Northern Colorado Bears | |||
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First season | 1893[1] | ||
Head coach | Ed Lamb[2] 1st season, 0–11 (.000) | ||
Stadium | Nottingham Field (capacity: 8,533[3]) | ||
Location | Greeley, Colorado | ||
NCAA division | Division I FCS | ||
Conference | Big Sky Conference | ||
All-time record | 428–452–27 (.487) | ||
Claimed national titles | 2 (D-II) (1996, 1997)[1] | ||
Conference titles | 12 (D-II) RMAC - 4 GPAC - 3 NCC - 5 [1] | ||
Rivalries | Colorado State Wyoming Western Colorado Colorado School of Mines North Dakota Montana State Portland State | ||
Colors | Blue and gold[4] | ||
Website | uncbears.com |
The Northern Colorado Bears football program is the intercollegiate American football team for the University of Northern Colorado located in Greeley, Colorado. The team competes in the Big Sky Conference[5] at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level. The university's first football team was fielded in 1893.[6] The team plays its home games at the 8,533 seat[3] Nottingham Field on campus. The Bears announced the hiring of Ed Lamb on December 6, 2022,[7] replacing Ed McCaffrey, who went 6–16 in two seasons.[8]
Conference affiliations
[edit]Below is the list of conferences in which Northern Colorado has been a member.[1]
- Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (1923–1971)
- Great Plains Athletic Conference (1972–1975)
- NCAA Division II independent (1976–1979)
- North Central Conference (1980–2002)
- Great West Football Conference (2004–2005)
- Big Sky Conference (2006–present)
Championships
[edit]National championships
[edit]Northern Colorado made two appearances in the NCAA Division II National Championship Game. The Bears defeated Carson–Newman, 23–14 in 1996, and later defeated New Haven, 51–0 in 1997.
Year | NCAA Division | Coach | Record | National Championship Game | Opponent | Result | Location |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1996 | II | Joe Glenn | 12–3 | 1996 Division II National Championship | Carson–Newman | W 23–14 | Florence, AL |
1997 | II | Joe Glenn | 13–2 | 1997 Division II National Championship | New Haven | W 51–0 | Florence, AL |
Conference championships
[edit]Year | Coach | Conference | Overall record | Conference record | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1934† | John W. Hancock | Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference | 6–1 | 6–1 | |
1948 | 4–4 | 3–0 | |||
1969 | Bob Blasi | 10–0 | 5–0 | ||
1971 | 8–1–1 | 5–0 | |||
1973† | Great Plains Athletic Conference | 7–2 | 4–1 | ||
1974 | 8–1 | 5–0 | |||
1975 | 8–1 | 5–0 | |||
1980 | North Central Conference | 7–4 | 6–1 | ||
1997† | Joe Glenn | 13–2 | 8–1 | ||
1998† | 11–2 | 8–1 | |||
1999† | 11–2 | 8–1 | |||
2002 | Kay Dalton | 12–2 | 8–0 | ||
Conference Championships | 12 |
† Co-champions
Division championships
[edit]Year | Coach | Division championship | Opponent | CG result | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1969 | Bob Blasi | RMAC Plains | Adams State | W 33–14 | |
1970† | N/A lost tiebreaker to Pittsburg State | ||||
1971 | Western State | W 25–15 | |||
Division Championships | 3 |
Playoff appearances
[edit]NCAA Division II
[edit]The Bears appeared in the Division II playoffs nine times with an overall record of 12–7.[1]
Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1980 | First Round |
Eastern Illinois |
L 14–21 |
1990 | First Round |
North Dakota State |
L 7–17 |
1991 | First Round |
Portland State |
L 24–28 |
1995 | First Round |
Pittsburg State |
L 17–36 |
1996 | First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals |
Pittsburg State NW Missouri State Clarion Carson-Newman |
W 24–21 W 27–26 W 19–18 W 23–14 |
1997 | First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals |
Pittsburg State NW Missouri State Carson-Newman New Haven |
W 24–16 W 35–19 W 30–29 W 51–0 |
1998 | First Round Quarterfinals |
North Dakota NW Missouri State |
W 52–28 L 17–42 |
1999 | First Round Quarterfinals |
Pittsburg State NW Missouri State |
W 34–31 L 35–41 |
2002 | First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals |
Central Missouri State NW Missouri State Grand Valley |
W 49–28 W 23–12 L 7–44 |
Attendance
[edit]Highest attendance
[edit]Below is a list of the Bears best-attended home games at Nottingham Field.[1]
Rk. | Date | Opponent | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|
Highest attendance | |||
1 | October 1, 2005 | Cal Poly | 9,145 |
2 | October 29, 2005 | Fort Lewis | 8,561 |
3 | October 2, 2010 | Montana | 8,105 |
4 | September 3, 2005 | Colorado School of Mines | 7,554 |
5 | October 23, 1998 | South Dakota | 7,520 |
6 | October 9, 1999 | Nebraska-Omaha | 7,499 |
7 | November 21, 1998 | North Dakota | 7,312 |
8 | September 20, 1998 | Texas State | 7,246 |
9 | October 19, 2002 | South Dakota | 7,198 |
10 | October 10, 1998 | South Dakota | 7,135 |
As of the 2014 season.
