After a brief period of prominence during the Second World War, the school disbanded its football program in April 1951 due to budgetary constraints.

The Pirates football team resumed play in the Fall of 2013 as part of the NCAA Division III Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference.

[4] 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.

[7] 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.

[8] 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.

[5] 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.

[14] After the conclusion of the Second World War, and the concurrent disbandment of the military training programs on campus, Southwestern's football performance declined.

The Pirates resumed play on September 7, 2013 with the first game a 44–14 loss to Texas Lutheran at the new Georgetown stadium complex, just up the road from the campus.