Wisconsin–River Falls Falcons football


The Wisconsin–River Falls Falcons football program is the intercollegiate American football team for the University of Wisconsin–River Falls located in River Falls, Wisconsin. The team competes at the NCAA Division III level and is a member of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The school first fielded a football team in 1895. The Falcons wear red, white, and black. Ramer Field, where the Falcons play their home games, was the host of the Kansas City Chiefs' training camp from 1992 to 2008.
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History

Mike Farley (1970–1988)

The Falcons were most successful under coach Mike Farley, as he led the Falcons to a 117–71–3 record, with eight conference championships. In 1979 Farley coached the falcons to the NAIA National playoffs, the first time a Falcon football team had ever competed at the national level. Farley was named the WIAC Coach of the Year after the 1986 season. In 1979 and 1986 he was named the American Football Coaches Association Region 6 Coach of the Year, and the NAIA District 14 Coach of the Year in 1975, 1979 and 1985. He coached 91 players to All-WIAC honors, with three Falcons earning WIAC Player of the Year. Farley was inducted into the UWRF Athletic Hall of Fame in 1989, the Wisconsin Football Coaches Hall of Fame in 1994, and the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Hall of Fame on August 4, 2012.

John O'Grady (1989–2010)

John O'Grady is the longest tenured UWRF coach with 22 seasons. He was a linebacker for the Falcons from 1972 to 1975. He previously coached at Kent State University, the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and Miami University. O'Grady won the conference championship in 1998 and advanced to the NCAA Playoffs twice. He had a career record of 105–112–3. O'Grady was named the 1995 WIAC Coach of the Year and was inducted into the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame on April 5,in 2008.
In 2009 the Falcons finished the season at 3–7. In 2010, the Falcons finished the season at 1–9.

Matt Walker (2011–present)

Matt Walker was previously the head football coach at DePauw University where he compiled a 22–8 overall record. His teams finished 13–7 in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference and placed second in the final conference standings in 2007 and 2008. From 2000 to 05 Walker was an assistant coach with DePauw and coached running backs and wide receivers. In 2010, he was an assistant coach at Butler University. Walker was a two-sport athlete at DePauw. In 2011, the Falcons finished the season at 1–9. In 2012, they finished the season 2–8 and finished in sixth place.

Head coaching history

Wisconsin–River Falls has had at least 21 head coaches in their history. The head coaches for the seasons 1895–1898, 1900–1901, and 1910 are unknown. No teams were fielded for the 1902–1908 seasons. Additionally no team was fielded in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Warren P. Knowles11899521N/AN/A
Jesse H. Ames11909120N/AN/A
E.W. Castle119116110N/A
Bert Swenson91912–1920381682N/A
Herman Hayward21921, 19236610N/A
Anderson119223310N/A
Otto Eggebrecht21924–192512112N/A
Ted Cox21926–192711111N/A
B.L. Stanley & Marshal Diebold119286110N/A
Carl Klandrud41929–193217820N/A
Osborne Cowles31933–193513621N/A
Emmett Lowery61936–1941231641N/A
Gerald Manion31942–19448600N/A
George Schlaugenhauf71945–1951252271N/A
Phil Belfiori51952–195629910N/A
Fran Polsfoot51957–1961212031N/A
Gwynn Christensen81962–19692838700
Mike Farley191970–198811771381
John O'Grady221989–2010105112312
Matt Walker142011–present6780011

Championships

Conference championships

The Falcons won the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship 19 times.
1915Bert Swenson6–1–15–0
1916Bert Swenson6–1–15–0
1924Otto Eggebrecht7–04–0
1925Otto Eggebrecht5–1–14–0
1926Ted Cox6–04–0
1933†Osborne Cowles4–1–12–1–1
1938†Emmett Lowery6–14–0
1947†George Schlaugenhauf7–14–0
1958Fran Polsfoot7–26–1
1975†Mike Farley8–27–1
1976†Mike Farley7–36–2
1979Mike Farley9–27–1
1980†Mike Farley8–26–2
1984†Mike Farley8–27–1
1985Mike Farley8–1–16–1–1
1986†Mike Farley8–27–1
1987†Mike Farley7–36–2
1998†John O'Grady7–35–2
2025Matt Walker14–16–1

† Co-champions

National championship

Wisconsin–River Falls won the 2025 NCAA Division III football championship, defeating North Central (IL) 24–14 in the Stagg Bowl.
2025Matt WalkerNCAA Division IIINorth Central (IL)W 24–1414–1

Postseason games

NCAA Division III playoffs

The Falcons have made three appearances in the NCAA Division III playoffs, with a combined record of 6–2.
1995RegionalsCentral (IA)W 10–79–3
1995QuarterfinalsWisconsin–La CrosseL 14–289–3
1996RegionalsWisconsin–La CrosseL 0–449–2
2025Second RoundChapmanW 58–714–1
2025Third RoundSaint John's (MN)W 42–1414–1
2025QuarterfinalsWheaton (IL)W 46–2114–1
2025SemifinalsJohns HopkinsW 48–4114–1
2025ChampionshipNorth Central (IL)W 24–1414–1

NAIA Division I playoffs

The Falcons have made one appearance in the NAIA Division I playoffs, with a combined record of 0–1.
1979QuarterfinalsAngelo State (TX)L 7–319–2

Bowl games

The Falcons have a 2–0 bowl record after participating in the Culver's Isthmus Bowl in 2021 and 2022.
2021Isthmus BowlMatt WalkerWashington UniversityW 48–279–2
2022Isthmus BowlMatt WalkerWashington UniversityW 31–247–4

Ranked teams

Starting in 1999 the American Football Coaches Association began publishing rankings for Division III football. In 2003, D3football.com started publishing its own rankings for Division III football. Since the inception of both polls, Wisconsin–River Falls has been ranked two times in the AFCA Coaches Poll and three times in the D3football.com poll to end the season. Additionally, while not being ranked in the Top 25 to end the season, the Falcons have received votes three times in the AFCA Coaches Poll and two times in the D3football.com poll.
202120229–2
2022RVRV7–4
202324RV7–3
2024RVRV7–3
20251114–1

Border Battle

From 1984 to 2000 the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, home to the Minnesota Vikings and Minnesota Golden Gophers, hosted games in November between WIAC teams and Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference teams at the NCAA Division II level in what came to be known as the "Border Battle". The Falcons played at the Metrodome seven times, and had a 5–2 record.
November 18, 1984Southwest Minnesota StateL 24–35
November 12, 1994Northern StateW 48–14
November 17, 1996Minnesota State–MoorheadW 28–21
November 16, 1997Northern StateW 31–7
November 14, 1998Bemidji StateW 45–14
November 13, 1999Winona StateW 29–20
November 10, 2000Bemidji StateL 20–23

Facilities

From 1991 to 2009 UWRF was host to the Kansas City Chiefs organization. In 2006 the Chiefs won the UWRF outstanding service award for their ties to the community and dedication and respect to the university. As many as five other National Football League teams used campuses across Wisconsin and Minnesota for training camp, in what was known as the Cheese League.

Notable former players