That season, the Flames would finish with an 8-3 record during its first year as a Division I program. On September 1, 1988, Liberty became an official member at the NCAA I-AA level. It caused the team to cancel the remainder of the season and most of the program’s equipment was also lost. Tragedy struck on Novemwhen Treasure Island, the Flames’ practice facility was washed away in a flood. He was taken by the Cleveland Browns in the eighth round, later making the Browns’ roster to also become the first Liberty player to ever make an NFL roster. On May 1, 1985, wide receiver Fred Banks became the first player in program history to be selected in the NFL Draft. Morgan Hout became the fourth head football coach in the school’s history in 1984, and Liberty Baptist College was renamed Liberty University in 1985. In 1983, Liberty became a full member of the NCAA Division II level, being accepted as a member of the East Coast Athletic Conference. The first win over a I-AA team came against Morehead State, 23-20, on Nov. In the early 80s, Liberty joined the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level, playing its first ever NCAA I-AA (now FCS) opponent, James Madison, falling to the Dukes, 30-14, on October 11, 1980. Just a couple of years later, Liberty finished with a 9-1-1 record during 1979, by far the best record for the team in its first decade of existence. Tom Dowling became the program’s third head coach, taking over for the 1977 season. The Flames also joined the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and played its first full varsity schedule. In 1975, Lynchburg Baptist College was renamed Liberty Baptist College and the school colors were changed from green and gold to red, white, and blue. The first winning season came in 1974, the second year for the program and first under Coach Cartwright. John Cartwright, an assistant coach on Royer’s staff, was named the program’s second head football coach. Shortly after the conclusion of the first football season, the first head coach, Lee “Rock” Royer died tragically in a plane crash. The program’s first ever win came about a month later, on October 25, 1973, defeating Ferrum College, 29-7. Playing as a member of the National Christian Collegiate Athletic Association (NCCAA), now Liberty’s first game was played against Massanutten Military Academy, losing, 42-32, on September 27, 1973. in 1971 and played its first season in 1973. Prior to being Liberty University, they were Lynchburg Baptist College, founded by Jerry Falwell, Sr. This all started when Liberty played their first ever collegiate football game. This happened over decades of games, different program’s successes, different coaches, thousands of players, and countless fans. This wasn’t due to one person, one group, or one event/moment in time. The first CUSA game will be in Week 2 against New Mexico State.ĭespite Liberty petitioning and winning an appeal to the NCAA to join the FBS as an Independent without an FBS conference invitation on February 16, 2017, the long path to an FBS conference home has finally ended. The inaugural CUSA football season starts in just a few weeks when Liberty will kick off against Bowling Green in Lynchburg at 12 noon. That day has come, and Liberty has officially joined Conference USA and is a full member. That chain reaction would ultimately lead to Liberty accepting an invitation to the Conference USA, officially announced November 5, 2021, beginning July 1, 2023. Less than two months after the Texas and OU news dropped, the Big 12 officially invited BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF to the conference. This news set off a rapid number of successive moves in conference realignment at the highest level of college athletics. The pair would go on to issue a joint statement that they intended to leave the Big 12 in 2025 and join the SEC, and were unanimously voted in just a few days after this news broke. Texas and Oklahoma, the then flagship programs of the Big 12, had reached out to the SEC about joining the conference. For Liberty fans, players, coaches, and administrators, years, even decades, of competing, winning, and lobbying to have a seat at the table seemed to be a waste of time, money and resources.īecause on July 21, 2021, Brent Zwerneman from the Houston Chronicle broke the internet. This was the latest in a number of doors that shut on Liberty’s hopes to join the FBS, gutting the university leaders in Lynchburg. The Chanticleers were the primary rival of the Liberty Flames at that time, and many expected LU to be the one to get that call to join the FBS and the Sun Belt. On Tuesday, September 1, 2015, Coastal Carolina announced they were joining an expanded Sun Belt Conference.
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