| Saint Francis Cougars | |
|---|---|
| University | University of Saint Francis |
| Conference | Crossroads (primary), MSFA (football) |
| NAIA | Division I |
| Athletic director | Mike McCaffrey |
| Location | Fort Wayne, Indiana |
| Varsity teams | 19 |
| Football stadium | Bishop John M. D'Arcy Stadium |
| Basketball arena | Hutzell Athletic Center |
| Baseball stadium | Coug Field |
| Nickname | Cougars |
| Colors | Royal Blue and White |
| Website | saintfranciscougars |
The Saint Francis Cougars are the athletic teams that represent the University of Saint Francis, located in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing in the Crossroads League (formerly known as the Mid-Central College Conference (MCCC) until after the 2011–12 school year) for most of its sports since the 1994–95 academic year (which they were a member on a previous stint from 1966–67 to 1980–81); while its football team competes in the Mideast League of the Mid-States Football Association (MSFA).
USF competes in 19 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, tennis and track & field; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, track & field and volleyball; and co-ed sports include cheerleading, crew and eSports.
| Sport | Men's | Women's | Co-ed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baseball |  | ||
| Basketball | | | |
| Cheerleading | | ||
| Cross Country | | | |
| Football | | ||
| Golf | | | |
| Soccer | | | |
| Softball | | ||
| Tennis | | | |
| Track and field | | | |
| Volleyball | |
| Year | Sport | Result | Score | Opponent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Women's Basketball | Lost | 80-65 | Shawnee State (OH) |
| 2004 | Football | Lost | 15-13 | Carroll (MT) |
| 2005 | Football | Lost | 27-10 | Carroll (MT) |
| 2006 | Football | Lost | 23-19 | Sioux Falls (SD) |
| 2010 | Men's Basketball | Won | 67-66 | Walsh (OH) |
| 2011 | Men's Basketball | Lost | 80-71 | Cornerstone (MI) |
| 2014 | Women's Basketball | Won | 75-68 | College of the Ozarks (MO) |
| 2016 | Men's Basketball | Lost | 69-66 | Indiana Wesleyan |
| 2016 | Football | Won | 38-17 | Baker (KS) |
| 2017 | Football | Won | 24-13 | Reinhardt (GA) |
| 2018 | Men's Basketball | Lost | 84-71 | Indiana Wesleyan |
The University of Saint Francis Cougars won their first NAIA Championship on March 16, 2010. The Cougars won the 2010 NAIA Men's Division II basketball tournament when they defeated Walsh University 67-66 at Pt. Lookout, Missouri. The Cougars entered the tourney as the 15th seed. For his success, head coach Jeff Rekeweg was named the 2010 NAIA National Coach of the Year. On April 19, 2010, after 14 seasons of guiding the Cougars, Rekeweg resigned to take the head coaches position at Northwood University, an NCAA Division II school located in Midland, Michigan. [1]
The Cougars returned the following year to play in the championship game on March 15, 2011. That year, the Cougars were runners-up in the 2011 NAIA Men's Division II basketball tournament when the Cougars were defeated by Cornerstone (MI) 80-71. The Cougars entered the tourney as the 13th seed. [2]
In 2021 The Cougars once again made a run at the National Title in the NAIA’s first year with one single division. The Cougars were awarded a first round bye after finishing as runner-up in the 2021 Crossroads League Tournament, and entered the round of 32. There they defeated Benedictine (KS), 73-65. In the round of 16, the Cougars defeated Stillman (AL), before a come from behind victory against fellow conference foe, Bethel (IN). In the Final Four, their fifth appearance since 2010, they fell just short against eventual champion Shawnee State.
Saint Francis named Kevin Donley the Cougars' head coach in 1997. After a year of preparation, Saint Francis began play, as Fort Wayne's first collegiate football program, in the 1998 season. [3] Coach Donley led USF to a record of 2-8 (.200), their first and only losing football season.
Since that initial season, Saint Francis has risen to become one of the top programs in all of NAIA football. From the 1999 season through the 2013 season, Donley-led teams have lost three or fewer games each season. Eight teams have completed undefeated regular seasons (2002-2006, 2008, 2015, 2017), and three consecutive teams finished as national runners-up (2004-2006).
