Northern Arizona Lumberjacks football
American college football team
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.
3rd season, 15–10 (.600)
| Northern Arizona Lumberjacks Football | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| |||
| First season | 1915 | ||
| Athletic director | Dr. Richard Duran | ||
| Head coach | Brian Wright 3rd season, 15–10 (.600) | ||
| Location | Flagstaff, Arizona | ||
| Stadium | Walkup Skydome (capacity: 10,500) | ||
| NCAA division | Division I FCS | ||
| Conference | Big Sky | ||
| Colors | Blue and gold[1] | ||
| All-time record | 512–495–23 (.508) | ||
| Conference championships | |||
| Frontier: 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962 Big Sky: 1978, 2003 | |||
| Rivalries | Southern Utah (rivalry) Weber State (rivalry) | ||
| Website | nauathletics.com | ||
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.[2][3]
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
Northern Arizona has won nine conference championships, six outright and three shared.
| Year | Coach | Conference | Overall record | Conference record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956† | Max Spilsbury | Frontier Conference | 8–2 | 3–0 |
| 1957 | 8–1 | 3–0 | ||
| 1958 | 11–1 | 3–0 | ||
| 1959 | 6–2–1 | 3–0 | ||
| 1960† | 6–3–2 | 2–0–1 | ||
| 1961 | 3–5–1 | 1–0–1 | ||
| 1962 | 6–4 | 2–0 | ||
| 1978 | Joe Salem | Big Sky Conference | 8–2 | 6–0 |
| 2003† | Jerome Souers | 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 | |
| 2003 | First Round Quarterfinals | @ McNeese State Florida Atlantic | W 35–3 L 25–48 | |
| 2013 | First Round | South Dakota State | L 7–26 | |
| 2017 | First Round | San Diego | L 10–41 | |
| 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
Southern Utah
Northern Arizona leads Southern Utah 17–10 in the series through the 2025 season.
Weber State
Northern Arizona is tied with Weber State 29–29 overall in the series through the 2025 season and also has a 2–2 record for the Red Rock Rivalry trophy, with the last meeting in Ogden on November 22, 2025 losing 48–28.
Current coaching staff
| Name | Position |
|---|---|
| Brian Wright | Head coach/Quarterbacks Coach |
| Bryan Larson | Offensive Coordinator/Offensive Line Coach |
| Trenton Greene | Defensive Coordinator/Safeties Coach |
| Aman Anand | Special Teams Coordinator |
| Jerry DiMinno | Wide Receivers Coach |
| Nick Fett | Tight Ends Coach |
| Preston Mays | Running Backs Coach |
| Rodney Brown | Defensive Backs Coach/Pass Game Coordinator/ |
| Max Silver | Linebackers Coach/Run Game Coordinator |
| Kendall Coleman | Defensive Line Coach |
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).[4]
- 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
- Sonny Campbell NFL running back
Future non-conference opponents
Announced schedules as of October 28, 2025.[5]
| 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | 2030 | 2031 | 2032 | 2033 | 2034 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| at Arizona | at Incarnate Word | at Arizona State | McNeese | at Arizona | at Arizona | at Arizona | at Arizona | at Arizona State |
| vs Incarnate Word | at Arizona | at McNeese | at Arizona State | |||||
| at Utah Tech |
