# Northern Arizona Lumberjacks football

The NAU Lumberjacks football program is the intercollegiate American football team for the Northern Arizona University located in Flagstaff, Arizona. The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and is a member of the Big Sky Conference. The school's first football team was fielded in 1915. The team plays its home games at the 10,500 seat Walkup Skydome. Brian Wright was hired as the Head Football Coach on December 3, 2023.

## History

The Lumberjacks have maintained numerous rivalries with their western counterparts. Competition has not only been limited to the west. The Lumberjacks have also taken on eastern programs such as the Ole Miss Rebels, Florida Atlantic Owls, and the Appalachian State Mountaineers.
On September 18, 2021, Northern Arizona beat Arizona for the first time since 1932, winning 21–19. It was their first win against a FBS team since beating UTEP in 2018 and their third overall win against an FBS team since 2012. It is also the first time they beat a member of the Pac-12 Conference.

### Classifications

* 1937–1952: NCAA College Division
* 1953–1968: NAIA
* 1969–1972: NCAA College Division
* 1973–1977: NCAA Division II
* 1978–present: NCAA Division I

## Conference affiliations

* Independent (1915–1930, 1963–1969)
* Border Conference (1931–1952)
* New Mexico Conference / Frontier Conference (1953–1962)
* Big Sky Conference (1970–present)

## Championships
### Conference championships

| Year | Coach | Conference | Overall Record | Conference Record |
| 1956† | Max Spilsbury | Frontier Conference | 8–2 | 3–0 |
| 1957 | Max Spilsbury | Frontier Conference | 8–1 | 3–0 |
| 1958 | Max Spilsbury | Frontier Conference | 11–1 | 3–0 |
| 1959 | Max Spilsbury | Frontier Conference | 6–2–1 | 3–0 |
| 1960† | Max Spilsbury | Frontier Conference | 6–3–2 | 2–0–1 |
| 1961 | Max Spilsbury | Frontier Conference | 3–5–1 | 1–0–1 |
| 1962 | Max Spilsbury | Frontier Conference | 6–4 | 2–0 |
| 1978 | Joe Salem | Big Sky Conference | 8–2 | 6–0 |
| 2003† | Jerome Souers | Big Sky Conference | 9–4 | 5–2 |

## Postseason results
### NCAA Division I-AA/FCS playoffs

The Lumberjacks have appeared in the NCAA I-AA/FCS playoffs seven times, with an overall record of 1–6.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result | Head coach |
| 1996 | First Round | Furman | L 32–41 | Steve Axman |
| 1999 | First Round | @ Georgia Southern | L 29–72 | Jerome Souers |
| 2001 | First Round | @ Sam Houston State | L 31–34 | Jerome Souers |
| 2003 | First Round Quarterfinals | @ McNeese State Florida Atlantic | W 35–3 L 25–48 | Jerome Souers |
| 2013 | First Round | South Dakota State | L 7–26 | Jerome Souers |
| 2017 | First Round | San Diego | L 10–41 | Jerome Souers |
| 2024 | First Round | Abilene Christian | L 0–24 | Brian Wright |

### NCAA Division II playoffs

| Year | Round | Opponent | Result | Head coach |
| 1977 | Quarterfinals | Jacksonville State | L 0–35 | Joe Salem |
* NAU was runner-up in Big Sky to champion Boise State, which had a scheduling conflict.

### NAIA

| Year | Round | Opponent | Result | Head coach |
| 1958 | Semifinal | Gustavus Adolphus | W 41–12 | Max Spilsbury |
| 1958 | Final | Northeastern State | L 13–19 | Max Spilsbury |

## Rivalries
### Weber State

Northern Arizona leads Weber State 29–28 overall in the series through the 2024 fall season and also had a 2-1 record for the trophy, with the last meeting in Flagstaff on November 2, 2024 winning 27–6.

### Southern Utah

Northern Arizona leads Southern Utah 16–10 in the series through the 2021 fall season.

## Current coaching staff

| Name | Position |
| Brian Wright | Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach |
| Adam Clark | Defensive Coordinator |
| Manako Tuifua | Defensive Line Coach |
| Aaron Cheatwood | Linebackers Coach |
| Rodney Brown | Defensive Backs Coach |
| Nick Fett | Tight Ends Coach |
| Jerry DiMinno | Wide Receivers Coach |
| Bryan Larson | Offensive Line Coach |
| Terry Swanson | Running Backs Coach |
| Josh Robinson | Special Teams Coordinator |

## Notable former players

Notable alumni include:
* Khalil Dorsey: American professional football cornerback for the Detroit Lions of the NFL. He was signed by the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2020.
* John Bonds
* Shawn Collins
* Michael Haynes
* Michael Mendoza
* Rex Mirich, first Lumberjack football player to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame
* Keith O'Neil
* Khalil Paden
* Speedy Duncan: Played six years professional football in the American Football League (AFL).
* Travis Brown: Played for the Seattle Seahawks and Buffalo Bills from 2000 to 2003.
* Willard Reaves: Played pro football in the Canadian Football League and the National Football League. In the CFL he played for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, where his team won the 1984 Grey Cup and, in the same season, Reaves won the Most Outstanding Player Award. He also played for the Washington Redskins and Miami Dolphins in the NFL.
* Tom Jurich, former athletic director at the University of Louisville
* Archie Amerson
* Pete Mandley
* Allan Clark
* Derek Mason – college football coach
* Case Cookus
* Frank Pollack

## Future non-conference opponents

Announced schedules as of February 14, 2024.
| 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | 2030 | 2031 | 2032 | 2033 | 2034 | 2035 | 2036 | 2037 | 2038 | 2039 |
| at Arizona State | at Arizona | vs Utah Tech | at Arizona State | at Arizona State | at Arizona | at Arizona | vs Southern Utah | at Arizona | at Arizona State | at Southern Utah | vs Southern Utah | at Southern Utah | vs Southern Utah | at Southern Utah |
| vs Utah Tech | vs Incarnate Word | at Incarnate Word | vs Southern Utah | at Southern Utah | vs Southern Utah | at Southern Utah | at Arizona | at Southern Utah | vs Southern Utah | | | | | |
| at Southern Utah | vs Utah Tech | at Arizona | at Utah Tech | | | | | | | | | | | |
| vs Incarnate Word | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |