Charlotte 49ers football

The Charlotte 49ers football program represents the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in college football. The UNC Charlotte Board of Trustees officially voted to add a football program on November 13, 2008, after a unanimous recommendation by the Football Feasibility Committee. It was made possible by Student Government initiatives starting in 2006 by then-student body president Benjamin Comstock and student body vice president Jordan Van Dyne, namely the first step of organizing a transparent student vote on football that disclosed possible hikes in tuition fees as a result of football.[3] The online poll was approved by the Student Senate and administered in collaboration with the University's IT Department.[4] Despite the possibility of potential rises in student fees, the vote clearly displayed a student interest in a football team.[5] The program began play during the 2013 NCAA Division I FCS football season.[6]

Charlotte 49ers football
2020 Charlotte 49ers football team
First season2013
Athletic directorMike Hill
Head coachWill Healy
2nd season, 9–9 (.500)
StadiumJerry Richardson Stadium
(Capacity: 15,314)
Field surfaceHallas Sports Construction, Matrix® synthetic[1]
LocationCharlotte, North Carolina
NCAA divisionDivision I FBS
ConferenceConference USA
DivisionEast
Past conferencesFCS Independent
All-time record3157 (.352)
Bowl record01 (.000)
Current uniform
ColorsGreen and White[2]
         
Fight songCharlotte 49ers Fight Song
MascotNorm the Niner
Marching bandThe Pride of Niner Nation Marching Band
OutfitterNike
WebsiteCharlotte49ers.com

History

Origins

In 1946, 22 young men began practice as the Charlotte Center of the University of North Carolina Owl's first athletic program: a football team.[7] The team finished the season 2–4, with wins over Pembroke State and Belmont Abbey, and losses to Davidson JV, Catawba College JV, and Clemson's "B" team.[7] The team hosted 2 home games that year at American Legion Memorial Stadium.[7] In part due to the effects of fewer World War II veterans entering college in the late 1940s, the football program ended after the 1948 season. The final football game was played on October 27, 1948.[7]

On July 12, 2006, a group of 15 UNC Charlotte students and alumni held the inaugural Charlotte 49er Football Initiative (CFI) meeting. The mission of this group was to "promote the creation of a Division 1 college football program at Charlotte," eventually employing methods such as a promotional website, merchandise sales and a pledge campaign. A student organization, Charlotte Football Advocates (later CFI Students), became a part of the larger CFI group during the fall of 2006.[8] In February 2007, UNC Charlotte students voted overwhelmingly in favor of football in an official campus-wide vote and the UNC Charlotte Board of Trustees voted to authorize $150,000 to study adding 49ers Football, and establishing a Football Feasibility Committee to be headed by outgoing board president and prominent Charlotte businessman Mac Everett. The committee held several meetings throughout the summer of 2007, plus three public forums in the fall of 2007.

In December 2007, the Football Feasibility Committee voted unanimously to recommend the addition of 49ers football. In September 2008, a major student-led March to the Endzone rally was held on campus.[9] On September 18, 2008, Chancellor Dubois officially recommended adding a 49ers football program with the condition that its fans first raise $5 million to help fund the stadium complex.[10] On November 13, 2008, the UNC Charlotte Board of Trustees voted to add a Charlotte 49ers football program by 2013.[11]

Chancellor Dubois originally recommended that the university start Division I football at the FCS (formerly Division I-AA) level with no timeline to move up to FBS. The team played their first full season in the fall of 2013 as an FCS Independent.[12] On May 4, 2012 Charlotte agreed to rejoin Conference USA for all sports except football in 2013, with football joining in 2015 (the first year the 49ers would be eligible due to the NCAA requirement that start-up programs play a minimum of two years in FCS).[13] Charlotte moved to the FBS in 2015 and became FBS bowl eligible in 2016. The 49ers were founding members of C-USA from 1996 to 2005, but they did not compete in football during that time period. Other schools to join C-USA with Charlotte include Florida Atlantic University, Florida International University, Louisiana Tech University, University of Texas at San Antonio, University of North Texas, and Old Dominion University.

