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FLORENCE, Alabama — Somewhere in the Shoals of Alabama — specifically Florence — something extraordinary is taking shape. Not just in concrete and steel (though that’s happening too) but in culture and momentum. Championship banners are being raised earlier than anyone expected at a school that, less than a decade ago, was a Division II powerhouse.
If you thought this story was about the Crimson Tide, you’re on the wrong page. But keep reading — it’s time to step into the den at the University of North Alabama, where a championship-caliber Division I identity is being built brick by brick, win by win, and person by person.
“There is no greater growth in the country at the regional public or FCS level than what’s going on in North Alabama right now,” UNA Director of Athletics Dr. Josh Looney said. “And the growth isn’t just something we say — it’s visible. We’re setting records across campus, in the classroom, in competition, and in our community.”
Looney, who arrived at UNA in 2021 after stops in professional sports, the NCAA national office, and as athletic director at two other institutions, has guided the Lions through their most pivotal chapter yet: full Division I membership. Under his leadership, the department has already accomplished what many programs wait a decade or more to achieve — winning conference titles, breaking attendance records, and breaking ground on new facilities.
“People always talk about surviving the four-year transition (into Division I),” Looney said. “But the next four years after it — that’s a critical window where your trajectory gets set. And we made the decision early on that we wanted to thrive in it. There was no time to get that sigh of relief when the transition ended; it was already go time.”
This past academic and athletic year, UNA secured its first Jesse C. Fletcher Trophy, awarded to the ASUN’s top-performing men’s athletic department — a massive moment just three years after full DI eligibility. The Lions earned it with high finishes and record-setting seasons in basketball, tennis, golf, cross-country, and baseball.
“To accomplish this in just our third year of full Division I membership — that represents another significant first,” Looney said. “We’re not just chasing trophies, though. We’re building sustainable programs, and that starts with the people.”
Looney points to five core talents he looks for in coaches and staff: positivity, selflessness, resilience, decisiveness, and a refusal to accept the status quo. This emphasis has methodology behind it, as Looney partners with a company called HumanEx Ventures on all head coaching searches to utilize a talent and selection tool that helps build high-performing teams aligned with UNA’s organization goals and culture.
“We place a big emphasis on celebrating firsts,” Looney said. “It could be the first time we achieve a competitive milestone, a new GPA record, or a new revenue milestone – really anything that’s measurable. At the beginning of every meeting, we’re celebrating something. But at the end of the day, it’s always about pushing forward. Status quo is the enemy.”
That mindset has been deeply embedded since Looney’s arrival, thanks in part to a career that includes successful stops at Missouri Western and transforming underperforming programs into winners. Looney’s teams rewrote academic records, increased donor bases, and transformed outdated facilities.
Ring a bell?
All these outcomes that are now playing out at UNA.
“We’ve built something special before, and we see the same ingredients here at North Alabama,” he said. “What makes it different now is the alignment. From the leadership of our president (Dr. Ken Kitts) to the UNA Foundation to our community partners — everyone is pulling in the same direction. That’s rare.”
Nothing displays the momentum at UNA more than the skyline itself.
Construction is underway on the $65 million Bank Independent Stadium, the university’s first-ever on-campus football facility. Set to open in 2026–27, the stadium will be the largest construction project in UNA’s history and a multi-use venue capable of hosting classes, concerts, and generating new revenue streams that the university has never had access to before.
“It’s more than just a football stadium,” Looney said. “This is the kind of project that changes what’s possible — for athletics, for the University as a whole, and for entertainment opportunities throughout our region.”
It’s not the only construction game in town. A brand-new baseball stadium popped up next door — part of a once-in-a-generation transformation of UNA’s athletic infrastructure. And while the new seats weren’t ready for the 2025 season, fans still found a way to support their Lions.
“There’s a church adjacent to the baseball field overlooking the left field wall — College View Church of Christ,” UNA Assistant AD for Communications Mike Ezekiel said. “People brought lawn chairs and packed the parking lot. It became the Purple Pulpit.
And that first game? Over 300 people came out. It just shows the level of buy-in around here.”
Ezekiel, a UNA graduate, beams with pride when talking about how much things have changed — and how much passion has remained.
“When I was here as a student, I never really experienced a sellout inside our gym,” he said. “Now? Our tournament games sold out within minutes. People ask me every day about basketball season tickets. People want to know how to watch tennis. It’s not just football anymore — we’re an everything school.”
In 2025, UNA ranked in the top three in attendance in six of its seven spectator sports in either the ASUN or United Athletic Conference. The university led the ASUN in average attendance for women’s soccer, men’s basketball, and softball — signs that Florence isn’t just watching, it’s showing up.
This growing support base is no accident. Looney’s emphasis on external strategy — a focus he could embrace thanks to the strong internal foundation left by his predecessor, Mark Linder — has sparked a culture of engagement.
“One of the best parts of coming in during year four of the D1 transition is that so many of the compliance and internal operations were already in great shape,” Looney said. “That allowed us to go full speed on building the external side — fundraising, fan engagement, partnerships.”
The results have been transformational. UNA’s fundraising success includes major gifts tied to both athletics and academics, thanks to a rare level of collaboration with the university’s advancement team.
“I say this often, but alignment here is real,” Looney said. “Our advancement VP (Kevin Haslam) is a former coach and AD. Our development staff works side-by-side with campus. We’ve approached donors about supporting athletics and departed with a gift for the School of Business — and the other way around as well. We don’t care where they choose to support, as long as they’re connected to UNA.”
So, what’s next?
North Alabama continues to position itself for strategic growth, even as the national landscape shifts with NIL, the House settlement, and ever-changing conference structures.
“Our entire athletic budget is under the $20.5 million rev-share cap that’s a prevalent topic in media coverage surrounding power conference schools, so we have to be smart and creative as UNA enters another new era,” Looney said. “But we’re also nimble. We’ve opted into the new model and are writing our own playbook. It’s exciting to create something new and do it with an underdog mentality.”
Whether it’s facility projects, rising attendance, conference titles, or new fundraising milestones, North Alabama Athletics isn’t waiting for the future to arrive — it’s building it in the moment.
“This is a generational moment for us,” Looney said. “And the best part? We’re just getting started.”
