Drake Bulldogs football The Drake Bulldogs football program represents Drake University in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision level . Drake began competing in intercollegiate football in 1893 . History . Scholarship Era . The 1922 Drake Bulldogs football team is considered by many to be considered the greatest in Drake history and is , to date , the only undefeated Bulldog team . Drake capped the historic season with a 48 – 6 triumph over Mississippi State on November 25 , 1922 . They received votes as the number one team in the College Football Researchers Association poll and were invited to the White House for their accomplishments . The Bulldogs were coached by legend Ossie Solem . During the 1926 Homecoming activities , Babe Ruth visited and suited up for a Drake scrimmage . Head coach Ossie Solem extended the invitation stating " We finally inquired had he ever indulged in the ' dirt eating ' pastime known as football . The answer was sort of a woeful ' No . ' It was evident that the ' Big Bimbo ' had missed something in his boyhood days , and when the invitation to work out with the Bulldogs was extended , it was accepted with glee . " Ruth scored a 20 yard touchdown in the mock scrimmage . While it was not the official Rose Bowl Game , Drake was the first Iowa school to play in the Rose Bowl Stadium . The Bulldogs defeated UCLA 25 – 6 in front of a near capacity crown of 40 , 000 on November 28 , 1927 . At the time , UCLA played major games at the Rose Bowl Stadium . The Bruins did not officially move on a permanent basis to the Rose Bowl Stadium until 1982 . The game was highlighted as one of the NCAA Football Thanksgiving Special Games that year . Following the 1931 season head coach Ossie Solem schedule a game in Honolulu , Hawaii in which the bulldogs squared off against Hawaii . Solem frustrated by the lack of postseason rewards ( the Rose Bowl on January 1 , 1932 , was the only NCAA Bowl Game following 1931 season ) , called the trip a reward for his team ’ s fourth straight Missouri Valley Conference championship . In a close encounter at Honolulu Stadium on December 19 , 1931 , Hawaii defeated Drake 19 – 13 in a game dubbed the Aloha Classic . The game was the first by an Iowa school in the state of Hawaii . It was also the last game for Solem as Bulldog coach . He would leave the next season taking the head football coach vacancy at Iowa . Drake was the first school of its size to install lights . On October 6 , 1928 , the Bulldogs defeated Simpson College 41 – 6 in the first night game at Drake Stadium . In 1951 , Johnny Bright was named a First Team College Football All - American , and was awarded the Nils V . " Swede " Nelson Sportsmanship Award . He was invited to the Heisman Trophy festivities and finished fifth in the voting . In 1969 , Bright was named Drake University ' s greatest football player of all time . Bright is the only Drake football player to have his jersey number ( # 43 ) retired by the school , and in June 2006 , received honorable mention from " ESPN . com " senior writer Ivan Maisel as one of the best college football players to ever wear # 43 . In February 2006 , the football field at Drake Stadium , in Des Moines , Iowa , was named in his honor . In November 2006 , Bright was voted one of the CFL ' s Top 50 players ( # 19 ) of the league ' s modern era by Canadian sports network TSN . The most successful Drake team in the modern era of college football was the 1981 Bulldogs team . Drake finished the season with 10 wins and nearly had an undefeated season . The Bulldogs would fall 59 – 6 to Tulsa ending their chance at a perfect season . With a 7 – 4 – 0 record , Tulsa would clinch the lone Missouri Valley Conference postseason berth due the head - to - head tie - breaker . Both teams finished conference play 7 – 1 – 0 . Modern Era . Following the historic 1981 season , the Bulldogs suffered five straight non - winning seasons . In 1986 , the school chose not to award athletic scholarships ( " grants - in - aid " ) to football players . It was unclear if Drake football would survive until Des Moines , Iowa native Rob Ash was introduced as coach in 1989 . Ash rejuvenated the program during his eighteen seasons at Drake and played a crucial role in the founding of the Pioneer Football League , a football - only league run out of the Missouri Valley Conference offices in Saint Louis , Missouri . In the process , he became Drake ' s all - time winningest coach with a record of 125 – 63 – 2 ; leading the Bulldogs to four conference titles and five runners - up finishes in the Sports Network Cup . As a result , Ash was named the conference coach of the year three times ( 1995 , 1998 , and 2004 ) . After the 2006 season , Ash accepted the head football coach position at Montana State . In his final Drake season , he led the team to a runner - up finish in both the Pioneer Football League and the Sports Network Cup . Ironically , San Diego defeated Drake in both , marking the first time two Pioneer Football League teams finished first and second in the Sports Network Cup . The Bulldogs were coached by long - time NFL assistant Steve Loney in 2007 . The team finished 6 – 5 , with a highlight 27 – 24 victory over # 7 Illinois State on August 30 . Loney would resign at the end of the season to accept a position as offensive line coach with the Saint Louis Rams . Chris Creighton was named head coach beginning with the 2008 season . In 2009 , the Bulldogs missed out on a share of the conference title when Butler connected on a field goal with one second remaining in the regular season finale . In 2011 , Drake shared the conference title with San Diego , their first title under Creighton .