The Central Arkansas Bears football program is the intercollegiate American football team for University of Central Arkansas (UCA) located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) as a member of the current United Athletic Conference (UAC), known before July 2026 as the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). The all-sports UAC absorbed a football-only UAC that had started operation in 2023 as an alliance between the WAC and Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN). For the 2021 season, UCA was a de facto associate member of the WAC, and in 2022 it played in its then-current full-time home of the ASUN. Central Arkansas' first football team was fielded in 1908. The team plays its home games at the 12,000-seat Estes Stadium in Conway, Arkansas. The Bears are coached by Nathan Brown, in his seventh year.

UCA left the Southland Conference, which had been its all-sports home since 2006 and its football home since 2007, for the ASUN Conference in July 2021. At the time, the ASUN did not sponsor football, but committed to launching an FCS football league in the near future. In the 2021 season, UCA competed in a football partnership between the ASUN and WAC officially branded as the "ASUN–WAC Challenge". The ASUN launched its own football league in 2022, but the ASUN and WAC renewed their football partnership for that season; the two leagues shared a single automatic berth in the FCS playoffs in both seasons. After the 2022 season, the ASUN and WAC jointly announced their football-only merger, which was officially rebranded as the United Athletic Conference in April 2023. In turn, the WAC rebranded as the UAC in July 2026, with Central Arkansas as one of five ASUN members, all of which had played in the football-only UAC, to move to the all-sports UAC.

History The Central Arkansas Bears were formed in 1901 by William Hawkins. Although they finished 1–4–3 in their first season, and have an unusual record of 23–54–22 in the first 20 years of existence, the Bears would play for seven championships in that span.

UCA would enjoy its greatest success over a 14-year period from 1979 to 1992, when the Bears won or shared 13 of the 14 conference championships, as members of the Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference (AIC). The AIC included in-state schools such as Arkansas Tech, Harding University, Henderson State University, Ouachita Baptist University, Southern Arkansas University, University of Arkansas at Monticello, and University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. During that time frame, UCA won or shared twelve consecutive AIC titles from 1981 to 1992, as well as three NAIA national championships, in 1984, 1985, and 1991. The Bears were consistently present in the NAIA Top 20, and made the playoffs 12 out of 14 seasons.

In 1993, the Bears left the AIC and the NAIA, and moved up in competition to NCAA Division II joining the Gulf South Conference. Central Arkansas would stay in the West Division of the GSC through the 2006 season, winning the GSC title in 2005. Central Arkansas would move up yet again in 2007, joining the Southland Conference and NCAA Division I-AA/FCS. The Bears would win four Southland championships in 2008, 2012, 2017 and 2019. Central Arkansas would make the playoffs in 2011, 2012, 2016, 2017 and 2019 (when it earned its first national seed in the playoffs at No. 8) and winning its first FCS playoff game in 2011 over Tennessee Tech. The Bears also defeated Illinois State in 2016 before losing the next round at Eastern Washington.

In 2021, UCA accepted an invitation to join the ASUN Conference, ending its membership with the Southland on June 30, 2021. The first year of ASUN football was a partnership between the ASUN and the revived football league of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC), called the ASUN–WAC Challenge. After the ASUN's first year, more new members joined, and a full slate of ASUN-only conference games was scheduled in 2022, although further conference realignment led to the ASUN and WAC renewing their alliance for that season. The alliance received an NCAA waiver that gave it an automatic berth in the FCS playoffs. The two conferences fully merged their football leagues after the 2022 season and became the United Athletic Conference (UAC), beginning in 2023. In 2026, the football-only UAC was absorbed by the WAC, which adopted the United Athletic Conference name.

Notable former players Notable alumni include: Nathan Brown Dave Burnette Monte Coleman Tyree Davis Willie Davis Jacob Ford Mike Norvell Tremon Smith Charlie Strong George Odum Jonathan Woodard David Walker

Championships National championships Central Arkansas has won 3 national championships, all on the NAIA level.

1984 Harold Horton NAIA Playoffs 10–2–1 Won NAIA Championship 1985 NAIA Playoffs 10–2–1 Won NAIA Championship 1991 Mike Isom NAIA Playoffs 9–2–2 Won NAIA Championship

Conference championships Central Arkansas has won 28 conference championships in the programs history.

