Lenoir–Rhyne Bears football
Football program of Lenoir–Rhyne University, North Carolina, USA
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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 7,200 seat Moretz Stadium in Hickory, North Carolina.
3rd season, 16–8 (.667)
(capacity: 7,200)
| Lenoir–Rhyne Bears football | |
|---|---|
| First season | 1907 |
| Head coach | Doug Socha 3rd season, 16–8 (.667) |
| Location | Hickory, North Carolina |
| Stadium | Moretz Stadium (capacity: 7,200) |
| NCAA division | Division II |
| Conference | South Atlantic Conference |
| Colors | Cardinal and black[1] |
| All-time record | 562–475–34 (.541) |
| NAIA national championships | |
| 1960 | |
| Conference championships | |
| 23 (10 SAC, 8 NSC, 5 CC) | |
| Rivalries | Newberry, Wingate, Catawba |
| Mascot | Joe Bear |
| Marching band | Spirit of Lenoir-Rhyne |
| Website | LRBears.com |
History
Conference history
- 1954–1969: NAIA
- 1970–1988: 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.[2]
| 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 |
NAIA
Lenoir–Rhyne made three appearances in the NAIA playoffs, with a combined record of 3–2–1.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Semifinals National Championship |
Southern Connecticut State Texas A&I |
W, 47–20 L, 7–20 |
| 1960 | Semifinals National Championship |
Northern Michigan Humboldt State |
T, 20–20 W, 15–14 |
| 1962 | Semifinals National Championship |
Northern State Central State (OK) |
W, 20–7 L, 13–28 |
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 – NFL safety, drafted 2nd round (37th overall) in the 2020 NFL draft by the New England Patriots
- Perry Fewell – former NFL coach
- Craig Keith – NFL tight end, drafted 7th round (189th overall) in the 1993 NFL draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers
- Donnie Kirkpatrick – former college football coach
- Tommy Laurendine – college football coach
- John Milem – NFL defensive end, drafted 5th round (150th overall) in the 2000 NFL draft by the San Francisco 49ers
- Hanley Painter – former college football coach
- Wes Phillips – NFL offensive tackle
- Jason Poe – NFL offensive guard
- Mike Pope – former NFL coach
- Clarence Stasavich – former college football coach
- Terence Steward – NFL wide receiver
- Don Testerman – NFL running back, drafted 10th round (282nd overall) in the 1976 NFL draft by the Miami Dolphins
- Dareke Young – NFL wide receiver/kick return specialist, 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.