Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks football
Intercollegiate American football team
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The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks football program is the intercollegiate American football team for Stephen F. Austin State University (SFA) located in the U.S. state of Texas. The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) as members of the Southland Conference, which SFA rejoined for the 2024 season after a three-year absence.[2] SFA had played the 2023 season in the United Athletic Conference (UAC), newly formed for the 2023 season as a merger of the football leagues of SFA's previous home of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) and the Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN). It replaced an alliance between the two conferences that operated in the 2021 and 2022 seasons.[3][4]
| Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks football | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| First season | 1923 | ||
| Athletic director | Michael McBroom | ||
| Head coach | Colby Carthel 7th season, 43–37 (.538) | ||
| Location | Nacogdoches, Texas | ||
| Stadium | Homer Bryce Stadium (capacity: 14,575) | ||
| NCAA division | Division I FCS | ||
| Conference | Southland | ||
| Colors | Purple and white[1] | ||
| All-time record | 436–547–30 (.445) | ||
| Bowl record | 1–0 (1.000) | ||
| Conference championships | |||
| Gulf Star: 1985 SLC: 1989, 1999, 2009, 2010, 2025 WAC: 2022 | |||
| Rivalries | Northwestern State Demons (rivalry) Sam Houston Bearkats (rivalry; dormant) | ||
| Website | www.sfajacks.com | ||
SFA had long been a member of the Southland Conference (SLC) before joining the WAC in July 2021, the same time that conference relaunched its football league at the FCS level.[5] It returned to the SLC for 2024 and beyond. Stephen F. Austin's first football team was fielded in 1923. The team plays its home games at the 14,575 seat Homer Bryce Stadium in Nacogdoches, Texas.
Conference championships
| Year | Coach | Conference | Overall record | Conference record | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985† | Jim Hess | Gulf Star Conference | 9–2 | 4–1 | |
| 1989 | Lynn Graves | Southland Conference | 12–2–1 | 6–0–1 | |
| 1999† | Mike Santiago | 8–3 | 6–1 | ||
| 2009† | J. C. Harper | 10–3 | 6–1 | ||
| 2010 | 9–3 | 6–1 | |||
| 2022 | Colby Carthel | Western Athletic Conference | 6–5 | 3–1 | |
| 2025 | Southland Conference | 11–3 | 8–0 | ||
| Conference championships | 7 | ||||
† Co-champions
Head coaches
- Bob Shelton (1923–1928)
- Gene White (1929–1936)
- Red Willis (1937–1940)
- Maurice A. Baumgarten (1941)
- No team (1942–1945)
- Bill Pierce (1946)
- Ted Jefferies (1947–1955)
- Harold J. Fischer (1956–1958)
- Red Conkright (1959–1961)
- Shorty Hughes (1962–1970)
- John Levra (1971–1974)
- Dick Munzinger (1975)
- Charles Simmons (1976–1981)
- Jim Hess (1982–1988)
- Lynn Graves (1989–1991)
- John Pearce (1992–1998)
- Mike Santiago (1999–2004)
- Robert McFarland (2005–2006)
- J. C. Harper (2007–2013)
- Clint Conque (2014–2017)
- Jeff Byrd (interim) (2018)
- Colby Carthel (2019–present)
Notable former players
Notable alumni include:
Postseason history
The Lumberjacks earned a berth in the NCAA Division I FCS playoffs in 2009, the first postseason appearance for the team since 1995. The 2010 season marked the first time that the school had won an outright conference championship since 1989.
The team's only bowl game was the 1973 Poultry Bowl, in which the team defeated Gardner–Webb, 31–10, in Gainesville, Georgia.
Division I-AA/FCS Playoffs results
The Lumberjacks have made nine appearances in the Division I-AA/FCS playoffs, with an overall record of 8–9.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | First Round Quarterfinals | Jackson State Georgia Southern | W 24–0 L 6–27 |
| 1989 | First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals National Championship Game | Grambling State Southwest Missouri State Furman Georgia Southern | W 59–56 W 55–25 W 21–19 L 34–37 |
| 1993 | First Round | Troy State | L 20–42 |
| 1995 | First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals | Eastern Illinois Appalachian State Montana | W 34–29 W 27–17 L 14–70 |
| 2009 | First Round Quarterfinals | Eastern Washington Montana | W 44–33 L 0–51 |
| 2010 | Second Round | Villanova | L 24–54 |
| 2014 | First Round | Northern Iowa | L 10–44 |
| 2021 | First Round | Incarnate Word | L 28–35 OT |
| 2025 | Second Round Quarterfinals | Abilene Christian Montana State | W 41–34 L 28–44 |
Rivalries
The Lumberjacks have active rivalries with the Northwestern State Demons and the Sam Houston Bearkats.
Future non-conference opponents
Announced schedules as of January 29, 2026.[6]
| 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | 2030 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| at Abilene Christian | Abilene Christian | at Texas Tech | at Cal Poly | at Louisville |
| at Prairie View A&M | Prairie View A&M | |||
| Northeastern State |