Northern Iowa Panthers football
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The Northern Iowa Panthers football represents the
University of Northern Iowa The University of Northern Iowa (UNI) is a public university in Cedar Falls, Iowa. UNI offers more than 90 majors across the colleges of Business Administration, Education, Humanities, Arts, and Sciences, Social and Behavioral Sciences and grad ...
in
college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...
at the
NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision The NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), formerly known as Division I-AA, is the second-highest level of college football in the United States, after the Football Bowl Subdivision. Sponsored by the National Collegiate Athletic ...
(FCS) level as member of the
Missouri Valley Football Conference The Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC), formerly the Gateway Football Conference, is a collegiate athletic conference which operates in the Midwestern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I Football Championship Subdivis ...
(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 UNI-Dome (pronounced "YOU-nih-dome") is a multi-purpose stadium, on the campus of the University of Northern Iowa, in Cedar Falls, Iowa, United States. It opened in 1976, as the home of the UNI Panthers basketball and football teams. The facility ...
on the campus of the University of Northern Iowa, in
Cedar Falls, Iowa Cedar Falls is a city in Black Hawk County, Iowa, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 40,713. It is home to the University of Northern Iowa, a public university. History Cedar Falls was first settled in March 1845 by ...
.


History


Classifications

* NCAA College Division (1956–1972) * NCAA Division II (1973–1980) * NCAA Division I-AA/FCS (1981–present)


Conference memberships

* Independent (1895–1922) *
Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference The American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) is an NCAA Division III athletic conference. From 1927 until August 9, 2018, it was known officially as the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) and commonly as the Iowa Conference. History The A ...
(1923–1934) *
North Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference The North Central Conference (NCC), also known as North Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, was a college athletic conference which operated in the north central United States. It participated in the NCAA's Division II. History The NCC ...
(1935–1977) *
Mid-Continent Conference The Summit League, or The Summit, is an NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletic conference with its membership mostly located in the Midwestern United States from Illinois on the East of the Mississippi River to the Dakotas and Nebraska on the W ...
(1978–1984) * Gateway Football Conference/Missouri Valley Football Conference (1985–present)


Championship and postseason history


Conference championships

Northern Iowa has won thirty-three conference titles, the most out of the four
Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...
Division I institutions. The Panthers have won two
Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference The American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) is an NCAA Division III athletic conference. From 1927 until August 9, 2018, it was known officially as the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) and commonly as the Iowa Conference. History The A ...
championships, twelve
North Central Conference The North Central Conference (NCC), also known as North Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, was a college athletic conference which operated in the north central United States. It participated in the NCAA's Division II. History The NCC ...
championships, three
Association of Mid-Continent Universities football The Summit League, or The Summit, is an NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletic conference with its membership mostly located in the Midwestern United States from Illinois on the East of the Mississippi River to the Dakotas and Nebraska on th ...
championships and sixteen
Missouri Valley Football Conference The Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC), formerly the Gateway Football Conference, is a collegiate athletic conference which operates in the Midwestern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I Football Championship Subdivis ...
championships.