22 in the Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference (AIC) 4 in the Southland Conference 1 in the Gulf South Conference 1 in the ASUN conference

1936 Warren B. Woodson Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference 8–0 6–0 1937 8–1 4–0 1938 7–1 4–0 1940 8–1–1 3–0 1959† Frank Koon 8–0–1 5–0–1 1962 8–2 7–0 1965† Raymond Bright 7–1–1 5–1–1 1966† 5–4 4–2 1976† Ken Stephens 9–3 5–1 1978 9–2 6–0 1980 9–1 6–0 1981 8–3 6–0 1983 Harold Horton 11–1 6–0 1984 10–2–1 6–0 1985† 10–2–1 6–1 1986 9–2 7–0 1987 11–1 6–0 1988 10–1 6–0 1989† 9–1 5–1 1990 Mike Isom 8–4 6–0 1991 9–2–2 5–0–1 1992 9–2–1 6–0 2005 Clint Conque Gulf South Conference 11–3 8–1 2008 Southland Conference 10–2 6–1 2012† 9–3 6–1 2017 Steve Campbell 10–2 9–0 2019† Nathan Brown 9–4 7–2 2022† Nathan Brown ASUN Conference 5–6 3–2 † Co-champions

Playoff appearances NCAA Division I-AA/FCS The Bears have appeared in the FCS playoffs five times with an overall record of 2–5.

2011 First RoundSecond Round Tennessee TechMontana W 34–14L 14–41 2012 Second Round Georgia Southern L 16–24 2016 First RoundSecond Round Illinois StateEastern Washington W 31–24L 14–31 2017 Second Round New Hampshire L 15–21 2019 Second Round Illinois State L 14–24

NCAA Division II The Bears have appeared in the Division II playoffs two times with an overall record of 2–2.

2001 First Round Catawba L 34–35 2005 First RoundSecond RoundQuarterfinals Albany State (GA)PresbyterianNorth Alabama W 28–20W 52–28L 38–41

NAIA The Bears have appeared in the NAIA playoffs 13 times with an overall record of 12–10–2. They are three time NAIA National Champions (1984, 1985, 1991), with 1984 and 1985 being Co–Champions after ending in a tie in the National Championship Game.

1976 SemifinalsNational Championship Game ElonTexas A&M-Kingsville W 10–7L 0–26 1978 Quarterfinals Western State L 17–22 1980 Quarterfinals Texas A&M-Commerce L 21–27 1981 Quarterfinals Cameron L 27–48 1983 QuarterfinalsSemifinals Northeastern State (OK)Mesa State W 18–7L 17–34 1984 QuarterfinalsSemifinalsNational Championship Game Moorhead State (MN)Central WashingtonCarson-Newman W 30–6W 44–6T 19–19 1985 QuarterfinalsSemifinalsNational Championship Game Pittsburg StateHenderson StateHilldale W 32–22W 21–9T 10–10 1986 Quarterfinals Cameron L 34–35 4OT 1987 First RoundQuarterfinals Northwestern Oklahoma StateCameron W 31–7L 7–14 1988 First Round Southeastern Oklahoma State L 14–21 1990 QuarterfinalsSemifinals Northeastern State (OK)Mesa State W 26–14L 9–10 1991 QuarterfinalsSemifinalsNational Championship Game Northeastern State (OK)Moorhead State (MN)Central State (OH) W 30–14W 38–18W 19–16 1992 QuarterfinalsSemifinals Southwestern Oklahoma StateCentral State (OH) W 14–2L 23–30

Rivalries McNeese

The Bears and Cowboys have met 13 times on the football field with UCA leading the series, 7–6. Due to conference scheduling requirements, the most recent game was played in 2019. + McNeese–Central Arkansas: All-Time RecordGames playedFirst meetingLast meetingCentral Arkansas winsCentral Arkansas lossesWin %13September 17, 1994 (lost 7–21)October 12, 2019 (won 40–31)76

Arkansas Tech The Bears also had a long time rivalry with the Arkansas Tech University Wonder Boys located in Russellville, Arkansas, only 45 miles west of Conway along Interstate 40. But that series was discontinued after UCA left the Division II Gulf South Conference, and moved up in competition to the Southland Conference.

Future non-conference opponents Announced schedules as of August 26, 2026.

at UT Martin UT Martin UT Martin at UT Martin at North Texas Central Oklahoma at Arkansas State at UTRGV at Louisiana Tech at Southeast Missouri State Southeast Missouri State at Northwestern State at Florida State at Idaho State UTRGV Northwestern State

References

External links