Incarnate Word Cardinals football
The Incarnate Word Cardinals football program is the intercollegiate American football team for the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) located in San Antonio, Texas. The program began in 2009 and originally competed in NCAA Division II as members of the Lone Star Conference. In 2013, the school moved to Division I. For the 2013 season, UIW competed as a member of the Southland Conference for all sports except football. Football competed with an 11-game schedule as an Independent. UIW began playing Southland football in the 2014 season. The team plays its home games at the 6,000 seat Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium.
Incarnate Word Cardinals football | |||
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First season | 2009 | ||
Athletic director | Richard Duran | ||
Head coach | Eric Morris 3rd season, 11–12 (.478) | ||
Stadium | Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium (Capacity: 6,000) | ||
Year built | 2008 | ||
Field surface | FieldTurf Classic HD | ||
Location | San Antonio, Texas | ||
NCAA division | Division I FCS | ||
Conference | Southland Conference | ||
Past conferences | Lone Star Conference | ||
All-time record | 41–79 (.342) | ||
Playoff record | 0–1 | ||
Conference titles | 1 (2018) | ||
Rivalries | Abilene Christian | ||
Colors | Red, White, and Black[1] | ||
Mascot | Red Cardinal | ||
Marching band | Marching Cardinals | ||
Outfitter | Adidas | ||
Website | UIWCardinals.com |
History
UIW held its first team practice on August 27, 2008, and began competing as an NCAA Division II independent on August 29, 2009.
Conference Affiliations
- 2009: Division II Independent
- 2010–2012: Lone Star Conference
- 2013: FCS Independent
- 2014–present: Southland Conference
Coaches
Name | Seasons | Record | Pct. |
Mike Santiago | 2009–2011 | 10–18 | .357 |
Todd Ivicic | 2011* | 0–3 | .000 |
Larry Kennan | 2012–2017 | 20–46 | .303 |
Eric Morris | 2018–present | 11–12 | .478 |
*Ivicic served as interim head coach for the final three games of 2011, completing Santiago's third season as coach
Conference Championships
Year | Conference | Coach | Overall Record | Conference Record |
---|---|---|---|---|
2018 | Southland Conference | Eric Morris | 6–5 | 6–2 |
Total Conference Championships | 1 |
FCS Playoffs results
The Cardinals qualified for the FCS Playoffs for the first time in 2018.
Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2018 | First Round | Montana State | L 14–35 |
Year-by-year results
Year | Subdivision | Conference | Division | Overall | Conference | Coach | |||||||
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GP | Win | Loss | Pct. | GP | Win | Loss | Pct. | Standing | |||||
2009 | II | Independent | N/A | 10 | 5 | 5 | .500 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | N/A | Mike Santiago |
2010 | II | Lone Star | South | 11 | 3 | 8 | .273 | 10 | 3 | 7 | .300 | 12th | Mike Santiago |
2011 | II | Lone Star | N/A | 10 | 2 | 8 | .200 | 7 | 2 | 5 | .286 | 6th | Mike Santiago |
2012 | II | Lone Star | N/A | 11 | 2 | 9 | .182 | 8 | 1 | 7 | .125 | 9th | Larry Kennan |
2013 | FCS | Independent | N/A | 11 | 6 | 5 | .545 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | N/A | Larry Kennan |
2014 | FCS | Southland | N/A | 11 | 2 | 9 | .182 | 8 | 2 | 6 | .250 | 9th | Larry Kennan |
2015 | FCS | Southland | N/A | 11 | 6 | 5 | .545 | 9 | 5 | 4 | .556 | 4th | Larry Kennan |
2016 | FCS | Southland | N/A | 11 | 3 | 8 | .273 | 9 | 3 | 6 | .333 | 8th | Larry Kennan |
2017 | FCS | Southland | N/A | 11 | 1 | 10 | .091 | 8 | 1 | 7 | .125 | 9th | Larry Kennan |
2018 | FCS | Southland | N/A | 11 | 6 | 5 | .545 | 8 | 6 | 2 | .750 | T–1st | Eric Morris |
2019 | FCS | Southland | N/A | 12 | 5 | 7 | .417 | 9 | 4 | 5 | .444 | T–6th | Eric Morris |
2020 | FCS | Southland | N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | Eric Morris | |
Totals | 120 | 41 | 79 | .342 | 75 | 27 | 48 | .360 |
Stadium
UIW home football games are played on campus at Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium. Benson Stadium was dedicated on September 1, 2008 and currently seats 6,000 people. It is named after Tom Benson and his wife Gayle, whose generous monetary donations helped start up the UIW football program. Record stadium attendance of 6,498 was recorded in a game against Houston Baptist on November 17, 2016.[3] UIW currently has an overall home record at the stadium of 27–32.
