| Lenoir–Rhyne Bears football | |
|---|---|
| First season | 1907; 118 years ago (1907) |
| Head coach | Doug Socha 1st season, 10–3 (.769) |
| Stadium | Moretz Stadium (capacity: 8,200) |
| Location | Hickory, North Carolina |
| NCAA division | Division II |
| Conference | South Atlantic Conference |
| All-time record | 546–467–34 (.538) |
| Claimed national titles | |
| NAIA: 1 (1960) | |
| Conference titles | |
| 23 (10 SAC, 8 NSC, 5 CC) | |
| Rivalries | Newberry, Wingate, Catawba |
| Colors | Cardinal and black[1] |
| Mascot | Joe Bear |
| Marching band | Spirit of Lenoir-Rhyne |
| Website | LRBears.com |
TheLenoir–Rhyne Bears football program is the intercollegiateAmerican football team forLenoir–Rhyne University located in the U.S. state ofNorth Carolina. The team competes in theNCAA Division II and are members of theSouth Atlantic Conference. Lenoir–Rhyne's first football team was fielded in 1907. The team plays its home games at the 10,000 seatMoretz Stadium inHickory, North Carolina.
![[icon]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg) | This sectionneeds expansion. You can help byadding to it.(October 2012) |
The Bears had no team from 1912–1920 and 1942–1945.
The Bears have participated in five postseasonbowl 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 |
The Bears have made eightappearances 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 |
Clarence Stasavich has the most victories as coach of the Bears.
Year W-L-T1907 (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)
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 |
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 theNorth State Conference, 5 in theCarolinas Conference, and 9 in theSouth Atlantic Conference.
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