100th Year Of Cobber Football

MOORHEAD, Minn. (8/07/17)--- Concordia is excited to announce that the 2017 season will be the 100th campaign of Cobber football.

“I am honored to be a small part of the incredible football tradition at the college,” said head coach Terry Horan. “It’s amazing to think of all the great players and coaches who have put on the uniform to represent Concordia. It will be a special year for the entire program.”

Concordia coaches and players will report to preseason training on Saturday, Aug. 12 to kick off the 100th season of Cobber football.

Concordia started football in 1916 but did not field a team in 1918 or 1919 due to lack of interest. The Cobbers then continued the program in 1920 and have played in every year since then. Concordia has a 525-296-40 record in its first 99 seasons.

Concordia has captured the league crown 18 different times in the program’s history with the last conference championship coming in 2004. The Cobbers have appeared in the NCAA playoffs on six different occasions, most recently in back back-to-back seasons in 2004-05. The Cobbers have also claimed three NAIA National Championships (1964, 1978 and 1981) in the storied tradition of the program.

Concordia has only had nine coaches in the first 100 years of the program. A.M. Sattre was the head coach in the inaugural season in 1916 and lasted until the brief break in 1918. Rudolph Lavik, Fenwick Watkins, Frank Cleve, Louis Benson and Joseph Rognstad coached the team from 1920 until the arrival of legendary Hall of Fame coach Jake Christiansen in 1941. Cleve was the longest tenured of the five coaches before Christiansen as he led the Cobbers for 10 years from 1926-35.

Christiansen’s arrival marked the start of a 76-year period where Concordia would only have three coaches trod the sideline for the Cobbers. Christiansen was at Concordia for 28 years from 1941-68 and was followed by Hall of Fame coach Jim Christopherson who lasted 32 years from 1969-2000.

Current head coach Terry Horan is in his 17th year as head coach of the Cobbers. Horan joins Christiansen and Christopherson as the only coaches in Cobber football history to win 100 games.

The 100th year of Cobber football will be a season-long celebration with special events, recognition and giveaways at home games.