The 1998 Azusa Pacific Cougars football team was an
American football team that represented
Azusa Pacific University
Azusa Pacific University (APU) is a private, evangelical Christian university in Azusa, California. The university was founded in 1899, with classes opening on March 3, 1900, in Whittier, California, and began offering degrees in 1939. The uni ...
as an independent during the
1998 NAIA football season
The 1998 NAIA football season, as part of the 1998 college football season in the United States, was the 43rd season of college football sponsored by the NAIA.
The season was played from August to November 1998, culminating in the 1998 NAIA Fo ...
. In their fourth and final season under head coach
Vic Shealy, the Cougars compiled a 12–2 record and won the NAIA national championship.
The team opened the season losing two of its first four-game before winning its final ten games.
[ In their October 17 game against , the Cougars established a new school record with 634 yards of total offense. Senior quarterback Geoff Buffum passed for a school-record 416 yards and five touchdowns. Senior receiver also set a new school record with 238 receiving yards.][
The Cougars qualified for the NAIA playoffs for the first time in the 34-year history of the Azusa Pacific football program.][ They defeated in the semifinal game by a 26–24 score.][
In the NAIA National Championship Game, played at ]Jim Carroll Stadium
Jim Carroll Stadium is a stadium
A stadium ( : stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a tiered structure desig ...
in Savannah, Tennessee, they faced . Azusa Pacific trailed, 14–7, at the end of the third quarter, but scored 10 points in the fourth quarter on a safety, a touchdown run by Jack Williams, and a two-point conversion, to win by a 17–14 score.[
The team was led on offense by senior quarterback Geoff Buffum, senior receiver Dexter Davis and junior running back and cornerback Jack Williams, a transfer from BYU.]Azusa, California
Azusa (Tongva language, Tongva: ''Asuksa-nga'') is a city in the San Gabriel Valley, at the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains in Los Angeles County, California, United States, located 20 miles east of Downtown Los Angeles, downtown Los Angeles.
...
.
In January 1999, Shealy resigned as head coach at Azusa Pacific to become the defense backs coach for Air Force.
Schedule
References
{{NAIA football national champion navbox
Azusa Pacific
Azusa Pacific Cougars football seasons
NAIA Football National Champions
Azusa Pacific Cougars football