UC Davis Aggies football

The UC Davis Aggies football team represents the University of California, Davis in NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). The football program's first season took place in 1915, and has fielded a team each year since with the exception of 1918 during World War I and from 1943 to 1945 during World War II, when the campus, then known as the University Farm, was shut down.[1] The team was known as the Cal Aggies or California Aggies from 1922 to 1958 when UC Davis was called the Northern Branch of the College of Agricultur.

UC Davis Aggies football
2021 UC Davis Aggies football team
First season1915
Head coachDan Hawkins
5th season, 31–22 (.585)
StadiumUC Davis Health Stadium
(capacity: 10,849)
Year built2007
Field surfaceSportexe
LocationDavis, California
ConferenceBig Sky
Past conferencesNCAA Independent (1915–1924)
NCAC (1925–1992)
AWC (1993)
Division II independent (1994–2002)
Division I-AA independent (2003)
GWC (2004–2011)
All-time record486–370–35 (.565)
Bowl record0–5 (.000)
Conference titles31
RivalriesCal Poly (rivalry)
Sacramento State (rivalry)
ColorsAggie Blue (PMS 295C) and Aggie Gold (PMS 4515C)
Fight songAggie Fight
MascotGunrock the Mustang
Marching bandUC Davis Marching Band
WebsiteUCDavisAggies.com

UC Davis competed as a member of the NCAA College Division through 1972; from 1973 to 2003, the Aggies competed as an NCAA Division II program. In 2004, UC Davis promoted its football program to the Division I FCS (then I-AA) level and joined the Great West Conference (then known as the Great West Football Conference) after one season as an independent team with exploratory status.[2] After their provisional seasons and the construction of a new stadium, UC Davis became a full member of Division I in 2007 and eligible for the postseason.

Throughout its history, the football program won 31 conference championships. Between 1929 and 1992, the Aggies captured 27 outright or shared Northern California Athletic Conference championships, including 20 in a row from 1971 to 1990, an American West Conference title in 1993 (co-champion), and GWFC/GWC championships in 2005 (co-champ) and 2009.

The Aggies won their first football title, as a Division I program in 2018 as one of the Big Sky Conference's three regular season champions.

Conference affiliations

UC Davis has been both independent and affiliated with multiple conferences.[3]: 46 

Conference championships

UC Davis Aggies football program has won or shared a total of 31 conference championships since 1915, including 27 from the Northern California Athletic Conference where they won 20 straight conference champions from 1971 to 1990.[4]

Year Coach Conference Overall record Conference record
1929Crip ToomeyNorthern California Athletic Conference6–25–0
1947†Vern Hickey4–53–1
1949Ted Forbes5–44–0
19515–42–1
1956†Will Lotter7–34–1
1963†6–2–13–1–1
1971†Jim Sochor9–15–1
19726–2–25–0
1973†7–34–1
19749–15–0
19757–35–0
19768–25–0
197711–15–0
19788–35–0
19796–3–15–0
19807–2–15–0
1981†6–44–1
198212–15–0
198311–16–0
19849–26–0
19859–25–0
198610–15–0
19877–35–0
19887–35–0
1989Bob Foster8–35–0
19907–35–0
19928–2–15–0
1993†Bob BiggsAmerican West Conference10–23–1
2005†Great West Football Conference6–54–1
20096–53–1
2018†Dan HawkinsBig Sky Conference10–37–1

† Co-champion

Playoff records

NCAA Division I-AA/FCS

The Aggies have appeared twice in the Division I FCS playoffs. Their combined playoff record is 1–2.

Year Round Opponent Result
2018 Second Round
Quarterfinals		 Northern Iowa
Eastern Washington		 W 23–16
L 29–34
2021First RoundSouth Dakota StateL 24–56

NCAA Division II

UC Davis earned 18 NCAA Division II playoff appearances from 1977 through 2002.

