The Big Sky Conference is a collegiate athletic conference, affiliated with the NCAA's Division I with football competing in the Football Championship Subdivision. As of 2024, ten full member institutions are located in the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah, and Washington. Two affiliate members from California are football–only participants.
Northern Arizona University (NAU) is a public research university based in Flagstaff, Arizona. Founded in 1899, it was the final university established in the Arizona Territory.
The Northern Arizona Lumberjacks men's basketball team represents Northern Arizona University, located in Flagstaff, Arizona, in NCAA Division I men's competition. The school's team has competed in the Big Sky Conference since 1970. The team's most recent appearance in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament was in 2000. Northern Arizona also appeared in the NCAA tournament in 1998. In 2023, the Lumberjacks have reached the Big Sky conference tournament title game as a Cinderella team as they were the 9th seed in the tournament. The Lumberjacks are currently led by head coach Shane Burcar who replaced Jack Murphy in June 2019. NAU Lumberjack basketball games are broadcast on KAFF Country Legends 93.5/AM 930 in Flagstaff, Fun Oldies 1450 AM/100.9 in Prescott and KDUS AM 1060 in Phoenix, with commentary provided by the "Voice of the Lumberjacks" Mitch Strohman, Coach Dave Brown with the play-by-play and Dave Zorn, host of the NAU Halftime Report. All games can be also heard online at KAFFLegends.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.
The 2014–15 Northern Arizona Lumberjacks men's basketball team represented Northern Arizona University during the 2014–15 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Lumberjacks were led by third year head coach Jack Murphy and played their home games at the Walkup Skydome. They were members of the Big Sky Conference. They finished the season 23–15, 13–5 in Big Sky play to finish in a tie for third place. They advanced to the semifinals of the Big Sky tournament where they lost to Montana. They were invited to the CollegeInsider.com Tournament where they defeated Grand Canyon, Sacramento State, Kent State, and NJIT to advance to the CIT championship game where they lost to Evansville.
Johanna Nilsson was a Swedish middle- and long-distance runner. She was a bronze medallist at the European Cross Country Championships in 2005. Despite an early retirement in 2006 she had a highly successful collegiate career in the United States, winning three NCAA indoor titles and winning the NCAA Women's Division I Cross Country Championship in 2005. Her sister, Ida Nilsson, is also an international distance runner.
The Northern Arizona Lumberjacks women's basketball team represents Northern Arizona University, located in Flagstaff, Arizona, in NCAA Division I women's competition. The school's team competes in the Big Sky Conference. Loree Payne, formerly the head coach at the University of Puget Sound, was named the head coach of the lumberjacks in April 2017. The women's basketball team reached the conference tournament championship in 2023. The Lumberjacks play home games at the Findlay Toyota Court.
The 2017–18 Northern Arizona Lumberjacks women's basketball team represented Northern Arizona University during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Lumberjacks, led by first year head coach Loree Payne, played their home games at the Walkup Skydome. They were members of the Big Sky Conference. They finished the season 7–23, 3–15 in Big Sky to finish in eleventh place. They lost in the first round of the Big Sky women's tournament to Portland State.
The 2018–19 Northern Arizona Lumberjacks men's basketball team represented Northern Arizona University during the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Lumberjacks were led by seventh-year head coach Jack Murphy and played their home games at the Walkup Skydome in Flagstaff, Arizona as members of the Big Sky Conference. They finished the season 10–21, 8–12 in Big Sky play to finish in a tie for eighth place. They lost in the first round of the Big Sky tournament to Sacramento State.
The 2019–20 Northern Arizona Lumberjacks men's basketball team represent Northern Arizona University in the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Lumberjacks, led by interim head coach Shane Burcar, played their home games at the Walkup Skydome in Flagstaff, Arizona, with their non-conference home games at Rolle Activity Center, and one at Findlay Toyota Center, as members of the Big Sky Conference.
Matt Baxter is a New Zealand long-distance runner.
Northern Arizona Lumberjacks cross country are the cross country teams of Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona. The Lumberjacks compete in the Big Sky Conference at the Division I level in the NCAA and are head coached by Mike Smith.
The 2003 Northern Arizona Lumberjacks football team was an American football team that represented Northern Arizona University (NAU) as a member of the Big Sky Conference during the 2003 NCAA Division I-AA football season. In their sixth year under head coach Jerome Souers, the Lumberjacks compiled a 9–4 record, outscored opponents by a total of 409 to 305, and finished in a three-way tie for the Big Sky championship.
The 2001 Northern Arizona Lumberjacks football team was an American football team that represented Northern Arizona University (NAU) as a member of the Big Sky Conference during the 2001 NCAA Division I-AA football season. In their fourth year under head coach Jerome Souers, the Lumberjacks compiled an 8–4 record, outscored opponents by a total of 368 to 307, and tied for second place out of nine teams in the Big Sky.
The 1990 Northern Arizona Lumberjacks football team was an American football team that represented Northern Arizona University (NAU) as a member of the Big Sky Conference during the 1990 NCAA Division I-AA football season. In their first year under head coach Steve Axman, the Lumberjacks compiled a 5–6 record, were outscored by a total of 416 to 290, and placed in a four-way tie for fifth out of nine teams in the Big Sky. The team played its home games at the J. Lawrence Walkup Skydome, commonly known as the Walkup Skydome, in Flagstaff, Arizona.
The 1999 Northern Arizona Lumberjacks football team was an American football team that represented Northern Arizona University (NAU) as a member of the Big Sky Conference during the 1999 NCAA Division I-AA football season. In their second year under head coach Jerome Souers, the Lumberjacks compiled an 8–4 record, outscored opponents by a total of 409 to 370, and tied for second place in the Big Sky. The Lumberjacks were invited to play in the NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship playoffs, where they lost in the first round to eventual national champion Georgia Southern by a 72–29 score.
The 1978 Northern Arizona Lumberjacks football team was an American football team that represented Northern Arizona University (NAU) as a member of the Big Sky Conference during the 1978 NCAA Division I-AA football season. In their fourth and final year under head coach Joe Salem, the Lumberjacks compiled an 8–2 record, outscored opponents by a total of 259 to 174, and won the Big Sky championship. The team played its home games at the NAU Skydome, in Flagstaff, Arizona.
George Beamish is a New Zealand middle- and long-distance runner, who won the 1500 metres at the 2024 World Indoor Championships. He holds the Oceania area record in the 3000 m steeplechase of 8:09.64 and the New Zealand record in the indoor 3000 m and 5000 m. He finished fifth at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in the 3000 m steeplechase.
The Southern Utah Thunderbirds men's cross country team is the men's cross country team that represents Southern Utah University (SUU) in Cedar City, Utah. The school's team currently competes in the Western Athletic Conference from 2022 forward. SUU previously competed in the Big Sky Conference from 2012 to 2021, the Summit League from 2007 to 2011, the Mid-Continent Conference from 1997 to 2006, the American West Conference from 1993 to 1996, Independent from 1987 to 1992, and the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference from 1967 to 1986. The Thunderbirds are currently coached by Eric Houle. SUU is one of 319 NCAA Division I cross country teams in the nation.
Mike Smith is an American coach who has been the director of cross country and track and field at Northern Arizona University since 2017. As the head coach of the men's and women's programs, he has led the men's teams to five NCAA Division I men's cross country championships titles.
