The 2025 Big Sky Conference preseason football coaches’ and media Polls were released Thursday, with Northern Colorado placing 12th on both lists heading into the 2025 football season.
The pools were released in advance of the 2025 Big Sky Kickoff Weekend, sponsored by the Northern Quest Resort & Casino and the Kalispel Tribe of Indians, that started Friday and concludes Monday with media interviews for coaches and players from the 12 schools in Spokane, Wash. READ MORE
Coach Ed Lamb starts his third season with Northern Colorado, and the Bears have won only once in 23 games under his leadership (0-11 in 2023 and 1-11 in 2024). He inherited a program from Ed McCaffrey that had won only six times in 22 games during his short-lived tenure in Greeley.
In addition to Lamb, UNC will be represented by offensive lineman Jack Ziebell and defensive back Cam Chapa at the 2025 Big Sky Football Kickoff Weekend.
Since reclassifying to the Football Championship Subdivision in 2004, Northern Colorado has had only two winning seasons (6-5 in both 2015 and 2016) in 20 seasons with an overall record of 50-173. Prior to joining the FCS, the Bears won NCAA Division II titles in 1996 and 1997.
During a 30-season period with Colorado Sports Hall of Fame coaches Bob Blasi and Joe Glenn at the helm of the Bear football fortunes, UNC posted a 205-106-3 record with 24 winning seasons.
With more than four hours of live coverage on ESPN+ and Scripps Sports, starting at 10 a.m. on Monday, the broadcast will be co-hosted by the Big Sky’s Meghan Robinson and Scripps Sports’ Kyle Hansen, and will include interviews with head coaches and student-athletes from all 12 Big Sky programs, as well as Commissioner Tom Wistrcill, who was the commissioner of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference from 1997 through 2001.
The 2025 Big Sky Hall of Fame Gala is also be part of the Kickoff Weekend, with festivities beginning at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday from the Northern Quest Resort & Casino. The ceremony will highlight all 10 inductees from the 2025 class, with special appearances from multiple honorees. The gala will be aired on ESPN’s Plus and Channel 3 in Denver.
