic Coast Conference. In their second season under Groh, the Demon Deacons compiled a 3–8 record and finished in last place in the Atlantic Coast Conference. In their third season under Groh, the Demon Deacons compiled a 4–7 record and finished in a tie for last place in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Groh's best season was a 6–5 1984 season. and Groh resigned after the 1986 season, a 5–6 campaign, to take an assistant coaching position with the National Football League's Atlanta Falcons.

Bill Dooley era (1987–1992)

Bill Dooley came to Wake Forest after a brief retirement from coaching. He had previously been a head football coach at Virginia Tech and North Carolina.

In Dooley's first season, the team compiled a 7–4 record and finished in a tie for third place in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The next year, Wake Forest compiled a 6–4–1 record and finished in a tie for fourth place in the Atlantic Coast Conference. In 1989, the Demon Deacons compiled a 2–8–1 record and finished in seventh place in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The following season, Wake Forest finished with a 3–8 record and finished in last place in the Atlantic Coast Conference. In 1991, Wake Forest again finished last in the ACC with a 3–8 record. Dooley led the Demon Deacons to one bowl game, the 1992 Independence Bowl, which Wake Forest won, capping off an 8–4 season in which they finished ranked No. 25 in both the AP and Coaches Polls, respectively. Dooley re-retired after that game. Dooley retired after the 1992 season. His six seasons in Winston-Salem are tied for fourth for longest tenure and his 29 wins are third in most wins in Wake Forest history. He had three winning seasons at Wake Forest, 7–4 in 1987, 6–4–1 in 1988, and the 8–4 1992 team. Dooley's final record is 29–36–2.

Jim Caldwell era (1993–2000)

Jim Caldwell came to Wake Forest from his post as quarterbacks coach at Penn State. Caldwell was the first African American head football coach in Wake Forest football history. Caldwell's Demon Deacons were known to pass the ball well, setting dozens of school passing records. However, they frequently struggled to run the ball; in one year, the leading rusher only ran for a total of 300 yards.

Caldwell's first season was 1993, during which the Demon Deacons compiled a 2–9 record and finished in last place in the Atlantic Coast Conference. In 1994, the Demon Deacons compiled a 3–8 record and finished in eighth place in the Atlantic Coast Conference. That was followed by a 1–10 record and last place finish in the Atlantic Coast Conference for the fourth time in five years. 1996 was another season of struggle, as the Wake Forest Demon Deacons compiled a 3–8 record and finished in a tie for sixth place in the Atlantic Coast Conference, their best such finish in the ACC in over a decade.

In 1997, the Demon Deacons compiled a 5–6 record and finished in a tie for sixth place in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The highlight of the season came on opening weekend, when the Demon Deacons upset then No. 21 Northwestern by a score of 27–20, their first win over a ranked opponent in over a decade. In 1998, the Demon Deacons compiled a 3–8 record and finished in a tie for sixth place in the Atlantic Coast Conference. That was followed by the only winning season of Caldwell's tenure, a 7–5 season capped with a win in the 1999 Aloha Bowl. In 2000, the Demon Deacons compiled a 2–9 record and finished in eighth place in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Wake Forest struggled in Caldwell's eight-year tenure, posting only one winning season. Caldwell was fired after the 2000 season. His final record at Wake Forest was 26–63.

Jim Grobe era (2001–2013)

Coach Jim Grobe came to Wake Forest from Ohio. He brought with him an aggressive defensive scheme and a philosophy of discipline and accountability for his players both on the field and off. In their first season under Grobe, the Demon Deacons compiled a 6–5 record and finished in a tie for seventh place in the Atlantic Coast Conference. In 2002, the Demon Deacons compiled a 7–6 record and finished in a tie for seventh place in the Atlantic Coast Conference. This was followed by a 5–7 campaign and seventh-place finish in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

In 2004, the Demon Deacons compiled a 4–7 record and finished in a tie for last place in the Atlantic Coast Conference. That year, Wake Forest lost a close game on homecoming to then No. 5 Florida State on a field goal with one minute remaining in the contest by a score of 20–17. In their fifth season under Jim Grobe, the Demon Deacons compiled a 4–7 record and finished in fourth place in the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Grobe's best season was 2006, when the Demon Deacons posted an 11–2 record, won their first ACC championship in 36 years, and played in the Orange Bowl, a game they lost to Louisville. For the team's success in 2006, Grobe was awarded the ACC coach of the Year, Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award and AP Coach of the Year Award. Grobe's 77 wins are tied with Peahead Walker for most in Wake Forest football history.

