Northern Arizona Lumberjacks football

Northern Arizona Lumberjacks Football
2024 Northern Arizona Lumberjacks football team
First season	1915; 110 years ago (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

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

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

• 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

• Independent (1915–1930, 1963–1969)
• Border Conference (1931–1952)
• New Mexico Conference / Frontier Conference (1953–1962)
• Big Sky Conference (1970–present)

Championships

Conference championships

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

NCAA Division I-AA/FCS playoffs

The 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

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

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

Weber State

Main article: Red Rock Rivalry

Northern 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

Main article: Grand Canyon Rivalry

Northern Arizona leads Southern Utah 16–10 in the series through the 2021 fall season.

Current coaching staff

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

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
• Luis Aguilar

Future non-conference opponents

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

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

• Official website