Humboldt State Lumberjacks football

Last updated
Humboldt State Lumberjacks football
First season 1924; 100 years ago
Last season 2018; 6 years ago
Head coachDamaro Wheeler (last)
1st season, 2–8 (.200)
Stadium Redwood Bowl
(capacity: 6,000 (seated))
Field surface FieldTurf
Location Arcata, California, U.S.
Conference Great Northwest Athletic Conference
All-time record404–403–21 (.501)
Bowl record1–1 (.500)
Conference titles11
ColorsGreen and gold [1]
   
MascotLucky Logger
Website Humboldt State Lumberjacks football

The Humboldt State Lumberjacks football program represented Humboldt State University, known since January 2022 as California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, in college football and played its home games at the Redwood Bowl in Arcata, California. Humboldt State was a football member of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference in NCAA Division II. The Lumberjacks played 90 seasons and had an all-time record of 404–403–21 (.501).

Contents

In July 2018, HSU announced that the football program would be discontinued after the 2018 season. [2]

History

Starting in 1924, the first 27 years of Humboldt State football was less than successful. There were 9 winning seasons, 12 losing seasons and one .500 season over that timeframe. For most of that time, the Lumberjacks were not a member of a conference. They joined the Far Western Conference for the 1946 season but didn't have much success there until the hiring of Phil Sarboe in 1951. The Lumberjacks have had only six coaches in the subsequent 66 years, an average tenure of 11 seasons. But only two of those six compiled an overall winning record.

For decades, the Humboldt State football program was unique in the California State University system. At one point, 15 schools in the system had football programs. But starting in the 1970s, financial pressures and rulings from the NCAA changed the environment for college football. One by one, nine Cal State Schools dropped their football programs. [note 1] Three programs moved to Division I FBS. [note 2] Two programs moved to Division I FCS. [note 3] Only Humboldt State remained in Division II [3] and continued with a successful D-II program (until the announced discontinuation after the 2018 season).

Phil Sarboe era

Phil Sarboe was hired as Humboldt State head coach in January 1951 after the team had experienced two consecutive winless seasons. [4] He immediately turned the team around, compiling a winning record in his first year and in 14 of his 15 years as Humboldt State head coach. He is the winningest coach in Lumberjack history, compiling a record of 104–37–5 (.729) from 1951 through 1965. His teams won the conference title in 1952, 1956, 1960, 1961, & 1963. Playing in the "small college" era, there were no playoffs to determine a national champion. Instead, the wire services conducted polls for both major college and small college. Under Sarboe, the Lumberjacks finished the 1960 season ranked No. 3 in the AP small college poll and No. 8 in the UPI small college poll. They followed that up with another national ranking in 1961, finishing No. 16 in the UPI small college poll.

The most successful season under Sarboe came in 1960, when the team compiled a perfect regular season record of 10–0. Running Back Cecil Stephens led the way, rushing for 1,119 yards and scoring 20 touchdowns, a school record that still stands. [5] They won the NAIA semifinal game against Whitworth, then lost in the championship game against Lenoir–Rhyne.

Bud Van Deren era

Sarboe resigned in January 1965, and Bud Van Deren was named his successor shortly thereafter. [6] The highlight of Van Deren's 20 year tenure was the 1968 season. The Lumberjacks finished the 1968 season ranked No. 16 in the AP small college poll and No. 10 in the UPI small college poll. The small colleges held regional finals in 1968, and Humboldt State played Fresno State in the Camellia Bowl. Defeating the Bulldogs, the Lumberjacks captured the NCAA Western Region title.

Rob Smith era

Rob Smith was the head coach of the Lumberjacks from 2008 through 2017. His teams won the conference championship in 2011 and 2015, reaching the Division II playoffs after the 2015 season. They were nationally ranked in six of his last seven years, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017. He compiled an overall record of 63–44 (.589).

