The Whitworth University football team has had a terrific decade under head coach Rod Sandberg, but the Pirates also have been living in the shadow of a dominant Linfield team that has claimed the Northwest Conference title 13 times since 2009.

Whitworth started the 2024 campaign with nine consecutive wins before being derailed by Linfield with the NWC championship on the line in the final game of the regular season (34-7). 

The win was redemption for the Wildcats, who found themselves in the same position against the Pirates in 2023.

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In his tenure as Whitworth’s head coach, which began in 2014, Sandberg is 84-24, has led the Pirates to a pair of conference titles (2018, 2023) and four playoff appearances (2015, 2018, 2023 and 2024), and has been named NWC Coach of the Year twice (2018 and 2023).

Despite missing out on the NWC trophy last year, the Pirates advanced to the NCAA Division III Football Championship, where they defeated Pomona-Pitzer in the opening round (21-13) and then lost to eventual national champion North Central (42-17).  

Over the past two years, Whitworth is 20-3 (10-1/7-0 and 10-2/6-1), and the team’s quest for a third consecutive 10-win season will begin at home Sept. 6 against Gustavus Adolphus.

Whitworth will play three nonconference games before kicking off a slate of seven consecutive NWC contests. The first will be on the road against Pacific on Oct. 4, while the Pirates’ 2025 meeting with Linfield will come earlier in the season. The two will battle at Linfield on Oct. 18.

Whitworth University Football Schedule 2025

All Times Eastern/Pacific

• Sept. 6 (Sat): 4 p.m./1 p.m. vs. Gustavus Adolphus
• Sept. 13 (Sat): 4 p.m./1 p.m. at Eastern Oregon
• Sept. 20 (Sat): 3 p.m./Noon vs. Redlands
• Oct. 4 (Sat): 4 p.m./1 p.m. at Pacific (Ore.)
• Oct. 11 (Sat): 4 p.m./1 p.m. vs. George Fox (Homecoming)
• Oct. 18 (Sat): 4 p.m./1 p.m. at Linfield
• Oct. 25 (Sat): 4 p.m./1 p.m. at Lewis & Clark
• Nov. 1 (Sat): 4 p.m./1 p.m. vs. Pacific Lutheran
• Nov. 8 (Sat): 4 p.m./1 p.m. at Willamette
• Nov. 15 (Sat): 3 p.m./Noon vs. Puget Sound

What Was The Whitworth Football Record In 2024?

10-2 (6-1 NWC)

• Whitworth 40, Gustavus Adolphus 7
• Whitworth 31, Eastern Oregon 19
• Whitworth 35, Chapman 28
• Whitworth 34, Pacific Lutheran 23
• Whitworth 48, Willamette 0
• Whitworth 42, Puget Sound 24
• Whitworth 39, Pacific 32
• Whitworth 48, Lewis & Clark 9
• Whitworth 31, George Fox 0
• Linfield 34, Whitworth 7
• Whitworth 21, Pomona-Pitzer 13
• North Central 42, Whitworth 17

How To Watch Whitworth University Football Games In 2025

Every NWC and home Whitworth football game will stream live on FloCollege and the FloSports app. 

Game replays, highlights and breaking news will also be available on both platforms.

When Do The 2025 NCAA Division III College Football Playoffs Start?

The first round of the 2025 NCAA Division III Playoffs will be Nov. 22.

The 2025 Division III Football Championship title game will be played Jan. 10, 2026, at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio.

College Football Rankings 2024 – Final AFCA Division III Coaches Poll

End Of 2024 Season

1. North Central (Ill.) (43) 15-0
2. Mount Union (Ohio) 14-1
3. Johns Hopkins (Md.) 12-2
4. Susquehanna (Pa.) 12-2
5. Salisbury (Md.) 12-1
6. Springfield (Mass.) 12-1
7. St. John’s (Minn.) 11-1
8. Cortland (N.Y.) 11-1
9. DePauw (Ind.) 11-1
10. Bethel (Minn.) 11-3
11. Mary Hardin-Baylor (Tex.) 8-4
12. Wartburg (Iowa) 10-2
13. Hope (Mich.) 11-1
14. Carnegie Mellon (Pa.) 10-2
15. Hardin-Simmons (Tex.) 10-1
16. Linfield (Ore.) 10-2
17. Wisconsin-Platteville 9-2
18. Randolph-Macon (Va.) 10-2
19. Endicott (Mass.) 10-2
20. Grove City (Pa.) 9-2
21. Wisconsin-La Crosse 8-4
22. Aurora (Ill.) 9-2
23. Whitworth (Wash.) 10-2
24. Washington & Jefferson (Pa.) 9-2
25. Coe (Iowa) 9-2

Others Receiving Votes: Hobart (N.Y.), 80; Lake Forest (Ill.), 49; John Carroll (Ohio), 42; Trinity (Tex.), 37; Wheaton (Ill.), 26; Wisconsin-River Falls, 24; King’s (Pa.), 15; Centre (Ky.), 11; Maryville (Tenn.), 10; Massachusetts-Dartmouth, 5; Texas Lutheran, 5; Ursinus (Pa.), 3; Wisconsin-Oshkosh, 2; Alma (Mich.), 1.

La Verne, Cal Lu, Springfield Football And More Brought The Intensity In Week 4 | 2024 Division III Football

Check out some Division III football highlights from early in the 2024 season.

Archived Footage On FloCollege

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