The Cougars made a fourth appearance in the national championship game in 2016, winning their first NAIA national title with their 38-17 win over Baker (KS) in the 2016 NAIA Football National Championship. [4] The following season, 2017, the Cougars returned a 5th time and successfully defended their title by defeating Rinehardt (GA) by a score of 24-13 in the 2017 NAIA Football National Championship. The Cougars completed a 14-0 undefeated season. This was only the 5th time in NAIA history that the back-to-back championships has occurred.
The University of St. Francis is a private Franciscan university with its main campus in Joliet, Illinois. It enrolls more than 3,900 students at locations throughout the country with about 1,300 students at its main campus.
The University of Saint Francis (USF) is a private Catholic university in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The university promotes Catholic and Franciscan values. The school's 2017–18 enrollment was 2,364 undergraduate and graduate students, the majority of whom come from states in the Midwest, primarily Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, and Ohio.
The Ravens is the name used for all of the men's intercollegiate athletic teams that play for Anderson University in Anderson, Indiana. The female intercollegiate teams are known as the Lady Ravens.
The Lindenwood Lions and Lady Lions are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Lindenwood University, located in St. Charles, Missouri, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the NCAA Division I ranks, primarily competing in the Ohio Valley Conference for most of its sports since the 2022–23 academic year.
William Kevin Donley is an American football coach and former player. In the spring of 2021, Donley began his 42nd championship season as a head coach in addition to the 1997 season which was devoted to establishing the football program at the University of Saint Francis. Donley was named head coach there in April 1997. The Saint Francis Cougars began play in the 1998 season; thus, the 2020 championship season marks Donley's 23nd season since the program's inception.
The Sioux Falls Cougars are the athletic teams that represent the University of Sioux Falls, located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the NCAA Division II ranks, primarily competing the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) since the 2012–13 academic year. Prior to joining the NCAA, the Cougars previously competed in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 2000–01 to 2010–11; and in the defunct South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference (SDIC) from 1977–78 to 1999–2000.
The Saint Francis Cougars football program represents the University of Saint Francis in college football. The team competes in the Mideast League (MEL) of the Mid-States Football Association (MSFA), which is affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Kevin Donley has served as head coach since the inception of the program in 1998. Saint Francis plays its home game at Bishop John M. D'Arcy Stadium in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
The 2015 Saint Francis Cougars football team represented the University of Saint Francis, located in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in the 2015 NAIA football season. They were led by head coach Kevin Donley, who served his 18th year as the first head coach in the history of Saint Francis football. The Cougars played their home games at Bishop John D'Arcy Stadium and were members of the Mid-States Football Association (MSFA) Mideast League (MEL). The Cougars finished as the MSFA MEL champion and received an automatic bid to the NAIA playoffs.
The 2016 NAIA Division II Men’s Basketball national championship was held in March at Keeter Gymnasium in Point Lookout, Missouri. The 25th annual NAIA basketball tournament featured thirty-two teams playing in a single-elimination format. The championship game was won by the Indiana Wesleyan Wildcats of Marion, Indiana over the Saint Francis Cougars of Fort Wayne, Indiana by a score of 69 to 66.
The 2016 Saint Francis Cougars football team represented the University of Saint Francis, located in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in the 2016 NAIA football season. They were led by head coach Kevin Donley, who served his 19th year as the head football coach at Saint Francis. The Cougars played their home games at Bishop John D'Arcy Stadium and were members of the Mid-States Football Association (MSFA) Mideast League (MEL). The Cougars finished 2nd in the MSFA MEL division and received an at-large bid to the NAIA playoffs.
The 2017 Saint Francis Cougars football team represented the University of Saint Francis, located in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in the 2017 NAIA football season. They were led by head coach Kevin Donley, who served his 20th year as the first and only head coach in the history of Saint Francis football. The Cougars played their home games at Bishop John D'Arcy Stadium and were members of the Mid-States Football Association (MSFA) Mideast League (MEL). The Cougars finished an undefeated regular season as the defending national champions. They finished 1st in the MSFA MEL division and received an automatic bid to the NAIA playoffs.