Brad Lambert era (2013–2018)

On March 1, 2011 the 49ers introduced Wake Forest defensive coordinator Brad Lambert as the program's first head coach.[14]

The 49ers played as an Independent during their two years in the FCS subdivision.[15] Charlotte Football officially joined the FBS subdivision and C-USA Football on July 1, 2015.[16]

On November 18, 2018, Charlotte Athletics Director Mike Hill announced that after 8 years and 6 seasons as head coach, Lambert would not be retained following the season.[17] Lambert had compiled a record of 22–48 during his tenure, including the program's first win in the inaugural game and winning the program's first FBS game.[18] Lambert would finish his career at Charlotte a week later with a season-ending road victory against the previous season conference champion FAU.[19]

Will Healy era (2018–present)

On December 5, 2018 Austin Peay's Will Healy was announced as the Charlotte 49ers second head football coach.[20] The 2017 Eddie Robinson Award by STATS for FCS Coach of the Year, had a 8-1 FCS record and a 7–1 record in the Ohio Valley Conference in his second season with the Governors, who previously had a 1–46 record before Healy took over the previous season.[21]

On August 29, 2019, Healy recorded his first win as the head coach of Charlotte in a 49–28 victory against Gardner–Webb.[22] On September 14, he recorded his first career victory over a Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) opponent with a 52–17 win against UMass.[23] Healy would record his first C-USA win against the North Texas on October 26.[24] Healy and the 49ers both would reach bowl eligibility for the first time following a home victory over Marshall November 23 in his first season at the helm.[25]

Conference affiliations

Bowl games

Charlotte has participated in one bowl game, and has a record of 0–1.

Season Coach Bowl Opponent Result
2019Will HealyBahamas BowlBuffaloL 9–31

NFL Draft Picks

Charlotte has had 4 players selected in the NFL Draft as of the 2020 Draft.

Season Player Round Overall Team NFL Career Notes (Prior to 2021 NFL Season)
2017Larry Ogunjobi3rd65thCleveland Browns14.5 Career Sacks; 2nd on Browns in Sacks in 2018 and 2019
2019Nate Davis3rd82ndTennessee TitansStarted 28 career games; Led Titans to 2020 AFC Championship Game
2020Alex Highsmith3rd102ndPittsburgh Steelers48 Career Tackles; 2 Sacks, 1 Interception
2020Cameron Clark4th129thNew York Jets-

Additionally, Brandon Banks signed with the Washington Redskins as an undrafted free agent in 2017.

Head coaches

Coach Tenure Record Pct.
Arthur Deremer19462–1 (2 results unknown).667
Marion Woods19471–3 (2 results unknown).250
Carol Blackwell1948(4 results unknown)
Brad Lambert2013–201822–48.314
Will Healy2018–current9–9.500

Homecoming History

Since coming back as a program in 2013, the 49ers have had a Homecoming Game, generally held in the middle of the season. They have a 2–5 program record on Homecoming.

Year Opponent Result
2013UNC PembrokeL 22–45
2014James MadisonL 40–48
2015Southern MissL 10–44
2016FIUL 26–27
2017UABW 25–24
2018WKUW 40–14
2019Florida AtlanticL 27–45

All-time record vs. In-State NCAA Division I teams

Official record (including any NCAA imposed vacates and forfeits) against all current In-State NCAA Division I opponents.[26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33]

Team Games Played 1st Meeting Last Meeting Record (W–L) Last Result Streak
Appalachian State3Sept. 8, 2018Sept. 12, 20200–3L 20–35 @ App. St.Lost 3
Campbell*2Aug. 31, 2013Aug. 28, 20142–0W 33–9 @ CampbellWon 2
Davidson*0NANA0–0NA-
Duke1Oct. 31, 202020210–1L 19-53 @ DukeLost 1
East Carolina0202420240–02024-
Elon*2Sept. 20, 2014Sept. 10, 20161–1W 47–14 @ CharlotteWon 1
Gardner-Webb*3Oct. 5, 2013Aug. 29, 20192–1W 49–28 @ CharlotteWon 1
UNC0202020200–02020-
NC A&T*1Sept. 16, 2017Sept. 16, 20170–1L 31–35 @ CharlotteLost 1
NC Central*2Sept. 7, 2013Sept. 13, 20141–1W 40–28 @ NC CentralWon 1
NCSU0NANA0–0NA-
Wake Forest0NANA0–0NA-
Western Carolina*0NANA0–0NA-
Total 13 Aug. 31, 2013 Oct. 31, 2020 6–8 L 19–53 vs Duke Lost 3

