Northern Arizona Lumberjacks football

Intercollegiate American football team

Northern Arizona Lumberjacks football

| | 2024 Northern Arizona Lumberjacks football team

|

First season| 1915; 109 years ago (1915)
Head coach| Brian Wright
1st season, 5–4 (.556)
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

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.

## History

[edit]

The 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

[edit]

### Conference 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

[edit]

### NCAA Division I-AA/FCS playoffs

[edit]

The Lumberjacks have appeared in the NCAA I-AA/FCS playoffs six 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

### 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

[edit]

### Weber State

[edit]

Main article: Red Rock Rivalry

Northern Arizona leads Weber State 29-28 overall in the series through the 2024 fall season. Has a 2-1 record for the trophy, with the last meeting in Flagstaff on November 2, 2024 winning 27-6.

### Southern Utah

[edit]

Main article: Grand Canyon Rivalry

Northern 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
| Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers Coach
| Defensive Line Coach
| Defensive Backs Coach
| Outside Linebackers Coach
| Tight Ends Coach
| Wide Receivers Coach
| Offensive Line Coach
| Running Backs/Special Teams Coordinator

## Notable former players

[edit]

Notable 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

## Future non-conference opponents

[edit]

Announced 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]

1. ^ "Northern Arizona University Visual Identity Guide". Retrieved December 5, 2022.
2. ^ @NAU_Football (September 19, 2021). "FINAL" (Tweet) - via Twitter.
3. ^ "NAU Knocks off Arizona 21-19 for First Ever Win Against a Pac-12 Opponent". September 18, 2021.
4. ^ "Leslie Duncan - ArenaFan.com". www.arenafan.com. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
5. ^ "Northern Arizona Lumberjacks". fbsschedules.com. USATODAY College Sports. Retrieved August 11, 2024.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website

* v
* t
* e

Northern Arizona Lumberjacks football

Venues|

* Skidmore Field (1915 –1957)
* Lumberjack Stadium (1958–1977)
* Walkup Skydome (1977–present)

Bowls & rivalries|

* Southern Utah: Grand Canyon Rivalry

People|

* Head coaches
* NFL draftees

Seasons|

* 1915
* 1916
* 1917
* 1918
* 1919
* 1920
* 1921
* 1922
* 1923
* 1924
* 1925
* 1926
* 1927
* 1928
* 1929
* 1930
* 1931
* 1932
* 1933
* 1934
* 1935
* 1936
* 1937
* 1938
* 1939
* 1940
* 1941
* 1942
* 1943
* 1944
* 1945
* 1946
* 1947
* 1948
* 1949
* 1950
* 1951
* 1952
* 1953
* 1954
* 1955
* 1956
* 1957
* 1958
* 1959
* 1960
* 1961
* 1962
* 1963
* 1964
* 1965
* 1966
* 1967
* 1968
* 1969
* 1970
* 1971
* 1972
* 1973
* 1974
* 1975
* 1976
* 1977
* 1978
* 1979
* 1980
* 1981
* 1982
* 1983
* 1984
* 1985
* 1986
* 1987
* 1988
* 1989
* 1990
* 1991
* 1992
* 1993
* 1994
* 1995
* 1996
* 1997
* 1998
* 1999
* 2000
* 2001
* 2002
* 2003
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009
* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024

* v
* t
* e

Northern Arizona University

Located in: Flagstaff, Arizona

Academics|

* W.A. Franke College of Business

Athletics|

* NAU Lumberjacks
* Football
* Men's basketball
* Women's basketball
* Cross country
* Ice hockey

Facilities|

* Ashurst Auditorium
* Lumberjack Stadium
* Walkup Skydome

History and media|

* 2015 Northern Arizona University shooting
* KLJX-LP
* KNAU
* KPUB

People|

* Alumni

* Founded: 1899
* Students: 28,090
* Endowment: $225.9 million

* v
* t
* e

Big Sky Conference football

Teams|

* Cal Poly Mustangs
* Eastern Washington Eagles
* Idaho Vandals
* Idaho State Bengals
* Montana Grizzlies
* Montana State Bobcats
* Northern Arizona Lumberjacks
* Northern Colorado Bears
* Portland State Vikings
* Sacramento State Hornets
* UC Davis Aggies
* Weber State Wildcats

Championships and awards|

* All-time standings

Seasons|

* 1963
* 1964
* 1965
* 1966
* 1967
* 1968
* 1969
* 1970
* 1971
* 1972
* 1973
* 1974
* 1975
* 1976
* 1977
* 1978
* 1979
* 1980
* 1981
* 1982
* 1983
* 1984
* 1985
* 1986
* 1987
* 1988
* 1989
* 1990
* 1991
* 1992
* 1993
* 1994
* 1995
* 1996
* 1997
* 1998
* 1999
* 2000
* 2001
* 2002
* 2003
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009
* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template