Cody Gross stood on the sideline, apparently done for the day. His helmet was under his arm as back-up quarterback Cale Manley began hurriedly loosening up.  The University of North Alabama offense that had dominated opponents all season had lost all momentum in the second half and the Lions trailed in the 1993 NCAA Division II Championship Game 24-14 in the fourth quarter.  But suddenly a blocked punt by Israel Raybon gave UNA new life and some 11 minutes later, Gross would be lying face down in the end zone after capping a 27-point fourth quarter rally that netted the Lions a 41-34 win and the Division II National Championship.  With Raybon giving the Lions a spark, Gross was again given the chance to bring the Lions back, and did he ever.  First he fired a 24-yard touchdown pass to Demetrea Shelton to make it 24-20, then directed a 66-yard drive that ended with a seven-yard Satterfield TD run that gave UNA a 27-24 lead.  Another 78-yard touchdown drive put UNA up by 10 points but Indiana-Pennsylvania rallied to tie the game at 34-34 with just 45 seconds left.  But Gross again met the challenge, taking UNA 69 yards in six plays.  First he carried on an option run to put UNA into IUP territory, then he passed to Shelton  to the Indians one-yard-line.  A one-yard dive by Gross with just 10 seconds left gave UNA the win and its first football national crown.  It was the prefect end to the first perfect season in school and Gulf South Conference history.

In all UNA would break or tie 85 school and Gulf South Conference records.  The Lion players would receive 54 individual awards, including four players who were selected first-team All-American.  It was an amazing season that saw UNA score on its first play from scrimmage, and its last.  It was a season of unprecedented accomplishments for the Lions that followed a solid run at the national championship that fell short in 1992.

UNA left little doubts about its intentions in 1993 when fullback Brian Satterfield raced 48-yards on the teams first play from scrimmage of the season and scored against Fort Valley State.  The floodgates opened and UNA romped the Wildcats 36-14 behind Satterfield’s 243 yards that included a school-record 97-yard TD run.

The next week at Alabama A&M, the UNA offense again set the tone, scoring seven touchdowns in a 49-7 rout of the Bulldogs.And with more than 1,000 total yards in the team’s first two games of the season, the UNA offense was just getting warmed up as it churned out 646 yards in week three in a 58-17 mauling of the Delta State Statesmen.  All-American tailback Tyrone Rush, who would finish as the runner-up for the Harlon Hill Trophy as the Division II Player of the Year, surpassed Satterfield’s two-week-old record with 248 yards and scored three touchdowns.

That set up the first major test of the season as the Lions traveled to Portland, Ore., for a national headliner with the Portland State Vikings.   UNA entered the game ranked No. 2 nationally behind North Dakota State, while Portland State was tied for third with New Haven.  The Bison of NDSU lost to Mankato State and by kickoff time on the west coast, everyone realized the Lion-Viking match-up was for the nation’s number one ranking.  Portland State struck quickly behind star quarterback Bill Matos, racing to a 14- 0 lead. The Lions managed a 10-play, 67-yard drive to make it 14-7, but PSU scored again to go ahead 20-7. Another PSU score early in the third quarter made it 26-14 and the Lions chances appeared slim. But the defense began to stiffen and Kenyatta Jones, playing in place of an injured Satterfield, began to take charge of the offense.   After UNA rallied for 10 points in the third quarter to make it 26-24, a three-yard TD run by Rush gave the Lions their first lead at 30-26 with 26 seconds left in the third quarter.  A pair of touchdowns by Jones on runs of 55 and 17 yards made it 44-26 before UNA allowed a late score and settled for a 44-32 win.

The following Monday UNA claimed the nation’s top ranking for the first time in the history of the program and would hold that spot for the remainder of the season.  Mississippi College was the first to challenge UNA’s No. 1 ranking and the Choctaws battled to take a 28-27 lead over UNA with 12:20 left in the game in Clinton, Miss.  A 55-yard TD run Jones and a 20-yard Jamie Stoddard field goal brought the Lions back and gave UNA a 38-28 win to go 5-0 overall and 2-0 in the GSC.

A 17-0 win over Henderson State and a 27-10 win on the road at Central Arkansas on the Bears’ Homecoming gave UNA a 7-0 record entering its own Homecoming against Livingston.  That game would again shatter numerous school records as UNA rolled to a 65-15 win with 565 yards of offense.

The Lions clinched the GSC title for the first time since 1985 the following week at Valdosta State as the UNA defense picked off five Chris Hatcher passes and helped pave the way for 21 second half points as UNA won 31-21 on the Blazers home field.  A 41-14 win at home over West Georgia closed the first perfect regular-season in school history and, by virtue of UNA’s No. 1 ranking, guaranteed the Lions the home field for every Division II playoff game.

In the opening round, South Atlantic Conference champion Carson-Newman couldn’t meet the challenge as UNA raced to a 21-0 lead and settled for a 38-28 win over the Eagles with 455 yards of offense.  In the quarterfinal round, unbeaten Hampton hoped to avenge a home playoff loss to UNA in 1992 by downing the Lions on their home field. But the Pirates, although hanging close in the first half, were no match for the Lions as UNA recorded a 45-20 win and moved on the semifinals.  The Lions gained 570 yards offensively and totally stifled Hampton in the final two periods.

Needing just one more win to reach the Division II Championship Game in had hosted since 1986, UNA faced a Texas A&M-Kingsville team that started the season 0-5 before winning seven straight. The Javelinas continued to ride that momentum against UNA, blocking a punt for a touchdown just before halftime and adding three second half touchdowns to make it 27-25 with just 2:42 left in the game.  A successful two-point conversion would likely send the game to overtime, but Louis Fikes halfback pass fell incomplete in the end zone and UNA marched on to the title game.

The championship week in the Shoals area was a true extravaganza as the community turned out in full force to urge the Lions on.  An overflow crowd of almost 16,000 was in Braly Stadium for the title game and an additional national television audience watched on ESPN.  When it was all over, Doug Porter, the chairman of the Division II Football Committee said “Division II football will never be the same again. This day has taken NCAA Division II football to a level it has never seen before. What a great feeling it is to be a part of something like this.  “This game had all the elements of a great championship,” Porter added. “The stadium was sold out, the atmosphere and enthusiasm was great and the best two teams in the country put on a great show.”

Numerous awards followed for the Lions, with head coach Bobby Wallace selected as NCAA Division II Coach of the Year by Kodak, Chevrolet and the Football Gazette.  Rush, linebacker Ronald McKinnon, offensive linemen Jeff Surbaugh and defensive end Jeff Redcross were all selected first-team All-American, with Redcross chosen as the GSC Defensive Player of the Year and Rush being named the league’s Offensive Player of the Year for the second straight season.