(*)FCS Opponent

All-time record vs. C-USA teams

Official record (including any NCAA imposed vacates and forfeits) against all current C-USA opponents.[26]

Team Games Played 1st Meeting Last Meeting Record (W-L) Last Result Streak
Florida Atlantic*6Sept. 26, 2015Oct. 3, 20192–4L 21–17 @ FAULost 2
FIU*5Nov. 7, 2015Oct. 12, 20190–5L 23–48 @ FIULost 5
Louisiana Tech0--0–0--
Marshall*5Oct. 31, 2015Nov. 23, 20192–3W 24–13 @ CharlotteWon 1
Middle Tennessee*5Sept. 19, 2015Nov. 2, 20191–4W 34–20 @ CharlotteWon 1
North Texas2Oct. 26, 2019Oct. 10, 20202–0W 49-21 @ N. TexasWon 2
Old Dominion*5Oct. 17, 2015Nov. 30, 20192–3W 38–22 @ ODUWon 2
Rice2Nov. 28, 2015Nov. 12, 20160–2L 21–22 @ CharlotteLost 2
Southern Miss4Oct. 24, 2015Oct. 27, 20182–2W 20–17 @ Southern MissWon 1
UTEP2Nov. 9, 2019Oct. 24, 20202–0W 38-28 @ CharlotteWon 2
UTSA2Nov. 21, 2015Nov. 26, 20160–2L 14–33 @ UTSALost 2
UAB2Nov. 21, 2017Sep. 29, 20181–1L 7–28 @ UABLost 1
WKU*3Oct. 14, 2017Oct. 19, 20191–2L 14-30 @ WKULost 1
Total 43 Sept. 19, 2015 Oct. 24, 2020 15–28 W 38–28 vs UTEP Won 2

(*)Division Opponent

Forty Niner Seat Licenses

To generate financial support for the launch of the football program, Chancellor Dubois created a program called Forty Niner Seat Licenses, or FSLs, which essentially served as seat deposits for season tickets. The Chancellor initially set forth a goal of 5,000 FSL reservations within 6 months. However, due to the tremendous level of support for the new program, the goal was met in only 2 months.[34]

In February 2008, a fundraising capital campaign was established and led by prominent community leaders. These leaders included Mac Everett, Johnny Harris and Gene Johnson. Additionally, three other UNC Charlotte alumni were introduced as executive chairs: David Hauser, chief financial officer for Duke Energy Corporation; Bob Hull, chief financial officer for Lowe's Companies, Inc.; and Joe Price, chief financial officer for Bank of America Corporation.[35]

Seat licenses are being sold in three tiers of seating: Green, Gold and White Gold. Green seat licenses are being sold at $1,000 per seat and will be located between the 30 yard line and the end zone; Gold seat licenses at $2,500 per seat and will be located between the 30 yard lines; and White Gold seat licenses at an undisclosed amount in a block of exclusive seating.[36] Seat locations will be determined by the ticket holders' Charlotte 49ers Athletics Foundation rank which is determined by the amount of the cumulative financial contribution the donor has made to the Foundation.[6]

Stadium

Chancellor Dubois conducted a lengthy review process of the committee's results before making his final recommendation to the Board of Trustees. He presented the findings of his own internal review to the board at a June meeting which included estimates from stadium design firm Populous. The estimates significantly increased facilities construction numbers from the feasibility committee figures. They were also significantly higher than those for a much larger facility recently constructed for the University of Central Florida's Bright House Stadium.

On February 12, 2010, the University of North Carolina Board of Governors approved a debt service fee increase to fund the construction of the football stadium and football center,[37] and on August 2, 2010 Governor Bev Perdue signed the debt service fee bill into law to clear the way for stadium construction.[38] Designed by the architecture teams of Jenkins-Peer Architects and the DLR Group, its location was shown near the campus entrance at Highway 29 north of Hayes Stadium.[39] On April 28, 2011 Charlotte held a groundbreaking ceremony for the football stadium.[40] The stadium was completed in summer 2012. The 49ers' first game was a 52–7 win over Campbell on August 31, 2013.

