UC Davis Aggies football
| UC Davis Aggies football | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
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| First season | 1915 | ||
| Head coach | Dan Hawkins 5th season, 31–22 (.585) | ||
| Stadium | UC Davis Health Stadium (capacity: 10,849) | ||
| Year built | 2007 | ||
| Field surface | Sportexe | ||
| Location | Davis, California | ||
| Conference | Big Sky | ||
| Past conferences | NCAA Independent (1915–1924) NCAC (1925–1992) AWC (1993) Division II independent (1994–2002) Division I-AA independent (2003) GWC (2004–2011) | ||
| All-time record | 486–370–35 (.565) | ||
| Bowl record | 0–5 (.000) | ||
| Conference titles | 31 | ||
| Rivalries | Cal Poly (rivalry) Sacramento State (rivalry) | ||
| Colors | Aggie Blue (PMS 295C) and Aggie Gold (PMS 4515C) | ||
| Fight song | Aggie Fight | ||
| Mascot | Gunrock the Mustang | ||
| Marching band | UC Davis Marching Band | ||
| Website | UCDavisAggies.com | ||
The UC Davis Aggies football team represents the University of California, Davis in NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). The football program's first season took place in 1915, and has fielded a team each year since with the exception of 1918 during World War I and from 1943 to 1945 during World War II, when the campus, then known as the University Farm, was shut down.[1]
UC Davis competed as a member of the NCAA College Division through 1972; from 1973 to 2003, the Aggies competed as an NCAA Division II program. In 2004, UC Davis promoted its football program to the Division I FCS (then I-AA) level and joined the Great West Conference (then known as the Great West Football Conference) after one season as an independent team with exploratory status.[2] After their provisional seasons and the construction of a new stadium, UC Davis became a full member of Division I in 2007 and eligible for the postseason.
Throughout its history, the football program won 31 conference championships. Between 1929 and 1992, the Aggies captured 27 outright or shared Northern California Athletic Conference championships, including 20 in a row from 1971 to 1990, an American West Conference title in 1993 (co-champion), and GWFC/GWC championships in 2005 (co-champ) and 2009.
The Aggies won their first football title, as a Division I program in 2018 as one of the Big Sky Conference's three regular season champions.
Conference affiliations[]
UC Davis has been both independent and affiliated with multiple conferences.[3]: 46
- NCAA Independent (1915–1924)
- Northern California Athletic Conference (1925–1992)
- Far Western Conference (1925–1981)
- Northern California Athletic Conference (1982–1992)
- American West Conference (1993)
- NCAA Division II Independent (1994–2002)
- NCAA Division I-AA Independent (2003)
- Great West Football Conference (2004–2011)
- Big Sky Conference (2012–present)
Conference championships[]
UC Davis Aggies football program has won or shared a total of 31 conference championships since 1915, including 27 from the Northern California Athletic Conference where they won 20 straight conference champions from 1971 to 1990.[4]
| Year | Coach | Conference | Overall record | Conference record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1929 | Crip Toomey | Northern California Athletic Conference | 6–2 | 5–0 |
| 1947† | Vern Hickey | 4–5 | 3–1 | |
| 1949 | Ted Forbes | 5–4 | 4–0 | |
| 1951 | 5–4 | 2–1 | ||
| 1956† | Will Lotter | 7–3 | 4–1 | |
| 1963† | 6–2–1 | 3–1–1 | ||
| 1971† | Jim Sochor | 9–1 | 5–1 | |
| 1972 | 6–2–2 | 5–0 | ||
| 1973† | 7–3 | 4–1 | ||
