Central Arkansas Bears football


The Central Arkansas Bears football program is the intercollegiate American football team for University of Central Arkansas located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) as a member of the United Athletic Conference (football), which started play in 2023. For the 2021 season, UCA was a de facto associate member of the Western Athletic Conference, and in 2022 it played in its full-time home of the ASUN Conference. Central Arkansas's first football team was fielded in 1908. The team plays its home games at the 12,000-seat Estes Stadium in Conway, Arkansas. The Bears are coached by Nathan Brown, in his seventh year.
UCA left the Southland Conference, which had been its all-sports home since 2006 and its football home since 2007, for the ASUN Conference in July 2021. At the time, the ASUN did not sponsor football, but committed to launching an FCS football league in the near future. In the 2021 season, UCA competed in a football partnership between the ASUN and WAC officially branded as the "ASUN–WAC Challenge". The ASUN launched its own football league in 2022, but the ASUN and WAC renewed their football partnership for that season; the two leagues shared a single automatic berth in the FCS playoffs in both seasons. After the 2022 season, the ASUN and WAC jointly announced their football-only merger, which was officially rebranded as the United Athletic Conference in April 2023.
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History

The Central Arkansas Bears were formed in 1901 by William Hawkins. Although they finished 1–4–3 in their first season, and have an unusual record of 23–54–22 in its first 20 years of existence, the Bears would play for 7 championships in that span.
UCA would enjoy its greatest success over a 14-year period from 1979 to 1992, when the Bears won or shared 13 of the 14 conference championships, as members of the Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference. The AIC included in-state schools such as Arkansas Tech, Harding University, Henderson State University, Ouachita Baptist University, Southern Arkansas University, University of Arkansas at Monticello, and University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. During that time frame, UCA won or shared twelve consecutive AIC titles from 1981 to 1992, as well as three NAIA national championships, in 1984, 1985, and 1991. The Bears were consistently present in the NAIA Top 20, and made the playoffs 12 out of 14 seasons.
In 1993, the Bears left the AIC and the NAIA, and moved up in competition to NCAA Division II joining the Gulf South Conference. Central Arkansas would stay in the West Division of the GSC through the 2006 season, winning the GSC title in 2005. Central Arkansas would move up yet again in 2007, joining the Southland Conference and NCAA Division I-AA/FCS. The Bears would win four Southland championships in 2008, 2012, 2017 and 2019. Central Arkansas would make the playoffs in 2011, 2012, 2016, 2017 and 2019 winning their first FCS playoff game in 2011 over Tennessee Tech. The Bears also defeated Illinois State in 2016 before losing the next round at Eastern Washington.
In 2021, UCA accepted an invitation to join the ASUN Conference, ending their membership with the Southland on June 30, 2021. The first year of ASUN conference football was a partnership between the ASUN and the revived football league of the Western Athletic Conference, called the ASUN–WAC Challenge. After the ASUN's first year, more new members joined, and a full slate of ASUN-only conference games was scheduled in 2022, although further conference realignment led to the ASUN and WAC renewing their alliance for that season. The alliance received an NCAA waiver that gave it an automatic berth in the FCS playoffs. The two conferences fully merged their football leagues after the 2022 season and became the United Athletic Conference, beginning in 2023.

Notable former players

Notable alumni include:

Championships

National championships

Central Arkansas has won 3 national championships, all on the NAIA level.
1984Harold HortonNAIA Playoffs10–2–1Won NAIA Championship
1985Harold HortonNAIA Playoffs10–2–1Won NAIA Championship
1991Mike IsomNAIA Playoffs9–2–2Won NAIA Championship

