Teams that play college football at the FCS level often get overlooked, but year after year, the Northern Iowa Panthers show they have what it takes - they even won an FCS national championship in 2005. As an FCS team, it’s realistic to buy cheap UNI football tickets. In fact, the Panthers probably provide fans with a great bang for their buck. Most years, the Panthers are good enough to go toe-to-toe with a lot of FBS teams, making last-minute UNI football tickets an unexpected treat for any fan.

An Unexpected Pipeline

While Northern Iowa is a smaller football school that competes at a lower level, it has still produced plenty of NFL-caliber talent. The likes of Bryce Paup, James Jones, and Brad Meester all went on to have standout pro careers after playing for the Panthers. More recently, David Johnson came out of UNI to become one of the best running backs in the NFL. Of course, the most notable player in Northern Iowa history is Kurt Warner, who won Player of the Year honors in the Gateway Conference as a senior at UNI and ultimately became a Super Bowl champion and two-time MVP in the NFL.

Building a Winner

For more than 30 years, UNI has built one of the most successful FCS programs. During that time, the Panthers have recorded a dozen wins over FBS programs, including a handful of victories over in-state rival Iowa State. During the 1990s, head coach Terry Allen took Northern Iowa to the 1-AA playoffs in seven straight seasons. A trend picked up by Mark Farley, who took over at his alma mater in 2001. Under Farley, the Panthers have reached the playoffs more times than not and are working hard to reach their goal of winning an FCS national championship.