NAU’s athletic teams are known as the Lumberjacks and they compete at the NCAA Division 1 level and the Football Championship Subdivision for football. They also compete in the Big Sky Conference in all sports but swimming and diving. They have gained national distinction with their achievements. Their mascot is Louie the Lumberjack; the Lumberjack nickname goes back to the school’s early days. The name was taken from the men called Lumber Jacks, according to Harold P. Blome, the younger son of R.H.H. Blome, who was the 2nd president of Northern Arizona Normal School. The NAU football schedule for 2008 features a challenging game, which includes Holiday Bowl participant Arizona State in the season opener. The Lumberjacks will open with the Sun Devils in Tempe for the 3rd time over the last 6 seasons; the first 2 times were in 2003 and 2006. In their home opener, the Lumberjacks will play the New Mexico Highlands. The football team plays in the J. Lawrence Walkup Skydome, which was given a new football surface on April 7. A removable REALGRASS ™ Matrix system was put in and was finished on April 26 in time for the annual NAU Spring Football Game.

The project was given the blessing of the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals’ administration and coaching staff. The NAU football team played on the turf and after the game, it was rolled back up until preparations are started for the Cardinals’ summer training camp in mid-July. This new turf replaces the Astroturf that was installed in 2002; it was originally part of Tropicana Field’s (home of the MLB’s Tampa Bay Rays) outfield. The Walkup Skydome is a multi-purpose stadium on NAU’s campus in Flagstaff; it was opened in September 1977. It is the home of the Lumberjacks football and basketball teams. It is the 2nd largest clear-span timber dome in the world; it held the world record as the largest timber dome from its opening in 1977 until 1998, when the Sydney Showground Exhibition Building was finished for the 2000 Olympics. It was named for J. Lawrence Walkup, who was the president of the university from 1958-79. Other than sporting events, the arena is also used for commencement ceremonies, concerts and other events like conventions and trade shows. The Skydome is also used by the Arizona Cardinals for their summer training camp, which is held at NAU.