After that 2006 season, Grobe's teams weren't able to match that level of success, winning six or more games just three times in the next seven years. Following the most successful season in team history in 2006, the 2007 team was not widely predicted to win the ACC despite returning many offensive starters from 2006. Some sports writers stated that they believed 2006 to have been a fluke and that Wake Forest was not going to win as many games in 2007, especially because of the losses on defense, including the loss of linebacker Jon Abbate to the National Football League. Wake Forest was picked to finish fourth in the Atlantic Division of the ACC in the annual preseason poll conducted by the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association. Lindy's was the only major preseason magazine to pick Wake Forest as a Top-25 team. The team began its season with an Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) game on Saturday, September 1, 2007, against Boston College. Wake Forest played its first season since winning the 2006 ACC championship, their first in 36 years. Wake Forest would finish the season with a 9–4 (5–3 ACC) record. A win in the 2007 Meineke Car Care Bowl against UConn gave the Deacons twenty wins over the last two seasons. In 2008, Wake Forest's 56th season as a member of the ACC the Demon Deacons began their season on August 28 at Baylor. The team finished 8–5 overall and 4–4 in ACC play, and beat Navy in the inaugural EagleBank Bowl on December 20, 2008. The 2009 season saw the Demon Deacons finish the season with a record of 5–7 and 3–5 in ACC play. The Deacons missed out on a bowl game for the first time since the 2005 season.

Dave Clawson era (2014–2024)

Dave Clawson was hired away from Bowling Green as the Demon Deacons head football coach, his hiring made official at a press conference on December 10, 2013. Clawson brought with him a coaching style that utilizes the team's available talent to maximize success. His offensive philosophy focuses on getting individual playmakers more touches rather than sticking to a rigidly defined system.

After posting 3–9 (1–7 ACC) seasons in 2014 and 2015, Clawson's 2016 team started the season by winning five of its first six games including road victories at Duke and Indiana. He led Wake Forest to its first bowl win in eight years, beating then No. 23 Temple 34–26 in the Military Bowl. Clawson has re-built the Deacons using a philosophy of strong recruiting classes, redshirting as many freshmen as possible, and having a strong strength and conditioning program. After the 2016 season, Wake Forest signed Clawson to a contract extension.

The Demon Deacons finished 8–5 in 2017. The Demon Deacons kicked off the season on August 31 with a 51–7 victory over FCS Presbyterian. In the season's second game, Wake defeated Boston College by a margin of 34–10. After a 46–10 drubbing of Utah State, Clawson's squad picked up their fourth win of the season in their fourth game by virtue of a 20–19 nail biter over Appalachian State. Then the Demon Deacons embarked upon a three-game losing streak, beginning with a 26–19 loss to Florida State. On October 7, Wake Forest lost to No. 2 Clemson by a score of 28–14. After a 38–24 loss to Georgia Tech, Wake posted its fifth victory of the season with a 42–32 win over Louisville with wide receiver Greg Dortch hauling in a school-record 4 TD receptions. After a 48–37 loss to No. 5 Notre Dame, the Demon Deacons ran all over Syracuse in an offensive shootout, prevailing by a margin of 64–43. After a 30–24 victory over archrival No. 25 NC State, Clawson's squad lost to rival Duke by a score of 31–23 in the regular season finale. Wake Forest was offered and accepted a berth in the 2017 Belk Bowl, a game they won over Texas A&M by a score of 55–52. The following year, they were offered and accepted a berth to the 2018 Birmingham Bowl, in which they beat Memphis 37–34. In 2019 they finished the season 8-5 after losing to Michigan State in the 2019 Pinstripe Bowl. In 2020 they finished the season 4-5 after losing to Wisconsin in the 2020 Duke's Mayo Bowl. In 2021 they became bowl eligible for the 6th straight season when they started the season 8-0 for the first time in program history.

Jake Dickert era (2025-present)

Wake Forest hired Dickert as its head football coach in December 2024, following the resignation of Dave Clawson. In his first season, Dickert set a program record for the most wins by a first-year Wake Forest head coach, leading the Demon Deacons to nine victories. The previous record of seven wins was set by Bill Dooley in 1987.

Conference affiliations

Wake Forest has been independent and affiliated with two conferences.

Independent (1888–1935)

Southern Conference (1936–1952)

Atlantic Coast Conference (1953–present)

Championships

Conference championships

Wake Forest has two conference championships.

Head coaches

List of Wake Forest head coaches.

Bowl games

Wake Forest has played in 18 bowls in its history and owns a 12–6 record in those games. For the 2006 season, the school earned a bid to its first ever BCS game, with an Orange Bowl match-up against Louisville. Wake also had played in the 1982 Mirage Bowl in Tokyo, Japan against Clemson. However, because this game was played during the regular season, the NCAA does not recognize it as an official bowl game. Wake also competed in the 1951, 1953, 1954 Tobacco Bowl in Richmond, Virginia. According to the NCAA, it doesn't count as an official bowl game since this game isn't a postseason bowl.

Rivalries

Wake Forest is referred to as being a part of "Tobacco Road" or the Big Four, terms that refer to the four North Carolina schools that compete heatedly against each other within the ACC. Wake Forest swept the series with its Tobacco Road rivals in 1924, 1951, 1970, 1984, 1987, 2006, 2007, and 2019.

Clemson

The series with Clemson has been played 89 times with the bordering state schools meeting every year uninterrupted since 1933 except for 1934 and 1952. Both universities were founding members of the Atlantic Coast Conference in 1953 and were both placed in the same division when the conference split into non-geographical divisions in 2005, thereby ensuring an annual meeting between the rivals. Despite the end of ACC divisions after the 2022 season, the teams will meet during the 2024 regular season. As of the completion of the 2023 season, Clemson leads the all-time series 71–17–1.

