List of Idaho Vandals football seasons

This is a list of seasons completed by the Idaho Vandals football team. The Vandals compete in the Big Sky Conference in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).[1] Representing the University of Idaho in Moscow, Idaho, the Vandals play home games on campus at the 16,000-seat Kibbie Dome; it opened as an outdoor venue in 1971 and was enclosed in 1975.

The east exterior of the Kibbie Dome in 2008;
Idaho's home since 1971, it was enclosed in 1975

Idaho began playing football 130 years ago in 1894 as an independent, and was a member of the Pacific Coast Conference from 1922 through 1958; the PCC disbanded the following spring. After playing for six years as a University Division independent, the Vandals joined the Big Sky for football in 1965, where they remained for over thirty years. The Big Sky moved up to the new Division I-AA in 1978; Idaho moved down and often made the I-AA postseason playoffs for over a decade.

In 1996, Idaho moved back to Division I-A as a member of the Big West Conference, and went to the Sun Belt Conference (football only) when the Big West stopped sponsoring football after 2000. After four seasons in the Sun Belt, Idaho joined the Western Athletic Conference in 2005, only to return to the Sun Belt nine years later when the WAC dropped football. The Sun Belt dropped Idaho as a football member after 2017, and rather than attempt to exist as an isolated FBS independent, as they had in 2013, Vandal football became the first FBS program to voluntarily drop to FCS in 2018 and returned to the Big Sky, where Idaho's other teams had rejoined in 2014.[1]

The Vandals are led by head coach Jason Eck, who was hired after the 2021 season in December.[2][3][4]

Seasons

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Legend

  †National champions
  Conference champions
  Division champions
   ^Bowl game berth / playoff result

