Central Oklahoma Bronchos football

Early history (1902–1911)

UCO made its football debut in 1902, five years before Oklahoma statehood, during which the Bronchos were shutout in their only game of the season. In the match, the Oklahoma State Cowboys (formerly, Oklahoma A&M Aggies) defeated coach-less Central by a score of 40–0. The Bronchos did not field a team in 1903, but they resumed play the following year in 1904 after securing their first head coach, Lt. Boyd Hill. Hill stepped down after posting a 2–3 record his first season, and he later went on to coach at Oklahoma State during the 1906 season. In 1905, Coach Fenis Bently took the reigns of the young football program and compiled a record of 18–33–4 over the span of seven seasons, with over a third of those losses coming against Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.

Wantland era (1912–1930)

After ten years of inconsistent play, the Bronchos landed a coach whose name now adorns their stadium in Edmond. Charles W. Wantland took over as the Bronchos head coach in 1912 and guided Central to 106 victories, six conference championships, and UCO's first undefeated season in 1915, during his 18 years at the helm. UCO's first conference championship came in 1914, when the Bronchos posted a 7–1–1 record. The third conference championship came in 1923, the Bronchos were impressive that season, beating its opponents by a combined score of 184–25, including a 14–6 victory over the Oklahoma A&M Cowboys in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The Bronchos continued their success by winning their fifth conference championship the following season in which Central defeated the likes of Oklahoma, Baylor (then Southwest Conference Champions), and Tulsa, all on the road. Interestingly, 1924 was the year that witnessed UCO's sole victory over the Oklahoma Sooners. This fact is notable because the coaches for both schools, Charles W. Wantland (UCO) and Bennie Owen (OU), were later immortalized for their accomplishments in a nearly identical fashion: UCO named its stadium after Wantland, and OU named its playing field after Owen. In addition to the stadium, UCO memorialized Coach Wantland by naming the physical education building in his honor. Wantland guided UCO to one more conference championship in 1929 and finished the following year with a final record of 106–43–15 (.692).

Reeds era (1931–1940)

Claude Reeds took over the UCO program in 1931 and picked up right where his predecessor left off by winning eight conference championships in his ten years in charge. In 1940, Reeds ended his tenure at UCO with an impressive record of 57–28–8 (.656).

Hamilton era (1941–1957)

After Reeds' departure, UCO hired Dale E. Hamilton to lead the Bronchos to victory. Hamilton did not disappoint, posting a 73–25–3 (.738) and winning eight conference championships in his 12-year post. After coaching, Hamilton served as UCO's athletic director. The university's Hamilton Field House is named in his honor.

Blevins era (1958–1963)

Following Hamilton's tough act, Coach Al Blevins managed to take UCO to new heights by winning the programs first national championship in 1962. The season prior to their national crown, the Bronchos finished 9–1–0 and won its 20th conference championship. In 1962, UCO went a perfect 11–0–0 on the season and defeated Lenoir–Rhyne (NC) 28–13 in the Camellia Bowl to take its first of two national championships.

Howard era (1977–2002)

In 1977, Gary Howard succeeded Phil Ball as the head coach. He oversaw the program's transition from a brief period in NCAA Division II back to NAIA competition, as an independent. During the first two seasons Howard's Bronchos went 12–8–1. In 1979, he led the Bronchos to the program's third NAIA playoff appearance and an 11–2 record. The Bronchos lost the NAIA National Championship Game to Texas A&I 20–14. Three years later he returned to the playoffs this time winning the NAIA National Championship over Mesa State (now Colorado Mesa) 14–11. Howard also won the NAIA Coach of the Year award. The next season the Bronchos returned to the playoffs but lost to Saginaw Valley State in the first round. In 1985 the Bronchos lost in the first round to Henderson State in the institution's final NAIA playoff appearance.

In 1988 the Bronchos re-joined the NCAA where the joined the Lone Star Conference. The Bronchos struggled for several seasons including a 0–10–1 record in 1989. In 1996 the renamed Central Oklahoma Bronchos posted a 9–3 record, finished second in the Lone Star Conference, and made the program's first appearance in the NCAA Division II playoffs. The first game against Chadron State ended in a Broncho victory. The Bronchos lost in the second round against UC Davis. The next season the Lone Star Conference underwent conference expansion, adding schools from Arkansas and Oklahoma, and split into two divisions. The first year of the new format the Bronchos captured the North Division title, and Howard won the North Division coach of the year award. In 1998 the Bronchos finished the regular season undefeated, and won their first Lone Star Conference Championship. However, in the NCAA playoffs the UCO lost in the second round to conference foe Texas A&M–Kingsville. In 2000 TAMU–K forfeited their entire 1998 season following NCAA infractions. In 1999 the Bronchos also won the Conference title. The final three years experienced a decline of a 5–5, 3–8, and 5–6 records. Howard was fired after the 2002 season. He finished with an overall record of 161–106–6.

