Historical Marker
When
the University of North Alabama football team won an unprecedented third straight NCAA
Division II national championship in 1995, the Lions knew they had made history. But
on April 30, 1998, the Lions got their own historical marker to prove it, when the UNA
National Alumni Association, UNA Sportsman's Club, and the Florence Historical Society
unveiled a historical marker on Pine Street next to the UNA football practice field.
The marker commemorated UNA's three consecutive NCAA Division II football national
championships from 1993-95, which made UNA the first school in the history of NCAA
scholarship football to win three straight titles.
During the course of that
three-year period, the Lions also posted a 41-1 record, making UNA the first school in the
history of collegiate football on any level to win as many as 40 games in just three
seasons. The Lions also held a record 27 consecutive No. 1 rankings in Division
II. To qualify for consideration for a historical marker, a site or event must have
local, state, or national significance, and must have affected a specific group of
people. The marker committee of the Florence Historical Society then voted on the
prospective marker. The Lions posted 14-0, 13-1, and 14-0 records from 1993-95, won
41 consecutive games against Division II opponents, and suffered their only loss during
the three-year period to the No. 3 ranked team in Division 1-AA, Youngstown State, 17-14
in Youngstown. Another sign of the historical significance of the Lions
accomplishments during that three year span was an invitation to meet with President Bill
Clinton, Vice-President Al Gore, and members of Congress, following the 1995 season.
The Lion seniors and coaches were treated to a reception on Capital Hill, and later
visited with President Clinton and Vice-President Gore at the White House. |
