Northern Iowa Panthers football

Last updated

Northern Iowa Panthers football
AmericanFootball current event.svg 2024 Northern Iowa Panthers football team
Northern Iowa Panthers wordmark.svg
First season1895;130 years ago (1895)
Athletic directorDavid Harris
Head coach Todd Stepsis
1st season, 0–0 (–)
Stadium UNI-Dome
(capacity: 16,324)
Field surfaceMondoturf
Location Cedar Falls, Iowa
NCAA division Division I FCS
Conference Missouri Valley
Past conferencesIndependent (1895–1922)
Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (1923–1934)
North Central Conference (1935–1977)
Association of Mid-Continent Universities (1978–1984) [1]
All-time record701–426–47 (.617)
Bowl record1–1 (.500)
Conference titles33
Rivalries Drake
North Dakota State
Southern Illinois
Consensus All-Americans1
ColorsPurple and old gold [2]
   
Fight song"UNI Fight"
MascotTC/TK Panther
Marching band"The Pride of Panther Nation"
Website unipanthers.com

The Northern Iowa Panthers football program represents the University of Northern Iowa in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level as member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC). The program began in 1895 and has fielded a team every year since with the exceptions of 1906–1907 and 1943–1944. The Panthers play their home games at the UNI-Dome on the campus of the University of Northern Iowa, in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

Contents

History

Classifications

Conference memberships

Championship and postseason history

Conference championships

UNI's offense against the St. Francis Red Flash September 19, 2009 Offense getting to work.JPG
UNI's offense against the St. Francis Red Flash September 19, 2009

Northern Iowa has won thirty-three conference titles, [3] the most out of the four Iowa Division I institutions. The Panthers have won two Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championships, twelve North Central Conference championships, three Association of Mid-Continent Universities football championships and sixteen Missouri Valley Football Conference championships.

YearConferenceOverall recordConference record
1927 IIAC 7–0–16–0
1928 IIAC5–1–34–0–2
1940 NCC 8–15–0
1941 NCC5–35–0
1942 NCC6–15–0
1946 NCC4–1–22–0–1
1947 NCC5–3–14–0
1948 NCC7–35–0
1949 NCC5–25–1
1952 NCC6–25–1
1960 NCC9–16–0
1961 NCC7–25–1
1962 NCC7–1–15–0–1
1964 NCC9–25–1
1981 AMCU 5–62–1
1982 AMCU4–6–12–0–1
1984 AMCU9–22–1
1985 MVFC 11–25–0
1987 MVFC10–46–0
1990 MVFC8–45–1
1991 MVFC11–25–1
1992 MVFC12–25–1
1993 MVFC8–45–1
1994 MVFC8–46–0
1995 MVFC8–55–1
1996 MVFC12–25–0
2001 MVFC11–36–1
2003 MVFC10–36–1
2005 MVFC11–45–2
2007 MVFC12–16–0
2008 MVFC12–37–1
2010 MVFC7–56–2
2011 MVFC10–37–1

College Division bowl games

Northern Iowa played in the NCAA's College Division from 1937–1972. [4] Twice in those years they qualified for a College Division bowl game. [5]

YearBowlRecordOpponentResult
1960 Mineral Water Bowl 9–1–0 Hillsdale College L 6–17
1964 Pecan Bowl 9–2–0 Lamar (TX) W 19–17

FCS playoff games

The Panthers have reached the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs 22 times, with a record of 24–22.

