Glory days: UNA to celebrate 30th anniversary of three straight national championships at Braly Stadium finale

FLORENCE – Saturday marks the end of a historic era.

The University of North Alabama will play its final game at Braly Stadium, the home to North Alabama Football since 1949 — 77 seasons.

This game will be streamed on ESPN+ as well as WAFF 48’s Tennessee Valley Sports Entertainment Network, which can be found over the air on 48.3 or by checking with your cable provider. “Voice of the Lions” Benjamin Ray, Bryan Neece and Arielle Schaffer will be on the call of the game. Kickoff is 1 p.m. against Southern Utah.

To commemorate the final game at Braly Stadium, WAFF will produce a one-hour pregame show called “A Farewell to Braly” with an inside look at the history of Braly and a sneak-peak inside Bobby Wallace Field at Bank Independent Stadium. Longtime Sports Director Carl Prather will host the pregame show.

This year, UNA has been celebrating the “Final Season at Braly” by recognizing various eras of UNA football for select games.

This week’s era of recognition is unquestionably the most decorated period for the program — the 1990s. The Lions became the first college football team in NCAA scholarship football history to win three consecutive national championships in 1993, 1994 and 1995. During this decade, UNA finished with an 87-31-1 record, including a 41-1 record over the three national championship seasons.

Saturday’s final game at Braly will celebrate the 30-year anniversary of the 1995 NCAA Division II National Championship. The members of the 1995 team became the first in Division II to receive an invitation to the White House —meeting with President Bill Clinton.

To commemorate the 1990s teams, UNA will wear the classic “stars” on the helmet Saturday as worn by the “Purple Swarm.”

From 1990-1999, UNA celebrated 25 All-Americans — 10 of which won multiple seasons — one Harlon Hill Trophy winner, one member of the College Football Hall of Fame, five NFL draft picks, eight NFL free agent signees, four members of the Division II Team of the Quarter Century and 22 players and four coaches who have been inducted into the UNA Athletic Hall of Fame.

Under the leadership of Coaches Bobby Wallace and Bill Hyde, the Lions won three conference championships and made six NCAA playoff appearances. The 1993 team became the first in college football history at any level to win 14 games in one season.

UNA earned its first-ever No. 1 national ranking in football on Oct. 4, 1993 — and held it for a national-record 27 consecutive polls over a three-year span.

In this decade, UNA had a record of 50-13 at Braly Stadium with a Division II record of 28 straight home wins from 1993-96. The Lions have an all-time record of 281-134-8 in the stadium, including a 26-8 all-time record in home playoff games.

Ronald McKinnon accepting the 1995 Harlon Hill Trophy as the Division II National Player of the Year.

THINGS TO KNOW FOR THE GAME

1. KICKOFF: The Lions and Thunderbirds will kickoff from Braly Stadium at 1:02 p.m.
2. TICKETS: Single game tickets, as well as other bundle options, are available by calling 256-765-5466 (LION) or at the UNA Athletics Ticket Office. Tickets to the game are available for as low as $20. For more information or to purchase online, click here.
3. ACCESS YOUR TICKETS: The UNA Ticket Office put together three videos to help fans download and access their tickets this season. Click the links below to access tickets on your device or call 256-765-5466 for assistance.
   WEBSITE | ANDRIOD | APPLE
4. PARKING: Due to ongoing construction at Braly Stadium, the parking lot at the baseball field will not be accessible as it was in years past. However, parking will be available in the grass lot across the street behind the south end zone, as well as limited parking in the grass lot by the Royal Avenue Center. Fans are also encouraged to take advantage of the shuttle lots, free of charge. For more information, click here.
5. SHUTTLE BUS PARKING: UNA will have four parking lots available for fans to park and shuttle to the stadium — three of which are on UNA’s campus. The shuttle lots include Jackson Heights Church of Christ, the front of CB&S Bank Arena (Flowers Hall), Appleby Hall and the Wendall Gunn Commons parking lot. The shuttles will run throughout the day, including four hours before the game and one hour after the game. For more information, click here.
6. SENIOR DAY: The Lions will celebrate 22 seniors as part of a special pregame ceremony.
7. KNOW YOUR GATE: Due to ongoing construction at Braly Stadium, entry points will be slightly different from years past. Gate 5 and Gate 8 facing the south end zone will no longer be available for entry, but all other gates are still accessible.
8. CASHLESS VENUE: Braly Stadium is a cashless venue. Fans are encouraged to prepare accordingly to make purchases by card.
9. BAG POLICY: Fans are encouraged to review the bag policy before arriving to the stadium, as many bag types are prohibited inside Braly Stadium. Approved bags include clear totes, resealable freezer storage bags, small clutch bags, seat cushions with no pockets and small diaper bags with the accompaniment of a child. For more information on which types of bags are approved and which types are prohibited, click here.
10. UNA BOOKSTORE OPEN AT BRALY: Fans can pick up the latest licensed North Alabama apparel at the UNA Bookstore on the concourse under the main grandstands. Each week, the bookstore will select and “Item of the Game” which will be discounted 20% if purchased on gameday.
11. PEP RALLY: UNA will host a pep rally at 10:30 a.m. on Spirit Hill with the North Alabama Marching Pride, the UNA cheer and dance team and mascots Leo and Una. This will take place just before the team arrives via buses for the Lion Walk — which take place two hours and 15 minutes before all home games.
12. LION WALK: One of UNA’s most storied traditions, the Lion Walk, will take place at 10:45 a.m. starting at Spirit Hill and ending when the team enters the stadium through the North end zone — the side with the videoboard. During Lion Walk, UNA’s cheer and dance teams will be throwing out T-Shirts courtesy of Martin’s Family Clothing. Fans are encouraged to cheer on the Lions as they walk toward the stadium.
13. DOWNLOAD OUR APP: Fans are encouraged to download the Roar Lions app, available on Google Play and the Apple App Store. The app was launched in 2023 and includes ticket information, team shop, game programs, schedules, rosters and links to watch and listen to the games online.
14. GAME PROGRAM: This season, game day programs are free of charge and are only available in electronic format. Fans can use the app or the QR codes in Braly Stadium to download the program, which includes rosters, depth charts, players to watch and more. Fans can also access game programs at roarlions.com.