Idaho Vandals football

Idaho Vandals football
2016 Idaho Vandals football team
First season	1893, 123 years ago
Athletic director	Dr. Rob Spear
Head coach	Paul Petrino 3rd year, 6–29 (.171)
Stadium	Kibbie Dome
Year built	1971, 45 years ago 1975 (enclosed)
Seating capacity	16,000
Field surface	RealGrass Pro (2007–present) AstroTurf (1990–2006) TartanTurf (1972–1989) Natural grass (1971)
Location	Moscow, Idaho
NCAA division	NCAA Division I (FBS)
Conference	Sun Belt
Past conferences	Independent (2013) WAC (2005–12) Sun Belt (2001–04) Big West (1996–2000) Big Sky (1965–95)(2018-) Independent (1959–64) Pacific Coast (1922–58)
All-time record	314–518–26 (.381)
Bowl record	2–0–0 (1.000)
Playoff appearances	11   (Div. I-AA)
Playoff record	6–11 (.353)
Conference titles	10
Consensus All-Americans	1
Colors	Silver and Gold
Fight song	Go, Vandals, Go
Mascot	Joe Vandal
Marching band	The Sound of Idaho
Outfitter	Nike
Website	GoVandals.com

The Idaho Vandals are the college football team that represents the University of Idaho and plays its home games at the Kibbie Dome, an indoor facility on campus in Moscow.^[1] Idaho is a football-only member of the Sun Belt Conference in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of NCAA Division I. The current head coach is Paul Petrino, in his third season in 2015.

The Idaho football program began competing 123 years ago in 1893,^[2] and through the 2015 season, the Vandals have an all-time record of 314–518–26 (.381). This is the worst winning percentage in NCAA football history.^[3] They have played in two bowl games in their history, close victories in the Humanitarian Bowl in Boise in 1998 and 2009.^[4]

On April 28, 2016, the University announced the football program would drop down to FCS from FBS.

Conference affiliations

Idaho rejoined the Sun Belt Conference in 2014 after a season as an independent in 2013, and eight seasons in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC), which dropped football after the 2012 season. The Vandals were previously in the Sun Belt (also football only) from 2001 through 2004, after the Big West Conference dropped football.

The Idaho football program began competing in 1893,^[2] and was a member of the Pacific Coast Conference from 1922 to 1958. It was then an independent until 1965, when it began league play in the Big Sky Conference. At the time the other four football-playing schools in the conference were members of the College Division (today's Division II), while Idaho remained a member of the University Division (today's Division I) through 1977, except for and involuntary demotion for 1967 and 1968.^[5][6] It maintained University Division status by playing a majority of games against University Division opponents.^[7]

A charter member of the Big Sky in 1963, Idaho did not participate in league play for football until 1965,^[8][9][10] the Big Sky's third year, after the conference demanded it. With its upper division status, the Vandals were ineligible for the College Division (D-II) playoffs. Notably, in 1971, the Vandals won their first outright conference title in school history. However, runner-up Boise State received the Big Sky's automatic berth. Because of its hybrid status, Idaho requested to retain its higher allotment of football scholarships (75) than the other conference members (62),^[7][11] which was expectedly disallowed.^[12] The university received an invitation in 1973 to join the Pacific Coast Athletic Association (later the Big West),^[13][14] but the state board of education (concurrent board of regents) rejected it by a vote of 4 to 3.^[12][15][16] The Big Sky moved up to the new Division I-AA in 1978 (while Idaho moved down).

Idaho experienced its best years in football from 1985 to 1995, when it made the I-AA national playoffs in ten of eleven seasons with four different head coaches, reaching the semifinals twice. After 18 years in Division I-AA, Idaho returned to Division I-A competition (now called the FBS) in 1996 in the Big West.

On August 18, 2012, Idaho was cleared to stay in the Football Bowl Subdivision as an independent^[17] after the WAC announced it would drop football effective with the end of the 2012 season.^[18] Idaho would only remain a football independent for the 2013 season; on March 27 of that year, the Sun Belt Conference announced that Idaho would return as a football-only member starting with the 2014 season.^[19] Nearly two years later in 2016, the Sun Belt Conference announced via teleconference that neither the University of Idaho nor New Mexico State University would be renewed after the 2017 football season.^[20] Idaho will resume full membership in the Big Sky Conference in 2018 which participates in the Football Championship Subdivision^[21]

Conference championships

The Vandals have won ten conference championships in their history,
nine of them in the Big Sky.^[22]

