2005 Football Team (2021) - Hall of Fame

2005 Football Team

Induction:
2021

The 2005 UNI football team advanced further than any team in school history. The Panthers went 3-1 in non-conference with the only loss coming against a ranked Iowa team. UNI started the Gateway schedule 2-2 before facing three ranked teams to close Gateway play.

The Panthers topped 11th-ranked Youngstown State 21-7, beat No. 6 Western Kentucky 23-20 in double overtime and No. 4 Southern Illinois 25-24 in the UNI-Dome. After closing out the regular season with a non-conference game against Northern Arizona, the Panthers opened the FCS playoffs against Eastern Washington. The Panther edged the Eagles 41-38 to advance to play No. 1 seeded New Hampshire. UNI upset the top-ranked Wildcats 24-21 in the quarterfinals. The Panthers faced Texas State on the road and again pulled the upset, this time 40-37 in overtime to advance to the championship game.

The Panthers fell to Appalachian State in a hard-fought title game 21-16 in Chattanooga, but the team was cemented as one of UNI's best. Despite the deepest run in school history, the Panthers did not have a single first-team All-American. Quarterback Eric Sanders earned second-team honors from CollegeSportsReport.com, while linebacker Darin Heideman earned second-team honors and defensive end Darin Heideman picked up third-team honors from the Associated Press. Only the Heideman’s and Chad Rinehart earned first-team Gateway Conference honors.