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West Georgia Wolves football
American college football program From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The West Georgia Wolves football program represents the University of West Georgia (UWG) in college football. Previously an NCAA Division II team, they became a Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) program as a member of the United Athletic Conference (UAC), effective July 1, 2024.
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History
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The West Georgia football team, originally known as the Braves (which was the nickname until 2006), was founded in 1946, when the school, then known as West Georgia College, was a two-year institution.[2] They had their first practice on September 30, 1946, with 54 players reporting, and ended their first season with a record of 2–5–1.[2] Prior to the 1958 season, the school became a four-year institution, and the football team played one year with only freshmen and sophomores before being discontinued.[3][4] In total, from 1946 to 1958, West Georgia won only 13 games.[5]
On May 14, 1980, it was announced that West Georgia was reviving its football team, with intentions to play in 1981 as an NCAA Division III independent.[6] Bobby Pate was hired as head coach and the team had around 385 players try out, with 115 making the squad.[7] Despite them being in their first season in 23 years, West Georgia compiled a perfect 9–0 regular season record and reached the Division III playoffs, where they lost in the first round to the ultimate national champions Widener, by one score.[8][9] In their second season back, West Georgia compiled a perfect 12–0 record and won the national championship with a shutout win over Augustana (IL).[8][10]
The team moved up to the NCAA Division II level after two years in Division III, joining the Gulf South Conference (GSC), where they remained through 2023.[11][12] In their GSC tenure, the Braves / Wolves won four conference championships (1997, 1998, 2000, 2015), two NCAA regional championships (2014, 2015) and reached the Division II playoffs nine times.[13][14]
In 2023, it was announced that the team was moving to the NCAA Division I FCS level as a member of the United Athletic Conference (UAC), an alliance of the Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN) and Western Athletic Conference (WAC), effective July 1, 2024.[15]
Classifications
- 1946–1958: Community college
- 1959–1980: No team
- 1981–1982: NCAA Division III
- 1983–2023: NCAA Division II
- 2024–present: NCAA Division I FCS
Conference affiliations
- 1946–1958: Unknown
- 1959–1980: No team
- 1981–1982: NCAA Division III independent
- 1983–2023: Gulf South Conference
- 2024–present: United Athletic Conference
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Program achievements
| Gulf South Conference Champions | 1997, 1998, 2000, 2015 |
| NCAA Division II Team Playoff Participants | 1995, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2021 |
| NCAA Division II Regional Championships | 2014, 2015 |
| NCAA Division III Team Playoff Participants | 1981, 1982 |
| NCAA Division III Regional Championships | 1982 |
| NCAA Division III National Championships | 1982 |
Future non-conference opponents
Future non-conference opponents announced as of April 24, 2025.[16]
| 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 |
|---|---|---|---|
| at Samford | at Kennesaw State | at Cincinnati | at Troy |
| at Nicholls | at Arkansas State | ||
| East Tennessee State | at East Tennessee State |
References
External links
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