Conference	Season	Head Coach
Big Sky	1965 ^	Steve Musseau
	1968 ^	Y C McNease
	1971	Don Robbins
	1982 ^	Dennis Erickson
	1985
	1987	Keith Gilbertson
	1988
	1989	John L. Smith
	1992 ^
Big West	1998	Chris Tormey
^ denotes shared championship

I-AA playoffs

For 18 seasons (1978–95), Idaho was a member of Division I-AA (now FCS), and participated in the I-AA playoffs eleven times to compile a 6–11 playoff record. The Vandals were 4–4 at home and 2–7 on the road, with a 4–7 record in the first round (2–4 at home, 2–3 away). The best advancements were to the national semifinals in 1988 and 1993, but both seasons ended with road losses by large margins to the eventual national champions. The 1982 and 1990 teams advanced to the quarterfinals, but both lost close road games to the eventual national champions.^[23]

Season	Round	Score				Head Coach
1982	First	@ Idaho	21	Montana	7	Dennis Erickson (1–2)
	Quarterfinal	@ E. Kentucky	38	Idaho	30
1985	First	E. Washington	42	@ Idaho	38
1986	First	@ Nevada-Reno	27	Idaho	7	Keith Gilbertson (2–3)
1987	First	Weber St.	59	@ Idaho	30
1988	First	@ Idaho	38	Montana	19
	Quarterfinal	@ Idaho	38	Northwestern St.	30
	Semifinal	@ Furman	38	Idaho	7
1989	First	E. Illinois	38	@ Idaho	21	John L. Smith (3–5)
1990	First	Idaho	41	@ SW Missouri St.	35
	Quarterfinal	@ Georgia So.	28	Idaho	27
1992	First	McNeese St.	23	@ Idaho	20
1993	First	Idaho	34	@ Northeast Louisiana	31
	Quarterfinal	@ Idaho	21	Boston U.	14
	Semifinal	@ Youngstown St.	35	Idaho	16
1994	First	@ McNeese St.	38	Idaho	21
1995	First	@ McNeese St.	33	Idaho	3	Chris Tormey (0–1)

All-time record vs. Sun Belt teams

Official record (including any NCAA imposed vacates and forfeits) against all current Sun Belt opponents:

Opponent Won Lost Tied Percentage Streak First Last Appalachian State 0 2 0 .000 Lost 2 2014 2015 Arkansas State 4 7 0 .364 Lost 3 1975 2015 Georgia Southern 0 3 0 .000 Lost 3 1990 2015 Georgia State 0 0 0 – – – – Louisiana–Lafayette 1 3 0 .250 Won 1 2001 2004 Louisiana–Monroe 4 3 0 .571 Won 1 1993 2015 New Mexico State 15 7 0 .682 Lost 1 1971 2015 South Alabama 0 2 0 .000 Lost 2 2014 2015 Texas State 4 4 0 .500 Won 1 1990 2015 Troy 1 2 0 .333 Won 1 2004 2015 Totals 29 33 0 .468

Bowl history

The Vandals have played in two bowls since rejoining the FBS and have won both.^[4]

Season	Bowl	City	Score				Head Coach
1998	Humanitarian	Boise	Idaho Vandals	42	Southern Miss	35	Chris Tormey
2009	Humanitarian	Boise	Idaho Vandals	43	Bowling Green	42	Robb Akey

Notable players

NFL

• John Friesz – quarterback in the College Football Hall of Fame, 1989 Walter Payton Award, NFL (1990-2000)^[24]
• Mike Iupati - consensus All-American guard, first round (17th overall) pick in 2010 NFL Draft, San Francisco 49ers
• Jerry Kramer - five-time All-Pro guard (five NFL & two Super Bowl titles) with the Green Bay Packers (1958–68); author
• Ray McDonald, 13th overall pick in 1967 draft, running back for the Washington Redskins, 1967–68.
• Jim Norton - safety, all-time AFL interceptions leader, first number retired (#43) by the Houston Oilers (1960–68)
• Jeff Robinson - 1993-2009, Broncos, Rams, Cowboys, Rams, Seahawks. Super Bowl Champion in Super Bowl XXXIV (Rams).
• Mark Schlereth - two-time Pro Bowl guard, three Super Bowl titles with the Washington Redskins and Denver Broncos (1989-2000)^[25]
• Jake Scott - guard for the Philadelphia Eagles (2012– ), Tennessee Titans (2008–11), Indianapolis Colts (2004–07), including Super Bowl XLI.
• Wee Willie Smith – New York Giants
• David Vobora - Mr. Irrelevant of the 2008 NFL Draft, linebacker with the Seattle Seahawks
• Wayne Walker - All-Pro linebacker with the Detroit Lions (1958–72), started 200 games; sportscaster^[26]
• Marvin Washington - defensive end (1989-1999) for Jets, 49ers, Broncos. Super Bowl Champion (XXXIII, Broncos).
• John Yarno - first of two All-Americans from Idaho at FBS level, five-year starter at center for the Seattle Seahawks (1978–82)

