Christopher Newport Captains football
| Christopher Newport Captains football | |
|---|---|
| First season | 2001 |
| Athletic director | C.J. Woollum |
| Head coach |
Matt Kelchner 14 year, 98–51 (.658) |
| Stadium | Pomoco Stadium |
| Seating capacity | 4,200 |
| Field surface | Natural Grass |
| Location | Newport News, Virginia |
| Conference | NJAC |
| All-time record | 98–51 (.658) |
| Bowl record | 4–10 (.286) |
| Claimed nat'l titles | 0 |
| Conference titles | 10 |
| Colors |
Royal Blue and Silver |
| Mascot | Captain Chris |
| Website | CNU Athletics |
The Christopher Newport Captains football team represents Christopher Newport University in the NCAA Division III, competing as football-only members of the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC). Christopher Newport (CNU) plays its home games at the 4,200 seat Pomoco Stadium, which is located on-campus in Newport News, Virginia. Founded in 2001, the Captains are led by head coach Matt Kelchner. After 11 seasons with the USA South Athletic Conference, the Captains shifted to the NJAC to start the 2015 season.
History
By the late 1990s, the prospect of bringing football to Christopher Newport was gaining momentum from both students and the administration alike. On December 16, 1999, the CNU Board of Visitors voted in favor of starting a football program to compete at the Division III level by the 2001 season.[1] By Spring 2000, the initial schedule was released for play in the Dixie Conference in 2001, and on May 9, 2000, Matt Kelchner was announced as the program's first head coach.[2] In the Captains history, the program has captured seven co-conference and three outright conference championship in addition to making ten appearances in the Division III playoffs.
Seasons
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | Coaches# | AP° | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christopher Newport Captains (Dixie Conference) (2001–2002) | |||||||||
| 2001 | Matt Kelchner | 5–4 | Dixie Conference | T–1st | L 1st Round D-III Playoffs | ||||
| 2002 | Matt Kelchner | 6–5 | Dixie Conference | T–1st | L 1st Round D-III Playoffs | ||||
| Christopher Newport Captains (USA South Conference) (2003–2014) | |||||||||
| 2003 | Matt Kelchner | 8–3 | USA South Conference | T–1st | L 2nd Round D-III Playoffs | ||||
| 2004 | Matt Kelchner | 9–3 | USA South Conference | T–1st | L 2nd Round D-III Playoffs | ||||
| 2005 | Matt Kelchner | 6–4 | USA South Conference | T–3rd | |||||
| 2006 | Matt Kelchner | 8–3 | USA South Conference | T–1st | L 2nd Round D-III Playoffs | ||||
| 2007 | Matt Kelchner | 7–3 | USA South Conference | 2nd | |||||
| 2008 | Matt Kelchner | 8–2 | USA South Conference | 1st | L 1st Round D-III Playoffs | ||||
| 2009 | Matt Kelchner | 5–5 | USA South Conference | 3rd | |||||
| 2010 | Matt Kelchner | 6–5 | USA South Conference | T–1st | L 1st Round D-III Playoffs | ||||
| 2011 | Matt Kelchner | 8–3 | USA South Conference | 1st | L 1st Round D-III Playoffs | ||||
| 2012 | Matt Kelchner | 6–5 | USA South Conference | T–1st | L 1st Round D-III Playoffs | ||||
| 2013 | Matt Kelchner | 8–2 | USA South Conference | T-3rd | |||||
| 2014 | Matt Kelchner | 8–4 | USA South Conference | 1st | L 2nd Round D-III Playoffs | ||||
| Christopher Newport Captains (New Jersey Athletic Conference) (2015–present) | |||||||||
| 2015 | Matt Kelchner | 4–6 | New Jersey Athletic Conference | T–7th | |||||
| Total: | 102–57 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title | |||||||||
| †Indicates Bowl Coalition, Bowl Alliance, BCS, or CFP / New Years' Six bowl. #Rankings from final Coaches Poll. | |||||||||