List of Idaho Vandals football seasons[5]
Season Team Head coach Conference Division Regular season results Postseason results Final ranking[6]
Overall Conference Bowl game/Playoff result NCAA/TSN Poll[a] AP/Coaches' Poll
Win Loss Tie Win Loss Tie Finish
Idaho Vandals
1894 1894 G. E. Higgins Independent 0 2 0
1895 1895 0 1 0
1896 1896 No team
1897 1897 0 1 0
1898 1898 No games were played
1899 1899 Morse 0 4 0
1900 1900 Fred Herbold 1 0 0
1901 1901 3 2 1
1902 1902 John G. Griffith 1 3 1
1903 1903 3 1 0
1904 1904 2 1 0
1905 1905 5 0 0
1906 1906 2 4 0
1907 1907 John R. Middleton 4 1 1
1908 1908 2 2 2
1909 1909 John S. Grogan 3 4 0
1910 1910 John G. Griffith 4 2 0
1911 1911 4 3 0
1912 1912 2 2 0
1913 1913 2 3 1
1914 1914 2 3 1
1915 1915 Charles Rademacher 1 4 1
1916 1916 Wilfred Bleamaster 3 5 0
1917 1917 2 3 0
1918[b]   Season canceled due to World War I
1919 1919 Ralph Hutchinson 2 3 0
1920 1920 Thomas Kelley 4 2 0
1921 1921 4 3 1
1922 1922 Matty Mathews Pacific Coast 3 5 0 0 4 0 8th
1923 1923 5 2 1 2 2 1 3rd
1924 1924 5 2 1 4 2 0 4th
1925 1925 3 5 0 2 3 0 6th
1926 1926 Charles Erb 3 4 1 1 4 0 T-6th
1927 1927 4 2 2 2 0 2 T-1st
1928 1928 3 4 1 2 3 0 T-6th
1929 1929 Leo Calland 4 5 0 1 4 0 T-7th
1930 1930 4 7 0 0 5 0 10th
1931 1931 3 4 0 1 4 0 8th
1932 1932 3 5 0 1 4 0 T-8th
1933 1933 4 4 0 1 4 0 9th
1934 1934 3 5 0 1 4 0 8th
1935 1935 Ted Bank 2 7 0 1 5 0 9th
1936 1936 3 7 0 0 4 0 10th
1937 1937 4 2 2 2 2 0 5th
1938 1938 6 3 1 2 3 1 7th
1939 1939 2 6 0 0 3 0 10th
1940 1940 1 7 1 0 4 0 10th
1941 1941 Francis Schmidt 4 5 0 0 4 0 10th
1942 1942 3 7 0 1 5 0 9th
1943   Seasons canceled due to World War II
1944   No coach
1945 1945 Babe Brown 1 7 0 1 5 0 8th
1946 1946 1 8 0 0 5 0 10th
1947 1947 Dixie Howell 4 4 0 1 4 0 9th
1948 1948 3 6 0 1 5 0 9th
1949 1949 3 5 0 1 4 0 9th
1950 1950 3 5 1 1 1 1 5th
1951 1951 Babe Curfman 2 7 0 0 3 0 9th
1952 1952 4 4 1 1 3 0 8th
1953 1953 1 8 0 0 3 0 9th
1954 1954 Skip Stahley 4 5 0 1 2 0 7th
1955 1955 2 7 0 0 4 0 9th
1956 1956 4 5 0 0 4 0 9th
1957 1957 4 4 1 0 3 0 9th
1958 1958 4 5 0 0 3 0 9th
1959 1959 Independent 1 9 0
1960 1960 1 9 0
1961 1961 2 7 0
1962 1962 Dee Andros 2 6 1
1963 1963 5 4 0
1964 1964 4 6 0
1965[c] 1965 Steve Musseau Big Sky 5 5 0 3 1 0 T-1st
1966 1966 4 6 0 3 1 0 2nd
1967[d] 1967 4 6 0 2 2 0 T-2nd
1968 1968 Y C McNease 5 5 0 3 1 0 T-1st
1969[e] 1969 2 8 0 1 3 0 4th
1970 1970 Don Robbins 4 7 0 2 2 0 T-3rd
1971 1971 8 3 0 4 1 0 1st
1972 1972 4 7 0 2 3 0 5th
1973[f] 1973 4 7 0 3 2 0 3rd
1974 1974 Ed Troxel 2 8 1 2 2 1 3rd
1975 1975 4 5 2 2 2 2 T-4th
1976 1976 7 4 0 5 1 0 2nd
1977 1977 3 8 0 2 4 0 T-5th
1978[g] 1978 Jerry Davitch 2 9 0 2 5 0 T-5th
1979 1979 4 7 0 2 5 0 T-5th
1980[h] 1980 6 5 0 4 3 T-2nd
1981 1981 3 8 0 0 7 8th
1982 1982 Dennis Erickson 9 4 0 5 2 T-1st NCAA Division I-AA Playoffs — Quarterfinals  ^ 11
1983 1983 8 3 0 4 3 T-3rd
1984 1984 6 5 0 4 3 T-3rd
1985 1985 9 3 0 6 1 1st NCAA Division I-AA Playoffs — First Round  ^ 5
1986 1986 Keith Gilbertson 8 4 0 5 2 3rd NCAA Division I-AA Playoffs — First Round  ^ 16
1987 1987 9 3 0 7 1 1st NCAA Division I-AA Playoffs — First Round  ^ 5
1988 1988 11 2 0 7 1 1st NCAA Division I-AA Playoffs — Semifinals  ^ 2
1989 1989 John L. Smith 9 3 0 0 8 1st NCAA Division I-AA Playoffs — First Round  ^ 4
1990 1990 9 4 0 6 2 2nd NCAA Division I-AA Playoffs — Quarterfinals  ^ 13
1991 1991 6 5 0 4 4 T-4th
1992 1992 9 3 0 6 1 1st NCAA Division I-AA Playoffs — First Round  ^ 5
1993 1993 11 3 0 5 2 2nd NCAA Division I-AA Playoffs — Semifinals  ^ 11
1994 1994 9 3 0 5 2 2nd NCAA Division I-AA Playoffs — First Round  ^ 6
1995 1995 Chris Tormey 6 5 0 4 3 T-2nd NCAA Division I-AA Playoffs — First Round  ^ 17
1996[i] 1996 Big West 6 5 3 2 T-3rd
1997 1997 5 6 2 3 T-4th
1998 1998 9 3 4 1 1st Won Humanitarian Bowl against
Southern Miss Golden Eagles, 42–35  ^
1999 1999 7 4 4 2 2nd
2000 2000 Tom Cable 5 6 3 2 3rd
2001 2001 Sun Belt 1 10 1 5 T-6th
2002 2002 2 10 1 6 7th
2003 2003 3 9 3 4 T-4th
2004 2004 Nick Holt 3 9 2 5 T-5th
2005 2005 WAC 2 9 2 6 T-6th
2006 2006 Dennis Erickson 4 8 3 5 T-6th
2007 2007 Robb Akey 1 11 0 8 9th
2008 2008 2 10 1 7 T-8th
2009 2009 8 5 4 4 4th Won Humanitarian Bowl against
Bowling Green Falcons, 43–42  ^
2010 2010 6 7 3 5 6th
2011 2011 2 10 1 7 8th
2012[j] 2012 Robb Akey
Jason Gesser
1 11 1 5 6th
2013 2013 Paul Petrino Independent 1 11
2014 2014 Sun Belt 1 10 1 7 T-9th
2015 2015 4 8 3 5 T-5th
2016 2016 9 4 6 2 T-3rd Won Famous Idaho Potato Bowl against
Colorado State Rams, 61–50  ^
2017 2017 4 8 3 5 T-8th
2018[k] 2018 Big Sky 4 7 3 5 T-9th
2019 2019 5 7 3 5 T-6th
2020 2020 2 4 2 4 T-5th
2021 2021 4 7 3 5 9th
2022 2022 Jason Eck 7 5 6 2 T-3rd NCAA Division I FCS Playoffs — First Round  ^ 18
Totals All-time:
474–629–26
(.431)
Conference:
204–310–8
(.398)
  Postseason:
9–12
(.429)
 

