| Wisconsin–River Falls Falcons football | |
|---|---|
 | |
| First season | 1895; 130 years ago (1895) |
| Athletic director | Crystal Lanning |
| Head coach | Matt Walker 14th season, 53–79 (.402) |
| Stadium | Ramer Field |
| Location | River Falls, Wisconsin |
| NCAA division | Division III |
| Conference | WIAC |
| All-time record | 526–419–48 (.554) |
| Bowl record | 2–0 (1.000) |
| Playoff appearances | 3 (1 NAIA Div. II, 2 NCAA Div. III) |
| Playoff record | 1–3 (.250) |
| Conference titles | 18 |
| Colors | Red and White |
| Website | uwrfsports.com/football |
TheWisconsin–River Falls Falcons football program is the intercollegiateAmerican football team for theUniversity of Wisconsin–River Falls located inRiver Falls, Wisconsin. The team competes at theNCAA Division III level and is a member of theWisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC). The school first fielded a football team in 1895. The Falcons wear red, white, and black. Ramer Field, where the Falcon's play their home games, was the host of theKansas City Chiefs' training camp from 1992 to 2008.
The Falcons were most successful under coachMike Farley (1970–1988), as he led the Falcons to a 117–71–3 record, with eight conference championships. In 1979 Farley coached the falcons to the NAIA National playoffs, the first time a Falcon football team had ever competed at the national level. Farley was named theWIAC Coach of the Year after the 1986 season. In 1979 and 1986 he was named the American Football Coaches Association Region 6 Coach of the Year, and the NAIA District 14 Coach of the Year in 1975, 1979 and 1985. He coached 91 players to All-WIAC honors, with three Falcons earning WIAC Player of the Year. Farley was inducted into the UWRF Athletic Hall of Fame in 1989, the Wisconsin Football Coaches Hall of Fame in 1994, and the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Hall of Fame on August 4, 2012.[1]
John O'Grady is the longest tenured UWRF coach with 22 seasons. He was alinebacker for the Falcons from 1972 to 1975.[2] He previously coached atKent State University, theUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison, andMiami University. O'Grady won the conference championship in 1998 and advanced to the NCAA Playoffs twice (1995 and 1996). He had a career record of 105–112–3. O'Grady was named the 1995 WIAC Coach of the Year and was inducted into theWisconsin Football Coaches Association (WFCA) Hall of Fame on April 5,in 2008.[2]
In 2009 the Falcons finished the season at 3–7 (1–6 in WIAC). In 2010, the Falcons finished the season at 1–9 (1–6 in WIAC).
Matt Walker was previously the head football coach atDePauw University (2006–09) where he compiled a 22–8 overall record. His teams finished 13–7 in theSouthern Collegiate Athletic Conference and placed second in the final conference standings in 2007 and 2008. From 2000 to 05 Walker was an assistant coach with DePauw and coached running backs and wide receivers. In 2010, he was an assistant coach atButler University. Walker was a two-sport athlete (baseball and football) at DePauw (1999). In 2011, the Falcons finished the season at 1–9 (1–6 in WIAC). In 2012, they finished the season 2–8 (2–4 in WIAC) and finished in sixth place.
| Coach | Years | Record | Conference record | Conference titles | Playoff appearances |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warren P. Knowles | 1899 | 5–2–1 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Emmett Lowery | 1936–1941 | 23–15–5 | 13–11–4 | 1 | N/A |
| Mike Farley | 1970–1988 | 117–71–3 | 8 | 0 | |
| John O'Grady | 1989–2010 | 105–112–3 | 1 | 2 | |
| Matt Walker | 2011–present | 53–79 | 33–58 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 1895–present | 18 | 2 |
The Falcons won theWisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) championship 18 times.[3][4]
| Year | Coach | Overall record | WIAC record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1915 | Bert Swenson | 6–1–1 | 5–0 |
| 1916 | 6–1–1 | 5–0 | |
| 1924 | Otto Eggebrecht | 7–0 | 4–0 |
| 1925 | 5–1–1 | 4–0 | |
| 1926 | Ted Cox | 6–0 | 4–0 |
| 1933† | Osborne Cowles | 4–1–1 | 2–1–1 |
| 1938† | Emmett Lowery | 6–1 | 4–0 |
| 1947† | George Schlaugenhauf | 7–1 | 4–0 |
| 1958 | Fran Polsfoot | 7–2 | 6–1 |
| 1975† | Mike Farley | 8–2 | 7–1 |
| 1976† | 7–3 | 6–2 | |
| 1979 | 9–2 | 7–1 | |
| 1980† | 8–2 | 6–2 | |
| 1984† | 8–2 | 7–1 | |
| 1985 | 8–1–1 | 6–1–1 | |
| 1986† | 8–2 | 7–1 | |
| 1987† | 7–3 | 6–2 | |
| 1998† | John O'Grady | 7–3 | 5–2 |
† Co-champions
The Falcons have qualified for theNCAA Division III playoffs two times, and have a 1–2 record.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Regionals | Central (IA) | W 10–7 | 9–3 |
| Quarterfinals | Wisconsin–La Crosse | L 14–28 | ||
| 1996 | Regionals | Wisconsin–La Crosse | L 0–44 | 9–2 |
The Falcons participated in theNAIA Division I playoffs once, in 1979.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Quarterfinals | Angelo State (TX) | L 7–31 | 9–2 |
The Falcons have participated in theCulver's Isthmus Bowl on two occasions, Winning both games.
| Year | Bowl | Coach | Opponent | Result | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Isthmus Bowl | Matt Walker | Washington University | W 48–27 | 9–2 |
| 2022 | Isthmus Bowl | Matt Walker | Washington University | W 31–24 | 7–4 |
Starting in 1999 the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) began publishing rankings for Division III football.[5] In 2003, D3football.com started publishing its own rankings for Division III football.[6] Since the inception of both polls, Wisconsin–River Falls has been ranked one time in the AFCA Coaches Poll and two times in the D3football.com poll to end the season. Additionally, while not being ranked in the Top 25 to end the season, the Falcons have received votes (RV) three times in the AFCA Coaches Poll and two times in the D3football.com poll.
| Year | D3 | AFCA | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 20 | 22 | 9–2 |
| 2022 | RV | RV | 7–4 |
| 2023 | 24 | RV | 7–3 |
| 2024 | RV | RV | 7–3 |
From 1984 to 2000 theHubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, home to theMinnesota Vikings andMinnesota Golden Gophers, hosted games in November between WIAC teams andNorthern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) teams at the NCAA Division II level in what came to be known as the "Border Battle".[7] The Falcons played at the Metrodome seven times, and had a 5–2 record.[8]
| Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|
| November 18, 1984 | Southwest Minnesota State | L 24–35 |
| November 12, 1994 | Northern State | W 48–14 |
| November 17, 1996 | Minnesota State–Moorhead | W 28–21 |
| November 16, 1997 | Northern State | W 31–7 |
| November 14, 1998 | Bemidji State | W 45–14 |
| November 13, 1999 | Winona State | W 29–20 |
| November 10, 2000 | Bemidji State | L 20–23 |
From 1991 to 2009 UWRF was host to theKansas City Chiefs organization.[9] In 2006 the Chiefs won the UWRF outstanding service award for their ties to the community and dedication and respect to the university.[10] As many as five otherNational Football League teams used campuses across Wisconsin and Minnesota for training camp, in what was known as theCheese League.
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