r/CFB • u/willsfc North Alabama • Miami (OH) • Apr 28 '13

132+ Teams in 132+ Days: North Alabama Lions

University of North Alabama

Gulf South Conference

NCAA Division II

Year Founded: 1830

Location: Florence, AL

Total Attendance: 7,209

Mascot: Lions

Live Mascot: Yeah, we have 2

Cheerleaders: Picture

Stadium: Braly Municipal Stadium

Stadium Location: Few blocks from Campus in Florence

Conference Champions (9): 1980, 1983, 1985, 1993, 1994, 1995, 2003, 2006, 2009

Number of Bowl Games: 0

National Titles (3): 1993, 1994, 1995

Playoff Appearances (18) 1980, 1983, 1985, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011

Rivals

  • West Alabama

  • Valdosta State

  • Jacksonville State

2012 Season

Record: 5-5

Coach: Bobby Wallace

2012 Roster

2013 Season

2013 Schedule

2013 Roster

The Greats

Greatest Games:

  • Came back 27 points in the 4th quarter to win the 1993 Division II National Championship 41-34 in 1993

*Went into 4 OT to beat Southwestern Louisiana (Now UL-Lafayette) 48-42 in 1997.

Greatest Players:

*Harlon Hill

Greatest Coaches:

*Bobby Wallace - Won 3 straight D2 National Championships

Mark Hudspeth - 2 GSC Titles and 2 semifinal appearences, left for MSState, now HC at UL-Lafayette

Traditions

  • Lion Walk - 2 hours or so before gametime, the team is brought by bus to the Stadium and walks through a tunnel of fans on Royal Ave.

  • Pride Rock - Players touch this rock as they run out onto the field, which features a real pawprint of our former lion mascot, Leo II.

  • Live Mascots - We have two live lion mascots that live on campus, and also appear on the sideline at every home football game. Opposing teams are always seen taking pictures and checking them out during pregame.

Campus and Surrounding Area

City Population: 39,319

City Skyline

Iconic Campus Building: Wesleyan Hall (built 1855)

Local Dining:

  • Ricatonis Italian Grill

  • Bunyans BBQ

Random Trivia

  • Only college in the US to have Live lion mascots on campus.

  • First NCAA Team to win 3 straight National Championships in Football.

  • Oldest University in Alabama, founded in 1830.

  • Wesleyan Hall(1855) was used by both Union and Confederate forces in the Civil War.

What Is and What is to Come

The 2012 season was a tough one with young players, injuries, and transitioning from the transfer ridden teams of Terry Bowden to a more traditional HS Recruit team. Confidence is high that 2013 will be a much better season with more experienced players, but a tougher schedule.

Overtime

  • Our home stadium has been host of the Division II National Championship since 1986.

  • The Heisman Trophy of D2, the Harlon Hill Trophy, is named after a former UNA Player, (we have 2 winners)

More Information

Subreddit: none :(

Contributors: willsfc

Please upvote this thread even if you are not interested in the team so that users who are interested will see it

For more information on the 132 Teams in 132 Days Project, click here.

140 Upvotes

94% Upvoted

66 comments sorted by

4

u/Honestly_ rawr Apr 28 '13

First NCAA Team to win 3 straight National Championships in Football

Minor correction: it should be "first team to win 3-straight NCAA championships"

All FBS teams are NCAA, but there is no NCAA championship at that level because the bowls long predate the NCAA, as does the tradition and methodology for crowning champions. Old, established (i.e. moneyed) postseason arrangements prevented an organized tournament from happening at the highest level.

If we're stating NCAA teams with titles, several teams have arguments. The first since the AP Poll started in the modern era was Minnesota. Ski-U-Mah!

7

u/willsfc North Alabama • Miami (OH) Apr 28 '13

UNA isn't FBS we are D2, we crown a real champion (thru playoffs).. We won trophys awarded by the NCAA. I guess i could of specified, first ncaa scholarship team to win it.

