In 2016, the Northern Arizona University (NAU) Lumberjacks football team won a share of the Big Sky Conference championship, finishing with a 7-1 record in conference play and an 8-3 record overall. The Lumberjacks were co-champions with the University of North Dakota and Eastern Washington University. The team was led by head coach Jerome Souers, who had been coaching the Lumberjacks since 1998, and senior quarterback Case Cookus, who threw for 3,456 yards and 22 touchdowns during the season. The Lumberjacks went on to participate in the FCS Playoffs, where they lost to the University of San Diego in the first round.