Southwestern Pirates football The Southwestern Pirates football team represented Southwestern University in National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA ) intercollegiate football competition from 1908 to 1950 . After a brief period of prominence during the Second World War , the school disbanded its football program in April 1951 because of budgetary constraints . On October 28 , 2011 , The Southwestern University board of trustees voted to reinstate the program . The Pirates football team will resume play in the Fall of 2013 as part of the NCAA Division III Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference . History . Records show that football was played at Southwestern University as early as 1895 , but the school ' s first officially recognized team was not formed until 1908 . From 1914 to 1916 , Southwestern competed as a member of the Southwest Conference . Prior to the 1940s , Southwestern was considered a " small time " football program , and only received national media attention about once yearly , whenever it faced a major college team . During the Second World War , however , Southwestern became a formidable football power because of its sponsorship of a V - 12 Navy College Training Program , which was gained through the actions of then Texas Congressman Lyndon B . Johnson . The Navy program gave it a pool of experienced and skilled players , which was a competitive advantage over other teams that fielded men too young or physically unfit for military service . In 1943 , Southwestern ' s team boasted seven former starter s from Texas and varsity players formerly from Baylor . Despite the influx of stars , Southwestern still had to contend with players leaving midseason to report for military training . During the 1943 season , Southwestern climbed as high as the eleventh - ranked team in the nation in the Associated Press Poll . Southwestern lost only one game during the season , and won the Sun Bowl against , 7 – 0 . After the 1944 season , the Sun Bowl invited Southwestern to return to face the National University of Mexico . Southwestern routed the Pumas , 35 – 0 , to set a scoring record for the game before 13 , 000 spectators . After the conclusion of the Second World War , and the concurrent disbandment of the military training programs on campus , Southwestern ' s football performance declined . Southwestern University disbanded its football team in April 1951 due to budget constraints . Reinstatement . On October 28 , 2011 , The Southwestern University board of trustees voted to reinstate the university ' s football program . The Pirates are scheduled to resume play beginning in the Fall 2013 season . The reinstatement was made possible by $ 6 million in gifts . $ 5 million was pledged by Joe Seeber , a 1963 Southwestern graduate . The other $ 1 million was donated by Red McCombs , who attended Southwestern and played football . “ As the oldest university in Texas , we realize the importance many people place on football , ” said university president Jake B . Schrum . “ There are many bright young men who want to play football in college who find NCAA Division III appealing . It is important for us to be back in the game . " On February 27 , 2012 Joe Austin was hired as the new head football coach at Southwestern . Austin came to Southwestern from Hanover College where he was the head coach for the 2008 through 2011 seasons . During that time Austin rebuilt a program that had suffered four consecutive losing seasons prior to his arrival . In just Austin ' s third season Hanover posted a 7 - 3 ( 6 - 2 Heartland Collegiate Conference ) record while finishing second in the league . Austin ' s team finished second again in his fourth and final season of 2011 . While at Hanover , Austin produced three NCAA statistical champions : Tyler Thiems ( receptions per game ) 2008 , Correy Stewart ( interceptions per game ) 2009 , and Daniel Passafiume ( receptions per game ) 2009 . Southwestern plans to play its home football games at the new Georgetown stadium complex , just up the road from the campus .