Western Carolina Catamounts football

Western Carolina Catamounts football
2021 Western Carolina Catamounts football team
First season	1931
Athletic director	Alex Gary
Head coach	Kerwin Bell 1st season, 4–7 (.364)
Stadium	E. J. Whitmire Stadium (capacity: 13,742)
Field	Bob Waters Field
Location	Cullowhee, North Carolina
NCAA division	Division I FCS
Conference	Southern Conference
All-time record	341–502–23 (.407)
Bowl record	0–1–0 (.000)
Playoff appearances	2
Playoff record	3–2
Rivalries	Appalachian State University (dormant) East Tennessee State University
Colors	Purple and gold[1]
Fight song	Fight On You Catamounts
Mascot	Paws
Marching band	Western Carolina University Pride of the Mountains Marching Band
Website	CatamountSports.com

The Western Carolina Catamounts football program represents Western Carolina University. The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and are members of the Southern Conference. Since the school's first football team was fielded in 1931, the Catamounts have a record of 341-502-23, have made two postseason appearances, and have played in one national championship game.

Western Carolina plays its home games at the 13,742 seat Bob Waters Field at E. J. Whitmire Stadium located on the campus in Cullowhee, North Carolina.

History[]

Head coaching history[]

Western Carolina has had 14 head coaches since the first team was organized in 1931. Kerwin Bell, the current head coach, was hired on April 27, 2021. Bob Waters (1969–1988) holds the record for most wins (116), longest tenure (20 seasons), and highest winning percentage (.550) among all former Western Carolina coaches.

C.C. Poindexter, often called the "Father of Western Carolina Athletics", was instrumental in organizing the first football team in 1931. Then the Western Carolina Teacher's College, Poindexter was the first person hired by the college to work exclusively in athletics and became the first athletic director and football coach. He would later lead the baseball and basketball programs as well.

Tenure	Coach	Record	Pct.
1931–1934	C. C. Poindexter	10–26–2	.290
1935–1938	Ralph James	4–30–3	.149
1939–1941	Jim Whatley	6–15–1	.295
1945	Marion McDonald	1–3	.250
1946–1955	Tom Young	39–55–4	.418
1956–1968	Dan Robinson	51–67–6	.435
1969–1988	Bob Waters	116–94–6	.550
1989	Dale Strahm	3–7–1	.318
1990–1996	Steve Hodgin	31–45	.408
1997–2001	Bill Bleil	23–32	.418
2002–2007	Kent Briggs	22–43	.388
2008–2011	Dennis Wagner	8–36	.182
2012–2021	Mark Speir	33–68	.327
2021–	Kerwin Bell	3–6	.333

Postseason[]

• 1949 - The 1949 Western Carolina Catamounts, coached by Tom Young, completed their regular season 8-2, winning the North State Conference championship. Western Carolina was then invited to play West Liberty State in the Smokey Mountain Bowl in Bristol, Tennessee. The Catamounts fell short 20-0.
• 1974 - The 1974 Western Carolina Catamounts, coached by Bob Waters, completed their regular season 9-1, earning a birth to the 1974 NCAA Division II playoff. The Catamounts had wins over ranked opponents Indiana State and Western Kentucky during the season. They then traveled to No.1 ranked Louisiana Tech where they were defeated 10-7.
• 1983 - The 1983 Western Carolina Catamounts, coached by Bob Waters, completed their regular season 8-2-1, earning a birth to the 1983 NCAA Division I-AA playoffs. The Catamounts then hosted their first ever playoff game against Colgate, winning 24-23. Western Carolina then traveled to No.2 seed Holy Cross, where they upset the Crusaders 28-21. In the semifinals, they beat No.3 seed, and Southern Conference rival, Furman 14-7. In the 1983 Division I-AA National Championship Game at Hagood Stadium in Charleston, South Carolina, the Catamounts fell to No.1 seed Southern Illinois 43-7.

Classifications[]

• 1973–1976: NCAA Division II
• 1977: NCAA Division I
• 1978–1981: NCAA Division I–A
• 1982–present: NCAA Division I–AA

Conference memberships[]

• 1931–1932: Independent
• 1933–1960: North State Conference
• 1961–1967: Conference Carolinas
• 1968–1972: Independent
• 1973–1976: NCAA Division II Independent
• 1977–present: Southern Conference

Also members of the Smoky Mountain Conference starting in 1934.^[2][3]

Playoff appearances[]

NCAA Division I-AA/FCS[]

The Catamounts have appeared in the I-AA/FCS playoffs one time, with an overall record of 3-1.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
1983	First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Championship	Colgate (2) Holy Cross (3) Furman (1) Southern Illinois	W 24-23 W 28-21 W 14-7 L 7-43

NCAA Division II[]

The Catamounts made one appearance in the Division II playoffs, with a combined record of 0-1.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
1974	First Round	Louisiana Tech	L, 7–10

Rivalries[]

Appalachian State - Battle for the Old Mountain Jug[]

The main rivalry of the Catamounts was against their in-state rival Appalachian State. Western Carolina and Appalachian State played annually for the Old Mountain Jug. The two rivals first faced off in 1932, with Appalachian State winning 20-0. The Old Mountain Jug trophy was first introduced in 1976. After Appalachian State moved to the Football Bowl Subdivision in 2014, the two have not met since. Appalachian State leads the series 58-19-1.

Catamounts in the NFL[]

Player	Position	Years in NFL
Steve Williams	DE	1974
Eddie McGill	TE	1982–1983
Dean Biasucci	K	1984–1995
Tiger Greene	DB	1985–1990
Louis Cooper	LB	1985–1993
Clyde Simmons	DE	1986–2000
Leonard Williams	RB	1987
Fred Davis	DB	1987
Tony Jones	OL	1988–2000
Willie J. Williams	DB	1993–2005
Andrew Jordan	TE	1994–2001
David Patten	WR	1997–2008
Brad Hoover	FB	2000–2009
Detrez Newsome	RB	2018–2018
Keion Crossen	DB	2018–2020

See also[]

• Western Carolina Catamounts

References[]

External links[]

• Official website