The 2013 Saint Francis Cougars football team represented the University of Saint Francis, located in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in the 2013 NAIA football season. They were led by head coach Kevin Donley, who served his 16th year as the first and only head coach in the history of Saint Francis football. The Cougars played their home games at Bishop John D'Arcy Stadium and were members of the Mid-States Football Association (MSFA) Mideast League (MEL). The Cougars finished 1st in the MSFA MEL division and received an automatic bid to participate in the postseason NAIA playoffs.
The 2012 Saint Francis Cougars football team represented the University of Saint Francis, located in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in the 2012 NAIA football season. They were led by head coach Kevin Donley, who served his 15th year as the first and only head coach in the history of Saint Francis football. The Cougars played their home games at Bishop John D'Arcy Stadium and were members of the Mid-States Football Association (MSFA) Mideast League (MEL). The Cougars finished tied for 1st in the MSFA MEL division and received an at-large bid to participate in the postseason NAIA playoffs.
The 2011 Saint Francis Cougars football team represented the University of Saint Francis, located in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in the 2012 NAIA football season. They were led by head coach Kevin Donley, who served his 14th year as the first and only head coach in the history of Saint Francis football. The Cougars played their home games at Bishop John D'Arcy Stadium and were members of the Mid-States Football Association (MSFA) Mideast League (MEL). The Cougars finished in 3rd place in the MSFA MEL division, but they received an at-large bid to participate in the postseason NAIA playoffs.
The 2010 Saint Francis Cougars football team represented the University of Saint Francis, located in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in the 2010 NAIA football season. They were led by head coach Kevin Donley, who served his 13th year as the first and only head coach in the history of Saint Francis football. The Cougars played their home games at Bishop John D'Arcy Stadium and were members of the Mid-States Football Association (MSFA) Mideast League (MEL). The Cougars finished in 2nd place in the MSFA MEL division, but they received an at-large bid to participate in the postseason NAIA playoffs.
The 2009 Saint Francis Cougars football team represented the University of Saint Francis, located in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in the 2009 NAIA football season. They were led by head coach Kevin Donley, who served his 12th year as the first and only head coach in the history of Saint Francis football. The Cougars played their home games at Bishop John D'Arcy Stadium and were members of the Mid-States Football Association (MSFA) Mideast League (MEL). The Cougars finished tied for 2nd place in the MSFA MEL division; they missed the postseason NAIA playoffs for only second time in the team's history.
The 2008 Saint Francis Cougars football team represented the University of Saint Francis, located in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in the 2008 NAIA football season. They were led by head coach Kevin Donley, who served his 11th year as the first and only head coach in the history of Saint Francis football. The Cougars played their home games at Bishop John D'Arcy Stadium and were members of the Mid-States Football Association (MSFA) Mideast League (MEL). The Cougars finished in 1st place in the MSFA MEL division, so they received an automatic bid to the 2008 postseason NAIA playoffs.
The 2006 Saint Francis Cougars football team represented the University of Saint Francis, located in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in the 2006 NAIA football season. They were led by head coach Kevin Donley, who served his 9th year as the first and only head coach in the history of Saint Francis football. The Cougars played their home games at Bishop John M. D'Arcy Stadium and were members of the Mid-States Football Association (MSFA) Mideast League (MEL). The Cougars finished in 1st place in the MSFA MEL division, and they received an automatic bid to the 2006 postseason NAIA playoffs.
The 2005 Saint Francis Cougars football team represented the University of Saint Francis, located in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in the 2005 NAIA football season. They were led by head coach Kevin Donley, who served his 8th year as the first and only head coach in the history of Saint Francis football. The Cougars played their home games at Bishop John M. D'Arcy Stadium and were members of the Mid-States Football Association (MSFA) Mideast League (MEL). The Cougars finished in 1st place in the MSFA MEL division, and they received an automatic bid to the 2005 postseason NAIA playoffs.
The 2004 Saint Francis Cougars football team represented the University of Saint Francis, located in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in the 2004 NAIA football season. They were led by head coach Kevin Donley, who served his 7th year as the first and only head coach in the history of Saint Francis football. The Cougars played their home games at Bishop John M. D'Arcy Stadium and were members of the Mid-States Football Association (MSFA) Mideast League (MEL). The Cougars finished in 1st place in the MSFA MEL division, and they received an automatic bid to the 2004 postseason NAIA playoffs.
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