CFL

• Jerry Campbell - linebacker (1966–75), inducted into Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1996
• Ken Hobart - quarterback, USFL (1984–85), CFL (1985–90), winner of Jeff Russel Memorial Trophy in 1985
• Craig Juntunen - quarterback (1978–79)
• Aaron Grymes - defensive back (2013–present)

Coaches

(former Vandal football players)

Steve Belko Steve Buratto Tom Cable Tony Knap

Mike Kramer Scott Linehan Don Matthews Dan Monson

Doug Nussmeier Bud Riley Lyle Smith Chris Tormey

Other

• Anthony Curcio
• Bill Fagerbakke

Retired numbers

Number	Player	Position(s)	Varsity seasons
9	Ken Hobart	QB	1980–83
17	John Friesz	QB	1986–89
53	Wayne Walker	LB / C / LS	1955–57
56	John Yarno	C	1973–76
64	Jerry Kramer	G / DT / PK	1955–57

Top NFL Draft selections

Player	Position	Overall Pick	Round	NFL   Draft	Franchise
Ray McDonald	RB	13	1st	1967	Washington Redskins
Mike Iupati	G	17	1st	2010	San Francisco 49ers
Jerry Kramer	G / PK	39	4th	1958	Green Bay Packers
Wayne Walker	LB / C / LS / PK	45	4th	1958	Detroit Lions
Carl Kiilsgaard	T	61	5th	1950	Chicago Cardinals
Ryan Phillips	LB	68	3rd	1997	New York Giants
Jim Prestel	DT	70	6th	1959	Cleveland Browns
Jim Norton	S / P	75	7th	1960	Detroit Lions
John Yarno	C	87	4th	1977	Seattle Seahawks
Jeff Robinson	DE / TE / LS	98	4th	1993	Denver Broncos
Doug Nussmeier	QB	116	4th	1994	New Orleans Saints
John Friesz	QB	138	6th	1990	San Diego Chargers
Mark Schlereth	G	263	10th	1989	Washington Redskins

Coaching records

Head Coach	Years	Seasons	Wins	Losses	Ties	Pct.
Fred Herbold	1900–1901	2	4	2	1	.643
John G. Griffith (a)	1902–1906	5	13	9	1	.587
John R. Middleton	1907–1908	1	3	4	0	.429
John S. Grogan	1909	1	2	3	0	.400
John G. Griffith (b)	1910–1914	5	15	13	1	.534
Charles Rademacher	1915	1	1	4	1	.250
Wilfred C. Bleamaster	1916–1917	2	5	8	0	.385
Ralph Hutchinson	1919	1	2	3	0	.400
Thomas Kelley	1920–1921	2	8	5	1	.607
Matty Mathews	1922–1925	4	16	14	2	.531
Charles Erb	1926–1928	3	10	9	5	.521
Leo Calland	1929–1934	6	21	30	0	.412
Ted Bank	1935–1940	6	18	33	3	.361
Francis Schmidt	1941–1942	2	7	12	0	.368
Babe Brown	1945–1946	2	2	15	0	.118
Dixie Howell	1947–1950	4	13	20	1	.397
Babe Curfman	1951–1953	3	7	19	1	.278
Skip Stahley	1954–1961	8	22	51	1	.304
Dee Andros	1962–1964	3	11	16	1	.411
Steve Musseau	1965–1967	3	13	17	0	.433
Y C McNease	1968–1969	2	7	13	0	.350
Don Robbins	1970–1973	4	20	24	0	.455
Ed Troxel	1974–1977	4	16	25	3	.398
Jerry Davitch	1978–1981	4	15	29	0	.341
Dennis Erickson (a)	1982–1985	4	32	15	0	.681
Keith Gilbertson	1986–1988	3	28	9	0	.757
John L. Smith	1989–1994	6	53	21	0	.716
Chris Tormey	1995–1999	5	33	23	0	.589
Tom Cable	2000–2003	4	11	35	0	.239
Nick Holt	2004–2005	2	5	18	0	.217
Dennis Erickson (b)	2006	1	4	8	0	.333
Robb Akey	2007–2012	6	20	50	0	.286
Jason Gesser ^	2012	1^	0	4	0	.000
Paul Petrino	2013–present	3	6	29	0	.171
Totals (1893–2015)	Total	118	450	599	27	.431

^ Interim head coach - Gesser coached the final four games of 2012 after Akey was relieved on October 21.