Yearly attendance
[edit]Source:[1]
Below is the Bears home attendance by season at Nottingham Field.
Season | Total | Average | High |
---|---|---|---|
Northern Colorado Bears | |||
2018 | 25,293 | 4,215 | 5,672 |
2017 | 21,917 | 4,383 | 5,378 |
2016 | 24,477 | 4,895 | 5,476 |
2015 | 25,612 | 4,269 | 5,205 |
2014 | 21,037 | 4,207 | 6,348 |
2013 | 23,990 | 3,998 | 4,619 |
2012 | 21,240 | 4,248 | 5,136 |
2011 | 23,428 | 3,905 | 5,692 |
2010 | 27,919 | 5,584 | 8,105 |
2009 | 21,111 | 3,518 | 5,247 |
2008 | 21,676 | 4,355 | 7,246 |
2007 | 20,441 | 4,088 | 6,684 |
2006 | 28,857 | 6,219 | 4,810 |
2005 | 37,549 | 7,510 | 9,142 |
2004 | 27,370 | 4,562 | 6,481 |
2003 | 28,730 | 5,746 | 6,660 |
2002 | 34,898 | 5,816 | 7,198 |
2001 | 26,153 | 4,359 | 5,488 |
2000 | 29,162 | 6,352 | 4,860 |
1999 | 46,552 | 6,650 | 7,520 |
1998 | 40,690 | 5,813 | 7,312 |
1997 | 25,302 | 4,217 | 6,345 |
1996 | 27,282 | 4,547 | 6,318 |
1995 | 25,067 | 4,364 | 7,024 |
As of the 2015 season.
Notable former players
[edit]Notable alumni include:
- Reed Doughty
- Vincent Jackson
- Dirk Johnson
- Jeff Knapple
- Bill Kenney
- Corte McGuffey
- Brad Pyatt
- Tony Ramirez
- Aaron Smith
- Loren Snyder
- Dave Stalls
- Frank Wainright
- Jed Roberts
- Herve Tonye-Tonye
- Cedric Tillman
- Brian Scott
- Kyle Sloter
- Austin Ekeler
Move to the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS)
[edit]Since moving to the Big Sky Conference in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) in 2006, the Bears have struggled. Through the 2023 season, their conference record is 28–107 (.207),[9] and they have yet to make the FCS playoffs.
Future non-conference opponents
[edit]Announced schedules as of August 11, 2024.[10]
2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2031 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
at Incarnate Word | Chadron State | South Dakota | at New Mexico | at Colorado | at Colorado |
at Colorado State | at Colorado State | at Wyoming | Houston Christian | ||
Abilene Christian | at South Dakota | Stephen F. Austin | |||
at Stephen F. Austin | at Houston Christian |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g "Northern Colorado Record Book" (PDF). Northern Colorado Bears Athletics. December 2014. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
- ^ "Big Sky Champion ed Lamb Named Head Football Coach at Northern Colorado".
- ^ a b "Gameday at Northern Colorado". University of Northern Colorado. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
Stadium Capacity: 8,533
- ^ UNC Style Guide (PDF). March 1, 2018. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
- ^ "Member Institutions". Big Sky Conference. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
- ^ "Northern Colorado Football Weekly Release, September 5, 2015" (PDF). University of Northern Colorado Athletics. p. 2. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
- ^ "Big Sky Champion Ed Lamb named Head Football Coach at Northern Colorado". University of Northern Colorado Athletics. 2022-12-06. Retrieved 2024-02-16.
- ^ "McCaffrey will not return as Northern Colorado head football coach". Northern Colorado Bears. November 21, 2022.
- ^ "2023 Football Schedule".
- ^ "Northern Colorado Bears Football Future Schedules". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved August 11, 2024.