Conference affiliations

Conference championships

YearConferenceOverall RecordConference Record
1946 FWC 5–3–12–0–1
19527–13–0
19569–24–1
196011–15–0
19618–24–1
19636–1–23–1–1
196810–16–0
1994 NCAC 8–22–1
19958–1–14–0
2011 GNAC 9–17–1
201510–26–0
Total Conference Titles11

[5]

Postseason appearances

List of postseason games showing game played in, score, date, season, opponent, stadium, location, and head coach
#BowlScore [A 1] DateSeason [A 2] Opponent [A 3] StadiumLocationHead coach
1 NAIA Semifinal Game W 13–6December 3, 1960 1960 Whitworth Pirates Albee Stadium Eureka, CA Phil Sarboe
2 NAIA Championship Game
Holiday Bowl 		L 14–15December 10, 1960 1960 Lenoir–Rhyne Bears Stewart Field Saint Petersburg, FL Phil Sarboe
3 College Division Western Region Final
Camellia Bowl 		W 29–14December 14, 1968 1968 Fresno State Bulldogs Charles C. Hughes Stadium Sacramento, CA Bud Van Deren
4 GNAC Championship Game W 30–21November 12, 2011 2011 Western Oregon Wolves Redwood Bowl Arcata Rob Smith
5 Division II Playoffs W 45–31November 21, 2015 2015 Augustana University Vikings Redwood Bowl Arcata, CA Rob Smith
6 Division II Playoffs L 7–54November 28, 2015 2015 Northwest Missouri State Bearcats Bearcat Stadium Maryville, MO Rob Smith

Postseason table Notes

  1. ↑ Results are sortable first by whether the result was a Humboldt State win, loss or tie and then second by the margin of victory.
  2. ↑ Links to the season article for the Humboldt State team that competed in the game for that year.
  3. ↑ Links to the season article for the opponent that Humboldt State competed against in the game for that year when available or to their general page when unavailable.

All-Americans

The Lumberjacks have had one three-time All-American:

The Lumberjacks have had five two-time All-Americans:

The Lumberjacks have had 30 one-time All-Americans. [5]

Head coaching history

Redwood Bowl

The Lumberjacks play home games in the Redwood Bowl, a stadium located on the campus of Humboldt State. Begun as part of the Works Progress Administration in the 1930s, it was opened in 1946. Redwood Bowl has a seating capacity of 6,000 people, but with standing room can accommodate up to 8,000. [7]

Humboldt State players in the NFL

A number of players from Humboldt State have gone on to play in the National Football League (NFL). Wendell Hayes was a Lumberjack in 1962 and was on the winning Kansas City Chiefs squad in Super Bowl IV. Alex Cappa was a Lumberjack in 2017 and was on the winning Tampa Bay Buccaneers squad in Super Bowl LV.

Players in the NFL Draft

YearPlayerPositionRoundOverallNFL Team
1961Vester Flanagan T 9124 Green Bay Packers
1963Drew Roberts SE 18246 Washington Redskins
1968Chuck Bailey T 13337 Detroit Lions
1970Dan Hook LB 11276 Green Bay Packers
1971Len Gotshalk T, G 8186 Philadelphia Eagles
1974Mike Bettiga WR 15382 San Francisco 49ers
1990 Dave Harper LB 11277 Dallas Cowboys
1991Scotty Reagan DT 7179 Minnesota Vikings
1992Freeman Baysinger WR 12333 New England Patriots
2018 Alex Cappa G 394 Tampa Bay Buccaneers

[8]

Undrafted players in the NFL

PlayerPositionFirst NFL Team
Wendell Hayes RB 1963 Dallas Cowboys
R.W. Hicks C 1975 Detroit Lions
Steve Kincannon QB 1976 Houston Oilers
Richard Ashe TE 1990 Los Angeles Rams
Stephen Cheek P 2004 Kansas City Chiefs
Lyndon Rowells RB 2012 Carolina Panthers
Taylor Boggs C 2011 New York Jets

[9]