Future non-conference opponents

Announced schedules as of February 1, 2016

2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022
vs Montana State	vs UNLV	at Fresno State	at Penn State	at LSU	at Indiana	at Indiana
at Washington	at Western Michigan	vs Wyoming	at Wyoming	vs San Jose State	vs Nevada	at Old Dominion
at Washington State	at Nevada	at Florida	at San Jose State	at Temple	at San Jose State	vs San Jose State
at UNLV	at Missouri	at Northern Illinois

• Source:^[27]

References

1. "Kibbie Dome". IdahoPTV. Retrieved 2010-12-23.
2. "Idaho Historical Data". College Football Data Warehouse. Retrieved January 20, 2015.
3. "Football Bowl Subdivision Records". NCAA. p. 66. Retrieved 2011-09-02.
4. "Idaho Bowl History". College Football Data Warehouse. Retrieved 2010-12-23.
5. "Ostyn says Pacific cost major status". Spokesman-Review (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. August 9, 1967. p. 15.
6. "NCAA ups 4 colleges". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. July 2, 1969. p. 22.
7. "Axe falls on Idaho football program". Ellensburg Daily Record (Washington). UPI. December 7, 1973. p. 7.
8. Johnson, Bob (January 31, 1964). "Vandals versus Big Sky". Spokane Daily Chronicle (Spokane). p. 11.
9. "Only winning will satisfy Idaho this gridiron season". Spokesman-Review (Spokane, Washington). September 14, 1965. p. 18.
10. Payne, Bob (October 23, 1965). "Idaho opens campaign for Big Sky crown". Spokesman-Review (Spokane, Washington). p. 11.
11. Johnson, Bob (November 27, 1972). "Even 110 rides too few". Spokane Daily Chronicle (Washington). p. 17.
12. "Idaho bid is rejected again". Spokane Daily Chronicle (Washington). Associated Press. July 17, 1973. p. 15.
13. "Idaho given PCAA bid". Spokesman-Review (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. June 8, 1973. p. 24.
14. "League accepts Vandals; Big Sky vote key factor". Spokane Daily Chronicle (Washington). Associated Press. June 8, 1973. p. 17.
15. Payne, Bob (July 22, 1973). "Robbins:'Gotta say something...'". Spokesman-Review (Spokane, Washington). p. 1-sports.
16. "Idaho board delays withdrawal action". Spokesman-Review (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. June 16, 1973. p. 16.
17. "State board approves Idaho becoming FBS independent". USAToday. 2012-08-17. Retrieved 20 October 2012.
18. Murphy, Brian (9 October 2012). "WAC adds Utah Valley, CSU Bakersfield; Will it be able to keep Idaho?". Idaho Statesman. Retrieved 20 October 2012.
19. "Idaho and New Mexico State to Join Sun Belt Conference As Football members in 2014" (Press release). Sun Belt Conference. March 27, 2013. Retrieved March 28, 2013.
20. "Sun Belt Football to be 10 Teams in 2018". Sun Belt Conference. Retrieved March 1, 2016.
21. "IDAHO MOVING FOOTBALL TO BIG SKY CONFERENCE". Big Sky Conference. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
22. "Idaho Conference Championships". College Football Data Warehouse. Retrieved 2010-12-23.
23. "FCS Championship History (Known as I-AA from 1978-2006)". The FCS College Football Weekly Preview. Retrieved 2010-12-23.
24. "John Friesz". College Football Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2010-12-23.
25. "Mark Schlereth Statistics". Pro-football-statistics.com. Retrieved 2010-12-23.
26. ESPN.com - NFL Draft 2010 - "Idaho's '58 Specials" - 2010-04-10
27. "Idaho Vandals Football Schedules and Future Schedules". fbschedules.com. Retrieved 2016-02-03.

External links

• Official website