All-time record vs. Southland teams
Official record (including any NCAA imposed vacates and forfeits) against all current Southland opponents:
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Record against FBS competition
Overall (0–7)
Season | Opponent | Division | Result | Score | Record |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2015 | UTEP | C-USA | L | 17–27 | 0–1 |
2016 | Texas State | Sun Belt | L | 17–48 | 0–2 |
2017 | Fresno State | Mountain West | L | 0–66 | 0–3 |
2018 | New Mexico | Mountain West | L | 30–62 | 0–4 |
2018 | North Texas | C-USA | L | 16–58 | 0–5 |
2019 | UTSA | C-USA | L | 7–35 | 0–6 |
2019 | New Mexico State | FBS Independent | L | 28–41 | 0–7 |
2021 | Texas State | Sun Belt | TBD | TBD | TBD |
2022 | Nevada | Mountain West | TBD | TBD | TBD |
2023 | UTEP | C-USA | TBD | TBD | TBD |
Total | 0–7 |
Individual Awards
The following Cardinals were named to the Associated Press FCS All-American team.
Players in the NFL
Player Name | Position | Years at UIW | Years in NFL | NFL Team |
---|---|---|---|---|
Justin Alexandre | DE | 2017–2018 | 2019 | Jets |
Alex Jenkins | DE | 2013–2016 | 2017–2019 | Saints, Giants |
Silas Stewart | LB | 2017–2018 | 2019 | Ravens |
Myke Tavarres | LB | 2014–2015 | 2016 | Eagles |
Cole Wick | TE | 2012–2015 | 2016–present | Lions, 49ers, Titans, Raiders, Saints |
National Football League (NFL) |
Players in the CFL
Player Name | Position | Years at UIW | Years in CFL | CFL Team |
---|---|---|---|---|
Jamari Gilbert | DB | 2013–2017 | 2019–present | Calgary Stampeders |
Canadian Football League (CFL) |
Future non-conference opponents
2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 |
at Youngstown State | Southern Illinois | at UTEP | Northern Colorado | at Samford | Samford | Northern Arizona |
Prairie View A&M | at Nevada | at Northern Colorado | at Southern Illinois | Southern Utah | at Northern Arizona | at Southern Utah |
at Texas State | at Prairie View A&M | Robert Morris | Northern Arizona | at Northern Arizona |
References
- 2019 UIW Athletics Style Guide (PDF). April 8, 2019. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
- "Incarnate Word Cardinals Football Statistics". University of the Incarnate Word. 2016. Retrieved October 11, 2017.
- http://uiwcardinals.com/boxscore.aspx?id=3174&path=football
- "UIW Football's Zema Selected to AP All-America First Team". uiwcardinals.com. University of the Incarnate Word. Retrieved 2017-12-13.
- "Momentous Day for UIW Football". UIW Athletics. April 30, 2016. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
- "Jenkins Promoted from UIW Cardinal to New Orleans Saint". UIW Athletics. May 25, 2017. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
- https://www.cfl.ca/players/jamari-gilbert/164711/
- "Football announces non-conference opponents through 2027". UIW Athletics. February 6, 2020. Retrieved February 6, 2020.