Northern Colorado Bears football

Last updated
Northern Colorado Bears
AmericanFootball current event.svg 2023 Northern Colorado Bears football team
UNC Bears.png
First season1893;131 years ago (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 record428–452–27 (.487)
Claimed national titles2 (D-II)
(1996, 1997) [1]
Conference titles12 (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
ColorsBlue 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]

Contents

Conference affiliations

Below is the list of conferences in which Northern Colorado has been a member. [1]

Championships

National championships

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.

YearNCAA DivisionCoachRecordNational Championship GameOpponentResultLocation
1996 II Joe Glenn 12–3 1996 Division II National Championship Carson–Newman W 23–14 Florence, AL
1997 II Joe Glenn 13–21997 Division II National Championship New Haven W 51–0 Florence, AL

Conference championships

YearCoachConferenceOverall recordConference record
1934† John W. Hancock Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference 6–16–1
19484–43–0
1969 Bob Blasi 10–05–0
19718–1–15–0
1973† Great Plains Athletic Conference 7–24–1
19748–15–0
19758–15–0
1980 North Central Conference 7–46–1
1997† Joe Glenn 13–28–1
1998†11–28–1
1999†11–28–1
2002 Kay Dalton 12–28–0
Conference Championships12

† Co-champions

Division championships

YearCoachDivision championshipOpponentCG 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 Championships3

Playoff appearances

NCAA Division II

The Bears appeared in the Division II playoffs nine times with an overall record of 12–7. [1]

YearRoundOpponentResult
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

Highest attendance

Below is a list of the Bears best-attended home games at Nottingham Field. [1]

Rk.DateOpponentAttendance
Highest attendance
1October 1, 2005Cal Poly9,145
2October 29, 2005Fort Lewis8,561
3October 2, 2010Montana8,105
4September 3, 2005Colorado School of Mines7,554
5October 23, 1998South Dakota7,520
6October 9, 1999Nebraska-Omaha7,499
7November 21, 1998North Dakota7,312
8September 20, 1998Texas State7,246
9October 19, 2002South Dakota7,198
10October 10, 1998South Dakota7,135

As of the 2014 season.

Yearly attendance

Source: [1]

Below is the Bears home attendance by season at Nottingham Field.

SeasonTotalAverageHigh
Northern Colorado Bears
201825,2934,2155,672
201721,9174,3835,378
201624,4774,8955,476
201525,6124,2695,205
201421,0374,2076,348
201323,9903,9984,619
201221,2404,2485,136
201123,4283,9055,692
201027,9195,5848,105
200921,1113,5185,247
200821,6764,3557,246
200720,4414,0886,684
200628,8576,2194,810
200537,5497,5109,142
200427,3704,5626,481
200328,7305,7466,660
200234,8985,8167,198
200126,1534,3595,488
200029,1626,3524,860
199946,5526,6507,520
199840,6905,8137,312
199725,3024,2176,345
199627,2824,5476,318
199525,0674,3647,024

As of the 2015 season.

Notable former players

Notable alumni include:

Move to the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS)

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 28–111 (.201), [9] and they have yet to make the FCS playoffs.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nottingham Field</span>

Nottingham Field is an 8,533-seat multi-purpose stadium in the western United States, located on the campus of the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, Colorado. It is home to the Northern Colorado Bears football and track and field programs.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011 Northern Colorado Bears football team</span> American college football season

The 2011 Northern Colorado Bears football team represented the University of Northern Colorado in the 2011 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Bears were led by first-year head coach Earnest Collins Jr. and played their home games at Nottingham Field. They are a member of the Big Sky Conference. They finished the season 0–11, 0–8 in Big Sky place to finish in last place. It was the school's first winless season since 1920.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 Northern Colorado Bears football team</span> American college football season

The 2012 Northern Colorado Bears football team represented the University of Northern Colorado in the 2012 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by second-year head coach Earnest Collins Jr. and played their home games at Nottingham Field. They are a member of the Big Sky Conference. They finished the season 5–6, 4–4 in Big Sky play to finish in a three way tie for fifth place.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 Northern Colorado Bears football team</span> American college football season

The 2013 Northern Colorado Bears football team represented the University of Northern Colorado in the 2013 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by third-year head coach Earnest Collins Jr. and played their home games at Nottingham Field. They were a member of the Big Sky Conference. They finished the season 1–11, 0–8 in Big Sky play to finish in last place.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 Northern Colorado Bears football team</span> American college football season

