Linfield Wildcats football
| Linfield Wildcats football | |
|---|---|
| First season | 1896 |
| Athletic director | Scott Brosius |
| Head coach | Joseph Smith 19th season, 173–33 (.840) |
| Location | McMinnville, Oregon |
| Stadium | Maxwell Field and Memorial Stadium |
| NCAA division | Division III |
| Conference | Northwest |
| Colors | Purple and red[1] |
| NCAA Division III championships | |
| 2004 | |
| NAIA national championships | |
| NAIA Division II: 1982, 1984, 1986 | |
| Website | golinfieldwildcats.com |
The Linfield Wildcats football team represents Linfield University, located in McMinnville, Oregon, in NCAA Division III college football.
The Wildcats, who began playing football in 1896, compete as members of the Northwest Conference.
The Linfield Wildcats football team has the longest streak of consecutive winning seasons across all levels of college football. As of 2025[update], the team has had 69 consecutive winning seasons.[2]
History
[edit]The Streak
[edit]The Wildcats' winning streak, referred to as "The Streak", at Linfield, began in 1956.[3][4] The Linfield University Special Collections and Archives started an oral history video collection from members of the 1956 football team, which was made available to the public in October 2021.
Conferences
[edit]- Northwest Conference (1926–1984, 1996–present)
- Columbia Football League (1985–1987)
- Columbia Football Association (1988–1995)
Championships
[edit]National championships
[edit]The Wildcats have won four national championships.
| Year | Association | Division | Head coach | Record | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | NAIA (3) | Division II (3) | Ad Rutschman | 12–0 (5–0 NWC) | William Jewell | W, 33–15 |
| 1984 | 12–0 (4–0 NWC) | Northwestern (IA) | W, 33–22 | |||
| 1986 | 12–0 (6–0 CFL) | Baker | W, 17–0 | |||
| 2004 | NCAA (1) | Division III (1) | Jay Locey | 13–0 (5–0 NWC) | Mary Hardin–Baylor | W, 28–21 |
Postseason appearances
[edit]NAIA playoffs
[edit]Linfield made fifteen appearances in the NAIA playoffs, with a combined record of 26–12 and four national championships.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | Semifinals National Championship |
Whittier Pittsburg State |
W, 18–7 L, 7–12 |
| 1964 | Semifinals | Concordia Moorhead | L, 6–28 |
| 1965 | Semifinals National Championship |
Sul Ross State Saint John's (MN) |
W, 30–27 L, 0–33 |
| 1974 | Semifinals | Texas Lutheran | L, 8–52 |
| 1977 | Semifinals | Cal Lutheran | L, 28–29 |
| 1978 | Quarterfinals Semifinals |
Carroll (MT) Concordia Moorhead |
W, 32–6 L, 23–24 |
| 1980 | Quarterfinals | Pacific Lutheran | L, 20–35 |
| 1982 | Quarterfinals Semifinals National Championship |
Cal Lutheran Westminster (PA) William Jewell |
W, 20–16 W, 37–9 W, 33–15 |
| 1984 | Quarterfinals Semifinals National Championship |
Saint Ambrose Hanover Northwestern (IA) |
W, 26–0 W, 45–23 W, 33–22 |
| 1985 | Quarterfinals | Pacific Lutheran | W, 30–12 |
| 1986 | Quarterfinals Semifinals National Championship |
Pacific Lutheran Carroll (MT) Baker |
W, 27–21 (OT) W, 53–7 W, 17–0 |
| 1991 | First Round Quarterfinals |
Lewis & Clark Pacific Lutheran |
W, 59–30 L, 0–23 |
| 1992 | First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals National Championship |
Western Washington Pacific Lutheran Minot State Findlay |
W, 26–0 W, 44–30 W, 47–12 L, 13–26 |
| 1993 | First Round | Central Washington | L, 26–28 |
| 1994 | First Round | Western Washington | L, 2–21 |
References
[edit]- ^ "THE LINFIELD UNIVERSITY BRAND". Retrieved April 3, 2023.
- ^ Foss, Kathy (November 1, 2025). "Linfield Football makes double history: 69 straight winning seasons and a new NCAA record". Linfield News. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
- ^ Foss, Kathy (2022-10-16). "Wildcat football clinches 66th winning season, extending "The Streak"". Linfield News. Retrieved 2022-11-09.
- ^ "Streaking into the history books". Linfield Magazine. Retrieved 2022-11-09.