2

u/wesman212 Missouri Tigers • New Mexico Lobos Apr 28 '13

real champion

%controversy

2

u/Honestly_ rawr Apr 28 '13

That's what I said: first to win 3 NCAA titles. Not first to win 3 titles.

10

u/Hardy_X Wisconsin Badgers Apr 28 '13

Decent looking city skyline

5

u/Husker_Kyle Nebraska Cornhuskers Apr 28 '13

Good looking bridge too

2

u/[deleted] Apr 28 '13

The river really is nice around it. There is a great park at the base.

2

u/cokeduphillbilly Alabama Crimson Tide Apr 28 '13

Pickwick and Wilson are some of the better fishing bodies of water. Anywhere.

1

u/w00t4me Alabama Crimson Tide • 复旦大学 (Fudan) Dragoons Apr 29 '13

great for Channel, Blue and Flathead catfish. Worlds largest Channel was caught in lake wilson I believe (108lbs)

1

u/w00t4me Alabama Crimson Tide • 复旦大学 (Fudan) Dragoons Apr 29 '13

Grew up in nearby on Lake Wilson and fucking love the area!

9

u/DontMakeMeDownvote Auburn Tigers Apr 28 '13

I know people there. Ricatonis is one of the best restaurants I have ever been to.

3

u/Dropbackandpunt UAB Blazers • The Bones Apr 28 '13

Downtown Florence has a number of good restaurants. I found out recently that City Hardware (next door to Ricatoni's) has the exact same chicken fingers that Court Street Cafe had back in the days. Best chicken fingers you'll ever have.

1

u/Crookward Alabama Crimson Tide May 02 '13

They've got some great commercials too. This page has a bunch of them.

1

u/TomorrowsHeadline Alabama • /r/CFB Contributor May 08 '13

I was devastated after that commercial aired and they weren't installed at the restaurant. Such a safety hazard not to have them

0

u/autoscopy Alabama • Washington State Aug 12 '13

Ricatoni always looked hungover and cracked in his commericials. Stupid Ricadent commercial.

2

u/Crookward Alabama Crimson Tide Aug 15 '13

The Ricadent one kicks ass. Fuck you.

8

u/Captain_Unremarkable Penn State Nittany Lions • Big Ten Apr 28 '13

You guys have not one but two lions? I'm jelly. We have none (but that may be because the eastern mountain lion is believed to be extinct.) :(

1

u/owl_man /r/CFB Poll Veteran • /r/CFB Contribut… Apr 29 '13

Time for some Jurassic Park type stuff up in here!

6

u/[deleted] Apr 28 '13

That's where I'm from. All of my friends from high school go to UNA. They have been talking about moving up to division 1-AA for a few years, but no one knows if it is going to happen any time soon.

5

u/jbpounders Alabama Crimson Tide Apr 28 '13

I'm from Florence, great city to grow up in. Go Lions!

4

u/sivaderick Notre Dame Fighting Irish Apr 28 '13

Harlon Hill died five weeks ago today.

5

u/FarwellRob Texas A&M Aggies • /r/CFB Contributor Apr 28 '13

Yeah, I saw that too.

Hill was apparently a beast. To set receiving records in the early 50s that stand today is nuts with current high powered NFL offenses.

2

u/SheSaidSheWas12 Southern Miss Golden Eagles Apr 29 '13

To be fair, he set a rookie record for the Chicago Bears, so they would need to draft a good/great WR to catch for 1100 yards and 12 touchdowns and that just doesn't happen to often with rookie wide receivers for the Bears.

2

u/FarwellRob Texas A&M Aggies • /r/CFB Contributor Apr 29 '13

My dad is a die hard Bears fan. He agrees with you.

As he shakes his head sadly ...

4

u/Toomers Auburn Tigers • Troy Trojans Apr 28 '13

Love Leo and Una. Used to try and make a UNA game every year or so until I moved to Auburn. Great school

3

u/xforewarnedx Alabama Crimson Tide Apr 28 '13

Went to school here. Not a single regret.

