Linfield Wildcats football

Last updated
Linfield Wildcats
First season1896 (1896)
Athletic director Scott Brosius
Head coach Joseph Smith
19th season, 173–33 (.840)
Stadium Maxwell Field and Memorial Stadium
Location McMinnville, Oregon
NCAA division Division III
Conference Northwest
Claimed national championships
4 (NAIA: 1982, 1984, 1986, NCAA: 2004)
ColorsPurple and red [1]
   
Mascot Wildcats
Website Linfield Football

The Linfield Wildcats football team represents Linfield University, located in McMinnville, Oregon, in NCAA Division III college football.

Contents

The Wildcats, who began playing football in 1896, compete as members of the Northwest Conference.

The Linfield Wildcats football team has the longest streak of consecutive winning seasons across all levels of college football. As of 2025, the team has had 69 consecutive winning seasons. [2]

History

The Streak

The Wildcats' winning streak, referred to as "The Streak", at Linfield, began in 1956. [3] [4] The Linfield University Special Collections and Archives started an oral history video collection from members of the 1956 football team, which was made available to the public in October 2021.

Conferences

Championships

National championships

The Wildcats have won four national championships.

YearAssociationDivisionHead coachRecordOpponentResult
1982 NAIA (3) Division II (3) Ad Rutschman 12–0 (5–0 NWC) William Jewell W, 33–15
1984 12–0 (4–0 NWC) Northwestern (IA) W, 33–22
1986 12–0 (6–0 CFL) Baker W, 17–0
2004 NCAA (1) Division III (1) Jay Locey 13–0 (5–0 NWC) Mary Hardin-Baylor W, 28–21

References

  1. "THE LINFIELD UNIVERSITY BRAND" . Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  2. Foss, Kathy (November 1, 2025). "Linfield Football makes double history: 69 straight winning seasons and a new NCAA record". Linfield News. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
  3. Foss, Kathy (2022-10-16). "Wildcat football clinches 66th winning season, extending "The Streak"". Linfield News. Retrieved 2022-11-09.
  4. "Streaking into the history books". Linfield Magazine. Retrieved 2022-11-09.