Notes

  1. ↑ Cal State system schools dropping their program and last season played were Cal State Los Angeles (1977), Cal Poly Pomona (1982), Long Beach State (1991), Cal State Fullerton (1992), San Francisco State (1994), Cal State Hayward (1993), Chico State (1996), Sonoma State (1996), & Cal State Northridge (2001)
  2. ↑ Cal State system schools moving into D-I FBS were Fresno State, San Diego State & San Jose State
  3. ↑ Cal State system schools moving into D-I FCS were Cal Poly & Sacramento State

Related Research Articles

The 1985 Humboldt State Lumberjacks football team represented Humboldt State University—now known as California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt—as a member of the Northern California Athletic Conference (NCAC) during the 1985 NCAA Division II football season. Led by Bud Van Deren in his 20th and final season as head coach, Lumberjacks compiled an overall record of 2–8 with a mark of 1–4 in conference play, tying for fifth place in the NCAC. The team was outscored by its opponents 350 to 175 for the season. Humboldt State played home games at the Redwood Bowl in Arcata, California.

The 1980 Humboldt State Lumberjacks football team represented Humboldt State University—now known as California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt—as a member of the Far Western Conference (FWC) during the 1980 NCAA Division II football season. Led by 15th-year head coach Bud Van Deren, the Lumberjacks compiled an overall record of 2–8 with a mark of 1–4 in conference play, tying for fifth place in the FWC. The team was outscored by its opponents 261 to 147 for the season. Humboldt State played home games at the Redwood Bowl in Arcata, California.

The 1978 Humboldt State Lumberjacks football team represented Humboldt State University—now known as California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt—as a member of the Far Western Conference (FWC) during the 1978 NCAA Division II football season. Led by 13th-year head coach Bud Van Deren, the Lumberjacks compiled an overall record of 5–6 with a mark of 3–2 in conference play, placing third in the FWC. The team was outscored by its opponents 258 to 231 for the season. Humboldt State played home games at the Redwood Bowl in Arcata, California.

The 1976 Humboldt State Lumberjacks football team represented Humboldt State University—now known as California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt—as a member of the Far Western Conference (FWC) during the 1976 NCAA Division II football season. Led by 11th-year head coach Bud Van Deren, the Lumberjacks compiled an overall record of 5–5 with a mark of 4–1 in conference play, placing second in the FWC. The team was outscored by its opponents 261 to 154 for the season. Humboldt State played home games at the Redwood Bowl in Arcata, California.

The 1975 Humboldt State Lumberjacks football team represented Humboldt State University—now known as California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt—as a member of the Far Western Conference (FWC) during the 1975 NCAA Division II football season. Led by tenth-year head coach Bud Van Deren, the Lumberjacks compiled an overall record of 7–3 with a mark of 4–1 in conference play, placing second in the FWC. The team outscored its opponents 240 to 156 for the season. Humboldt State played home games at the Redwood Bowl in Arcata, California.

The 1974 Humboldt State Lumberjacks football team represented Humboldt State University—now known as California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt—as a member of the Far Western Conference (FWC) during the 1974 NCAA Division II football season. Led by ninth-year head coach Bud Van Deren, the Lumberjacks compiled an overall record of 4–6 with a mark of 2–3 in conference play, placing in a five-way tie for second in the FWC. The team outscored its opponents 201 to 200 for the season. Humboldt State played home games at the Redwood Bowl in Arcata, California.

The 1971 Humboldt State Lumberjacks football team represented Humboldt State College—now known as California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt—as a member of the Far Western Conference (FWC) during the 1971 NCAA College Division football season. Led by sixth-year head coach Bud Van Deren, the Lumberjacks compiled an overall record of 7–4 with a mark of 3–3 in conference play, placing fourth in the FWC. The team outscored its opponents 288 to 209 for the season. Humboldt State played home games at the Redwood Bowl in Arcata, California.