Bobeck era (2012–present)

With the Bronchos off probation from the NCAA, former UCO-fullback Nick Bobeck, took over as head coach in 2012. The 2012 campaign began with three straight losses before an upset win over top-ten ranked Washburn. The Bronchos finished with a 2–8 record. The following season the Bronchos began 0–7 before winning two straight. However they lost to Northeastern State in the President's Cup game to finish with their second straight 2–8 record. In the first game of the 2014 season, the Bronchos won their 600th game. At the time this placed UCO as the fourth highest win total in Division II history. During that season the Bronchos were as high as 22nd in the D2football.com rankings before finishing third in the MIAA with an 8–3 record and a Mineral Water Bowl appearance. In 2015 the Bronchos, began slowly with an 0–4 record, but won seven out of their final eight games to finish with a 7–5 record and a victory over in-state rival Southwestern Oklahoma State in the Live United Texarkana Bowl. In 2016 UCO finished with a 3–8 record.

Coaching history

The team has had 13 head coaches since organized football began in 1902. The Bronchos have played in more than 1,000 games in its 110 seasons. In those seasons, three coaches have led the Bronchos to postseason playoff appearances: Al Blevins, Gary Howard and, Chuck Langston. Bobeck has led the Bronchos to the Mineral Water Bowl. Seven coaches have won conference championships with the Bronchos: Charles W. Wantland, Claude Reeds, Dale E. Hamilton, Gene Smith, Blevins, Phil Ball, and Howard. Blevins, and Howard have also won national championships with the Bronchos. Howard is the all-time leader in games coached and years coached, while Blevins is the all-time leader in wins and winning percentage. Tracy Holland is by December 2014, in terms of winning percentage, the least successful coach the Bronchos have had as head coach.

Of the 13 Bronchos coaches, Reeds has been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, albeit from his time as a player for the Oklahoma Sooners. The current coach is Nick Bobeck, who was hired in December 2011.

Conferences

From its inaugural season in 1902 until 1913, Central Oklahoma played as an independent program. In 1914, it joined the Oklahoma Intercollegiate Conference (later renamed the Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference) in which the school won 22 conference championships before leaving to play as an NAIA independent in 1976. In 1988, it transferred to the Lone Star Conference in which it won two conference championships. Central Oklahoma later joined the MIAA in 2012, after playing as an independent for one season.

Championships

Conference championship seasons

Divisional championships

The Lone Star Conference was split into two divisions from the 1997 to the 2010 season with Central Oklahoma competing in the LSC North. Central Oklahoma has won or shared 5 divisional titles. Their last division title was in the 2008 season. The conference and division championships were separate rankings.

Stadium

The Bronchos have played their home football games at Wantland Stadium, located on the north side of the UCO campus, since 1965. The current capacity is 10,000. As of the end of the 2016 season, their current record at home stands at 168–97–5, a 62.9 winning percentage.

Northeastern State

Central Oklahoma and Northeastern State first played each other in 1912 and have since played in 77 contests with Central Oklahoma holding a 48–27–2 advantage. The two teams have combined for four NAIA national championships, and have played in two NCAA Division II conferences since 1997. Beginning in 1998 the two programs have competed for the President's Cup. Central Oklahoma currently leads 10–9 in the trophy series.

All-time record vs. current MIAA teams

Official record (including any NCAA imposed vacates and forfeits) against all current MIAA opponents as of the end of the 2015 season:

Postseason history

Central Oklahoma football teams have been invited to participate in 6 NAIA playoffs 4 NCAA Division II playoffs and 2 bowl games and have garnered a record of 11–9. Most recently, Central Oklahoma defeated the Southwestern Oklahoma State Bulldogs in the Live United Texarkana Bowl, 38–21, on December 5, 2015. Central Oklahoma's most recent playoff appearance was a 2003 Second round game against Texas A&M–Kingsville on November 29, 2003. They lost by a score of 49–6.

Future conference opponent schedule

Since 2014, the MIAA plays an eleven game interlocking schedule with each team alternating annually between hosting and visiting their opponents.