Notes

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  1. ^ Since Division I was split into subdivisions, the NCAA poll was the major poll used at the I-AA (FCS) level until 1992, when it was replaced by The Sports Network poll. Beginning in 2015, the FCS now uses the STATS poll.
  2. ^ In 1918, an Idaho team of SATC students played several local games after the Armistice (November 11).
  3. ^ Idaho joined the Big Sky Conference for football in 1965 but remained in the University Division, and was ineligible for the College Division postseason.
  4. ^ Idaho was involuntarily dropped to the College Division in 1967 for two seasons.
  5. ^ Idaho returned to the University Division in 1969, and remained (in Division I) through 1977.
  6. ^ The NCAA switched to its current divisional system in 1973. The Big Sky was classified a Division II conference for football; Idaho remained in Division I and was ineligible for the Division II postseason.
  7. ^ In 1978, the NCAA subdivided Division I into I–A and I–AA; the Big Sky moved up to I–AA, and Idaho moved down.
  8. ^ Overtime rules were added for Big Sky Conference games in 1980, eliminating ties.
  9. ^ Overtime rules were added for Division I in 1996, thereby eliminating ties.
  10. ^ Robb Akey was fired after the eighth game; Jason Gesser was the interim head coach for the season's final four games, all losses.
  11. ^ Idaho voluntarily dropped to FCS in 2018 and rejoined the Big Sky.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Idaho to be 1st school to drop from FBS to FCS". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 7, 2017.
  2. ^ "Eck Named Vandal Football's 36th Head Coach". University of Idaho Athletics. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  3. ^ Wiebe, Stephan (January 6, 2022). "Eck settling in at Idaho". Moscow-Pullman Daily News. (Idaho–Washington). Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  4. ^ "Idaho hires South Dakota State offensive coordinator Jason Eck as head football coach". KHQ 06. NBC News. December 18, 2021. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  5. ^ "2017 Idaho Football Media Guide" (PDF). GoVandals.com. Retrieved November 7, 2017.
  6. ^ "Idaho In the Polls". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on March 22, 2016. Retrieved November 7, 2017.