Athletic History
Organized sports at Northern began with football in 1904 and men’s basketball in 1906. Northern’s athletic programs during the early years were run by coaches who were also faculty members and taught courses. In 1922, Charles B. “C.B.” Hedgcock was hired to coach all sports and teach classes and became Northern’s first athletic director in 1947. In 1952, Northern awarded the first athletically-related scholarships to football players known as Barracks Boys who were living in Vetville Baracks on campus.
Northern became a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) in 1956 and men’s basketball made it to the 1961 NAIA final four. In 1967, Northern became a member of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA). Women’s field hockey was added in 1968 as the first women’s varsity team sponsored by Northern, and the number of women’s teams expanded throughout the 1970s. Below are some of the most significant team accomplishments in the history of Northern Michigan athletics.
NCAA Championship Hockey Game, 1991
NCAA National Championship
1975 – Football (NCAA Division II)
1991 – Men’s Ice Hockey (NCAA Division I)
1993 – Women’s Volleyball (NCAA Division II)
1994 – Women’s Volleyball (NCAA Division II)
In addition, Northern finished the 2001 and 2007 NCAA Skiing Championships with the top Women’s Nordic Ski Team and finished the 2016 NCAA Skiing Championships with the top Men’s Nordic Ski Team. In 1969, the NMU intramural bowling club won the National Collegiate Bowling Championships.
NCAA National Runners-Up
1980 – Men’s Ice Hockey (NCAA Division I)
1992 – Women’s Swimming & Diving (NCAA Division II)
1992 – Women’s Volleyball (NCAA Division II)
1995 – Women’s Volleyball (NCAA Division II)
Today, Northern Michigan University sponsors 18 NCAA sports and competes in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC), the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) and the Central Collegiate Ski Association (CCSA).
Intercollegiate Sports Timeline
Men’s Football*
1904
Men’s Basketball*
1906
Men’s Track & Field
1926-1971, 1987-1992
Men’s Tennis
1934-1985
Men’s Golf*
1948-1972, 1992
Men’s Swimming and Diving*
1959-1980, 2015
Men’s Gymnastics
1966-1980
Men’s Wrestling
1966-1988
Men’s Alpine Skiing*
1967-1986, 2020
Men’s Nordic Skiing*
1967
Men’s Ski Jumping
1967-1980
Women’s Field Hockey
1968-1984
Women’s Basketball*
1970
Women’s Alpine Skiing*
1971-1980, 1995-2003, 2020
Women’s Nordic Skiing*
1971-1980, 1987
Women’s Volleyball*
1974
Men’s Hockey*
1976
Women’s Swimming and Diving*
1977
Women’s Gymnastics
1977-1988
Women’s Tennis
1978-1980, 1992-2002
Men’s Cross Country
1978-1996
Women’s Cross Country*
1982
Men’s Greco-Roman Wrestling*
1985
Women’s Track & Field*
1987-1992, 2003
Women’s Soccer*
1996
Women’s Golf*
2015
Women’s Lacrosse*
2016
Men’s Soccer*
2016
Women’s and Men’s eSports
2020-2023
Women’s Wrestling*
2021
*CURRENT SPORTS AS OF SEPTEMBER 2024
Winning Wildcat Quarterback Steve Mariucci goes on to coach the San Francisco 49ers and the Detroit Lions and is an NFL Network Analyst.
Athletic Directors
CHARLES B. “C.B.” HEDGCOCK
Athletic Director (1947-56)
Head of the Physical Education Department (1922-56)
Football Coach (1922-33, 1936-37)
Basketball Coach, Track and Field Coach
(1922-42, 1945-47)
CLOYD V. “RED” MONEY
Athletic Director (1956-57)
Head of the Department of Health, Physical Education and Recreation (1956-65)
Football Coach (1947-55)
Basketball Coach (1947-56)
FAUST L. “FROSTY” FERZACCA
Athletic Director (1957-66)
Football Coach (1957-65)
RICO N. ZENTI, PH.D.
Athletic Director (1966-69)
Head of the Department of Health, Physical Education and Recreation (1966-75)
KAREN KUNKEL
Women's Athletic Coordinator (1968-1973)
NMU Olympic Training Center Coordinator (1985)
ROLAND D. “ROLLIE” DOTSCH
Athletic Director (1969-71)
Football Coach (1966-70)
GILDO A. CANALE
Athletic Director (1971-85)
Athletic Trainer, Director of Intramurals, Golf Coach, Assistant Athletic Director and Instructor (1959-71, 1985-93)
BARB PATRICK
Women's Athletic Coordinator (1974-76)
Associate Athletic Director (1976-91)
Field Hockey Coach
JACK TAYLOR
Athletic Director (1985-87)
RICHARD B. “RICK” COMLEY
Director of Athletics (1987-2000)
Hockey Coach (1976-2002)
DANIEL J. “DAN” SPIELMANN, J.D.
Director of Athletics (2000-03)
KENNETH B. “KEN” GODFREY
Director of Athletics (2003-12)
Head of the Department of Recreational Services (1979-2000)
Special Assistant to the President (2000-12)
FORREST L. KARR, J.D.
Director of Athletics (2012-2022)
Head of the U.S. Olympic Education Center / National Training Site
Adjunct Professor for the College of Business
RICHARD B. “RICK” COMLEY
Director of Athletics
(1987-2000, 2022-current)
Hockey Coach (1976-2002)