The 1970 Humboldt State Lumberjacks football team represented the Humboldt State College—now known as California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt—as a member of the Far Western Conference (FWC) during the 1970 NCAA College Division football season. Led by fifth-year head coach Bud Van Deren, Humboldt State compiled an overall record of 5–5 with a mark of 2–2 in conference play, tying for third place in the FWC. For the season the team was outscored by its opponents 266 to 238. The Lumberjacks played home games at the Redwood Bowl in Arcata, California.

The 1969 Humboldt State Lumberjacks football team represented Humboldt State College—now known as California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt—as a member of the Far Western Conference (FWC) during the 1969 NCAA College Division football season. Led by fourth-year head coach Bud Van Deren, the Lumberjacks compiled an overall record of 6–4 with a mark of 2–3 in conference play, placing fourth in the FWC. The team outscored its opponents 267 to 158 for the season. Humboldt State played home games at the Redwood Bowl in Arcata, California.

The 1968 Humboldt State Lumberjacks football team represented Humboldt State College—now known as California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt—as a member of the Far Western Conference (FWC) during the 1968 NCAA College Division football season. Led by third-year head coach Bud Van Deren, the Lumberjacks compiled an overall record of 10–1 with a mark of 6–0 in conference play, winning the FWC title. Humboldt State finished the regular season ranked No. 16 in the AP small college poll and No. 10 in the UPI small college poll. At the end of the season the Lumberjacks were invited to the Camellia Bowl. There was no playoff in the NCAA College Division at this time, so the Camellia Bowl was one of four regional championship games in the division. Humboldt State faced California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) champion Fresno State, and defeated the Bulldogs, 29–14, to win the western region title. The team outscored its opponents 375 to 138 for the season. Humboldt State played home games at the Redwood Bowl in Arcata, California.

The 1967 Humboldt State Lumberjacks football team represented Humboldt State College—now known as California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt—as a member of the Far Western Conference (FWC) during the 1967 NCAA College Division football season. Led by second-year head coach Bud Van Deren, the Lumberjacks compiled an overall record of 6–3–1 with a mark of 3–2–1 in conference play, placing third in the FWC. The team outscored its opponents 242 to 227 for the season. Humboldt State played home games at the Redwood Bowl in Arcata, California.

The 1966 Humboldt State Lumberjacks football team represented Humboldt State College—now known as California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt—as a member of the Far Western Conference (FWC) during the 1966 NCAA College Division football season. Led by first-year head coach Bud Van Deren, the Lumberjacks compiled an overall record of 4–6 with a mark of 2–4 in conference play, placing fifth in the FWC. The team was outscored by its opponents 210 to 144 for the season. Humboldt State played home games at the Redwood Bowl in Arcata, California.

The 1957 Humboldt State Lumberjacks football team represented Humboldt State College—now known as California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt—as a member of the Far Western Conference (FWC) during the 1957 college football season. Led by seventh-year head coach Phil Sarboe, the Lumberjacks compiled an overall record of 4–6 with a mark of 3–2 in conference play, placing third in the FWC, and were outscored by their opponents 185 to 179 for the season. Humboldt State played home games at the Redwood Bowl in Arcata, California.

The 1958 Humboldt State Lumberjacks football team represented Humboldt State College—now known as California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt—as a member of the Far Western Conference (FWC) during the 1958 college football season. Led by eighth-year head coach Phil Sarboe, the Lumberjacks compiled an overall record of 7–2–1 with a mark of 3–2 in conference play, tying for second place in the FWC, and outscored their opponents 176 to 109 for the season. The team played home games at the Redwood Bowl in Arcata, California.

The 1963 Humboldt State Lumberjacks football team represented Humboldt State College—now known as California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt—as a member of the Far Western Conference (FWC) during the 1963 NCAA College Division football season. Led by 13th-year head coach Phil Sarboe, the Lumberjacks compiled an overall record of 6–1–2 with a mark of 3–1–1 in conference play, sharing the FWC title with San Francisco State and UC Davis. The team outscored opponents 138 to 54 for the season and shut out five opponents. Humboldt State played home games at the Redwood Bowl in Arcata, California.

