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| Northern Iowa Panthers football | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
 | |||
| First season | 1895; 130 years ago (1895) | ||
| Athletic director | Megan Franklin | ||
| Head coach | Todd Stepsis 1st season, 0–0 (–) | ||
| Stadium | UNI-Dome (capacity: 16,324) | ||
| Location | Cedar Falls, Iowa | ||
| NCAA division | Division I FCS | ||
| Conference | Missouri Valley | ||
| All-time record | 701–426–47 (.617) | ||
| Bowl record | 1–1 (.500) | ||
| Conference titles | |||
| 33 | |||
| Consensus All-Americans | 1 | ||
| Rivalries | Drake Iowa State North Dakota State Southern Illinois | ||
| Colors | Purple and old gold[1] | ||
| Fight song | "UNI Fight" | ||
| Mascot | TC/TK Panther | ||
| Marching band | "The Pride of Panther Nation" | ||
| Website | unipanthers.com | ||
TheNorthern Iowa Panthers football program represents theUniversity of Northern Iowa incollege football at theNCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level as member of theMissouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC). The program began in 1895 and has fielded a team every year since with the exceptions of 1906–1907 and 1943–1944. The Panthers play their home games at theUNI-Dome on the campus of the University of Northern Iowa, inCedar Falls, Iowa.
Northern Iowa has won thirty-three conference titles,[3] the most out of the fourIowaDivision I institutions. The Panthers have won twoIowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championships, twelveNorth Central Conference championships, threeAssociation of Mid-Continent Universities football championships and sixteenMissouri Valley Football Conference championships.
| Year | Conference | Overall record | Conference record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1927 | IIAC | 7–0–1 | 6–0 |
| 1928 | IIAC | 5–1–3 | 4–0–2 |
| 1940 | NCC | 8–1 | 5–0 |
| 1941 | NCC | 5–3 | 5–0 |
| 1942 | NCC | 6–1 | 5–0 |
| 1946 | NCC | 4–1–2 | 2–0–1 |
| 1947 | NCC | 5–3–1 | 4–0 |
| 1948 | NCC | 7–3 | 5–0 |
| 1949 | NCC | 5–2 | 5–1 |
| 1952 | NCC | 6–2 | 5–1 |
| 1960 | NCC | 9–1 | 6–0 |
| 1961 | NCC | 7–2 | 5–1 |
| 1962 | NCC | 7–1–1 | 5–0–1 |
| 1964 | NCC | 9–2 | 5–1 |
| 1981 | AMCU | 5–6 | 2–1 |
| 1982 | AMCU | 4–6–1 | 2–0–1 |
| 1984 | AMCU | 9–2 | 2–1 |
| 1985 | MVFC | 11–2 | 5–0 |
| 1987 | MVFC | 10–4 | 6–0 |
| 1990 | MVFC | 8–4 | 5–1 |
| 1991 | MVFC | 11–2 | 5–1 |
| 1992 | MVFC | 12–2 | 5–1 |
| 1993 | MVFC | 8–4 | 5–1 |
| 1994 | MVFC | 8–4 | 6–0 |
| 1995 | MVFC | 8–5 | 5–1 |
| 1996 | MVFC | 12–2 | 5–0 |
| 2001 | MVFC | 11–3 | 6–1 |
| 2003 | MVFC | 10–3 | 6–1 |
| 2005 | MVFC | 11–4 | 5–2 |
| 2007 | MVFC | 12–1 | 6–0 |
| 2008 | MVFC | 12–3 | 7–1 |
| 2010 | MVFC | 7–5 | 6–2 |
| 2011 | MVFC | 10–3 | 7–1 |
Northern Iowa played in the NCAA's College Division from 1937–1972.[4] Twice in those years they qualified for a College Division bowl game.[5]
| Year | Bowl | Record | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | Mineral Water Bowl | 9–1–0 | Hillsdale College | L 6–17 |
| 1964 | Pecan Bowl | 9–2–0 | Lamar (TX) | W 19–17 |
The Panthers have reached theNCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs 22 times, with a record of 24–22.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Quarterfinal Semifinal | Middle Tennessee Georgia Southern | W 28–21 L 33–40 |
| 1987 | First round Quarterfinal Semifinal | Youngstown State Arkansas State Northeast Louisiana | W 31–28 W 49–28 L 41–44 |
| 1990 | First round | Boise State | L 3–20 |
| 1991 | First round Quarterfinal | Weber State Marshall | W 38–21 L 13–41 |
| 1992 | First round Quarterfinal Semifinal | Eastern Washington McNeese State Youngstown State | W 17–14 W 29–7 L 7–19 |
| 1993 | First round | Boston University | L 21–27 |
| 1993 | First round | Montana | L 23–29 |
| 1995 | First round Quarterfinal | Murray State Marshall | W 35–34 L 24–41 |
| 1996 | Quarterfinal Semifinal | William & Mary Marshall | W 38–35 L 14–31 |
| 2001 | First round Quarterfinal Semifinal | Eastern Illinois Maine Montana | W 49–43 W 56–28 L 10–38 |
| 2003 | First round Quarterfinal | Montana State Delaware | W 35–14 L 7–37 |
| 2005 | Quarterfinal Semifinal National Championship | New Hampshire Texas State Appalachian State | W 24–21 W 40–37 L 16–21 |
| 2007 | First round Quarterfinal | New Hampshire Delaware | W 38–35 L 27–39 |
| 2008 | First round Quarterfinal | Maine New Hampshire Richmond | W 40–15 W 36–34 L 20–21 |
| 2010 | First round | Lehigh | L 7–14 |
| 2011 | Second round Quarterfinal | Wofford Montana | W 28–21 L 10–48 |
| 2014 | First round Second round | Stephen F. Austin Illinois State | W 44–10 L 21–41 |
| 2015 | First round Second round Quarterfinal | Eastern Illinois Portland State North Dakota State | W 53–17 W 29–17 L 13–23 |
| 2017 | First round Second round | Monmouth South Dakota State | W 46–7 L 22–37 |
| 2018 | First round Second round | Lamar UC Davis | W 16–3 L 16–23 |
| 2019 | First round Second round Quarterfinal | San Diego South Dakota State James Madison | W 17–3 W 13–10 L 0–17 |
| 2021 | First round | Eastern Washington | L 9–19 |
| Season | Game | Record | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | National Championship | 11–4 | Appalachian State | L 16–21 |
TheUNI-Dome opened in 1976, as the home of the UNI Panthers football team. The facility's capacity for football is 12,200.[6] At football games, where cold temperatures are frequently an issue for fans, theUNI-Dome announcers will announce "conditions at game time" prior to each game. The announcers will announce the weather in the town where the visiting team is from, the current weather conditions outside the Dome, and then say "Inside - 72 degrees, no wind, welcome to the Dome!" to emphasize the fact that a domed stadium is not affected by the weather. Heading into the 2025 season, the Panthers have a home record of 233–68–1 in the UNI-Dome, having won nearly 80 percent of their games in the UNI-Dome.[6]
First Team Selections[7][8][9][10][11]
WR=Williamson Ratings; AP=Associated Press;
c - 2020-21 selections include players who played Fall 2020 and teams (such as Northern Iowa) which moved their schedule to Spring 2021 due to COVID
Announced schedules as of October 23, 2025.[12]
| 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | 2031 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| atEastern Washington | Butler | atIowa State | atIowa | atIowa State |
| Drake | atNebraska | |||
| atIowa | ||||
Media related toNorthern Iowa Panthers football at Wikimedia Commons