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.

Head coach Ossie Solem extended the invitation stating "We finally inquired had he ever indulged in the 'dirt eating' pastime known as football.

In a close encounter at Honolulu Stadium on December 19, 1931, Hawaii defeated Drake 19–13 in a game dubbed the Aloha Classic.

[6] 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 only conference loss was to 18th AP Ranked Louisville (Led by Tom Jackson, All-Pro Linebacker, Denver Broncos, and former ESPN Analyst).

They went on to play Tennessee State and Ed 'Too Tall' Jones (All-Pro Defensive End, Dallas Cowboys) in the Pioneer Bowl, which proved to be a difficult challenge in a 29–7 loss, finishing with a 7–5 record overall.

With a 7–4–0 record, Tulsa clinched the lone Missouri Valley Conference postseason berth due to the head-to-head tie-breaker.

It was unclear if Drake football would survive until Des Moines, Iowa native Rob Ash was introduced as coach in 1989.

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.

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.

[12] 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.

Drake played the first night game at Soldier Field, losing a close contest to Oregon 14–7 on October 3, 1930.

Bright's injury also highlighted the racial tensions of the times and assumed notoriety when it was captured in what was later to become both a widely disseminated and eventually Pulitzer Prize winning photo sequence.

On September 1, 2010, Drake announced it would forgo its normal postseason tie-ins in order to participate in the Global Kilimanjaro Bowl, the first American Football game in Africa.

Coach Creighton and his team were honored with the NCAS Giant Steps Award for their charity work in Africa.