Year Round Opponent Result
1977 Quarterfinal
Semifinal (Knute Rockne Bowl)		 Bethune-Cookman
Lehigh		 W 34–16
L 30-39
1978 Quarterfinal Eastern Illinois L, 31-35
1982 Quarterfinal
Semifinal
Final (Palm Bowl)		 Northern Michigan
North Dakota State
Southwest Texas State		 W 42-21
W 19-14
L 9-34
1983 Quarterfinal
Semifinal		 Butler
North Dakota State		 W 25–6
L 17-26
1984 Quarterfinal North Dakota State L, 23-31
1985 Quarterfinal North Dakota State L, 12-31
1986 Quarterfinal South Dakota L, 23-26
1988 First Round Sacramento State L, 14-35
1989 First Round Angelo State L, 23-28
1992 First Round Portland State L, 28-42
1993 First Round
Quarterfinals		 Fort Hays State
Texas A&M-Kingsville		 W 37-34
L 28-51
1996 First Round
Quarterfinals
Semifinals		 Texas A&M-Kingsville
Central Oklahoma
Carson-Newman		 W 17-14
W 26-7
L 26-29
1997 First Round
Quarterfinals
Semifinals		 Texas A&M-Kingsville
Angelo State
New Haven		 W 37-33
W 50-33
L 25-27
1998 First Round Texas A&M-Kingsville L 21-54
1999 First Round
Quarterfinals		 Central Oklahoma
Northeastern State		 W 33-17
L 14-19
2000 First Round
Quarterfinals
Semifinals		 Chadron State
Mesa State
Bloomsburg		 W 48-10
W 62-18
L 48-58
2001 First Round
Quarterfinals
Semifinals		 Texas A&M-Kingsville
Tarleton State
North Dakota		 W 37-32
W 42-25
L 2-14
2002 First Round
Quarterfinals		 Central Oklahoma
Texas A&M-Kingsville		 W 24-6
L 20-27 (ot)

Bowl games
Bowl Date Opponent Result
Pear BowlNovember 24, 1949Pacific (OR)L 15–33
Pear BowlNovember 24, 1951Pacific (OR)L 7–25
Boardwalk BowlDecember 9, 1972UMassL 14–35
Knute Rockne Bowl (NCAA Division II Semifinal)December 3, 1977LehighL 30–39
Palm Bowl (NCAA Division II Championship)December 11, 1982Southwest Texas StateL 9–34

Rivalries

The Sacramento State Hornets are the natural cross-town rival who battle UC Davis annually for the Causeway Trophy. This rivalry is known as the Causeway Classic. UC Davis leads the all-time series 46–21 with no ties. The Cal Poly Mustangs are another rival; these teams compete in the Battle for the Golden Horseshoe each year with the winner receiving a trophy of a large golden horseshoe.

Both Sacramento State and Cal Poly are designated rivals for Big Sky Conference scheduling purposes, which means UC Davis plays both teams each year as part of its conference schedule. UC Davis also has a smaller rivalry with Stanford University[5] following UC Davis' 20–17 upset of the Cardinal in 2005 while still a provisional Division I team.[6]

Notable games

On November 14, 1971, UC Davis defeated Cal State Hayward 30–29, where UC Davis scored 16 points in the final 44 seconds and was dubbed the "Miracle Game". After scoring on a five-play drive that included a two-point conversion with 20 seconds remaining, UC Davis recovered an onside kick. On the final play of the game, quarterback and future UC Davis head coach Bob Biggs found tight end Mike Bellotti for a 29-yard touchdown on the final play of the game with four seconds remaining. Instead of tying the score with the extra point, head coach Jim Sochor went for the win and another two-point conversion. After two false starts, Biggs completed a pass to Mike Everly to complete the comeback.[7]

The Aggies' defeated the Stanford Cardinal 20–17 on September 18, 2005, after trailing 17–0 midway through the second quarter. Stanford quarterback Trent Edwards then left the game with an injury. The Aggies scored 20 unanswered and became the first non-Division I-A/FBS team to defeat the Cardinal. The win was the Aggies' first over a Division I-A team since 1986 against the Pacific Tigers and was the first against a Pac-10 team in 65 years. It was also the second win over Stanford with the first taking place in 1932.

On October 4, 2008, Bakari Grant caught a 38-yard Hail Mary touchdown pass from Greg Denham against the Northern Colorado Bears to win 34–30. The game was dubbed the "Hail Bakari" at the time.[8]

Notable players
Main article: List of UC Davis Aggies in the NFL Draft

References
  1. "UC Davis Magazine". Ucdavismagazine.ucdavis.edu. 2011-06-29. Retrieved 2014-05-29.
  2. "UC Davis to Join Division I Big West Athletic Conference". UC Davis. March 11, 2003. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
  3. "2018 Media Guide" (PDF). ucdavisaggies.com. UC Davis Athletics.
  4. "California-Davis Championships". Cfbdatawarehouse.com. Archived from the original on 2014-05-29. Retrieved 2014-05-29.
  5. "Stanford Visits UC Davis, Hosts Washington in Four-Game Week". Stanford University. March 25, 2009. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
  6. "How're They Going to Live This Down on the Farm?". Los Angeles Times. September 19, 2005. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
  7. "Remembering UCD's Miracle Game". The Davis Enterprise. November 3, 2011. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  8. "Interception ends UC Davis rally as Aggies fall 27-21". The Sacramento Bee. November 1, 2014.
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