What Is 2000 The Citadel Bulldogs football

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Last updated: April 15, 2026

Quick Answer: The 2000 The Citadel Bulldogs football team represented The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, during the 2000 NCAA Division I-AA football season. They finished with a 6–5 overall record under head coach Charlie Taaffe, who resigned after the season.

Key Facts

The 2000 The Citadel Bulldogs football team had a 6–5 overall record
They played in the NCAA Division I-AA Southern Conference
Head coach Charlie Taaffe resigned after the 2000 season
The team played home games at Johnson Hagood Stadium in Charleston
They scored 228 points while allowing 262 points during the season

Overview

The 2000 The Citadel Bulldogs football team represented The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, during the 2000 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Competing in the Southern Conference, the team was led by head coach Charlie Taaffe, who concluded his tenure after the season with a 6–5 overall record.

The Bulldogs played their home games at Johnson Hagood Stadium in Charleston, South Carolina, a venue with a capacity of approximately 10,500. Despite a slightly above-average win-loss record, the team did not qualify for the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs, finishing the year with mixed results against conference and non-conference opponents.

Overall record: The 2000 Bulldogs finished with a 6–5 record, marking one of the few non-losing seasons in a decade of inconsistent performance.
Conference affiliation: They competed in the Southern Conference, finishing with a 4–3 record against conference opponents.
Head coach: Charlie Taaffe, who coached the team from 1987 to 2000, stepped down after 14 seasons, finishing with a 73–81 overall record.
Home stadium: Johnson Hagood Stadium, located in Charleston, SC, has served as the team’s home field since 1948 and underwent renovations in the late 1990s.
Scoring summary: The team scored 228 total points (20.7 per game) while allowing 262 (23.8 per game), indicating a relatively balanced but inconsistent defense.

Season Performance and Key Games

The 2000 season featured a mix of close victories and narrow defeats, with several games decided by a touchdown or less. The Bulldogs showed resilience in conference play but struggled against stronger non-conference opponents.

Season opener: The Citadel defeated Gardner–Webb 27–21 in their first game, setting a positive tone with a strong defensive effort.
Key win: A 24–17 victory over Furman on October 21 was crucial, as Furman was a top contender in the Southern Conference.
Close loss: The team lost to Appalachian State 24–21 in October, a game that could have shifted their conference standing.
Rivalry game: The Bulldogs lost to VMI 20–17 in the annual Military Classic of the South, a blow to morale despite the close score.
Final game: They closed the season with a 31–14 win over Western Carolina, finishing above .500 for the first time since 1990.

Comparison at a Glance

A comparison of the 2000 season with recent prior years highlights both progress and ongoing challenges for the program.

Season	Overall Record	SoCon Record	Head Coach	Playoff Appearance
1998	3–8	2–6	Charlie Taaffe	No
1999	4–7	3–5	Charlie Taaffe	No
2000	6–5	4–3	Charlie Taaffe	No
2001	7–4	6–2	Don Powers	No
2002	6–5	5–3	Don Powers	No

The 2000 season marked a turning point in competitiveness, laying the groundwork for improved performances under new leadership. While not a championship year, it demonstrated that the program could achieve a winning record with consistent play. The transition to Don Powers in 2001 built on the modest success of 2000, with better conference results in the following years.

Why It Matters

The 2000 season is remembered as a transitional year that signaled potential for future success despite the end of a long coaching era. It provided momentum for the program entering a new chapter under different leadership.

End of an era: Charlie Taaffe’s resignation marked the end of a 14-year tenure, the longest in school history at that time.
Program stability: Achieving a 6–5 record offered hope after years of subpar performance, boosting morale among players and fans.
Recruiting impact: A winning season helped attract better talent, contributing to improved records in the early 2000s.
Stadium legacy: Games at Johnson Hagood Stadium continued to draw strong local support, maintaining the team’s regional identity.
Conference relevance: Competitive games against top SoCon teams like Furman and Appalachian State kept The Citadel relevant in league standings.
Historical context: The 2000 season remains a benchmark for measuring progress in The Citadel’s football history.

While not a championship season, the 2000 The Citadel Bulldogs laid the foundation for modest but meaningful improvement in the years that followed, making it a quietly significant chapter in the program’s history.