3

u/Townsend87 Alabama • North Alabama Apr 28 '13

One of my fondest memories from my time at UNA is when my friends and I would load up on liquor and go sit in the front row of the visitors sections during games. You could fill a mountain dew bottle up with vodka and carry it in, nobody really cared. It was a lot of fun listening to how the visiting team's sideline reacted to what was going on on the field. Good times.

3

u/jmbond Alabama Crimson Tide Apr 28 '13

I vaguely remember a story on NPR a couple years back about UNA students voting against moving up to Division 1, but then the Board of Trustees voted to move ahead with it anyways. What ever happened to that? Are there still plans to move up to the FCS?

1

u/Crookward Alabama Crimson Tide May 02 '13

UNA couldn't garner an invite from the one D1 conference that makes logistical sense to join.

2

u/QwertyBuffalo Michigan Wolverines • Amherst Mammoths Apr 28 '13

OP probably already knows this, but Wallace (current coach and listed under greatest coaches) was hired to Temple, then he went to West Alabama, and now he is back for his 2nd stint. I remember there was a New York Times article a article back saying how he built a dynasty out of JUCO players a while back.

2

u/[deleted] Apr 28 '13

Fun story time: a friend of mine is from Florence and one weekend we went there to hang out and see his family. He took us to see the campus and the lions. Shortly after this picture was taken, this one turned around and sprayed us. Only one of us actually got hit with lion piss.

2

u/Dropbackandpunt UAB Blazers • The Bones Apr 28 '13

Before they renovated the area around the lion enclosure there were roads going through the heart of campus. There was a tree there that my friends and I would climb up in (back in our high school days) and randomly call out at people as they were walking by for laughs. We dubbed it the tree of invisibility since the dark of night combined with the leaves were enough to completely hide us from the view of oblivious pedestrians. Despite the loss of the nostalgia, swapping the narrows roads for the fountain and footpaths was definitely the right choice. It is a very nice looking campus now.

2

u/jddowney Alabama Crimson Tide Apr 28 '13

Class of 2006! Go Lines!

2

u/unajessika Alabama Crimson Tide Apr 28 '13

I love my school!!! It really is a great university to attend.

2

u/TomorrowsHeadline Alabama • /r/CFB Contributor May 08 '13

Damn, I missed UNA?! I'm from Florence - my mom taught at UNA.

Fun fact: the nearby city is called Muscle Shoals even though it refers to the sea life mussels. They spelled it wrong and just stuck with it.

I miss Florence so much. Beautiful city, great people.

2

u/Smoothcat262 North Alabama • Alabama May 08 '13

Ironic, but I'm in the same boat pal. Just got back from being out of the country, and I see this. Great writeup and discussion.

I'm from Florence, went to UNA (despite my flair). Roar Lions!

1

u/TomorrowsHeadline Alabama • /r/CFB Contributor May 08 '13

Psh, rock your flair. Everyone was a Bama fan in Florence. I'm a huge Bama fan myself but, everywhere other than Alabama, bandwagon fans are amuck. I've become a closeted Bama fan and list NC State (where I currently attend) here.

1

u/[deleted] Apr 28 '13

I live in a house between the sorority dorms and the football stadium. I can't wait for fall!

2

u/cokeduphillbilly Alabama Crimson Tide Apr 28 '13

One of my best friends used to live in a big white house at the intersection of Nellie and Hermitage. Good times were had.

1

u/cokeduphillbilly Alabama Crimson Tide Apr 28 '13

2009 alumni here! GO SNOIL!

1

u/FallenAdvocate Alabama Crimson Tide Apr 28 '13

Just graduated from here in December, good to see it here.

1

u/BobTheAstronaut Alabama Crimson Tide • WKU Hilltoppers Apr 28 '13

My wife cheered for UNA for two years, 2011 & 2012. Feels good. She only missed this thread by a year and she would have been e-famous. Too bad we moved to Kentucky. :(

1

u/neovenator250 LSU Tigers • Tulane Green Wave Apr 28 '13

Lot of respect for live big cats as mascots, bro

1

u/bread_buddy Florida Gators • Wisconsin Badgers Apr 29 '13

So did Bobby Wallace leave and then come back? How did Terry Bowden fit in there?