Duke

Wake Forest shares a football rivalry with Duke University. This rivalry started due to the schools' historical religious affiliations and close proximity to one another within the state of North Carolina (Wake Forest University was originally located in the town of Wake Forest before moving to Winston-Salem in 1956). Duke was originally known as Trinity College and the athletic teams were known as the Methodists, while Wake Forest's athletic teams were known at the time as the Baptists. The series is 61–40–2 in favor of Duke. Duke won the most recent matchup in 2025 by a score of 49–32. This matchup was the key final victory to propel Duke to qualify for the ACC championship game, which it would end up winning over Virginia. As of 2025, Wake Forest and Duke are thus the only Tobacco Road schools with ACC championship game victories since its inception. With the exception of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, these teams have played each other in consecutive years uninterrupted since 1921, one of the longest-continued rivalries in college football with both teams not skipping a beat.

NC State

Wake Forest and in-state rival NC State face each other every year and is a protected rivalry within the ACC. The rivalry is also the longest continuous rivalry between two ACC schools, having been played every year since 1910, as well as being the fourth longest continuous rivalry in NCAA history. Although the series has been interrupted since its inception, it has been uninterrupted since 1910, tying it with Oklahoma/Oklahoma St. for the second-longest continuous rivalry in FBS Division I college football, after only Minnesota/Wisconsin (uninterrupted since 1907). The Lafayette/Lehigh game in the FCS college football subdivision has been played, uninterrupted, since 1897. Wake Forest trails in the series 43–70–6 through the 2025 season.

North Carolina

Wake Forest defeated North Carolina 6–4 on October 18, 1888, during the first intercollegiate football game played in the state of North Carolina. Wake's all-time record against UNC is 36–68–2.

Retired jerseys

The Demon Deacons have retired five jerseys.

Individual award winners

Player

First Team All-American Selections

1976 – Bill Armstrong (consensus)

2005 – Ryan Plackimeier (unanimous)

2007 – Steve Justice (consensus)

2008 – Alphonso Smith (consensus)

ACC 25th Anniversary Football Team

Billy Ray Barnes

Bill Armstrong

ACC 50th Anniversary Football Team

Bill Armstrong

Brian Piccolo

Norm Snead

ACC All Decade Football Teams

(2000–2009) Chris Barclay, Steve Justice, Ryan Plackemeier, Aaron Curry, Alphonso Smith

All SoCon selections

1936 – Raleigh Daniel

1938 – Louis Trunzo, Marshall Edwards

1939 – Rupert Pate, John Polanski

1940 – Tony Gallovich

1941 – Carl Givler

1942 – Pat Preston, Red Cochran, Buck Jones

1943 – Nick Sacrinty, Elmer Barbour, Bill Starford

1944 – Nick Sacrinty, Elmer Barbour, Dick Foreman, John Kerns, George Owens, Dave Harris

Coaches

ACC Coach of the Year

Paul Amen – 1956, 1959

Bill Tate – 1964

Cal Stoll – 1970

John Mackovic – 1979

Bill Dooley – 1987, 1992

Jim Grobe – 2006

Dave Clawson - 2021

Walter Camp Coach of the Year

John Mackovic – 1979

Associated Press Coach of the Year

Jim Grobe – 2006

Bobby Dodd Award

Jim Grobe – 2006

Other notable players

Jon Abbate – Former NFL linebacker; the central figure in The 5th Quarter, a 2011 feature film on Wake's 2006 season after his brother (Luke Abbate) died in a car accident.

Richard Burr – Former Republican Senator of North Carolina

Tyler Cameron – Model and former contestant on The Bachelorette

Jim Clack – Former NFL center who won Super Bowl rings with the World Champion Pittsburgh Steelers and also played for the New York Giants

George Coghill – Former NFL defensive back who won back–to–back Super Bowl rings with the Denver Broncos in 1998 and 1999.

Charlie Crist – Former Governor of Florida

Aaron Curry – Former first round pick of the Seattle Seahawks

Clark Gaines – Former NFL running back, holds NFL record for most receptions in a game by a running back (3rd most receptions in a game among all players), and was the first undrafted rookie to rush for over 500 yards in a rookie season; serves as Assistant Executive Director of the NFL Players Association.

Kendall Hinton – Current Free Agent NFL Wide Receiver who was signed by the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2020. Playing QB during his time at Wake Forest before transitioning to WR, he made a debut as starting quarterback for one game during the 2020 season when all four Broncos’ quarterbacks were ineligible to play due to COVID-19 protocols. Hinton became the first non-professional quarterback to play significant snaps at the position in an NFL game since running back Tom Matte with the Baltimore Colts in 1965.

Gerry Huth – Former NFL offensive guard who won 2 NFL championships (1 with the NY Giants in 1956, and the other with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1960)

Future non-conference opponents

Announced schedules as of December 16, 2025