West Florida Argonauts football
Florida intercollegiate American football team
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The West Florida Argonauts football program is the intercollegiate American football team for the University of West Florida located in the U.S. state of Florida. The team competes in the NCAA Division II and are members of the Gulf South Conference. West Florida's first football team was fielded in 2016. The team plays its home games at Pen Air Field at Darrell Gooden Stadium in Pensacola, Florida. The Argonauts are coached by Kaleb Nobles.
2nd season, 15–7 (.682)
| West Florida Argonauts football | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| |||
| First season | 2016; 10 years ago | ||
| Athletic director | Dave Scott | ||
| Head coach | Kaleb Nobles 2nd season, 15–7 (.682) | ||
| Location | Pensacola, Florida, U.S. | ||
| Stadium | Darrell Gooden Stadium | ||
| NCAA division | II (I FCS in 2026) | ||
| Conference | Gulf South Conference (UAC in 2026) | ||
| Colors | Royal blue and Kelly green[1] | ||
| All-time record | 71–28 (.717) | ||
| National championships | |||
| Claimed | 1 (2019) | ||
| Conference championships | |||
| 2 (2021, 2022) | |||
| Rivalries | Valdosta State Blazers | ||
| Mascot | Argie the Argonaut | ||
| Website | goargos.com/football | ||
History
Yearly results
| NCAA Division I champions | NCAA Division II champions | Conference Champions | Division Champions | Bowl Eligible | Undefeated Season |
| Year | NCAA Division | Conference | Overall | Conference | Coach | Final Ranking (AFCA) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | Win | Loss | Tie | Pct. | Games | Win | Loss | Tie | Pct. | Standing | |||||
| 2016 | NCAA Division II | Gulf South | 11 | 5 | 6 | 0 | .455 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | .375 | T–6th | Pete Shinnick | — |
| 2017 | 15 | 11 | 4 | 0 | .733 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | .625 | T–2nd | 2 | |||
| 2018 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 0 | .545 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | .500 | 5th | — | |||
| 2019 | 15 | 13 | 2 | 0 | .867 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | .875 | 2nd | 1 | |||
| 2021 | 11 | 9 | 2 | 0 | .818 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | .857 | T–1st | 12 | |||
| 2022 | 14 | 12 | 2 | 0 | .857 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | .857 | T–1st | 4 | |||
| 2023 | 12 | 8 | 4 | 0 | .667 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | .750 | 3rd | Kaleb Nobles | 23 | ||
| 2024 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 0 | .700 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | .714 | 3rd | — | |||
| 2025 | 12 | 10 | 2 | 0 | .834 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | .667 | T–1st | 9 | |||
| Totals | 111 | 81 | 30 | 0 | .729 | 64 | 44 | 20 | 0 | .687 | |||||
Championships
National championships
| Year | Association | Division | Head coach | Record | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | NCAA (1) | Division II (1) | Pete Shinnick | 13–2 (7–1 GSC) | Minnesota State | W, 48–40 |
Facilities
Pen Air Field is a stadium located on the campus of the University of West Florida in Pensacola, Florida and the home of the West Florida Argonauts football program. The field was built in February 2016 and was used mainly for practices for the football team.[2]
For the first six years of the program's history, the home games were played at Blue Wahoos Stadium until there was a scheduling conflict with one game in 2021 with Pensacola Blue Wahoos.[2][3] On February 28, 2022, the university announced that they moved all the home games for the 2022 season to Pen Air Field, in hope to also increase student attendance.[4]
The first game held at Pen Air Field was on September 11, 2021, against Southwest Baptist, where the Argonauts defeated the Bearcats, 63–14. The attendance to the game was 5,463. The university installed portable bleachers, video board, play clocks and fans around the field.[3]
The 120-yard surface serves as both the home field and primary practice facility for the football program and is also utilized by the university’s strength and conditioning staff for all 15 intercollegiate sports. In September 2016, the university announced a $1 million gift from Pen Air Credit Union to support the football program and secure naming rights for the facility.[5]
Pen Air Field has since hosted UWF regular season games and multiple NCAA Division II Football Championship playoff contests. In addition to collegiate athletics, the venue has been used for youth flag football, combines, university functions, and community events. In 2023, the field was upgraded with a new custom AstroTurf playing surface featuring updated design elements and team branding.[6]
The facility is currently undergoing redevelopment as Darrell Gooden Stadium is being constructed around the existing field. The stadium is scheduled to open in fall 2027 and is expected to accommodate approximately 10,000 spectators, including 7,500 permanent seats, along with premium seating, club areas, and suites. As part of the phased development, an 85-foot by 30-foot high-definition LED video board will be installed in the north end zone in summer 2026 to enhance the game-day experience.[7]
Future non-conference opponents
Announced schedules as of April 20, 2026.[8]
| 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|
| Southern Illinois | at Southern Illinois |
| Northeastern State | |
| West Alabama | |
| Delta State |
