Incarnate Word Cardinals football

For information on all University of the Incarnate Word sports, see Incarnate Word Cardinals.

The Incarnate Word Cardinals football program is the intercollegiate American football team for the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) located in San Antonio, Texas. The program began in 2009 and originally competed in NCAA Division II as members of the Lone Star Conference. In 2013, the school moved to Division I. For the 2013 season, UIW competed as a member of the Southland Conference for all sports except football. Football competed with an 11-game schedule as an Independent. UIW began playing Southland football in the 2014 season. The team plays its home games at the 6,000 seat Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium.

Incarnate Word Cardinals football
2025 Incarnate Word Cardinals football team
First season	2009; 16 years ago
Athletic director	Richard Duran
Head coach	Clint Killough 3rd season, 20–5 (.800)
Stadium	Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium (capacity: 6,000)
Year built	2008
Field surface	FieldTurf Classic HD
Location	San Antonio, Texas
NCAA division	Division I FCS
Conference	Southland Conference
Past conferences	Division II Independent (2009) Lone Star Conference (2010–2012) FCS Independent (2013)
All-time record	86–92 (.483)
Playoff appearances	4
Playoff record	4–4
Conference titles	4 (2018, 2021, 2022, 2024)
Colors	Red, white, and black[1]
Fight song	"Cardinal Fight"
Mascot	Red Cardinal
Marching band	Marching Cardinals
Outfitter	Adidas
Website	UIWCardinals.com

History

UIW held its first team practice on August 27, 2008, and began competing as an NCAA Division II independent on August 29, 2009.

Conference Affiliations

• 2009: Division II Independent
• 2010–2012: Lone Star Conference
• 2013: FCS Independent
• 2014–present: Southland Conference

Coaches

Name	Seasons	Record	Pct.
Mike Santiago	2009–2011	10–18	.357
Todd Ivicic	2011*	0–3	.000
Larry Kennan	2012–2017	20–46	.303
Eric Morris	2018–2021	24–18	.571
G. J. Kinne	2022	12–2	.857
Clint Killough	2023–present	20–5	.800

*Ivicic served as interim head coach for the final three games of 2011, completing Santiago's third season as coach^[2]

A Cardinals football game in 2022

Conference Championships

UIW has won 4 Southland Conference championships, two shared and two outright.

Year	Conference	Coach	Overall Record	Conference Record
2018†	Southland Conference	Eric Morris	6–5	6–2
2021		10–3	7–1
2022†		G. J. Kinne	12–2	5–1
2024		Clint Killough	11–3	7–0
Total Conference Championships			4

† Co-champions

Playoff appearances

NCAA Division I-AA/FCS

The Cardinals have participated in the NCAA Division I FCS playoffs four times. Their combined record is 4–4.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
2018	First Round	Montana State	L, 14–35
2021	First Round Second Round	Stephen F. Austin Sam Houston	W, 35–28 OT L, 42–49
2022	Second round Quarterfinals Semifinals	Furman Sacramento State North Dakota State	W, 41–38 W, 66–63 L, 32–35
2024	Second Round Quarterfinals	Villanova South Dakota State	W, 13–6 L, 14–55

