Northern Colorado Bears

Northern Colorado Bears
Northern Colorado Bears
University	University of Northern Colorado
Conference	Big Sky (primary); Summit League (baseball); WAC (women's swimming and diving); Big 12 (wrestling)
NCAA	Division I (FCS)
Athletic director	Darren Dunn
Location	Greeley, Colorado
Varsity teams	17
Football stadium	Nottingham Field
Basketball arena	Bank of Colorado Arena at Butler–Hancock Sports Pavilion
Baseball stadium	Jackson Field
Softball stadium	Gloria Rodriguez Field
Soccer stadium	Jackson Stadium
Other venues	Butler-Hancock Swimming Pool (swimming and diving)
Mascot	Klawz the Bear
Nickname	Bears
Fight song	"UNC Fight Song"
Colors	Blue and gold;
Website	www.uncbears.com

The Northern Colorado Bears are the athletic teams representing the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, Colorado in intercollegiate athletics. The university sponsors seventeen teams including men and women's basketball, cross country, golf, tennis, and track and field; women's-only soccer, softball, swimming and diving, and volleyball; and men's-only baseball, football, and wrestling. The Bears compete in NCAA Division I, with the football team competing at the FCS level, and most teams are members of the Big Sky Conference.^[3] Three Northern Colorado teams have separate affiliations in sports that the Big Sky does not sponsor. The baseball team competes in the Summit League, the women's swimming and diving team is an affiliate member of the Western Athletic Conference, and the wrestling team is a member of the Big 12 Conference.

Teams

Individual teams

Men's	Women's
Baseball	Basketball
Basketball	Cross Country
Cross Country	Golf
Football	Soccer
Golf	Softball
	Swimming & Diving
Track & Field	Track & Field
Wrestling	Volleyball

Basketball

Football

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 at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level. The university's first football team was fielded in 1893. The team plays its home games at the on campus 8,533 seat Nottingham Field.

Northern Colorado made two appearances in the NCAA Division II National Championship Game. The Bears defeated Carson–Newman (23-14 in 1996) and New Haven (51-0 in 1997).

Total national championships: 2

Softball

From 1969 to 1979, Northern Colorado participated in all of the first eleven Women's College World Series (WCWS) tournaments ever held and was the only team to do so. The team compiled a WCWS record of 37-22 in those eleven years. In 1974, in its sixth trip to the tournament, the team reached the AIAW championship game (its fifth game in two days), only to lose to Southwest Missouri State by a score of 14-7.^[4] In 1976, the team advanced to the championship game, losing to Michigan State, 3-0. Two years later in 1978, the team reached the title game for the third time, falling to UCLA, also by a 3-0 score.

References

^ "UNC Bears Staff Directory". Retrieved June 22, 2015.
^ UNC Style Guide (PDF). March 1, 2018. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
^ "Member Institutions - Big Sky Conference".
^ Plummer, William; Floyd, Larry C. (2013). A Series Of Their Own: History Of The Women's College World Series. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States: Turnkey Communications Inc. ISBN 978-0-9893007-0-4.