University of North Alabama 2019 Football Notes September 7 - vs. #23 Montana Washington-Grizzly Stadium (John Hoyt Field) - Missoula, Montana 8:00 PM Kickoff NORTH ALABAMA IN SECOND SEASON IN FCS • A charter member of the Gulf South Conference and the NCAA Division II, North Alabama completed its first season as a mem- ber of the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) in 2018 with a 7-3 overall record and a four-game winning streak to close the season. * UNA produced one of the most suc- cessful football programs in the history NORTH ALABAMA 2019 SCHEDULE of the GSC and Division II, advancing Aug. 29 WESTERN ILLINOIS 26-17 to the Division II Playoffs 12 times in Sept. 7 at #23 Montana 8:00 PM its final 15 seasons in the division and Sept. 14 ALABAMA A&M 6:00 PM making 21 total playoff appearances, Sept. 21 at Jacksonville State 6:00 PM winning 35 post-season games and Sept. 28 *PRESBYTERIAN 3:00 PM three national championships. The 21 (Homecoming) post-season trips and 35 playoff wins rank second in DII history. Oct. 5 *at Hampton 1:00 PM * The Lions officially moved to Division I status on July 1, 2018. Oct. 12 OPEN * UNA was 3-2 against FCS programs in 2018 with wins over Oct. 19 *CHARLESTON SOUTHERN 6:00 PM Southern Utah, Alabama A&M and Jackson State and losses to Oct. 26 *at Kennesaw State 2:00 PM North Dakota State and Campbell. Nov. 2 *CAMPBELL 1:30 PM (Preview Day) NORTH ALABAMA WAS AN INDEPENDENT IN 2018 Nov. 9 *at Monmouth 11:00 AM * North Alabama was officially an FCS independent in 2018. All Nov. 16 *at Gardner-Webb 12:30 PM 11 games on UNA’s 2018 schedule were non-conference games. * Big South Conference opponents. LIONS IN BIG SOUTH CONFERENCE IN 2019 * North Alabama is not eligible to compete for the Big South Con- * Although North Alabama is now a member of the Big South ference Championship until 2022 as part of the transition to Divi- Conference, the Lions are not eligible to compete for the Big sion I. UNA’s games against Big South Conference opponents in South Conference Championship until 2022 as part of the transi- 2019 do not count in the conference standings. tion to Division I. UNA was not included in the Big South pre- season poll and the Lions’ games against Big South Conference opponents in 2019 do not count in the conference standings. TODAY’S OPPONENT FIRST SEASON WITH FULL FCS SCHEDULE * The 2019 season will be UNA’s first with a full, 11-game FCS schedule. The Lions will play five games at home and six on the road. Prior to this season, UNA had only played 18 total games against FCS schools. ABOUT MONTANA 150th ANNIVERSARY OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL Location: Missoula, Montana * The 2019 season marks the 150th Anniversary of the first colle- Founded : 1893 giate football game between Princeton and Rutgers on November Enrollment: 10,962 6, 1869. Celebrations and recognitions are planned throughout Nickname: Grizzlies (Griz) the year and throughout the country to recognize the anniversary. School Colors: Maroon and Silver Affiliation: NCAA Division I FCS UNA IN 71ST SEASON OF FOOTBALL Conference: Big Sky Conference • This is North Alabama’s 71st season of intercollegiate football Head Coach: Bobby Hauck since the program was revived at the school in 1949. UNA has 2019 Record: 1-0 (31-17 win at South Dakota) an overall 473-269-16 record.The school’s .615 winning percent- 2018 Record: 6-5 age during its years in Division II rank 12th best in the Division’s 2018 Big Sky Record: 4-4 (4th) history. Where to Find the Lions FOLLOWING THE LIONS RADIO GAME DAY PRE-GAME SHOW: UNA's football broadcasts on home game days will begin one hour before kickoff with the UNA Football Pre-Game Show on WBCF 97.1-FM. RADIO GAME DAY BROADCASTS: UNA's football broadcasts will be carried over WBCF 97.1 FM. The UNA broadcast team will be led by veteran play-by-play announcer and UNA alum Kevin Johnson and color analyst and UNA Athletic Hall of Fame member Hamp Moore. Audio streaming of the broadcasts will also be available at www.wbcf.com. You can also download the WBCF App to your android or iphone to listen to the Lions wherever you are. ESPN+: All UNA home football games will air on ESPN+ during the 2019 season with Benjamin Ray providing the play-by-play call and Bryan Neece as the color commentator. CHRIS WILLIS UNA FOOTBALL REVIEW: Follow the Chris Willis UNA Football Review all season on Tuesdays at noon on ESPN+. The show will also be posted on UNA Athletics' YouTube channel at UNA_Athletics. The 30-minute show features recaps with Coach Willis of the previous week's game and a preview of that day's