Year-by-year results

Legend
† Conference champions   Playoff berth

List of Incarnate Word Cardinals football seasons

Season	Team	Head coach	Conference	Division	Regular season results							Postseason results	Final ranking
					Overall			Conference				Playoff result	STATS Poll	Coaches' Poll
					Win	Loss	Pct.	Win	Loss	Pct.	Finish
Incarnate Word Cardinals
2009	2009	Mike Santiago	Division II Independent	—	5	5	.500	0	0	—	N/A	—	—	—
2010	2010	Lone Star	South	3	8	.273	3	7	.300	12th	—	—	—
2011	2011		Mike Santiago / Todd Ivicic (Interim)	—	2	8	.200	2	5	.286	6th	—	—	—
2012	2012	Larry Kennan	2		9	.182	1	7	.125	9th	—	—	—
2013	2013		FCS Independent		6	5	.545	0	0	—	N/A	—	—	—
2014	2014		Southland		2	9	.182	2	6	.250	9th	—	—	—
2015	2015				6	5	.545	5	4	.556	4th	—	—	—
2016	2016	3			8	.273	3	6	.333	8th	—	—	—
2017	2017	1			10	.091	1	7	.125	9th	—	—	—
2018	2018 †	Eric Morris			6	5	.545	6	2	.750	T–1st	NCAA Division I FCS playoffs – first round	—	—
2019	2019				5	7	.417	4	5	.444	T–6th	—	—	—
2020	2020	3		3	.500	3	3	.500	T–3rd	—	—	—
2021	2021 †	10	3	.769	6	1	.857	1st	NCAA Division I FCS playoffs – second round	12	13
2022	2022 †	G. J. Kinne	12	2	.857	5	1	.833	T–1st	NCAA Division I FCS playoffs – semifinals	3	3
2023	2023	Clint Killough	9	2	.818	6	1	.857	2nd	—	22	14
2024	2024 †		11	3	.786	7	0	1.000	1st	NCAA Division I FCS playoffs – quarterfinals	6	6
2025	2025	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Totals					All-time: 86–92 (.483)			Conference: 55–54 (.505)			—	Postseason: 4–4 (.500)	—	—

^[3]

Stadium

Main article: Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium

UIW home football games are played on campus at Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium. Benson Stadium was dedicated on September 1, 2008 and currently seats 6,000 people. It is named after Tom Benson and his wife Gayle, whose generous monetary donations helped start up the UIW football program. Record stadium attendance of 6,498 was recorded in a game against Houston Baptist on November 17, 2016.^[4] UIW currently has an overall home record at the stadium of 51–35.

All-time record vs. Southland teams

Official record (including any NCAA imposed vacates and forfeits) against all current Southland opponents:

Opponent Won Lost Percentage Streak First Last East Texas A&M 6 0 1.000 Won 6 2010 2024 Houston Christian 10 0 1.000 Won 10 2013 2024 Lamar 7 4 .636 Won 5 2011 2024 McNeese 6 5 .545 Won 3 2014 2024 Nicholls 6 6 .500 Won 1 2014 2024 Northwestern State 5 3 .571 Won 3 2014 2023 Southeastern Louisiana 7 5 .583 Won 2 2013 2024 Stephen F. Austin 3 5 .375 Won 2 2014 2024 UT Rio Grande Valley 0 0 – – – – Totals 50 28 .641

Record against FBS competition

Overall (2–8)

Season	Opponent	Division	Result	Score	Record
2015	UTEP	C-USA	L	17–27	0–1
2016	Texas State	Sun Belt	L	17–48	0–2
2017	Fresno State	Mountain West	L	0–66	0–3
2018	New Mexico	Mountain West	L	30–62	0–4
2018	North Texas	C-USA	L	16–58	0–5
2019	UTSA	C-USA	L	7–35	0–6
2019	New Mexico State	FBS Independent	L	28–41	0–7
2021	Texas State	Sun Belt	W	42–34	1–7
2022	Nevada	Mountain West	W	55–41	2–7
2023	UTEP	C-USA	L	14–28	2–8
2025	UTSA	American
2026	Texas State	Sun Belt
2027	Baylor	Big 12
2029	Texas Tech	Big 12
Total				2–8

Individual awards

Walter Payton Award winners

Main article: Walter Payton Award

The Walter Payton Award is awarded annually to the most outstanding college offensive player in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) as chosen by a nationwide panel of media and college sports information directors.

• 2022 – Lindsey Scott Jr.^[5]

Jerry Rice Award winners

Main article: Jerry Rice Award

The Jerry Rice Award is awarded annually to the most outstanding freshman player in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) of college football as chosen by a nationwide panel of media and college sports information directors.