College Division bowl games

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


FCS playoff games

The Panthers have reached the
NCAA Division I Football Championship The NCAA Division I Football Championship is an annual post-season college football game, played since 2006, used to determine a national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). From 1978 to 2005, the game was kn ...
playoffs 22 times, with a record of 24–22. 1985 - First Round Bye - Quarterfinals W Middle Tennessee 28-21 - Semifinals L Georgia Southern 40-33 1987 - First Round W Youngstown 31-28 - Quarterfinals W Arkansas State 49-28 - Semifinals L NE Louisiana 44-41 1990 - First Round L 20-3 1991 - First Round W Weber State 38-21 - Quarterfinals L Marshall 41-13 1992 - First Round W EWU 17-14 - Quarterfinals W McNeese State 29-7 - Semifinals L YSU 19-7 1993 - First Round L Boston University 27-21 1994 - First Round L Montana 23-29 1995 - First Round W Murray State 35-34 - Quarterfinals L Marshall 41-24 1996 - First Round Bye - Quarterfinals W William & Mary 38-35 - Semifinals L Marshall 31-14 2001 - First Round W Eastern Illinois 49-43 - Quarterfinals W Maine 56-28 - Semifinals L Montana 38-10 2003 - First Round W Montana State 35-14 - Quarterfinals L Delaware 37-7 2005 - First Round Bye - Quarterfinals W New Hampshire 24-21 - Semifinals W Texas State 40-37 - National Championship L App State 21-16 2007 - First Round W New Hampshire 38-35 - Quarterfinals L Delaware 39-27 2008 - First Round W Maine 40-15 - Quarterfinals W New Hampshire 36-34 - Semifinals L Richmond 21-20 2010 - First Round L Lehigh 14-7 2011 - First Round Bye - Second Round W Wofford 28-21 - Quarterfinals L Montana 48-10 2014 - First Round W Stephen F. Austin 44-10 - Second Round L Illinois State 41-21 2015 - First Round W Eastern Illinois 53-17 - Second Round W Portland State 29-17 - Quarterfinals L NDSU 23-13 2017 - First Round W Monmouth 46-7 - Second Round L SDSU 37-22 2018 - First Round W Lamar 16-3 - Second Round L UC Davis 23-16 2019 - First Round W San Diego 17-3 - Second Round W SDSU 13-10 - Quarterfinals L JMU 0-17 2021 - First Round L Eastern Washington 19-9


FCS National Championship games


UNI-Dome

The
UNI-Dome UNI-Dome (pronounced "YOU-nih-dome") is a multi-purpose stadium, on the campus of the University of Northern Iowa, in Cedar Falls, Iowa, United States. It opened in 1976, as the home of the UNI Panthers basketball and football teams. The facility ...
opened in 1976, as the home of the UNI Panthers football team. The facility's capacity for football is 16,324. At football games, where cold temperatures are frequently an issue for fans, the
UNI-Dome UNI-Dome (pronounced "YOU-nih-dome") is a multi-purpose stadium, on the campus of the University of Northern Iowa, in Cedar Falls, Iowa, United States. It opened in 1976, as the home of the UNI Panthers basketball and football teams. The facility ...
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.


All-Americans

First Team Selections * Paul Jones, E, 1939 (WR) * Paul DeVan, HB, 1949 (AP) * Lou Bohnsack, C, 1952 (AP) * LeRoy Dunn, T, 1955 (WR) * Dick Formanek, T, 1956 (WR) * George Asleson, G, 1960 (AP) * Jerry Morgan, QB, 1960 (WR) * Wendell Williams, G, 1961 (AP) * Dan Boals, FB, 1962 (WR) * Randy Schultz, FB, 1964 and 1965 (AP) * Ray Pedersen, G, 1967 (AP) * Mike Timmermans, T, 1975 (AP) * Brian Mitchell, PK, 1990 and 1991 (AP) *
Kenny Shedd Kendrick Dwayne Shedd (born February 14, 1971) is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) who played for the New York Jets, the Chicago Bears, the Oakland Raiders and the Washington Redskins. He was selec ...
, AP, 1992 (AP) * William Freeney, LB, 1992 (AP) * Andre Allen, LB, 1994 (AP) *
Dedric Ward Dedric Lamar Ward (born September 29, 1974) is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League for the New York Jets, Miami Dolphins, Baltimore Ravens, New England Patriots and Dallas Cowboys. He also was an assistant c ...
, WR, 1995 and 1996 (AP) *
Brad Meester Bradley Ryan Meester (born March 23, 1977) is a former American football center for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Jaguars in the second round of the 2000 NFL Draft. He played college football at U ...
, C, 1999 (AP) * Adam Vogt, LB, 2001 (AP) * Mackenzie Hoambrecker, PK, 2002 (AP) * Dre Dokes, DB, 2006 (AP) * Brannon Carter, LB, 2007 (AP) * Chad Rinehart, OL, 2007 (AP) * James Ruffin, DL, 2009 (AP) * Ben Boothby, DL, 2011 (AP) * Michael Schmadeke, PK, 2014 (AP) * Jack Rummells, OL, 2014 (AP) *
Deiondre' Hall Deiondre' Clifton Hall (born May 31, 1994) is an American football safety. He played college football at the University of Northern Iowa from 2012 to 2016 and was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft. Early li ...
, DB, 2015 (AP) * Karter Schult, DL, 2016 (AP) * Jared Brinkman, DL, 2020-21c and 2021 (AP) * Trevor Penning, OL, 2021 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