The 2014 Northern Colorado Bears football team represented the University of Northern Colorado in the 2014 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by fourth-year head coach Earnest Collins Jr. and played their home games at Nottingham Field. They were a member of the Big Sky Conference. They finished the season 3–8, 2–6 in Big Sky play to finish in a three-way tie for tenth place.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 Northern Colorado Bears football team</span> American college football season

The 2015 Northern Colorado Bears football team represented the University of Northern Colorado in the 2015 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by fifth-year head coach Earnest Collins Jr. and played their home games at Nottingham Field. They were a member of the Big Sky Conference. They finished the season 6–5, 3–5 in Big Sky play to finish in a three way tie for eighth place.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Northern Colorado Bears football team</span> American college football season

The 2016 Northern Colorado Bears football team represented the University of Northern Colorado in the 2016 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by sixth-year head coach Earnest Collins Jr. and played their home games at Nottingham Field. They were a member of the Big Sky Conference. They finished the season 6–5, 4–4 in Big Sky play to finish in a tie for sixth place.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 Northern Colorado Bears football team</span> American college football season

The 2017 Northern Colorado Bears football team represented the University of Northern Colorado in the 2017 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by seventh-year head coach Earnest Collins Jr. and played their home games at Nottingham Field. They were a member of the Big Sky Conference. They finished the season 3–7, 2–6 in Big Sky play to finish in a three-way tie for ninth place.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 Northern Colorado Bears football team</span> American college football season

The 2018 Northern Colorado Bears football team, represented the University of Northern Colorado in the 2018 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by eighth-year head coach Earnest Collins Jr. and played their home games at Nottingham Field. They were a member of the Big Sky Conference. They finished the season 2–9, 2–6 in Big Sky play to finish in 11th place.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 Northern Colorado Bears football team</span> American college football season

The 2019 Northern Colorado Bears football team represented the University of Northern Colorado in the 2019 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by ninth-year head coach Earnest Collins Jr. and played their home games at Nottingham Field. They were a member of the Big Sky Conference. They finished the season 2–10, 2–6 in Big Sky play to finish in a five-way tie for ninth place. On November 24, 2019, Earnest Collins Jr. was let go after nine seasons, he finished at Northern Colorado with a record of 28–72.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 Northern Colorado Bears football team</span> American college football season

The 2010 Northern Colorado Bears football team represented the University of Northern Colorado in the 2010 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Bears were led by fifth-year head coach Scott Downing and played their home games at Nottingham Field. They were a member of the Big Sky Conference. They finished the season 3–8 overall and 2–6 in Big Sky play place seventh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2009 Northern Colorado Bears football team</span> American college football season

The 2009 Northern Colorado Bears football team represented the University of Northern Colorado in the 2009 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Bears were led by fourth-year head coach Scott Downing and played their home games at Nottingham Field. They were a member of the Big Sky Conference. They finished the season 3–8 overall and 1–7 in the Big Sky to place in a three-way tie for fifth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 Northern Colorado Bears football team</span> American college football season

The 2021 Northern Colorado Bears football team represented the University of Northern Colorado as a member of the Big Sky Conference during the 2021 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by first-year head coach Ed McCaffrey and played their home games at Nottingham Field.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Northern Colorado Bears football team</span> American college football season

The 2022 Northern Colorado Bears football team represented the University of Northern Colorado as a member of the Big Sky Conference during the 2022 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by second-year head coach Ed McCaffrey and played their home games at Nottingham Field. McCaffrey was fired on November 21, 2022, two days after the Bears completed their season with a 3–8 record, repeating the win-loss record of the prior season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 Northern Colorado Bears football team</span>

The 2023 Northern Colorado Bears football team represented the University of Northern Colorado as a member of the Big Sky Conference during the 2023 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by first-year head coach Ed Lamb and played their home games at Nottingham Field.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Northern Colorado Record Book" (PDF). Northern Colorado Bears Athletics. December 2014. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
  2. ↑ "Big Sky Champion ed Lamb Named Head Football Coach at Northern Colorado".
  3. 1 2 "Gameday at Northern Colorado". University of Northern Colorado. Retrieved September 4, 2015. Stadium Capacity: 8,533
  4. ↑ UNC Style Guide (PDF). March 1, 2018. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  5. ↑ "Member Institutions". Big Sky Conference. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Northern Colorado Football Weekly Release, September 5, 2015" (PDF). University of Northern Colorado Athletics. p. 2. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
  7. ↑ "Big Sky Champion Ed Lamb named Head Football Coach at Northern Colorado". University of Northern Colorado Athletics. 2022-12-06. Retrieved 2024-02-16.
  8. ↑ "McCaffrey will not return as Northern Colorado head football coach". Northern Colorado Bears. November 21, 2022.
  9. ↑ "2023 Football Schedule".
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