The Lindenwood Lions football team represents Lindenwood University in football. Lindenwood is a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC). The Lions were provisional members of the NCAA Division I FCS for the 2022 season before becoming an active member during the 2023–2024 academic year.
Lindenwood was previously a member of the NAIA and played in the Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC) from 1996 to 2010. The Lions play in Harlen C. Hunter Stadium on the campus of Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri, which has a seating capacity of 7,450.
History
Early history and NAIA years
Lindenwood University football began in 1990 under head coach David Schroeder. LU competed as an independent for the first four seasons. The program's first win came in the first ever football for the university on September 8, 1990 when the Lions defeated Dana College. The Lions finished the inaugural season with a record of 6–4.
Despite a 3–5–0 start to the first half of the 1991 season, a program highlight came on October 12, 1991 when Lindenwood tied 17–17 on the road in Birmingham, Alabama with NCAA Division III Alabama-Birmingham before the UAB program upgraded to NCAA Division I. Following that game, the Lions lost the following game to Benedictine College but finished the season with a three-game win streak to finish the season 5–4–1. During the next several years of the football program, bright spots began to emerge, a couple of the original players from the first team ever at the school were named to the All American team. Hoyt Gregory made all American in 1992 and two players from the original football class Steve Pinkerton and Jim Paddock were signed and drafted into professional football. This gave the program the status that it could recruit and maintain top level athletes.
Jeff Driskill became the second coach in program history in 1992. In 1994 Lindenwood became one of the founding members of the Mid-States Football Association along with five schools from Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. After three 2-win seasons Dan Kratzer took over the program and lead the Lions to a 4–7–0 season in 1995.
In 1996 the program became a member of the Heart of America Athletic Conference. The Lions recorded back-to-back 4–6–0 seasons in 1996 and 1997. In 1998 the program saw drastic improvement when Kratzer lead the lions to an 8–2–0 regular season. Including a 34–33 win against NCAA Division I-AA Butler. The win marked the first and only win over an NCAA DI-AA opponent, as LU lost 16–27 to Butler in 1997 and 6–27 to Valparaiso University in 2002. The 1996 also marked the first time Lindenwood football received a bid to the NAIA Playoffs before losing in the first round 10–12 to Southwestern College. In 2000 Kratzer lead the Lions to their first of two bowl appearances, when the Lions received a bid to the Wheat Bowl – NAIA Kickoff Classic against Concordia University (Nebraska).
Rick Gorzynski became the fourth coach in program history in 2001 and after three sub .500 season in which the Lions recorded two 3–8–0 seasons and a 1–10–0 season, Patrick Ross became the fifth football coach in Lindenwood history. Ross quickly turned the program around from a 3–8–0 season in 2003 to an 11–1–0 season in his first as LU head coach in 2004. The Lions also won their first HAAC Championship after an 11–0–0 regular season, the only loss, a 19–20 loss in the opening round of the NAIA Playoffs to Hastings College.
Under Ross the Lions recorded their first playoff win in program history in the 2008 when the Lions defeated Lambuth University 65–48. That same season Lindenwood advanced to the NAIA Semifinal Game with a quarterfinal 34–31 win over Morningside College. Lindenwood would eventually be defeated by the defending NAIA national championsCarroll College in the semifinal game 37–38.
In 2009, Ross lead to become the HAAC Champions for the third-straight season. The Lions entered the 2009 NAIA Playoffs and won 42–14 over Langston University. In the second round game Lindenwood defeated Ottawa University (KS) to reach the semifinal game where LU again faced Carroll College.
Lindenwood defeated the Carroll Fighting Saints 42–35 to reach the NAIA Football National Championship for the team's first and only appearance. LU became the NAIA national runner-up in 2009 after a 22–25 loss to University of Sioux Falls Cougars and came into the 2010 season ranked #2 in the nation in 2010 NAIA Football Coaches' Top 25 Spring Poll.