# Lenoir–Rhyne Bears football

The Lenoir–Rhyne Bears football program is the intercollegiate American football team for Lenoir–Rhyne University located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The team competes in the NCAA Division II and are members of the South Atlantic Conference. Lenoir–Rhyne's first football team was fielded in 1907. The team plays its home games at the 10,000 seat Moretz Stadium in Hickory, North Carolina.

## Conference history

* 1954–1969: NAIA
* 1970–1992: NAIA Division I
* 1989–present: NCAA Division II

### Conference affiliations

* 1907–1930: Independent
* 1931–1960: North State Conference
* 1961–1974: Carolinas Conference
* 1975–present: South Atlantic Conference
The Bears had no team from 1912–1920 and 1942–1945.

## Postseason appearances
### Bowl games

The Bears have participated in five postseason bowl games, compiling a 3–2 record.
| Season | Game | Date | Opponent | Result | Location |
| 1951 | Pythian Bowl | December 8, 1951 | California (PA) | W 13–7 | Salisbury, North Carolina |
| 1952 | Cigar Bowl | December 13, 1952 | Tampa | L 12–21 | Tampa, Florida |
| 1955 | Palmetto Shrine | December 10, 1955 | Newberry | W 14–13 | Columbia, South Carolina |
| 1959 | Holiday Bowl (NAIA) | December 19, 1959 | Texas A&I | L 20–7 | St. Petersburg, Florida |
| 1960 | Holiday Bowl (NAIA) | December 10, 1960 | Humboldt State | W 15–14 | St. Petersburg, Florida |

### NCAA Division II playoffs

The Bears have made eight appearances in the NCAA Division II playoffs. Their combined record is 12–8, with one appearance in the NCAA Division II championship game (2013).
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
| 2012 | First Round Second Round | Fort Valley State Carson–Newman | W, 21–6 L, 35–38 |
| 2013 | Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals National Championship | Carson–Newman North Alabama West Chester NW Missouri State | W, 27–20 W, 42–39 W, 42–14 L, 28–43 |
| 2014 | Second Round | Valdosta State | L, 21–23 |
| 2018 | First Round Second Round Quarterfinals | Florida Tech Wingate Valdosta State | W, 43–21 W, 21–17 L, 21–61 |
| 2019 | First Round Second Round Quarterfinals | Miles Carson–Newman West Florida | W, 36–7 W, 49–21 L, 38–43 |
| 2021 | First Round | Bowie State | L, 10–31 |
| 2023 | First Round Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals | Shepherd Benedict Valdosta State Harding | W, 63–17 W, 35–25 W, 35–7 L, 14–55 |
| 2024 | First Round Second Round | West Alabama Virginia Union | W, 37–34 L, 12–44 |

## Coaches

Clarence Stasavich has the most victories as coach of the Bears.
* Tom Warlick (1907–1908)
* Burton H. Schoeff (1909)
* Daniel M. Williams (1910–1911)
* Phil Utley (1921)
* Norman Lamotte (1922–1923)
* Dick Gurley (1924–1931)
* Robert M. Shores (1932–1936)
* Albert Spurlock (1937)
* Robert M. Shores (1938–1941)
* D. M. Williams (1942–1945)
* Clarence Stasavich (1946–1961)
* Hanley Painter (1962–1972)
* Danny Williams (1973)
* Jack Huss (1974–1979)
* Henry Vansant (1980–1983)
* John Perry (1984–1990)
* Charles Forbes (1991–1996)
* Bill Hart (1997–2001)
* Wayne Hicks (2002–2006)
* Fred Goldsmith (2007–2010)
* Mike Houston (2011–2013)
* Ian Shields (2014–2015)
* Mike Kellar (2016–2017)
* Drew Cronic (2018–2019)
* Mike Jacobs (2020–2023)
* Doug Socha (2024–present)

## Notable former players

* Kyle Dugger, drafted 2nd round (37th overall) in the 2020 NFL draft by the New England Patriots
* Perry Fewell, former NFL coach
* Craig Keith, former tight end for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Jacksonville Jaguars (1993–1995)
* John Milem, former defensive end for the Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers (2000–2002)
* Terence Steward, former wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys (1987)
* Dareke Young, drafted 7th round (233rd overall) in the 2022 NFL draft by the Seattle Seahawks

## Year-by-year results

Year W-L-T 1907 (0-3), 1908 (5-2-1), 1909 (3-5), 1910 (1-2), 1911 (3-3), —-NO TEAM 1912-1920—- 1921 (2-3), 1922 (1-5), 1923 (0-5), 1924 (5-4), 1925 (6-3), 1926 (7-2), 1927 (3-6-1), 1928 (2-6-1), 1929 (4-5-1), 1930 (3-6-1),
1939* (6–1–3), 1951 (10–1), 1952 (8–1), 1955 (9–0–1), 1956 (10–0), 1958 (9–1), 1959 (10–1), 1960 (12–0), 1961 (8–1–1), 1962 (11–1), 1965 (7–3), 1966* (6–3), 1967 (8–1), 1975 (7–3–1), 1988* (7–4), 1994* (8–2), 2005 (5–5), 2006 (3–8), 2007 (2–9), 2008 (3–8), 2009 (5–6), 2010 (7–4), 2011* (7–3), 2012 (9–3), 2013* (13–2), 2014* (11–1), 2015 (5–5), 2016 (3–8), 2017 (3–7), 2018* (12–2), 2019* (13–1), Spring 2020 (3-1)

## Championship appearances

The Bears made three appearances in the NAIA championship game during their tenure, winning in 1960, and appeared in the NCAA Division II championship game in 2013.
| Year | Division | Coach | Opponent | Record | Score |
| 1959 | NAIA Playoffs | Clarence Stasavich | Texas A&I Javelinas | 10–1 | L 7–20 |
| 1960 | NAIA Playoffs | Clarence Stasavich | Humboldt State | 12–0 | W 15–14 |
| 1962 | NAIA Playoffs | Hanley Painter | Central State (OK) | 11–1 | L 13–28 |
| 2013 | NCAA Division II Playoffs | Mike Houston | Northwest Missouri State | 13–2 | L 28–43 |

## Conference championships

1939* (6–1–3), 1951 (10–1), 1952 (8–1), 1955 (9–0–1), 1956 (10–0), 1958 (9–1), 1959 (10–1), 1960 (12–0), 1961 (8–1–1), 1962 (11–1), 1965 (7–3), 1966* (6–3), 1967 (8–1), 1975 (7–3–1), 1988* (7–4), 1994* (8–2), 2011* (7–3), 2012 (9–3), 2013 (13–2), 2014 (11–1), 2018 (12–2), 2019 (13–1)
*denotes co-championship. The Bears won 8 titles in the North State Conference, 5 in the Carolinas Conference, and 9 in the South Atlantic Conference.