| 1974 | 9–1 | 5–0 | ||
| 1975 | 7–3 | 5–0 | ||
| 1976 | 8–2 | 5–0 | ||
| 1977 | 11–1 | 5–0 | ||
| 1978 | 8–3 | 5–0 | ||
| 1979 | 6–3–1 | 5–0 | ||
| 1980 | 7–2–1 | 5–0 | ||
| 1981† | 6–4 | 4–1 | ||
| 1982 | 12–1 | 5–0 | ||
| 1983 | 11–1 | 6–0 | ||
| 1984 | 9–2 | 6–0 | ||
| 1985 | 9–2 | 5–0 | ||
| 1986 | 10–1 | 5–0 | ||
| 1987 | 7–3 | 5–0 | ||
| 1988 | 7–3 | 5–0 | ||
| 1989 | Bob Foster | 8–3 | 5–0 | |
| 1990 | 7–3 | 5–0 | ||
| 1992 | 8–2–1 | 5–0 | ||
| 1993† | Bob Biggs | American West Conference | 10–2 | 3–1 |
| 2005† | Great West Football Conference | 6–5 | 4–1 | |
| 2009 | 6–5 | 3–1 | ||
| 2018† | Dan Hawkins | Big Sky Conference | 10–3 | 7–1 |
† Co-champion
Playoff records[]
NCAA Division I-AA/FCS[]
The Aggies have appeared twice in the Division I FCS playoffs. Their combined playoff record is 1–2.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Second Round Quarterfinals |
Northern Iowa Eastern Washington |
W 23–16 L 29–34 |
| 2021 | First Round | South Dakota State | L 24–56 |
NCAA Division II[]
UC Davis earned 18 NCAA Division II playoff appearances from 1977 through 2002.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Quarterfinal Semifinal (Knute Rockne Bowl) |
Bethune-Cookman Lehigh |
W 34–16 L 30-39 |
| 1978 | Quarterfinal | Eastern Illinois | L, 31-35 |
| 1982 | Quarterfinal Semifinal Final (Palm Bowl) |
Northern Michigan North Dakota State Southwest Texas State |
W 42-21 W 19-14 L 9-34 |
| 1983 | Quarterfinal Semifinal |
Butler North Dakota State |
W 25–6 L 17-26 |
| 1984 | Quarterfinal | North Dakota State | L, 23-31 |
| 1985 | Quarterfinal | North Dakota State | L, 12-31 |
| 1986 | Quarterfinal | South Dakota | L, 23-26 |
| 1988 | First Round | Sacramento State | L, 14-35 |
| 1989 | First Round | Angelo State | L, 23-28 |
| 1992 | First Round | Portland State | L, 28-42 |
| 1993 | First Round Quarterfinals |
Fort Hays State Texas A&M-Kingsville |
W 37-34 L 28-51 |
| 1996 | First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals |
Texas A&M-Kingsville Central Oklahoma Carson-Newman |
W 17-14 W 26-7 L 26-29 |
| 1997 | First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals |
Texas A&M-Kingsville Angelo State New Haven |
W 37-33 W 50-33 L 25-27 |
| 1998 | First Round | Texas A&M-Kingsville | L 21-54 |
| 1999 | First Round Quarterfinals |
Central Oklahoma Northeastern State |
W 33-17 L 14-19 |
| 2000 | First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals |
Chadron State Mesa State Bloomsburg |
W 48-10 W 62-18 L 48-58 |
| 2001 | First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals |
Texas A&M-Kingsville Tarleton State North Dakota |
W 37-32 W 42-25 L 2-14 |
| 2002 | First Round Quarterfinals |
Central Oklahoma Texas A&M-Kingsville |
W 24-6 L 20-27 (ot) |
Bowl games[]
| Bowl | Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pear Bowl | November 24, 1949 | Pacific (OR) | L 15–33 |
| Pear Bowl | November 24, 1951 | Pacific (OR) | L 7–25 |
| Boardwalk Bowl | December 9, 1972 | UMass | L 14–35 |
| Knute Rockne Bowl (NCAA Division II Semifinal) | December 3, 1977 | Lehigh | L 30–39 |
| Palm Bowl (NCAA Division II Championship) | December 11, 1982 | Southwest Texas State | L 9–34 |
Rivalries[]
The Sacramento State Hornets are the natural cross-town rival who battle UC Davis annually for the Causeway Trophy. This rivalry is known as the Causeway Classic. UC Davis leads the all-time series 46–21 with no ties. The Cal Poly Mustangs are another rival; these teams compete in the Battle for the Golden Horseshoe each year with the winner receiving a trophy of a large golden horseshoe.