upcoming contest. The show is hosted by UNA Sports Information Director Jeff Hodges. CHRIS WILLIS RADIO SHOW: Follow the Chris Willis Radio Show all season on the FM 93.9 The Score, or join the show live at 306 Barbecue on Court Street at 6:00 p.m. each Wednesday during the season. The one hour show feature recaps of previous games and previews of upcoming opponents. The show is hosted by Benjamin Ray. WEBSITE: Information, schedules, statistics, etc., on the University of North Alabama athletic teams is available through the UNA website at www.roarlions.com. FACEBOOK: University of North Alabama Athletics TWITTER: @UNAAthletics INSTAGRAM: UNA_Athletics YOU TUBE: www.youtube.com/UNALionAthletics CHRIS WILLIS Television Show Tuesdays at Noon on ESPN+ and UNALionAthletics on YouTube CHRIS WILLIS Radio Show Wednesdays at 6:30 PM on WYTK 93.9 The Score Live from 306 Barbecue / Florence 2019 North Alabama Notes LIONS RIDING FIVE-GAME WINNING STREAK UNA VS. RANKED OPPONENTS * North Alabama closed its first season of Football Championship * Montana enters the game ranked No. 23 in the FCS in the AFCA poll. Subdivision (FCS) play with a four-game winning streak in 2018 * North Alabama is very familiar with playing nationally ranked teams. and pushed it to five straight wins after downing Western Illinois UNA has played 106 games against nationally ranked opponents 26-17. UNA was 3-3 after the first six games of the 2018 season since 1992. The Lions are 61-44-1 in the 106 previous meetings and the Lions posted wins over Mississippi College, Jackson wth ranked opponents over the last 27 seasons. State, Shorter and North Greenville. * UNA has played 57 of those 106 games against teams ranked in the Top 10. The Lions are 31-26 in those previous 57 games. FIRST GAME IN MONTANA * UNA played six nationally ranked teams in 2017 and three in 2018. * Entering the 2019 season, football teams from the University * This will be the Lions fourth game against a nationally ranked FCS of North Alabama had faced teams from 26 different states. The opponent: Lions will add Montana and New Jersey to that list in 2019 with 1994 at #3 Youngstown State L 14-17 road games at Montana and Monmouth. 2016 at #3 Jacksonville State L 12-31 2018 at #1 North Dakota State L 7-38 LIONS AND GRIZZLIES HAVE STORIED PROGRAMS * Both North Alabama and Montana have storied college football FORMER MONTANA COACH JOE GLENN WON TWO programs, with North Alabama building its legacy on the NCAA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS IN FLORENCE Division II level, prior to its move to the FCS last season, and * Joe Glenn, head coach at Montana from 2000-02, coached the Montana on the I-AA/FCS level. University of Northern Colorado to two NCAA Division II National Championships at UNA’s home stadium in Florence, Ala., in 1996 North Alabama Superlatives and 1997. UNC defeated Carson-Newman in 1996 and New * With three straight NCAA Division II Football National Haven in 1997. North Alabama served as the host institution for Championships from 1993-95, North Alabama became the first the Division II National Championship Game for 28 years (1986- school in the history of NCAA scholarship football to win three 2013) and won three national titles (1993-95) on its home field. consecutive football national titles. The only other schools to match that feat since have been FCS members Appalachian State LIONS VS. BIG SKY CONFERENCE (2005-07) and North Dakota State (2011-15). * North Alabama is 1-0 all-time against schools from the Big Sky * North Alabama was the first college football program in NCAA Conference. The Lions opened the 2018 season with a dramatic history to win as many as 40 games in just three seasons when 34-30 road win at Southern Utah in the only previous meeting with the Lions went 41-1 from 1993-95. The only loss during that a Big Sky school. three-year span was 17-10 on the road at Youngstown State in 1994. Youngstown State went on to win the FCS football national UNA vs. Division I FCS Conferences (2018-19) championship that season. SWAC 2-0 * UNA advanced to the NCAA Division II Playoffs 21 times be- Big Sky 1-0 tween 1980 and 2016. It is the second most appearances in the Missouri Valley Football 1-1 history of the Division II playoffs by current or former members. Big South 0-1 The Lions 35 all-time playoff wins also rank second in DII history. * UNA advanced to the NCAA Division II Playoffs in 12 of the Li- GRIZZLIES PLAN A “MAROON OUT” ons’ last 15 seasons in Division II (2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, * Montana will hold a “Maroon Out” for the North Alabama game.