Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks football

The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks football program is the intercollegiate American football team for Stephen F. Austin State University (SFA) located in the U.S. state of Texas. The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) as members of the Southland Conference, which SFA rejoins for the 2024 season after a three-year absence.[2] SFA had played the 2023 season in the United Athletic Conference (UAC), newly formed for the 2023 season as a merger of the football leagues of SFA's previous home of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) and the Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN). It replaced an alliance between the two conferences that operated in the 2021 and 2022 seasons.[3][4]

Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks
2024 Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks football team
First season1923
Athletic directorRyan Ivey
Head coachColby Carthel
6th season, 26–30 (.464)
StadiumHomer Bryce Stadium
(capacity: 14,575)
Field surfaceHellas Matrix Turf
LocationNacogdoches, Texas
NCAA divisionDivision I FCS
ConferenceSouthland Conference
All-time record426–545–30 (.441)
Bowl record1–0 (1.000)
Conference titles6 (1 Gulf Star, 4 SLC, 1 WAC)
RivalriesNorthwestern State Demons (rivalry)
Sam Houston Bearkats (rivalry)
ColorsPurple and white[1]
   
Websitewww.sfajacks.com

SFA had long been a member of the Southland Conference (SLC) before joining the WAC in July 2021, the same time that conference relaunched its football league at the FCS level.[5] It returned to the SLC for 2024 and beyond. Stephen F. Austin's first football team was fielded in 1923. The team plays its home games at the 14,575 seat Homer Bryce Stadium in Nacogdoches, Texas.

Conference championships

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Year Coach Conference Overall record Conference record
1985† Jim Hess Gulf Star Conference 9–2 4–1
1989 Lynn Graves Southland Conference 12–2–1 6–0–1
1999† Mike Santiago 8–3 6–1
2009† J. C. Harper 10–3 6–1
2010 9–3 6–1
2022 Colby Carthel Western Athletic Conference 6–5 3–1
Conference championships 6

† Co-champions

Head coaches

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Red Conkright was head coach from 1959 to 1961.

Notable former players

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Bum Phillips played college football for the Lumberjacks

Notable alumni include:

Postseason history

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The Lumberjacks earned a berth in the NCAA Division I FCS playoffs in 2009, the first postseason appearance for the team since 1995. The 2010 season marked the first time that the school had won an outright conference championship since 1989.

The team's only bowl game was the 1973 Poultry Bowl, in which the team defeated Gardner–Webb, 31–10, in Gainesville, Georgia.

Division I-AA/FCS Playoffs results

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The Lumberjacks have appeared in the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs eight times with an overall record of 7–8.

Year Round Opponent Result
1988 First round
Quarterfinals
Jackson State
Georgia Southern
W 24–0
L 6–27
1989 First round
Quarterfinals
Semifinals
National Championship Game
Grambling State
Southwest Missouri State
Furman
Georgia Southern
W 59–56
W 55–25
W 21–19
L 34–37
1993 First round Troy State L 20–42
1995 First round
Quarterfinals
Semifinals
Eastern Illinois
Appalachian State
Montana
W 34–29
W 27–17
L 14–70
2009 First round
Quarterfinals
Eastern Washington
Montana
W 44–33
L 0–51
2010 Second round Villanova L 24–54
2014 First round Northern Iowa L 10–44
2021 First round Incarnate Word L 28–35 OT

Rivalries

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The Lumberjacks have active rivalries with the Northwestern State Demons and the Sam Houston Bearkats.

Future non-conference opponents

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Announced schedules as of August 10, 2024.[6] Austin Peay, announced as a non-conference opponent for 2024 and 2025, became a conference opponent with the formation of the UAC. However, the statuses of these matchups, and in some cases their existence, are subject to change due to SFA's return to the SLC for 2024 and beyond,

2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030
North American at Houston at Northern Colorado at Louisville
at North Texas at Abilene Christian
Northern Colorado
at Texas A&M–Commerce
Abilene Christian

References

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  1. ^ SFA Official University Identity Standards Manual (PDF). June 17, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  2. ^ "SFA Athletics Accepts Invitation to Join Southland Conference in 2024-25" (Press release). Southland Conference. May 29, 2024. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  3. ^ "ASUN And WAC Unveil 2023 Football Schedule" (Press release). Western Athletic Conference. December 20, 2022. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
  4. ^ "ASUN-WAC Football Partnership Formally Rebrands As The United Athletic Conference" (Press release). ASUN Conference. April 17, 2023. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
  5. ^ "WAC Announces Expedited Entrance for Four Texas Institutions" (Press release). Western Athletic Conference. January 21, 2021. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  6. ^ "Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks Football Future Schedules". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
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