Wisconsin–River Falls Falcons football
| Wisconsin–River Falls Falcons football | |
|---|---|
| First season | 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) |
| College Football Playoff appearances | |
| 4 (3 NCAA Div. III, 1 NAIA Div. II) | |
| Conference championships | |
| 19 | |
| Colors | Red and White |
| Website | uwrfsports.com/football |
The Wisconsin–River Falls Falcons football program is the intercollegiate American football team for the University of Wisconsin–River Falls located in River Falls, Wisconsin. The team competes at the NCAA Division III level and is a member of the Wisconsin 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 the Kansas City Chiefs' training camp from 1992 to 2008.
History
Mike Farley (1970–1988)
The Falcons were most successful under coach Mike 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 the WIAC 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 (1989–2010)
John O'Grady is the longest tenured UWRF coach with 22 seasons. He was a linebacker for the Falcons from 1972 to 1975.[2] He previously coached at Kent State University, the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and Miami 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 the Wisconsin 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 (2011–present)
Matt Walker was previously the head football coach at DePauw University (2006–09) where he compiled a 22–8 overall record. His teams finished 13–7 in the Southern 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 at Butler 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.
Head coaching history
Wisconsin–River Falls has had at least 21 head coaches in their history.[3] The head coaches for the seasons 1895–1898, 1900–1901, and 1910 are unknown. No teams were fielded for the 1902–1908 seasons.[4] Additionally no team was fielded in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
| Coach | Seasons | Term | Wins | Losses | Ties | Win % | Conference titles | Playoff appearances |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warren P. Knowles | 1 | 1899 | 5 | 2 | 1 | .688 | N/A | N/A |
| Jesse H. Ames | 1 | 1909 | 1 | 2 | 0 | .333 | N/A | N/A |
| E.W. Castle | 1 | 1911 | 6 | 1 | 1 | .813 | 0 | N/A |
| Bert Swenson | 9 | 1912–1920 | 38 | 16 | 8 | .677 | 2 | N/A |
| Herman Hayward | 2 | 1921, 1923 | 6 | 6 | 1 | .500 | 0 | N/A |
| Anderson | 1 | 1922 | 3 | 3 | 1 | .500 | 0 | N/A |
| Otto Eggebrecht | 2 | 1924–1925 | 12 | 1 | 1 | .893 | 2 | N/A |
| Ted Cox | 2 | 1926–1927 | 11 | 1 | 1 | .885 | 1 | N/A |
| B.L. Stanley & Marshal Diebold | 1 | 1928 | 6 | 1 | 1 | .813 | 0 | N/A |
| Carl Klandrud | 4 | 1929–1932 | 17 | 8 | 2 | .667 | 0 | N/A |
| Osborne Cowles | 3 | 1933–1935 | 13 | 6 | 2 | .667 | 1 | N/A |
| Emmett Lowery | 6 | 1936–1941 | 23 | 16 | 4 | .581 | 1 | N/A |
| Gerald Manion | 3 | 1942–1944 | 8 | 6 | 0 | .571 | 0 | N/A |
| George Schlaugenhauf | 7 | 1945–1951 | 25 | 22 | 7 | .528 | 1 | N/A |
| Phil Belfiori | 5 | 1952–1956 | 29 | 9 | 1 | .756 | 0 | N/A |
| Fran Polsfoot | 5 | 1957–1961 | 21 | 20 | 3 | .511 | 1 | N/A |
| Gwynn Christensen | 8 | 1962–1969 | 28 | 38 | 7 | .432 | 0 | 0 |
| Mike Farley | 19 | 1970–1988 | 117 | 71 | 3 | .620 | 8 | 1 |
| John O'Grady | 22 | 1989–2010 | 105 | 112 | 3 | .484 | 1 | 2 |
| Matt Walker | 13 | 2011–present | 53 | 79 | 0 | .402 | 0 | 1 (2 bowl games) |
Championships
Conference championships
The Falcons won the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) championship 19 times.[5][6]
| 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 |
| 2025 | Matt Walker | TBD | 6–1 |
† Co-champions
Postseason games
NCAA Division III playoffs
The Falcons have made three appearances in the NCAA Division III playoffs, with a combined record of 5–2.
| 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 |
| 2025 | Second Round | Chapman | W 58–7 | TBD |
| Third Round | Saint John's (MN) | W 42–14 | ||
| Quarterfinals | Wheaton (IL) | W 46–21 | ||
| Semifinals | Johns Hopkins | W 48–41 | ||
| Championship | North Central (IL) | TBD |
NAIA Division I playoffs
The Falcons have made one appearance in the NAIA Division I playoffs, with a combined record of 0–1.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Quarterfinals | Angelo State (TX) | L 7–31 | 9–2 |
Bowl games
The Falcons have a 2–0 bowl record after participating in the Culver's Isthmus Bowl in 2021 and 2022.
| Year | Bowl | Coach | Opponent | Result | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Isthmus Bowl | Matt Walker | Washington University | W 48–27 | 9–2 |
| 2022 | W 31–24 | 7–4 |
Ranked teams
Starting in 1999 the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) began publishing rankings for Division III football.[7] In 2003, D3football.com started publishing its own rankings for Division III football.[8] 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 |
Border Battle
From 1984 to 2000 the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, home to the Minnesota Vikings and Minnesota Golden Gophers, hosted games in November between WIAC teams and Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) teams at the NCAA Division II level in what came to be known as the "Border Battle".[9] The Falcons played at the Metrodome seven times, and had a 5–2 record.[10]
| 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 |
Facilities
From 1991 to 2009 UWRF was host to the Kansas City Chiefs organization.[11] In 2006 the Chiefs won the UWRF outstanding service award for their ties to the community and dedication and respect to the university.[12] As many as five other National Football League teams used campuses across Wisconsin and Minnesota for training camp, in what was known as the Cheese League.
Notable former players
References
- ^ "Send Congratulations to Coach Mike Farley". UWRFsports.com. Retrieved December 24, 2012.
- ^ a b "John O'Grady - Head Coach". UWRF.edu. Retrieved December 24, 2012.
- ^ "UWRF Football All-Time Coaching Records". University of Wisconsin River Falls Athletics. Retrieved November 10, 2025.
- ^ "Year-By-Year Results". University of Wisconsin River Falls Athletics. Retrieved November 10, 2025.
- ^ "Football Team Champs (PDF) - Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference" (PDF). wiacsports.com. Retrieved December 22, 2024.
- ^ "All-Time WIAC Finishes". University of Wisconsin River Falls Athletics. Retrieved December 22, 2024.
- ^ "Polls". AFCA. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
- ^ "D3football.com Top 25 history".
- ^ Stoner, Don (November 11, 1999). "Breaking the five-way tie".
- ^ "Football Year By Year Results (PDF) - Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference" (PDF). wiacsports.com. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
- ^ "Kansas City Chiefs Training Camp Locations". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
- ^ news@riverfallsjournal.com (November 30, 2006). "Kansas City Chiefs receive Outstanding Service Award". Republican Eagle. Retrieved January 11, 2025.