Central Arkansas Bears football

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Central Arkansas Bears
AmericanFootball current event.svg 2024 Central Arkansas Bears football team
Central Arkansas Athletics wordmark.svg
First season 1908; 116 years ago
Athletic director Matt Whiting
Head coach Nathan Brown
7th season, 43–35 (.551)
Stadium Estes Stadium
(capacity: 12,000)
Field surface FieldTurf
Location Conway, Arkansas
NCAA division Division I FCS
Conference United Athletic Conference
All-time record551–372–42 (.593)
Playoff appearances2001, 2005, 2011, 2012, 2016, 2017, 2019
Claimed national titles3
(NAIA): 1984, 1985, 1991
Conference titles28 (22 AIC, 1 GSC, 4 SLC, 1 ASUN)
Rivalries McNeese State (rivalry)
ColorsPurple and gray [1]
   
Website UCASports.com

The Central Arkansas Bears football program is the intercollegiate American football team for University of Central Arkansas (UCA) located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) as a member of the United Athletic Conference (UAC), which started play in 2023. For the 2021 season, UCA was a de facto associate member of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC), and in 2022 it played in its full-time home of the ASUN Conference. Central Arkansas's first football team was fielded in 1908. The team plays its home games at the 12,000-seat Estes Stadium in Conway, Arkansas. The Bears are coached by Nathan Brown, in his seventh year.

Contents

UCA left the Southland Conference, which had been its all-sports home since 2006 and its football home since 2007, for the ASUN Conference in July 2021. At the time, the ASUN did not sponsor football, but committed to launching an FCS football league in the near future. [2] In the 2021 season, UCA competed in a football partnership between the ASUN and WAC officially branded as the "ASUN–WAC Challenge". [3] The ASUN launched its own football league in 2022, but the ASUN and WAC renewed their football partnership for that season; the two leagues shared a single automatic berth in the FCS playoffs in both seasons. After the 2022 season, the ASUN and WAC jointly announced their football-only merger, [4] [5] which was officially rebranded as the United Athletic Conference in April 2023. [6]

History

The Central Arkansas Bears were formed in 1901 by William Hawkins. Although they finished 1-4-3 in their first season, and have an unusual record of 23-54-22 in its first 20 years of existence, the Bears would play for 7 championships in that span.

UCA would enjoy its greatest success over a 14-year period from 1979 to 1992, when the Bears won or shared 13 of the 14 conference championships, as members of the Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference (AIC). The AIC included in-state schools such as Arkansas Tech, Harding University, Henderson State University, Ouachita Baptist, Southern Arkansas University, University of Arkansas at Monticello, and University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. During that time frame, UCA won or shared twelve consecutive AIC titles from 1981 - 1992, as well as three NAIA national championships, in 1984, 1985, and 1991. The Bears were a constant presence in the NAIA Top 20, and made the playoffs 12 out of 14 seasons.

In 1993, the Bears left the AIC and the NAIA, and moved up in competition to the NCAA Division II Gulf South Conference. Central Arkansas would stay in the West Division of the GSC through the 2006 season, winning the GSC title in 2005. UCA moved up yet again, in 2007, joining the Southland Conference who are a member of the NCAA Division I-AA. The Bears have since won four Southland championships in 2008, 2012, 2017 and 2019. Central Arkansas also made the playoffs in 2011, 2012, 2016, 2017 and 2019 (where they earned their first national seed in the playoffs at #8) winning their first FCS playoff game in 2011 over Tennessee Tech. The Bears also defeated Illinois State in 2016 before losing the next round at Eastern Washington.

In 2021, UCA accepted an invitation to join the ASUN Conference, ending their membership with the Southland on June 30, 2021. The first year of ASUN conference football was a partnership between the ASUN and the revived football league of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC), called the ASUN–WAC Challenge. After the ASUN's first year, more new members joined, and a full slate of ASUN-only conference games was scheduled in 2022, although further conference realignment led to the ASUN and WAC renewing their alliance for that season. The alliance received an NCAA waiver that gave it an automatic berth in the FCS playoffs. The two conferences fully merged their football leagues after the 2022 season and became the United Athletic Conference (UAC), beginning in 2023.

Notable former players

Notable alumni include:

Championships

National championships

SeasonCoachSelectorsRecordBowl
1984 Harold Horton NAIA Playoffs10–2–1Won NAIA Championship
1985 Harold Horton NAIA Playoffs10–2–1Won NAIA Championship
1991 Mike Isom NAIA Playoffs9–2–2Won NAIA Championship

Conference championships

YearCoachConferenceOverall recordConference record
1936 Warren B. Woodson Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference 8–06–0
19378–14–0
19387–14–0
19408–1–13–0
1959† Frank Koon 8–0–15–0–1
19628–27–0
1965† Raymond Bright 7–1–15–1–1
1966†5–44–2
1976† Ken Stephens 9–35–1
19789–26–0
19809–16–0
19818–36–0
1983 Harold Horton 11–16–0
198410–2–16–0
1985†10–2–16–1
19869–27–0
198711–16–0
198810–16–0
1989†9–15–1
1990 Mike Isom 8–46–0
19919–2–25–0–1
19929–2–16–0
2005 Clint Conque Gulf South Conference 11–38–1
2008 Southland Conference 10–26–1
2012†9–36–1
2017 Steve Campbell 10–29–0
2019† Nathan Brown 9–47–2
2022† Nathan Brown ASUN Conference 5–63–2

† Co-champions

Playoff appearances

NCAA Division I-AA/FCS

The Bears have appeared in the FCS playoffs five times with an overall record of 2–5.