Both Sacramento State and Cal Poly are designated rivals for Big Sky Conference scheduling purposes, which means UC Davis plays both teams each year as part of its conference schedule. UC Davis also has a smaller rivalry with Stanford University[5] following UC Davis' 20–17 upset of the Cardinal in 2005 while still a provisional Division I team.[6]
Notable games[]
On November 14, 1971, UC Davis defeated Cal State Hayward 30–29, where UC Davis scored 16 points in the final 44 seconds and was dubbed the "Miracle Game". After scoring on a five-play drive that included a two-point conversion with 20 seconds remaining, UC Davis recovered an onside kick. On the final play of the game, quarterback and future UC Davis head coach Bob Biggs found tight end Mike Bellotti for a 29-yard touchdown on the final play of the game with four seconds remaining. Instead of tying the score with the extra point, head coach Jim Sochor went for the win and another two-point conversion. After two false starts, Biggs completed a pass to Mike Everly to complete the comeback.[7]
The Aggies' defeated the Stanford Cardinal 20–17 on September 18, 2005, after trailing 17–0 midway through the second quarter. Stanford quarterback Trent Edwards then left the game with an injury. The Aggies scored 20 unanswered and became the first non-Division I-A/FBS team to defeat the Cardinal. The win was the Aggies' first over a Division I-A team since 1986 against the Pacific Tigers and was the first against a Pac-10 team in 65 years. It was also the second win over Stanford with the first taking place in 1932.
On October 4, 2008, Bakari Grant caught a 38-yard Hail Mary touchdown pass from Greg Denham against the Northern Colorado Bears to win 34–30. The game was dubbed the "Hail Bakari" at the time.[8]
Notable players[]
- Nick Aliotti, college coach
- Jeff Allen, NFL defensive back
- Scott Barry, NFL quarterback
- Rolf Benirschke, NFL placekicker and TV host
- Bob Biggs, CFL quarterback and college coach
- Mike Bellotti, college coach and analyst
- Chris Carter, NFL wide receiver
- Kevin Daft, NFL quarterback and college coach
- Keelan Doss, NFL wide receiver
- Bo Eason, NFL defensive back (second-round draft pick) and actor
- Daniel Fells, NFL tight end
- Bob Foster, college coach
- Bakari Grant, CFL wide receiver
- Mark Grieb, AFL quarterback and college coach
- Nathaniel Hackett, college and NFL coach
- Paul Hackett, college and NFL coach
- Dan Hawkins, college coach, current UC Davis head coach
- Khari Jones, CFL quarterback and coach
- Joshua Kelley, NFL running back (later transferred to UCLA)
- Tim Lajcik, mixed martial artist
- Bryan Lee-Lauduski, Arena Football League player
- Chris Mandeville, NFL defensive back
- Rich Martini, NFL wide receiver
- Casey Merrill, NFL defensive end
- Mike Moroski, first NFL player from UC Davis, playing as quarterback. Also a college coach
- Ken O'Brien, NFL quarterback (first-round draft pick)
- J. T. O'Sullivan, NFL quarterback
- Michael Oliva, NFL wide receiver
- Chris Petersen, college coach
- Colton Schmidt, NFL/AAF/XFL punter
- John Shoemaker, NFL wide receiver
- Elliot Vallejo, NFL offensive tackle
- Forest Vance, NFL offensive tackle and personal trainer
- Colby Wadman, NFL punter
- Tom Williams, NFL defensive end
- Mike Wise, NFL defensive end
References[]
- ^ "UC Davis Magazine". Ucdavismagazine.ucdavis.edu. 2011-06-29. Retrieved 2014-05-29.
- ^ "UC Davis to Join Division I Big West Athletic Conference". UC Davis. March 11, 2003. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
- ^ "2018 Media Guide" (PDF). ucdavisaggies.com. UC Davis Athletics.
- ^ "California-Davis Championships". Cfbdatawarehouse.com. Archived from the original on 2014-05-29. Retrieved 2014-05-29.
- ^ "Stanford Visits UC Davis, Hosts Washington in Four-Game Week". Stanford University. March 25, 2009. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
- ^ "How're They Going to Live This Down on the Farm?". Los Angeles Times. September 19, 2005. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
- ^ "Remembering UCD's Miracle Game". The Davis Enterprise. November 3, 2011. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
- ^ "Interception ends UC Davis rally as Aggies fall 27-21". The Sacramento Bee. November 1, 2014.
External links[]
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