Linfield Wildcats
| Linfield Wildcats | |
|---|---|
| University | Linfield University |
| Conference | Northwest Conference |
| NCAA | Division III |
| Athletic director | Scott Brosius |
| Location | McMinnville, Oregon |
| Varsity teams | 23 |
| Football stadium | Maxwell Field |
| Basketball arena | Ted Wilson Gymnasium |
| Baseball stadium | Roy Helser Field |
| Soccer stadium | Soccer/Lacrosse Field |
| Lacrosse stadium | Soccer/Lacrosse Field |
| Colors | Purple and red[1] |
| Website | golinfieldwildcats |
| Team NCAA championships | |
| 4 | |
The Linfield Wildcats are the athletic teams that represent Linfield University, located in McMinnville, Oregon, in NCAA Division III intercollegiate sports. The Wildcats compete as members of the Northwest Conference for all sports.
Varsity teams
| Men's sports | Women's sports |
|---|---|
| Baseball | Basketball |
| Basketball | Cheer & Dance |
| Cheer & Dance | Cross Country |
| Cross Country | Golf |
| Football | Lacrosse |
| Golf | Soccer |
| Soccer | Softball |
| Swimming | Swimming |
| Tennis | Tennis |
| Track and field | Track and field |
| Wrestling | Volleyball |
| Wrestling |
National championships
Linfield has won four national college football titles (NCAA Division III: 2004, NAIA Division II: 1982, 1984, 1986) and have played in a total of seven college football national championship games (NAIA runner-ups in 1961, 1965, 1992). In addition, the school has won three national titles in baseball (NCAA Division III: 2013, NAIA Division II: 1966, 1971), and two national titles in softball in 2007 & 2011 (runner-ups in 2010 & 2012).[2]
| Year | Sport | Coach | Location | Assoc./Div. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | Baseball | Roy Helser | NAIA | |
| 1971 | Baseball | Ad Rutschman | Municipal Stadium, Phoenix, Arizona | NAIA |
| 1982 | Football | Ad Rutschman | Maxwell Field, McMinnville, Oregon | NAIA Division II |
| 1984 | Football | Ad Rutschman | Maxwell Field, McMinnville, Oregon | NAIA Division II |
| 1986 | Football | Ad Rutschman | Maxwell Field, McMinnville, Oregon | NAIA Division II |
| 2004 | Football | Jay Locey | Salem, Virginia | NCAA Division III |
| 2007 | Softball | Jackson Vaughan | Moyer Sports Complex, Salem, Virginia | NCAA Division III |
| 2011 | Softball | Jackson Vaughan | Moyer Sports Complex, Salem, Virginia | NCAA Division III |
| 2013 | Baseball | Scott Brosius | Fox Cities Stadium, Grand Chute, Wisconsin | NCAA Division III |
Individual programs
Football
The Linfield Wildcats football team has the longest streak of consecutive winning seasons across all levels of college football. As of 2025, the team has had 69 consecutive winning seasons.[3] "The Streak", as it is referred to at Linfield, began in 1956.[4][5] The Linfield University Special Collections and Archives started an oral history video collection from members of the 1956 football team, which was made available to the public in October 2021.
Notable student-athletes
Notable student-athletes include former New York Yankee Scott Brosius, who was the head baseball coach at the college for eight years until 2015;[6] former San Diego Charger Brett Elliott, the quarterback of the 2004 championship team; and former Miami Dolphins general manager Randy Mueller, quarterback of Linfield's 1982 NAIA Championship squad.
Brosius returned to Linfield University as its athletic director in May 2024.[7]
References
- ^ "THE LINFIELD UNIVERSITY BRAND". Retrieved April 3, 2023.
- ^ Linfield Sports Statistics
- ^ Foss, Kathy (November 1, 2025). "Linfield Football makes double history: 69 straight winning seasons and a new NCAA record". Linfield News. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
- ^ Foss, Kathy (2022-10-16). "Wildcat football clinches 66th winning season, extending "The Streak"". Linfield News. Retrieved 2022-11-09.
- ^ "Streaking into the history books". Linfield Magazine. Retrieved 2022-11-09.
- ^ "Scott Brosius leaves Linfield baseball". The Oregonian. 2015-05-23. Retrieved 2015-10-28.
- ^ "Former MLB star Scott Brosius named athletic director at Linfield University". MSN. June 22, 2024. Retrieved June 22, 2024.