YearRoundOpponentResult
2011 First Round
Second Round		Tennessee Tech
Montana		W 34–14
L 14–41
2012 Second RoundGeorgia SouthernL 16–24
2016 First Round
Second Round		Illinois State
Eastern Washington		W 31–24
L 14–31
2017 Second RoundNew HampshireL 15–21
2019 Second RoundIllinois StateL 14–24

NCAA Division II

The Bears have appeared in the Division II playoffs two times with an overall record of 2–2.

YearRoundOpponentResult
2001 First RoundCatawbaL 34–35
2005 First Round
Second Round
Quarterfinals		Albany State (GA)
Presbyterian
North Alabama		W 28–20
W 52–28
L 38–41

NAIA

The Bears have appeared in the NAIA playoffs 13 times with an overall record of 12–10–2. They are three time NAIA National Champions (1984, 1985, 1991), with 1984 and 1985 being Co–Champions after ending in a tie in the National Championship Game.

YearRoundOpponentResult
1976Semifinals
National Championship Game		Elon
Texas A&M-Kingsville		W 10–7
L 0–26
1978QuarterfinalsWestern StateL 17–22
1980QuarterfinalsTexas A&M-CommerceL 21–27
1981QuarterfinalsCameronL 27–48
1983Quarterfinals
Semifinals		Northeastern State (OK)
Mesa State		W 18–7
L 17–34
1984Quarterfinals
Semifinals
National Championship Game		Moorhead State (MN)
Central Washington
Carson-Newman		W 30–6
W 44–6
T 19–19
1985Quarterfinals
Semifinals
National Championship Game		Pittsburg State
Henderson State
Hilldale		W 32–22
W 21–9
T 10–10
1986QuarterfinalsCameronL 34–35 4OT
1987First Round
Quarterfinals		Northwestern Oklahoma State
Cameron		W 31–7
L 7–14
1988First RoundSoutheastern Oklahoma StateL 14–21
1990Quarterfinals
Semifinals		Northeastern State (OK)
Mesa State		W 26–14
L 9–10
1991Quarterfinals
Semifinals
National Championship Game		Northeastern State (OK)
Moorhead State (MN)
Central State (OH)		W 30–14
W 38–18
W 19–16
1992Quarterfinals
Semifinals		Southwestern Oklahoma State
Central State (OH)		W 14–2
L 23–30

Rivalries

McNeese

The two teams have met 13 times on the football field with UCA leading the series, 7–6. Due to conference scheduling requirements, the most recent game was played in 2019.

McNeese–Central Arkansas: All-Time Record
Games playedFirst meetingLast meetingCentral Arkansas winsCentral Arkansas lossesWin %
13September 17, 1994 (lost 7–21)October 12, 2019 (won 40–31)76.545

Arkansas Tech

The Bears also had a long time rivalry with Arkansas Tech University, located in Russellville, Arkansas, only 45 miles west of Conway along Interstate 40, but that series was discontinued after UCA left the Gulf South Conference, and moved up in competition to the Southland Conference.

Future non-conference opponents

Announced schedules as of August 10, 2024. [7]

2024202520262027
at Arkansas State at Missouri North Dakota State Northwestern State
at Lindenwood at Arkansas–Pine Bluff at Northwestern State
at Arkansas–Pine Bluff Samford
Lamar at Idaho State
at Lamar

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References

  1. ↑ UCA Standards Guide (PDF). September 28, 2021. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
  2. ↑ "ASUN Conference Announces Three New Institutions; Adds Football as 20th Sport" (Press release). ASUN Conference. January 29, 2021. Archived from the original on January 29, 2021. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
  3. ↑ "ASUN, WAC Conferences Announce Football Partnership for 2021" (Press release). ASUN Conference. February 23, 2021. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
  4. ↑ "@ASUN_Football and WAC Release 2023 Schedule" (Press release). ASUN Conference. December 20, 2022. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
  5. ↑ "ASUN And WAC Unveil 2023 Football Schedule" (Press release). Western Athletic Conference. December 20, 2022. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
  6. ↑ "ASUN-WAC Football Partnership Formally Rebrands As The United Athletic Conference" (Press release). ASUN Conference. April 17, 2023. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Central Arkansas Bears Football Future Schedules". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
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