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, the team has had 69 consecutive winning seasons.[2]
History
The Streak
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
- Northwest Conference (1926–1984, 1996–present)
- Columbia Football League (1985–1987)
- Columbia Football Association (1988–1995)
Championships
National championships
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
NAIA playoffs
The Wildcats have made fifteen appearances in the NAIA playoffs, with a combined record of 16–12 and three national championship.
| 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 | L, 12–30 |
| 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 |
NCAA Division III playoffs
The Wildcats have made eighteen appearances in the NCAA Division III playoffs, with a combined record of 30–17 and one national championship.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Second Round | Central (IA) | L, 17–20 OT |
| 2002 | Second Round Quarterfinals |
Wartburg Saint John's (MN) |
W, 52–15 L, 14–21 |
| 2003 | First Round Second Round Quarterfinals |
Redlands Wartburg Saint John's (MN) |
W, 31–23 W, 23–20 L, 25–31 |
| 2004 | Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Stagg Bowl |
Wisconsin–La Crosse Occidental Rowan Mary Hardin–Baylor |
W, 52–14 W, 56–27 W, 52–0 W, 28–21 |
| 2005 | First Round Second Round Quarterfinals |
Occidental Concordia–Moorhead Wisconsin–Whitewater |
W, 63–21 W, 41–13 L, 41–44 |
| 2009 | First Round Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals |
Cal Lutheran Mary Hardin–Baylor St. Thomas (MN) Wisconsin–Whitewater |
W, 38–17 W, 53–21 W, 31–20 L, 17–27 |
| 2010 | First Round Second Round |
Cal Lutheran St. Thomas (MN) |
W, 42–26 L, 17–24 2OT |
| 2011 | First Round Second Round |
Cal Lutheran Wesley (DE) |
W, 30–27 L, 34–49 |
| 2012 | First Round Second Round Quarterfinals |
Pacific Lutheran North Central (IL) Wisconsin–Oshkosh |
W, 27–24 W, 30–14 L, 24–30 OT |
| 2013 | First Round Second Round Quarterfinals |
Pacific Lutheran Hampden–Sydney Wisconsin–Whitewater |
W, 42–21 W, 31–21 L, 17–28 |
| 2014 | First Round Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals |
Chapman Mary Hardin–Baylor Widener Wisconsin–Whitewater |
W, 55–24 W, 31–28 W, 45–7 L, 14–20 |
| 2015 | First Round Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals |
Whitworth Cortland Mary Hardin–Baylor St. Thomas (MN) |
W, 48–10 W, 38–22 W, 38–35 L, 17–38 |
| 2016 | First Round Second Round |
Hardin–Simmons Mary Hardin–Baylor |
W, 24–10 L, 10–27 |
| 2017 | First Round Second Round |
Hardin–Simmons Mary Hardin–Baylor |
W, 27–13 L, 0–24 |
| 2019 | First Round | Chapman | L, 65–68 3OT |
| 2021 | First Round Second Round Quarterfinals |
Redlands Saint John's Mary Hardin–Baylor |
W, 44–10 W, 31–28 L, 24–49 |
| 2022 | First Round Second Round |
Pomona–Pitzer Bethel (MN) |
W, 51–24 L, 24–27 |
| 2024 | Second Round Third Round |
Texas Lutheran Mary Hardin–Baylor |
W, 65–3 L, 18–28 |
References
- ^ "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 (October 16, 2022). "Wildcat football clinches 66th winning season, extending "The Streak"". Linfield News. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
- ^ "Streaking into the history books". Linfield Magazine. Retrieved November 9, 2022.