• 2020–21 – Cam Ward^[6]

Southland Conference Award winners

Player of the Year 2022 – Lindsey Scott Jr., Quarterback 2024 – Zach Calzada, Quarterback Offensive Player of the Year 2021 – Cam Ward, Quarterback 2023 – Brandon Porter, Wide receiver[7] 2024 – Jalen Walthall, Wide receiver Defensive Player of the Year 2022 – Kelechi Anyalebechi, Linebacker Newcomer of the Year 2015 – Myke Tavarres, Linebacker 2021 – Taylor Grimes, Wide receiver 2023 – Zach Calzada, Quarterback

Freshman of the Year 2018 – Jon Copeland, Quarterback 2020–21 – Cam Ward, Quarterback Coach of the Year 2018 – Eric Morris 2021 – Eric Morris 2024 – Clint Killough Football Student-Athlete of the Year 2022 – Kelechi Anyalebechi, Linebacker[8] 2024 – Roy Alexander, Wide Receiver[9]

FCS All-Americans

Year	Player	Position	First team	Second team	Third team
2015	Myke Tavarres	LB	STATS, AFCA	AP	—
2017	Joseph Zema	P	AP, STATS, HERO	AFCA	—
2017	Desmond Hite	KR	—	STATS, HERO	—
2018	Ra’Quanne Dickens	RB	—	—	STATS, HERO
2020	Kevin Brown	RB / AP	—	STATS, AFCA	—
2021	Cam Ward	QB	—	STATS	—
2021	Taylor Grimes	WR	—	AP, STATS, HERO	—
2021	Kelechi Anyalebechi	LB	—	—	AP, STATS
2022	Lindsey Scott Jr.	QB	AP, STATS, HERO, AFCA	—	—
2022	Darion Chafin	WR	—	—	AP, STATS
2022	Taylor Grimes	WR	—	AP, STATS	—
2022	Caleb Johnson	OL	—	—	AP
2022	Kelechi Anyalebechi	LB	—	AP, STATS	—
2023	Brandon Porter	WR	—	AP, STATS, FCS Football Central	—
2023	Steven Parker	DL	PFF	AFCA	STATS, FCS Football Central
2024	Roy Alexander	WR	—	—	STATS, FCS Football Central, Phil Steele/Draftscout
2024	Zach Calzada	QB	—	STATS	AP, FCS Football Central, Phil Steele/Draftscout
2024	Mason Chambers	DB	STATS	FCS Football Central, Phil Steele/Draftscout	AP
2024	Jalen Walthall	WR	AP, STATS, FCS Football Central, Phil Steele/Draftscout	—	—

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Players in the NFL

Player name	Position	Years at UIW	Years in NFL	NFL Team
Justin Alexandre	DE	2017–2018	2019	Jets
Kelechi Anyalebechi	LB	2018–2022	2023	Rams
Taylor Grimes	WR	2021–2022	2023	Broncos
Alex Jenkins	DE	2013–2016	2017–2019	Saints, Giants
Silas Stewart	LB	2017–2018	2019	Ravens
Myke Tavarres	LB	2014–2015	2016	Eagles
Cam Ward	QB	2020–2021	2025–present	Titans
Cole Wick	TE	2012–2015	2016–2020	Lions, 49ers, Titans, Raiders, Saints
National Football League (NFL)

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Players in the CFL

Player name	Position	Years at UIW	Years in CFL	CFL Team
Kelechi Anyalebechi	LB	2018-2022	2025–present	Calgary Stampeders
Kevin Brown	RB	2019–2021	2022–present	Edmonton Elks, Toronto Argonauts
Trevor Begue	WR	2021	2023	Edmonton Elks
Olivier Charles–Pierre	DT	2022	2023	Edmonton Elks
Robert Hayes, Jr.	DB	2016	2022	Montreal Alouettes
Jamari Gilbert	DB	2013–2017	2019	Calgary Stampeders
Silas Stewart	DL	2017–2018	2021–present	Calgary Stampeders, Ottawa Redblacks
Myke Tavarres	LB	2014–2015	2017	Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Joseph Zema	P	2017	2021–present	Montreal Alouettes
Canadian Football League (CFL)

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Future non-conference opponents

Announced non-conference opponents as of January 14, 2025.^[26]

2025	2026	2027	2028	2029
Eastern Washington	Samford	at Baylor	Montana	at Texas Tech
at UTSA	at Northern Arizona	Northern Arizona		at Montana
at Northern Arizona	at Texas State	at Eastern Washington
Abilene Christian

See also

• List of NCAA Division I FCS football programs