The 1964 Humboldt State Lumberjacks football team represented Humboldt State College—now known as California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt—as a member of the Far Western Conference (FWC) during the 1964 NCAA College Division football season. Led by 14th-year head coach Phil Sarboe, the Lumberjacks compiled an overall record of 8–2 with a mark of 4–1 in conference play, placing second in the FWC. The team outscored opponents 181 to 81 for the season. Humboldt State played home games at the Redwood Bowl in Arcata, California.

The 1965 Humboldt State Lumberjacks football team represented Humboldt State College—now known as California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt—as a member of the Far Western Conference (FWC) during the 1965 NCAA College Division football season. Led by Phil Sarboe in his 15th and final year as head coach, the Lumberjacks compiled an overall record of 8–2 with a mark of 4–1 in conference play, placing second in the FWC. The team was outscored by its opponents 131 to 128 for the season. Humboldt State played home games at the Redwood Bowl in Arcata, California.

The 2011 Humboldt State Lumberjacks football team represented Humboldt State University—now known as California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt—as a member of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) during the 2011 NCAA Division II football season. Led by fourth-year head coach Rob Smith, the Lumberjacks compiled an overall record of 9–1 with a mark of 7–1 in conference play, winning in the GNAC title. The nine wins were the most for the program in a season since the 1968 Humboldt State Lumberjacks football team won ten. The team averaged almost 35 points per game, outscoring opponents 349 to 197 for the season. Humboldt State played home games at the Redwood Bowl in Arcata, California.

The 2013 Humboldt State Lumberjacks football team represented Humboldt State University—now known as California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt—as a member of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) during the 2013 NCAA Division II football season. Led by sixth-year head coach Rob Smith, the Lumberjacks compiled an overall record of 0–11 with a mark of 0–10 in conference play, placing last out of six teams in the GNAC. The team was outscored by its opponents 354 to 170 for the season, with none of the losses coming by less than seven points. This was the first time program had has a winless season since the 1984 Humboldt State Lumberjacks football team did so. Humboldt State played home games at the Redwood Bowl in Arcata, California.

The 2015 Humboldt State Lumberjacks football team represented Humboldt State University—now known as California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt—as a member of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) during the 2015 NCAA Division II football season. Led by eighth-year head coach Rob Smith, the Lumberjacks compiled an overall record of 10–2 with a mark of 6–0 in conference play, winning the GNAC title. Humboldt State was invited to play in the postseason for the first time since 1968. The Lumberjacks advanced to the NCAA Division II football championship playoffs, defeating Augustana of South Dakota in the first round before losing to the eventual national champion, Northwest Missouri State, in the second round. Humboldt State was ranked No. 16 in the final AFCA poll. The team outscored its opponents 468 to 238 for 2015 season, with an average score of 45–14 in the ten wins. Humboldt State played home games at the Redwood Bowl in Arcata, California.

References

  1. ↑ "Visual Identity | HSU Brand" . Retrieved June 12, 2016.
  2. ↑ "University Announces Football Decision". July 17, 2018. Retrieved July 17, 2018. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  3. ↑ Aird, Donovan (June 5, 2008). "How the West was undone". Mustang Daily. p. 14. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  4. ↑ "Phil Sarboe Named Humboldt State Coach". Oakland Tribune (Oakland, California). January 12, 1951. p. 32. Retrieved March 4, 2018– via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  5. 1 2 3 Humboldt State Jacks 2014 Football Media Guide (pamphlet). Arcata, California: Humboldt State University. 2014.
  6. ↑ "Ex-JC Coach Bud Van Deren to HSC". The Press-Democrat (Santa Rosa, California). February 1, 1965. p. 15. Retrieved March 4, 2018– via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  7. ↑ Redwood Bowl: Humboldt State University Athletics Website
  8. ↑ "Draft History: Humboldt State" . Retrieved October 28, 2017.
  9. ↑ "Humboldt St. Players/Alumni" . Retrieved October 28, 2017.
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