FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (Aug. 4, 2021) – Less than a month away from kicking off the 2021 season in the Walkup Skydome against the defending FCS National Champions, the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks officially opened their fall training camp Wednesday morning.
"It's a blessing to be able to do something that you love so much and to be around such great kids," said Lumberjacks head coach
Chris Ball. "We got phenomenal, phenomenal kids in our program and it's fun to be out there around them."
Coming off a 3-2 record during the abbreviated spring season, the Lumberjacks wrapped up their most recent season on April 17 with a 19-9 victory against the Idaho Vandals in the Skydome. The victory kept Northern Arizona perfect on its home field at 2-0 in 2021, with the season-opening 34-33 victory against Southern Utah standing as the other win during the shortened schedule.
Now 6-2 in Flagstaff during Ball's tenure as the program's 30th head coach in program history, the Lumberjacks will spend the next few weeks with a similar camp schedule before beginning their preparations for the Sam Houston Bearkats.
Kicking off the season on Sept. 2 at 6 p.m., the Lumberjacks will host the Bearkats as they come off a 10-0 season culminating in a 23-21 victory over South Dakota State on May 16 in the FCS title game.
Northern Arizona's offseason preparation since the spring season ended has been led by
Tyler Shumate, the athletic department's new Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Performance.
"They came out here this summer and they feel really, really confident," Ball said. "They really paid a price which puts you in position and helps you compete for the championship but doesn't guarantee it. You see the way they walk when they come out of that weight room. They're very, very proud of what they just accomplished."
Ball praised Shumate's energy since joining Northern Arizona and said it carries over to the athletes as they prepared for fall camp and the upcoming fall season.
"He takes a lot of pride in it and you know, the kids see that too," Ball said. "The difference is made in the weight room. That's where the work ethic comes, that's where the ability to handle adversity comes. That's where you push yourself and that's an invaluable thing. We can take it only so far as coaches and then that strength program is really going to take us over the top."
Wednesday also provided Northern Arizona's coaching staff its first opportunity to see many of its newcomers on the field, in person, for the first time. With the COVID-19 pandemic halting in-person recruiting for an extended stretch of time, the opening of fall camp offered a quick glimpse at the roughly 30 additions to the roster.
"We never really saw them in person, so it was nice to get them here. The freshmen group that came in is very, very highly rated and we got some really good transfers that we added in," Ball said. "They came in the middle of summer in July, and we got to see them work in the weight room. They did a great job there, but to get them out on the field has been really nice."
Tickets for the season opener against Sam Houston and Northern Arizona's other four home games can be purchased online at
www.nauathletics.com/buy. Questions can be directed to the Lumberjack Ticket Office at
LumberjackTicketOffice@nau.edu or 928-523-0639.
Season tickets for the Lumberjacks' five home games in the Walkup Skydome this fall are available for as low as $75 for general admission. Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more on a per game basis, as well as a Pick-Two Flex Mini Plan for any two home games for as little as $36 per person.
