History & Memorable Moments
1964 -Â Led by 160 rushing yards and two touchdowns by All-American running back Randy Schultz, the State College of Iowa Panthers defeated Lamar Tech in the Pecan Bowl for the program's first-ever postseason victory, 19-17 in front of 7,500 spectators at Shotwell Stadium in Abilene, Texas.
1976 - The UNI-Dome opens its doors as the new home of Panther football. UNI won 228 games inside the Dome in its first 46 seasons, which included a remarkable 30-3 home mark during the Darrell Mudra era (1983-87).
2005 -Â One of the most memorable seasons in school history, the Panthers won their final four regular season games to reach the Division I-AA playoffs, where the reached their first-ever national championship game after wins over No. 15 Eastern Washington, No. 1 New Hampshire and No. 5 Texas State. Despite falling to No. 4 Appalachian State, 21-16 in the title game, the 2005 season remains the deepest postseason run in program history.
2007 - The Panthers completed the first 11-0 regular season in program and conference history. The regular season was capped off with a 48-10, Senior Day victory over Southern Utah. The purple and gold spent the final six weeks of the season ranked No. 1 in Division I-AA.
2007 -Â Running back Corey Lewis rushes for 220 yards in UNI's 38-35 come-from-behind postseason win over New Hampshire, a program single-game postseason record. Lewis also scored three touchdowns on the ground against the 15th ranked Wildcats.
2014 -Â In a home game against Illinois State, running back David Johnson returned a 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, the longest run of his career in a 42-28 victory over the sixth-ranked Redbirds.
2016 - With a 25-20 week one win at Iowa State, head coach Mark Farley surpassed Stan Sheriff as the winningest coach in program history with his 130th victory. The former "Walk-On From Waukon" is also the winningest coach in the Missouri Valley Football Conference with 111 league wins heading into the 2023 season.
2016 -Â Defensive lineman Karter Schult wins the Buck Buchanan Award, given to the top defensive player in FCS football. The All-American set a single-season school record with 24 tackles for loss, along with 74 total tackles, a pair of forced fumbles and one interception.
Kicking off a program -Â UNI, then the Iowa State Normal School), kicked off its first football season in 1895 with a 12-10 win over Coe College.
All-American Panthers -Â 115 members of the UNI football team have earned AP All-American recognition during their careers as Panthers. This includes 29 First Team selections, 27 Second Team, 24 Third Team and 35 earning honorable mention nods.
The First Leader -Â When the Panthers played their first two seasons season in 1895 and 1896, they had no head coach. Fred Wolff stepped into that role in 1897, compiling a 5-1 record in his lone season at the helm. Wolff's first win as the Panthers' head coach came in a 56-0 shutout of Waterloo High School.
Giant Slayers -Â Entering the 2023 season, UNI has recorded three wins over the Division I-AA/FCS' top-ranked team. The Panthers first win over a No. 1 ranked opponent came in 1997 at Youngstown State, and again in the 2005 national postseason at New Hampshire. UNI's latest win over the nation's top-ranked team was in 2014 against conference rival North Dakota State.
Offensive Workhorse -Â Running back David Johnson (2010-14) ran for 4,687 yards and scored 64 total touchdowns during his UNI career, both program records. The dynamic ball carrier was selected in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals and made an immediate impact in his first years as a professional, becoming the first player in NFL history to record a recieving and kick return touchdown in his first two games.
Defensive Dominance -Â In a nod to UNI's excellence on the defensive side of the ball, four players in program history have been named the Gateway/Missouri Valley Football Conference Defensive Player of the Year in back-to-back seasons. William Freeney was the first in 1991 and 1992, followed by Andre Allen in 1993 and 1994. James Ruffin joined the elite club in 2008 and 2009, while Jared Brinkman won consecutive honors in the spring 2021 and fall 2021 campaigns.
Coaching runs DEEP - Since joining the Gateway Football Conference/MVFC in 1985, UNI head coaches have been named conference coach of the year nine times by the league. Terry Allen collected five Coach of the Year honors in the 1990s, while both Darrell Mudra and Mark Farley have both won the award twice.
Hall of Fame History -Â Since its creation in 1985, 59 members of and three UNI football teams have been inducted into the UNI Athletics Hall of Fame. All-American quarterback Ryan Helming became the latest to join the elite group of athletes in 2023.
Throw for MILES - Ryan Helming (1997-00) holds the program and Gateway/Missouri Valley Football conferecne records for career passing yards (9,089) and passing touchdowns (77). A two-time All-American quarterback, Helming was inducted into the UNI Athletics Hall of Fame in 2023.Â
Scores of men -Â Over 1,300 men have doned the purple and gold and played for the UNI football team during its 125-year history. A full list of players can be found HERE.
First time for everything -Â Offensive lineman Trevor Penning made history as UNI's first-ever first round draft pick in the NFL in 2022, being selected by the New Orleans Saints.Â
Top-100 on the board -Â Since 1966, eight Panthers have heard their names called in the top-100 of the NFL Draft, including two in the top-60.
1976 - The UNI-Dome opens its doors as the new home of Panther football. UNI won 228 games inside the Dome in its first 46 seasons, which included a remarkable 30-3 home mark during the Darrell Mudra era (1983-87).