Future non-conference opponents

Announced schedules as of August 7, 2020.[41][42][43]

  2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031
Home DukeMarylandGeorgia StateEast CarolinaNorth CarolinaOle MissAppalachian StateAppalachian StateAppalachian StateNC State
Gardner-WebbWilliam and Mary
Away IllinoisSouth CarolinaFloridaIndianaGeorgiaAppalachian StateOle MissAppalachian StateNC State
Georgia StateGeorgia StateMarylandNorth CarolinaEast Carolina

Attendance

The largest crowd for a Charlotte football game at Jerry Richardson Stadium is 19,151, which was achieved on September 8, 2018, against Appalachian State University.[44] The previous record was 18,651, set in the season home opener in 2017.[45]

Single Game Attendance

Team Date Score Attendance
Appalachian StateSeptember 8, 2018L 45-919,151
North Carolina A&TSeptember 16, 2017L 35-3118,651
Florida AtlanticSeptember 26, 2015L 17-717,444
CampbellAugust 31, 2013W 52-716,630
North Carolina CentralSeptember 14, 2013L 40-1316,630
UNC PembrokeOctober 12, 2013L 45-2216,630
ChowanSeptember 7, 2013W 47-716,598
PresbyterianSeptember 12, 2015W 34-1016,331
Gardner-WebbAugust 29, 2019W 49-2816,119
Johnson C. SmithSeptember 6, 2014W 56-015,875

Attendance by season

Decade Season Games Sellouts Record (Pct.) Attendance Average Best
2010's2013643–3 (.500)93,24415,54016,630
2014623–3 (.500)79,63213,27215,875
2015631–5 (.167)87,60314,60617,444
2016611–5 (.167)85,15414,19215,807
2017611–5 (.167)71,42011,90318,651
2018614–2 (.667)70,26311,71019,151
2019615–1 (.833)73,92412,32116,119
Totals2010's421318-24 (.429)561,23113,36319,151
2020's2020 †101–0 (1.000)1,0421,0421,042
Totals2020's101-0 (1.000)1,0421,0421,042
TotalsAll-time431319-24 (.442)562,27313,07619,151

Note:

† 2020 season attendance figures were affected by state and university quarantine decisions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. For specific details see the 2020 season page

