UC Davis Aggies football
| UC Davis Aggies football | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
 | |||
| First season | 1915 | ||
| Athletic director | Kevin Blue | ||
| Head coach | Dan Hawkins 3rd season, 19–14 (.576) | ||
| 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 | 30 | ||
| Rivalries | Cal Poly (rivalry) Sacramento State (rivalry) | ||
| Colors | Yale blue and gold[1] | ||
| 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 the second-tier NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) intercollegiate competition. The UC Davis football program began competing 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.[2] UC Davis competed as a member of the NCAA College Division through 1972. From 1973 to 2006, the Aggies competed within the NCAA Division II. In 2007, UC Davis promoted its football program to the Division I FCS level, and joined the Great West Conference.[3] UC Davis has secured a total of 30 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. In 1993, UC Davis shared the American West Conference title, and in 2005 (co-champion) and 2009 the Aggies won the Great West Conference.[4]
Conference affiliations
UC Davis has been both independent and affiliated with multiple conferences.[5]: 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 1971–1990.[6]
| Year | Conference | Overall | Coach |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1929 | Northern California Athletic Conference | 6–2 | Crip Toomey |
| 1947† | Northern California Athletic Conference | 4–5 | Vern Hickey |
| 1949 | Northern California Athletic Conference | 5–4 | Ted Forbes |
| 1951 | Northern California Athletic Conference | 5–4 | Ted Forbes |
| 1956† | Northern California Athletic Conference | 7–2 | Will Lotter |
| 1963† | Northern California Athletic Conference | 6–2–1 | Herb Schmalenberger |
| 1971† | Northern California Athletic Conference | 9–1 | Jim Sochor |
| 1972 | Northern California Athletic Conference | 6–2–2 | Jim Sochor |
| 1973† | Northern California Athletic Conference | 7–3 | Jim Sochor |
| 1974 | Northern California Athletic Conference | 9–1 | Jim Sochor |
| 1975 | Northern California Athletic Conference | 7–3 | Jim Sochor |
| 1976 | Northern California Athletic Conference | 8–2 | Jim Sochor |
| 1977 | Northern California Athletic Conference | 11–1 | Jim Sochor |
| 1978 | Northern California Athletic Conference | 8–3 | Jim Sochor |
| 1979 | Northern California Athletic Conference | 6–3–1 | Jim Sochor |
| 1980 | Northern California Athletic Conference | 7–2–1 | Jim Sochor |
| 1981† | Northern California Athletic Conference | 6–4 | Jim Sochor |
| 1982 | Northern California Athletic Conference | 12–1 | Jim Sochor |
| 1983 | Northern California Athletic Conference | 11–1 | Jim Sochor |
| 1984 | Northern California Athletic Conference | 9–2 | Jim Sochor |
| 1985 | Northern California Athletic Conference | 9–2 | Jim Sochor |
| 1986 | Northern California Athletic Conference | 10–1 | Jim Sochor |
| 1987 | Northern California Athletic Conference | 7–3 | Jim Sochor |
| 1988 | Northern California Athletic Conference | 7–3 | Jim Sochor |
| 1989 | Northern California Athletic Conference | 8–3 | Bob Foster |
| 1990 | Northern California Athletic Conference | 7–3 | Bob Foster |
| 1992 | Northern California Athletic Conference | 8–2–1 | Bob Foster |
| 1993† | American West Conference | 10–2 | Bob Biggs |
| 2005† | Great West Football Conference | 6–5 | Bob Biggs |
| 2009 | Great West Football Conference | 6–5 | Bob Biggs |
| 2018† | Big Sky Conference | 10–3 | Dan Hawkins |
† Co-champion
Playoff records
The Aggies appeared in the FCS Playoffs in 2018 as the sixth seed. Their FCS playoff record is 1–1.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Second Round Quarterfinals |
Northern Iowa Eastern Washington |
W 23–16 L 29–34 |
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 battles 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. Cal Poly Mustangs are another rival of the Aggies. UC Davis and Cal Poly play yearly in the Battle for the Golden Horseshoe, where the winner receives a trophy of a large golden horseshoe. Both Sacramento State and Cal Poly are also the Aggies' designated rivals for Big Sky Conference scheduling purposes, which means UC Davis plays both teams every year as part of its conference schedule.
Notable players
- Nick Aliotti, college coach
- 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, UC Davis career reception leader
- 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
- Bakari Grant, CFL wide receiver
- Mark Grieb, AFL quarterback and college coach
- Paul Hackett, college and NFL coach
- Dan Hawkins, college coach, current UC Davis head coach
- Khari Jones, CFL player
- 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 punter
- John Shoemaker, NFL wide receiver
- Forest Vance, NFL offensive tackle and personal trainer
- Mike Wise, NFL defensive end
References
- ^ UC Davis Athletics Style Guidelines (PDF). January 4, 2023. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
- ^ "UC Davis Magazine". Ucdavismagazine.ucdavis.edu. 2011-06-29. Retrieved 2014-05-29.
- ^ [1], College Football Data Warehouse, retrieved December 26, 2010.
- ^ California-Davis Composite Championship Listing, College Football Data Warehouse, retrieved December 26, 2010.
- ^ "2018 Media Guide" (PDF). ucdavisaggies.com. UC Davis Athletics.
- ^ "California-Davis Championships". Cfbdatawarehouse.com. Retrieved 2014-05-29.