2005 -Â One of the most memorable seasons in school history, the Panthers won their final four regular season games to reach the Division I-AA playoffs, where the reached their first-ever national championship game after wins over No. 15 Eastern Washington, No. 1 New Hampshire and No. 5 Texas State. Despite falling to No. 4 Appalachian State, 21-16 in the title game, the 2005 season remains the deepest postseason run in program history.
2007 - The Panthers completed the first 11-0 regular season in program and conference history. The regular season was capped off with a 48-10, Senior Day victory over Southern Utah. The purple and gold spent the final six weeks of the season ranked No. 1 in Division I-AA.
2007 -Â Running back Corey Lewis rushes for 220 yards in UNI's 38-35 come-from-behind postseason win over New Hampshire, a program single-game postseason record. Lewis also scored three touchdowns on the ground against the 15th ranked Wildcats.
2014 -Â In a home game against Illinois State, running back David Johnson returned a 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, the longest run of his career in a 42-28 victory over the sixth-ranked Redbirds.
2016 - With a 25-20 week one win at Iowa State, head coach Mark Farley surpassed Stan Sheriff as the winningest coach in program history with his 130th victory. The former "Walk-On From Waukon" is also the winningest coach in the Missouri Valley Football Conference with 111 league wins heading into the 2023 season.
2016 -Â Defensive lineman Karter Schult wins the Buck Buchanan Award, given to the top defensive player in FCS football. The All-American set a single-season school record with 24 tackles for loss, along with 74 total tackles, a pair of forced fumbles and one interception.
Kicking off a program -Â UNI, then the Iowa State Normal School), kicked off its first football season in 1895 with a 12-10 win over Coe College.
All-American Panthers -Â 115 members of the UNI football team have earned AP All-American recognition during their careers as Panthers. This includes 29 First Team selections, 27 Second Team, 24 Third Team and 35 earning honorable mention nods.
The First Leader -Â When the Panthers played their first two seasons season in 1895 and 1896, they had no head coach. Fred Wolff stepped into that role in 1897, compiling a 5-1 record in his lone season at the helm. Wolff's first win as the Panthers' head coach came in a 56-0 shutout of Waterloo High School.
Giant Slayers -Â Entering the 2023 season, UNI has recorded three wins over the Division I-AA/FCS' top-ranked team. The Panthers first win over a No. 1 ranked opponent came in 1997 at Youngstown State, and again in the 2005 national postseason at New Hampshire. UNI's latest win over the nation's top-ranked team was in 2014 against conference rival North Dakota State.
Offensive Workhorse -Â Running back David Johnson (2010-14) ran for 4,687 yards and scored 64 total touchdowns during his UNI career, both program records. The dynamic ball carrier was selected in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals and made an immediate impact in his first years as a professional, becoming the first player in NFL history to record a recieving and kick return touchdown in his first two games.
Defensive Dominance -Â In a nod to UNI's excellence on the defensive side of the ball, four players in program history have been named the Gateway/Missouri Valley Football Conference Defensive Player of the Year in back-to-back seasons. William Freeney was the first in 1991 and 1992, followed by Andre Allen in 1993 and 1994. James Ruffin joined the elite club in 2008 and 2009, while Jared Brinkman won consecutive honors in the spring 2021 and fall 2021 campaigns.
Coaching runs DEEP - Since joining the Gateway Football Conference/MVFC in 1985, UNI head coaches have been named conference coach of the year nine times by the league. Terry Allen collected five Coach of the Year honors in the 1990s, while both Darrell Mudra and Mark Farley have both won the award twice.
Hall of Fame History -Â Since its creation in 1985, 59 members of and three UNI football teams have been inducted into the UNI Athletics Hall of Fame. All-American quarterback Ryan Helming became the latest to join the elite group of athletes in 2023.
Throw for MILES - Ryan Helming (1997-00) holds the program and Gateway/Missouri Valley Football conferecne records for career passing yards (9,089) and passing touchdowns (77). A two-time All-American quarterback, Helming was inducted into the UNI Athletics Hall of Fame in 2023.Â
Scores of men -Â Over 1,300 men have doned the purple and gold and played for the UNI football team during its 125-year history. A full list of players can be found HERE.
First time for everything -Â Offensive lineman Trevor Penning made history as UNI's first-ever first round draft pick in the NFL in 2022, being selected by the New Orleans Saints.Â
Top-100 on the board -Â Since 1966, eight Panthers have heard their names called in the top-100 of the NFL Draft, including two in the top-60.
- Randy Schultz, 1966 (Cleveland Browns, Pick #74)
- James Jones, 1991 (Cleveland Browns, Pick #57)
- Dedric Ward, 1997 (New York Jets, Pick #88)
- Brad Meester, 2000 (Jacksonville Jaguars, Pick #60)
- Chad Rinehart, 2008 (Washington Redskins, Pick #96)
- David Johnson, 2015 (Arizona Cardinals, Pick #86)
- Spencer Brown, 2021 (Buffalo Bills, Pick #93)
- Trevor Penning, 2022 (New Orleans Saints, Pick #19)