The Valparaiso Beacons football program is the intercollegiate

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

team for

Valparaiso University Valparaiso University (Valpo) is a private university in Valparaiso, Indiana, United States. It is an independent Lutheran university with five colleges. It enrolls nearly 2,300 students and has a campus. The university is known for its Luthe ...

located in the U.S. state of

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

. The team competes in the

NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision The NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), formerly known as Division I-AA, is the second-highest level of college football in the United States, after the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). Sponsored by the National Collegiate ...

(FCS) as a member of the

Pioneer Football League The Pioneer Football League (PFL) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference which operates in the United States. The conference participates in the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA's NCAA Division I, Division I Fo ...

(PFL). Valparaiso's first football team was fielded in 1919. The team plays its home games at the 5,000-seat Brown Field in Valparaiso, Indiana. Andy Waddle has served as the team's head coach since 2025. Valparaiso was known as the Crusaders through the 2019 season.

History

Classifications

*1941–1972: NCAA College Division *1973–1978: NCAA Division III *1979–1992: NCAA Division II *1993–present: NCAA Division I–AA/FCS

Conference memberships

* 1919–1923: Independent * 1924–1925: Western Interstate Conference * 1926–1933: Independent * 1934–1947: Indiana Intercollegiate Conference * 1948–1950: Independent * 1951–1977: Indiana Collegiate Conference * 1978–1989: Heartland Collegiate Conference * 1990–1992: Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference * 1993–present:

Year-by-year results

Bowl game appearances

Championships

Conference championships

† Co-champions

Divisional championships

From 2001 to 2005, the

(PFL) was divided into North and South Divisions. As winners of the PFL's North Division, Valparaiso has made one appearance in the Pioneer Football League Championship Game, in 2003. Valparaiso shared the Division title with in 2003, but the tie-breaker allowed the Crusaders to represent the division in the championship game. † Co-champions

Future non-conference opponents

Announced schedules as of March 20, 2025.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Valparaiso Beacons football American football teams established in 1919 1919 establishments in Indiana