The team represents the university as the senior member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC), playing at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level.

[6] A football schedule never materialized, however, and the league dissolved before even a single game was played, though a baseball championship was held in the spring of 1892, with Wittenberg claiming the pennant.

[11] And they came and they were conquer'd With swift dispatch and ease, And they felt that twinging sorrow which In vain they could appease Thought not that woe awaited them Across Ohio's stream.

Where swift Monogahela flows Past mountains looking down: Proud and boasting came they hither To wrestle for the goals Which they found almost as quickly As disembodied souls.

Beginning in 1906, the Bobcats began to assert themselves as a more permanent entity on campus with the hiring of Arthur McFarland as head coach.

His lack of success against challenging opponents lead to a quick dismissal, and ultimately forced the hiring of Bobcat legend Don Peden.

That year, the Bobcats were led by All-American Art Lewis, a sturdy tackle who became a first-round selection of the New York Giants in the first-ever National Football League draft in 1936.

Today, the Bobcats are the only team still in the conference from the original five-team league that included Butler, Cincinnati, Wayne State, and Case Western.

With the retirement of legendary coach Don Peden in 1946, the Ohio athletics administration knew that it would be challenging to find a worthy successor.

Widdoes led the team to a 4–4–1 record in his first year, and made noise with an opening day upset of West Virginia.

Widdoes' 1950, 1951, and 1952 teams all posted winning records, and were led by All-American linebacker Vince Costello and #33 fullback Jim(Big Train)McKenna.

Widdoes handpicked a successor in Bill Hess, who had spent seven seasons as an assistant to Woody Hayes and brought a similar philosophy back to Athens.

Behind the powerful running of Robert Brooks and the blocking and tackling of two-way standout Dick Grecni, the Bobcats went a perfect 10–0.

Ohio led 14–7 late in the game before West Texas scored on a 32-yard touchdown pass and a two-point conversion to win 15–14.

The amazing pass-and-catch combination of Cleve Bryant and Todd Snyder, coupled with the sturdy running of Dave LeVeck and Bob Houmard, proved to be nearly unstoppable.

On the heels of a 28–27 victory over the Bowling Green in which the Bobcats scored two touchdowns in the final four minutes, Bryant led the way to a 60–48 win against the Cincinnati.

Hess would also coach the 1977 while fighting a battle with cancer, leading the team to a 1–10 record that included numerous close losses to challenging opponents.

Following a 1984 season that saw the 'Cats go 4–6–1, Burke was replaced by Cleve Bryant, an Ohio legend who was responsible for quarterbacking the 1967 and 1968 MAC championship teams.

He brought with him a unique offensive and defensive philosophy learned as a long-time assistant coach at the United States Air Force Academy.

While most of the college football world was moving towards a high-octane passing attack, Grobe took the Bobcats back to the basics of the triple option, with wildly successful results.

Kareem Wilson, the Bobcats' fireplug of a quarterback, was voted the MAC's Offensive Player of the Year following a 1996 season in which he rushed for 1,072 yards and a school-record 14 touchdowns.

Frank Solich's first home game as coach of Ohio was a memorable one, as Peden Stadium brought in its largest crowd ever at the time to watch the Bobcats defeat Pittsburgh 16–10 in overtime.

On November 16, 2006, the Bobcats secured their first ever Mid-American Conference East Division title and their first football championship of any sort since 1968 with a victory over Akron.

Tyler Tettleton emerged as the starting quarterback over the likes of Kyle Snyder and Phil Bates, who switched his position to wide receiver.

Ohio's new spread offense proved to be explosive in the early part of the season, averaging just under 40 points per game in their first 3 contests, all of which were convincing wins.

On July 14, 2021, following Solich's retirement, longtime Bobcat offensive coordinator Tim Albin was named the 29th head coach of the program.

[35] Ohio accepted a bid to play Georgia Southern in the Myrtle Beach Bowl[36][37] The Bobcats scored 41 points with the aid of five forced turnovers by the defense to cruise to a 41–21 victory.

[40] Albin brought Ohio their first MAC Championship since 1968 and left after the game to take the head coaching position at Charlotte.

"The Battle of the Bricks" is an annual all-sports rivalry competition between the Ohio Bobcats and the Miami RedHawks athletic programs.

Each varsity athletic competition in which the Bobcats and RedHawks meet including tournament play is counted as part of the years series record.