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Saint Francis Cougars
Saint Francis Cougars
University	University of Saint Francis
Conference	Crossroads (primary),; MSFA (football)
NAIA	Division I
Athletic director	Mike McCaffrey
Location	Fort Wayne, Indiana
Varsity teams	19
Football stadium	Bishop John M. D'Arcy Stadium
Basketball arena	Hutzell Athletic Center
Baseball stadium	Coug Field
Nickname	Cougars
Colors	Royal Blue and White;
Website	saintfranciscougars.com

The Saint Francis Cougars are the athletic teams that represent the University of Saint Francis, located in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing in the Crossroads League (formerly known as the Mid-Central College Conference (MCCC) until after the 2011–12 school year) for most of its sports since the 1994–95 academic year (which they were a member on a previous stint from 1966–67 to 1980–81); while its football team competes in the Mideast League of the Mid-States Football Association (MSFA).

Varsity teams

USF competes in 19 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, tennis and track & field; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, track & field and volleyball; and co-ed sports include cheerleading, crew and eSports.

**Conference sports**
Sport	Men's	Women's	Co-ed
Baseball	Y
Basketball	Y	Y
Cheerleading			Y
Cross Country	Y	Y
Football	Y
Golf	Y	Y
Soccer	Y	Y
Softball		Y
Tennis	Y	Y
Track and field	Y	Y
Volleyball		Y

National Championship appearances

Year	Sport	Result	Score	Opponent
1999	Women's Basketball	Lost	80-65	Shawnee State (OH)
2004	Football	Lost	15-13	Carroll (MT)
2005	Football	Lost	27-10	Carroll (MT)
2006	Football	Lost	23-19	Sioux Falls (SD)
2010	Men's Basketball	Won	67-66	Walsh (OH)
2011	Men's Basketball	Lost	80-71	Cornerstone (MI)
2014	Women's Basketball	Won	75-68	College of the Ozarks (MO)
2016	Men's Basketball	Lost	69-66	Indiana Wesleyan
2016	Football	Won	38-17	Baker (KS)
2017	Football	Won	24-13	Reinhardt (GA)
2018	Men's Basketball	Lost	84-71	Indiana Wesleyan

Basketball

The University of Saint Francis Cougars won their first NAIA Championship on March 16, 2010. The Cougars won the 2010 NAIA Men's Division II basketball tournament when they defeated Walsh University 67–66 at Pt. Lookout, Missouri. The Cougars entered the tourney as the 15th seed. For his success, head coach Jeff Rekeweg was named the 2010 NAIA National Coach of the Year. On April 19, 2010, after 14 seasons of guiding the Cougars, Rekeweg resigned to take the head coaches position at Northwood University, an NCAA Division II school located in Midland, Michigan.^[1]

The Cougars returned the following year to play in the championship game on March 15, 2011. That year, the Cougars were runners-up in the 2011 NAIA Men's Division II basketball tournament when the Cougars were defeated by Cornerstone (MI) 80–71. The Cougars entered the tourney as the 13th seed.^[2]

In 2021 The Cougars once again made a run at the National Title in the NAIA's first year with one single division. The Cougars were awarded a first round bye after finishing as runner-up in the 2021 Crossroads League Tournament, and entered the round of 32. There they defeated Benedictine (KS), 73–65. In the round of 16, the Cougars defeated Stillman (AL), before a come from behind victory against fellow conference foe, Bethel (IN). In the Final Four, their fifth appearance since 2010, they fell just short against eventual champion Shawnee State.

Football

Saint Francis named Kevin Donley the Cougars' head coach in 1997. After a year of preparation, Saint Francis began play, as Fort Wayne's first collegiate football program, in the 1998 season.^[3] Coach Donley led USF to a record of 2-8 (.200), their first and only losing football season.

Since that initial season, Saint Francis has risen to become one of the top programs in all of NAIA football. From the 1999 season through the 2013 season, Donley-led teams have lost three or fewer games each season. Eight teams have completed undefeated regular seasons (2002–2006, 2008, 2015, 2017), and three consecutive teams finished as national runners-up (2004–2006).

The Cougars made a fourth appearance in the national championship game in 2016, winning their first NAIA national title with their 38–17 win over Baker (KS) in the 2016 NAIA Football National Championship.^[4] The following season, 2017, the Cougars returned a 5th time and successfully defended their title by defeating Reinhardt (GA) by a score of 24–13 in the 2017 NAIA Football National Championship. The Cougars completed a 14–0 undefeated season. This was only the 5th time in NAIA history that the back-to-back championships has occurred.

References

^ "Jeff Rekeweg Named Men's Basketball Head Coach". April 19, 2010. Archived from the original on July 11, 2011. Retrieved September 25, 2010.
^ "Refreshing to". Naia.cstv.com. Retrieved 2015-03-28.
^ "DONLEY, KEVIN | Indiana Football Hall of Fame". Indiana-football.org. Retrieved 2015-03-28.
^ "Saint Francis Wins First National Championship". National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. December 17, 2016. Retrieved January 11, 2017.