Erskine Flying Fleet football

Erskine football started in 1896.[3] It was discontinued in 1951. The period from 1917 to 1921 brought most of the program's success, including athlete Dode Phillips.[4] During those seasons they have wins against Wofford, Presbyterian, South Carolina, Clemson, and the Citadel. It was during a game in 1929[5] that Erskine took on the name "The Flying Fleet". They were given that name by a Greenville reporter who was blown away by their passing performance in the game. They had previously been known as the "Seceders".[6] On October 18, 1948 when they defeated Florida State 14–6. It was only a couple more years until the Flying Fleet ended their football program in 1951.

In 2018, Erskine College announced return of the football program for the 2020 season competing in NCAA Division II.[7][8][9][10]

In 1915, Erskine began intercollegiate football and competed for the state title with other members of the South Carolina Intercollegiate Athletic Association.[11][12] In 1925, Erskine joined the ranks of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association.[13] In 1939, Erskine was a founding member of the South Atlantic Conference, which was for "small liberal arts schools that do not place undue emphasis upon athletics."[14] The conference's founding members were Erskine, Newberry, Oglethorpe, Presbyterian, and Wofford. They added Rollins and Stetson in 1940, and then Mercer in 1941 before it disbanded due to several programs discontinuing football.[15][16] The schools maintained membership in the S.I.A.A. while also competing for the South Atlantic title. Erskine was also a member of the South Carolina Little Four alongside Newberry, Presbyterian, and Wofford. The "Little Four" informally was naming champions in the period before the war as well.

• = Interim Head Coach, † = Conference champions, ‡ = Conference co-champions, ♯ = Little Four champions, ♮ = Little Four co-champions