References

  1. "Synthetic Turf and Artificial Grass". Hellas Construction. Retrieved August 8, 2018.
  2. 49ers Color System (PDF). Charlotte 49ers Brand Standards. June 23, 2020. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  3. "UNCC students can vote on football - News14.com". Triangle.news14.com. January 4, 2007.
  4. "49er Football online poll - News14.com". Triangle.news14.com. January 15, 2013.
  5. "UNC Charlotte Board of Trustees Votes To Add Football to 49ers Athletic Program". Charlotte49ers.cstv.com.
  6. "Charlotte 49ers Football FAQ". Charlotte49erfootball.com. Archived from the original on January 19, 2013. Retrieved April 24, 2009.
  7. "Charlotte 49ers Football Our Story". Charlotte49erfootball.com. Archived from the original on May 4, 2009.
  8. "Charlotte 49er Football Initiative". Web.me.com.
  9. Hundreds Attend Football Rally on Campus
  10. Perlmutt, David (September 19, 2008). "Yes to 49ers Football – with a $5m catch". Charlotteobserver.com. Archived from the original on July 23, 2012. Retrieved April 24, 2009.
  11. Trustees Vote to Add Football to 49ers Athletic Program
  12. "Charlotte board votes to start football program by 2013". Sports.espn.go.com. November 13, 2008.
  13. "Conference USA Adds Five New Members". Conferenceusa.com. May 4, 2012. Archived from the original on May 10, 2012. Retrieved May 8, 2012.
  14. Collins, Dan (March 1, 2011). "Lambert leaving WFU to become UNC Charlotte coach". Winston-Salem Journal. Archived from the original on January 27, 2013. Retrieved March 1, 2011.
  15. "49ers to play Independent in FCS". Gmine.blogspot.com. September 29, 2011.
  16. "Niners Talk FBS at C-USA Football Kickoff". Charlotte49ers.com. July 23, 2015.
  17. "Hill Makes Football Coaching Change". University of North Carolina at Charlotte Athletic Department. November 18, 2018. Retrieved November 27, 2018.
  18. Scott, David (November 18, 2018). "Brad Lambert out as Charlotte 49ers' football coach". The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved November 27, 2018.
  19. Scott, David (November 25, 2018). "After emotional sendoff for Brad Lambert, is stage set for Charlotte 49ers success?". The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved November 27, 2018.
  20. Stewart, Mike (December 4, 2018). "Charlotte hires Will Healy as football coach". The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on December 6, 2018. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
  21. "Healy wins National Coach of the Year". December 13, 2017.
  22. "Charlotte Scores 49 in Healy's Victorious Debut". Charlotte49ers.com. August 30, 2019. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  23. "Charlotte Explodes for 52-17 Win Over UMass". Charlotte49ers.com. September 14, 2019. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  24. "Niners Rally to Win on Tucker's Dramatic TD". Charlotte49ers.com. October 26, 2019. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
  25. "BOWL ELIGIBLE! Niners Claim Sixth Win vs. Marshall". Charlotte49ers.com. November 23, 2019. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  26. "Charlotte 49ers Head-to-Head Results". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference.com. Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  27. "2013 Charlotte Football Combined Team Statistics" (PDF). Charlotte49ers.com. University of North Carolina at Charlotte Athletics Department. December 3, 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 31, 2013. Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  28. "2014 Charlotte Football Combined Team Statistics". Charlotte49ers.com. University of North Carolina at Charlotte Athletics Department. November 22, 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 29, 2015. Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  29. "2015 Charlotte 49ers Football Media Guide" (PDF). Charlotte49ers.com. Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  30. "2016 Charlotte Football Combined Team Statistics" (PDF). Charlotte49ers.com. University of North Carolina at Charlotte Athletics Department. November 28, 2016. Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  31. "2017 Charlotte Football Combined Team Statistics" (PDF). Charlotte49ers.com. University of North Carolina at Charlotte Athletics Department. November 27, 2017. Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  32. "2018 Charlotte Football Combined Team Statistics" (PDF). Charlotte49ers.com. University of North Carolina at Charlotte Athletics Department. November 29, 2018. Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  33. "2019 Charlotte Football Combined Team Statistics" (PDF). Charlotte49ers.com. University of North Carolina at Charlotte Athletics Department. January 13, 2020. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  34. "49ers FSL Numbers Reach Goal of 5,000". Lincolntribune.com. Archived from the original on July 13, 2011. Retrieved April 24, 2009.
  35. "Feb 10 2008 Press Release" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on October 7, 2011. Retrieved August 16, 2011.
  36. "Charlotte 49er Football 49ers Seat License (FSL)". Charlotte49erfootball.com. Archived from the original on July 29, 2012. Retrieved August 16, 2011.
  37. UNC Charlotte Office of Public Relations (February 12, 2010). "UNC Board of Governors approve football funding". publicrelations.uncc.edu. Retrieved September 3, 2011.
  38. Scott, David (August 3, 2010). "49ers football gets Governor's boost". The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved September 3, 2011.
  39. Spanberg, Erik (September 24, 2010). "Sales slow as UNC Charlotte unveils stadium plans". Charlotte Business Journal. Retrieved September 3, 2011.
  40. Spanberg, Erik (April 28, 2011). "UNC Charlotte kicks off football". Charlotte Business Journal. Retrieved September 3, 2011.
  41. "Charlotte 49ers Football Schedules and Future Schedules". fbschedules.com. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
  42. "49ers; Mountaineers Ink Four-Game Series". Charlotte49ers.com. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  43. "Charlotte Finalizes Home-and-Home Series with NC State". Charlotte49ers.com. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  44. "Appalachian State wears down Charlotte 49ers 45-9 before record crowd". The Charlotte Observer. September 8, 2018. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
  45. "The Point After: NC A&T at Charlotte". Charlotte 49ers. September 16, 2017. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.