YearRoundOpponentResult
1985 Quarterfinal
Semifinal		Middle Tennessee
Georgia Southern		W 28–21
L 33–40
1987 First round
Quarterfinal
Semifinal		Youngstown State
Arkansas State
Northeast Louisiana		W 31–28
W 49–28
L 41–44
1990 First roundBoise StateL 3–20
1991 First round
Quarterfinal		Weber State
Marshall		W 38–21
L 13–41
1992 First round
Quarterfinal
Semifinal		Eastern Washington
McNeese State
Youngstown State		W 17–14
W 29–7
L 7–19
1993 First roundBoston UniversityL 21–27
1993 First roundMontanaL 23–29
1995 First round
Quarterfinal		Murray State
Marshall		W 35–34
L 24–41
1996 Quarterfinal
Semifinal		William & Mary
Marshall		W 38–35
L 14–31
2001 First round
Quarterfinal
Semifinal		Eastern Illinois
Maine
Montana		W 49–43
W 56–28
L 10–38
2003 First round
Quarterfinal		Montana State
Delaware		W 35–14
L 7–37
2005 Quarterfinal
Semifinal
National Championship 		New Hampshire
Texas State
Appalachian State		W 24–21
W 40–37
L 16–21
2007 First round
Quarterfinal		New Hampshire
Delaware		W 38–35
L 27–39
2008 First round
Quarterfinal
Maine
New Hampshire
Richmond		W 40–15
W 36–34
L 20–21
2010 First roundLehighL 7–14
2011 Second round
Quarterfinal		Wofford
Montana		W 28–21
L 10–48
2014 First round
Second round		Stephen F. Austin
Illinois State		W 44–10
L 21–41
2015 First round
Second round
Quarterfinal		Eastern Illinois
Portland State
North Dakota State		W 53–17
W 29–17
L 13–23
2017 First round
Second round		Monmouth
South Dakota State		W 46–7
L 22–37
2018 First round
Second round		Lamar
UC Davis		W 16–3
L 16–23
2019 First round
Second round
Quarterfinal		San Diego
South Dakota State
James Madison		W 17–3
W 13–10
L 0–17
2021 First roundEastern WashingtonL 9–19

FCS National Championship games

SeasonGameRecordOpponentResult
2005 National Championship 11–4 Appalachian State L 16–21

UNI-Dome

The UNI-Dome opened in 1976, as the home of the UNI Panthers football team. The facility's capacity for football is 16,324. [6] At football games, where cold temperatures are frequently an issue for fans, the UNI-Dome announcers will announce "conditions at game time" prior to each game. The announcers will announce the weather in the town where the visiting team is from, the current weather conditions outside the Dome, and then say "Inside - 72 degrees, no wind, welcome to the Dome!" to emphasize the fact that a domed stadium is not affected by the weather. Heading into the 2021 Fall season, the Panthers have a home record of 221-59-1 in the UNI-Dome, having won nearly 80 percent of their games in the UNI-Dome. [7]

All-Americans

First Team Selections [8] [9] [10] [11] [12]

WR=Williamson Ratings; AP=Associated Press;

c - 2020-21 selections include players who played Fall 2020 and teams (such as Northern Iowa) which moved their schedule to Spring 2021 due to COVID

Notable players

Future non–conference opponents

Announced schedules as of February 16, 2025. [13]

2025202620282031
Butler at Eastern Washington at Iowa State at Iowa State
at Wyoming Drake
Eastern Washington at Iowa
at Utah Tech

References

  1. ↑ "Northern Iowa gets okay to shift to new athletic conference for 1978". Iowa City, Iowa: The Telegraph-Herald. June 19, 1977. Retrieved July 13, 2013.
  2. ↑ University of Northern Iowa Athletics Style Guide (PDF). January 25, 2021. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  3. ↑ "UNI Championship Seasons". Archived from the original on September 26, 2009. Retrieved July 16, 2012.
  4. ↑ "Northern Iowa Panthers". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on August 6, 2009. Retrieved July 16, 2012.
  5. ↑ "Northern Iowa Bowl History". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on September 26, 2009. Retrieved July 16, 2012.
  6. ↑ "University of Northern Iowa UNI-Dome General Information Web Page".
  7. ↑ "Quick Facts (page1)" (PDF).
  8. ↑ "2016 Northern Iowa Football Media Guide" . Retrieved July 25, 2017.
  9. ↑ "FCS Football: AP releases 2016 FCS All-America Team" . Retrieved July 25, 2017.
  10. ↑ "2020-21 Associated Press FCS All-America Team" . Retrieved September 18, 2021.
  11. ↑ "Jared Brinkman, Trevor Penning earn 2021 AP All-America Football Team honors" . Retrieved December 20, 2021.
  12. ↑ "South Dakota State QB Mark Gronowski and Monmouth RB Jaden Shirden lead AP FCS All-America team" . Retrieved November 12, 2024.
  13. ↑ "Northern Iowa Panthers Football Future Schedules". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved February 16, 2025.
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