Northern Arizona Lumberjacks football
The NAU Lumberjacks football program is the intercollegiate American football team for the Northern Arizona University located in Flagstaff, Arizona. The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and is a member of the Big Sky Conference. The school's first football team was fielded in 1915. The team plays its home games at the 10,500 seat Walkup Skydome. Brian Wright was hired as the Head Football Coach on December 3, 2023.
| Northern Arizona Lumberjacks Football | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
 | |||
| First season | 1915 | ||
| Head coach | Brian Wright 1st season, 8–4 (.667) | ||
| Stadium | Walkup Skydome (capacity: 10,500) | ||
| Location | Flagstaff, Arizona | ||
| NCAA division | Division I FCS | ||
| Conference | Big Sky Conference | ||
| All-time record | 457–451–23 (.503) | ||
| Conference titles | 2 (1978, 2003) | ||
| Rivalries | Southern Utah (rivalry) | ||
| Colors | Blue and gold[1] | ||
| Website | nauathletics.com | ||
History
editThe Lumberjacks have maintained numerous rivalries with their western counterparts. Competition has not only been limited to the west. The Lumberjacks have also taken on eastern programs such as the Ole Miss Rebels, Florida Atlantic Owls, and the Appalachian State Mountaineers.
On September 18, 2021, Northern Arizona beat Arizona for the first time since 1932, winning 21–19. It was their first win against a FBS team since beating UTEP in 2018 and their third overall win against an FBS team since 2012. It is also the first time they beat a member of the Pac-12 Conference. [2][3]
Classifications
edit- 1937–1952: NCAA College Division
- 1953–1968: NAIA
- 1969–1972: NCAA College Division
- 1973–1977: NCAA Division II
- 1978–present: NCAA Division I
Conference affiliations
edit- Independent (1915–1930, 1963–1969)
- Border Conference (1931–1952)
- New Mexico Conference / Frontier Conference (1953–1962)
- Big Sky Conference (1970–present)
Championships
editConference championships
edit| Year | Coach | Conference | Overall Record | Conference Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956† | Max Spilsbury | Frontier Conference | 8–2 | 3–0 |
| 1957 | 8–1 | 3–0 | ||
| 1958 | 11–1 | 3–0 | ||
| 1959 | 6–2–1 | 3–0 | ||
| 1960† | 6–3–2 | 2–0–1 | ||
| 1961 | 3–5–1 | 1–0–1 | ||
| 1962 | 6–4 | 2–0 | ||
| 1978 | Joe Salem | Big Sky Conference | 8–2 | 6–0 |
| 2003† | Jerome Souers | 9–4 | 5–2 |
Postseason results
editNCAA Division I-AA/FCS playoffs
editThe Lumberjacks have appeared in the NCAA I-AA/FCS playoffs seven times, with an overall record of 1–6.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result | Head coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | First Round | Furman | L 32–41 | Steve Axman |
| 1999 | First Round | @ Georgia Southern | L 29–72 | Jerome Souers |
| 2001 | First Round | @ Sam Houston State | L 31–34 | |
| 2003 | First Round Quarterfinals |
@ McNeese State Florida Atlantic |
W 35–3 L 25–48 | |
| 2013 | First Round | South Dakota State | L 7–26 | |
| 2017 | First Round | San Diego | L 10–41 | |
| 2024 | First Round | Abilene Christian | L 0–24 | Brian Wright |
NCAA Division II playoffs
edit| Year | Round | Opponent | Result | Head coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Quarterfinals | Jacksonville State | L 0–35 | Joe Salem |
- NAU was runner-up in Big Sky to champion Boise State, which had a scheduling conflict.
NAIA
edit| Year | Round | Opponent | Result | Head coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | Semifinal | Gustavus Adolphus | W 41–12 | Max Spilsbury |
| 1958 | Final | Northeastern State | L 13–19 | Max Spilsbury |
Rivalries
editWeber State
editNorthern Arizona leads Weber State 29–28 overall in the series through the 2024 fall season and also had a 2-1 record for the trophy, with the last meeting in Flagstaff on November 2, 2024 winning 27–6.
Southern Utah
editNorthern Arizona leads Southern Utah 16–10 in the series through the 2021 fall season.
Current coaching staff
edit| Name | Position |
|---|---|
| Brian Wright | Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach |
| Adam Clark | Defensive Coordinator |
| Manako Tuifua | Defensive Line Coach |
| Aaron Cheatwood | Linebackers Coach |
| Rodney Brown | Defensive Backs Coach |
| Nick Fett | Tight Ends Coach |
| Jerry DiMinno | Wide Receivers Coach |
| Bryan Larson | Offensive Line Coach |
| Terry Swanson | Running Backs Coach |
| Josh Robinson | Special Teams Coordinator |
Notable former players
editNotable alumni include:
- John Bonds
- Shawn Collins
- Michael Haynes
- Michael Mendoza
- Rex Mirich, first Lumberjack football player to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame
- Keith O'Neil
- Khalil Paden
- Speedy Duncan: Played six years professional football in the American Football League (AFL).[4]
- Travis Brown: Played for the Seattle Seahawks and Buffalo Bills from 2000 to 2003.
- Willard Reaves: Played pro football in the Canadian Football League and the National Football League. In the CFL he played for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, where his team won the 1984 Grey Cup and, in the same season, Reaves won the Most Outstanding Player Award. He also played for the Washington Redskins and Miami Dolphins in the NFL.
- Tom Jurich, former athletic director at the University of Louisville
- Archie Amerson
- Pete Mandley
- Allan Clark
- Derek Mason – college football coach
- Case Cookus
- Frank Pollack
- Luis Aguilar
Future non-conference opponents
editAnnounced schedules as of August 11, 2024.[5]
| 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | 2030 | 2031 | 2032 | 2033 | 2034 | 2035 | 2036 | 2037 | 2038 | 2039 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| vs Lincoln (CA) | at Arizona State | at Arizona | vs Utah Tech | at Arizona State | at Arizona State | at Arizona | at Arizona | vs Southern Utah | at Arizona | at Arizona State | at Southern Utah | vs Southern Utah | at Southern Utah | vs Southern Utah | at Southern Utah |
| at Arizona | vs Utah Tech | vs Incarnate Word | at Incarnate Word | vs Southern Utah | at Southern Utah | vs Southern Utah | at Southern Utah | at Arizona | at Southern Utah | vs Southern Utah | |||||
| at Utah Tech | vs Incarnate Word | vs Utah Tech | at Arizona | at Utah Tech | |||||||||||
| at Incarnate Word |
References
edit- ^ "Northern Arizona University Visual Identity Guide". Retrieved December 5, 2022.
- ^ @NAU_Football (September 19, 2021). "FINAL" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "NAU Knocks off Arizona 21-19 for First Ever Win Against a Pac-12 Opponent". September 18, 2021.
- ^ "Leslie Duncan - ArenaFan.com". www.arenafan.com. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
- ^ "Northern Arizona Lumberjacks". fbsschedules.com. USATODAY College Sports. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