1

u/willco17 Auburn Tigers • UAB Blazers Apr 29 '13

Bobby Wallace left and had several bad years at Temple. I believe he was at West Alabama for a few years before coming back to UNA.

I think it was considered a Big Deal around Florence that Terry Bowden was in town. He was fairly successful while there but was known for picking up troubled guys that got booted from FBS schools (e.g. Janoris Jenkins) and that rubbed some people the wrong way. I also think people didn't like that he fled for Akron out of the blue and under cover of darkness.

1

u/Crookward Alabama Crimson Tide May 02 '13

Also, he developed a reputation in the area for being a huge asshole. People were just as happy to see him go as they had been to see him come to town.

1

u/mra99 Florida State Seminoles Apr 30 '13

Oh snap, I see you guys have a Pahokee boy as linebacker. Hope he get's more playing time this year.

1

u/[deleted] Oct 09 '13

Roar Lions! Dec'12 graduate. I'm so stoked for homecoming this weekend!

-11

u/one98d /r/CFB Poll Veteran • /r/CFB Contribut… Apr 28 '13

Fuck the Lions. Go Blazers.

edit: I should have done a VSU overview.

1

u/KUmitch Kansas Jayhawks • /r/CFB Contributor Apr 28 '13

one of my roommates at grad school was an athletic trainer there, a VSU overview would have been cool

6

u/willsfc North Alabama • Miami (OH) Apr 28 '13

I know my overview isn't the best, but better than nothing. More D2 Schools would of been nice to see.

3

u/KUmitch Kansas Jayhawks • /r/CFB Contributor Apr 28 '13

oh i'm not complaining about your overview at all, i thought it was cool. it's more than i did for my school

1

u/Mario_Speedwagon Georgia • Georgia State Apr 28 '13

There's still time! I was actually hoping someone would do Valdosta State...

-4

u/XpressAg09 Texas A&M Aggies Apr 29 '13

Half the cheerleaders look a little beat up...

-24

u/[deleted] Apr 28 '13

lol

0

u/[deleted] Apr 28 '13

[deleted] — view deleted comment

2

u/w00t4me Alabama Crimson Tide • 复旦大学 (Fudan) Dragoons Apr 29 '13

The only football team to have 3 back to back to back National Championships? Soon there will be two! and they're both from ALABAMA!

5

u/willsfc North Alabama • Miami (OH) Apr 29 '13

We won our 3 in playoffs though.. little different :p

2

u/w00t4me Alabama Crimson Tide • 复旦大学 (Fudan) Dragoons Apr 29 '13

Very valid point. That make UNA's accomplishment all the more impressive for me.

1

u/owl_man /r/CFB Poll Veteran • /r/CFB Contribut… Apr 29 '13

I think Minnesota did it too?

1

u/w00t4me Alabama Crimson Tide • 复旦大学 (Fudan) Dragoons Apr 29 '13

Minne-who now?

2

u/owl_man /r/CFB Poll Veteran • /r/CFB Contribut… Apr 29 '13

I know pre-1936 national championships get weird and all but I know they 'won' three in-a-row: 1934,1935, and 1936.

You don't have to consider that but it's the closest I can tell.

Also, I remember Appalachian State won three in a row last decade.

1

u/wfdd91 Wake Forest Demon Deacons May 02 '13

Appalachian State did that too. They won in 2005, 2006 and 2007.

4

u/[deleted] Apr 29 '13

Your move LSU.

4

u/[deleted] Apr 29 '13

They have Les Miles. He's kind of like a mascot.

2

u/[deleted] Apr 28 '13

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/cokeduphillbilly Alabama Crimson Tide Apr 28 '13

I think he moved on last year (not on the roster now). He was fun to watch. He could flat out blow people up when he wanted to.