* Willie Beamon *
Eddie Berlin Edward Walton Berlin (born January 14, 1978), is a former American football wide receiver. He was originally drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the fifth round of the 2001 NFL Draft out of the University of Northern Iowa. He played for the Chicago ...
* Spencer Brown *
Mark Farley Mark Farley (born April 5, 1963) is an American football coach. He is the head coach at the University of Northern Iowa, a position he has held since 2001. Farley started at inside linebacker at Northern Iowa from 1983 to 1985. He led the team in ...
*
L. J. Fort Larry Fort, Jr. (born January 3, 1990) is an American football linebacker who is a free agent. He played college football at Northern Iowa and was signed by the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent in 2012. Fort has been a member of the ...
* Daurice Fountain *
Derrick Frost Derrick E. Frost (born November 25, 1980) is a former American football punter. He was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 2003. He played college football at Northern Iowa. Frost has been a member of the Baltimore ...
* Joe Fuller *
Mike Furrey Michael Thomas Furrey (; born May 12, 1977) is a former American football wide receiver and safety who is currently the head coach of the Limestone Saints. This is Furrey's second stint as Limestone's head coach following his two seasons with t ...
*
Deiondre' Hall Deiondre' Clifton Hall (born May 31, 1994) is an American football safety. He played college football at the University of Northern Iowa from 2012 to 2016 and was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft. Early li ...
*
Ryan Hannam Ryan Hannam (born February 24, 1980) is a former American football tight end in the National Football League for the Seattle Seahawks and Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at the University of Northern Iowa. Early years Hannam attended ...
*
Austin Howard Austin Howard (born March 22, 1987) is a former American football offensive tackle. He played college football at Northern Iowa, and was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 2010. He was also a member of the New Yor ...
* David Johnson * James Jones * Brandon Keith *
Chris Klieman Christopher Paul Klieman ( ; born September 27, 1967) is an American football coach and former player, and is currently the head coach for Kansas State University in the Big 12 Conference. He took over from the retiring Bill Snyder after leading ...
* Joshua Mahoney *
Brad Meester Bradley Ryan Meester (born March 23, 1977) is a former American football center for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Jaguars in the second round of the 2000 NFL Draft. He played college football at U ...
* Larry Miller * Brian Mitchell *
Bryce Paup Bryce Eric Paup (born February 29, 1968) is an American former professional football player who was an outside linebacker for eleven seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Green Bay Packers, Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jaguars an ...
* Trevor Penning * Chad Rinehart * Eric Sanders *
Benny Sapp Benjamin Lee Sapp, II (born January 20, 1981) is a former American football cornerback. He was signed by the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2004. He played college football at Northern Iowa. Sapp also played for the Miami Dolph ...
* Randy Schultz *
Terrell Sinkfield Terrell Sinkfield Jr. (born December 10, 1990) is a former gridiron football wide receiver. He was a member of the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at Northern Iowa. In his career Sinkfield has ...
* Varmah Sonie * Justin Surrency *
Tanner Varner Tanner Varner (born July 13, 1984) is an American football linebacker who is currently retired. He first enrolled at Ellsworth Community College before transferring to the University of Northern Iowa. Varner has been a member of the Arkansas Twi ...
*
Dedric Ward Dedric Lamar Ward (born September 29, 1974) is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League for the New York Jets, Miami Dolphins, Baltimore Ravens, New England Patriots and Dallas Cowboys. He also was an assistant c ...
*
Kurt Warner Kurtis Eugene Warner (born June 22, 1971) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons, primarily with the St. Louis Rams and Arizona Cardinals. His career, which saw him ascend fr ...
* Xavier Williams * Mike Woodley * Steve Wright


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Northern Iowa Panthers Football American football teams established in 1895 1895 establishments in Iowa