Conference championships

Central Arkansas has won 28 conference championships in the programs history.
1936Warren B. WoodsonArkansas Intercollegiate Conference8–06–0
1937Warren B. WoodsonArkansas Intercollegiate Conference8–14–0
1938Warren B. WoodsonArkansas Intercollegiate Conference7–14–0
1940Warren B. WoodsonArkansas Intercollegiate Conference8–1–13–0
1959†Frank KoonArkansas Intercollegiate Conference8–0–15–0–1
1962Frank KoonArkansas Intercollegiate Conference8–27–0
1965†Raymond BrightArkansas Intercollegiate Conference7–1–15–1–1
1966†Raymond BrightArkansas Intercollegiate Conference5–44–2
1976†Ken StephensArkansas Intercollegiate Conference9–35–1
1978Ken StephensArkansas Intercollegiate Conference9–26–0
1980Ken StephensArkansas Intercollegiate Conference9–16–0
1981Ken StephensArkansas Intercollegiate Conference8–36–0
1983Harold HortonArkansas Intercollegiate Conference11–16–0
1984Harold HortonArkansas Intercollegiate Conference10–2–16–0
1985†Harold HortonArkansas Intercollegiate Conference10–2–16–1
1986Harold HortonArkansas Intercollegiate Conference9–27–0
1987Harold HortonArkansas Intercollegiate Conference11–16–0
1988Harold HortonArkansas Intercollegiate Conference10–16–0
1989†Harold HortonArkansas Intercollegiate Conference9–15–1
1990Mike IsomArkansas Intercollegiate Conference8–46–0
1991Mike IsomArkansas Intercollegiate Conference9–2–25–0–1
1992Mike IsomArkansas Intercollegiate Conference9–2–16–0
2005Clint ConqueGulf South Conference11–38–1
2008Clint ConqueSouthland Conference10–26–1
2012†Clint ConqueSouthland Conference9–36–1
2017Steve CampbellSouthland Conference10–29–0
2019†Nathan BrownSouthland Conference9–47–2
2022†Nathan BrownASUN Conference5–63–2
-Nathan Brown---

† Co-champions

Playoff appearances

NCAA Division I-AA/FCS

The Bears have appeared in the FCS playoffs five times with an overall record of 2–5.
2011First Round
Second Round		Tennessee Tech
Montana		W 34–14
L 14–41
2012Second RoundGeorgia SouthernL 16–24
2016First Round
Second Round		Illinois State
Eastern Washington		W 31–24
L 14–31
2017Second RoundNew HampshireL 15–21
2019Second RoundIllinois StateL 14–24

NCAA Division II

The Bears have appeared in the Division II playoffs two times with an overall record of 2–2.
2001First RoundCatawbaL 34–35
2005First Round
Second Round
Quarterfinals		Albany State
Presbyterian
North Alabama		W 28–20
W 52–28
L 38–41

NAIA

The Bears have appeared in the NAIA playoffs 13 times with an overall record of 12–10–2. They are three time NAIA National Champions, with 1984 and 1985 being Co–Champions after ending in a tie in the National Championship Game.
1976Semifinals
National Championship Game		Elon
Texas A&M-Kingsville		W 10–7
L 0–26
1978QuarterfinalsWestern StateL 17–22
1980QuarterfinalsTexas A&M-CommerceL 21–27
1981QuarterfinalsCameronL 27–48
1983Quarterfinals
Semifinals		Northeastern State
Mesa State		W 18–7
L 17–34
1984Quarterfinals
Semifinals
National Championship Game		Moorhead State
Central Washington
Carson-Newman		W 30–6
W 44–6
T 19–19
1985Quarterfinals
Semifinals
National Championship Game		Pittsburg State
Henderson State
Hilldale		W 32–22
W 21–9
T 10–10
1986QuarterfinalsCameronL 34–35 4OT
1987First Round
Quarterfinals		Northwestern Oklahoma State
Cameron		W 31–7
L 7–14
1988First RoundSoutheastern Oklahoma StateL 14–21
1990Quarterfinals
Semifinals		Northeastern State
Mesa State		W 26–14
L 9–10
1991Quarterfinals
Semifinals
National Championship Game		Northeastern State
Moorhead State
Central State 		W 30–14
W 38–18
W 19–16
1992Quarterfinals
Semifinals		Southwestern Oklahoma State
Central State 		W 14–2
L 23–30

Rivalries

McNeese

The Bears and Cowboys have met 13 times on the football field with UCA leading the series, 7–6. Due to conference scheduling requirements, the most recent game was played in 2019.
Games playedFirst meetingLast meetingCentral Arkansas winsCentral Arkansas lossesWin %
13September 17, 1994 October 12, 2019 76

Arkansas Tech

The Bears also had a long time rivalry with the Arkansas Tech University Wonder Boys located in Russellville, Arkansas, only 45 miles west of Conway along Interstate 40. But that series was discontinued after UCA left the Division II Gulf South Conference, and moved up in competition to the Southland Conference.

Future non-conference opponents

Announced schedules as of January 12, 2026.
at UT MartinUT MartinUT Martinat UT Martinat Idaho State
Central Oklahomaat Arkansas Stateat Northwestern State
North Dakota StateSoutheast Missouri State
at Southeast Missouri StateNorthwestern State
at Florida State-
Lindenwood