University of Northern Colorado Athletics
Photo by: Jesus Ayala, UNC Athletics
The Call That Came the Night Before
10/15/2026 11:34:00 AM | Football
GREELEY, Colo. – Owen Wind was committed to Drake. Then the night before signing day, his coach called with news that changed everything.
"He lets me know they're going to Northern Iowa," Wind said. "Which was obviously not ideal. And it was the day before signing day, so I was scrambling to find a place to go, and UNC came in."
Wind had been to a junior day in Greeley. The coaching staff hadn't shown much interest until they heard he was available. Then they were all in.
"Dream come true. It's close to home too," Wind said.
The freshman safety is from Fort Collins, which means Colorado State was his in-city program. The Rams never recruited him. Neither did anyone else in the state, for the most part.
"I'm from Fort Collins, so CSU was my in-city team, and they never threw me a shoulder at all," Wind said. "Coming here and just kind of pushing that fire and pushing that drive, it comes back to pride."
He is not alone in that. Wind came to Greeley with Marcus Mozer from Fossil Ridge High School, part of an in-state group that head coach Ed Lamb has built the roster around. Wind said playing in front of their own community carries weight.
"I got so many family, neighbors, everyone's coming to the game," Wind said. "How we play is really a reflection on us, because we're playing close to home."
Wind graduated in 2025 and gray shirted, so this is technically his freshman season. He said the jump to the Big Sky hit him immediately.
"It was definitely a smack in the face a little bit at the beginning, because the game's just so much faster," Wind said. "But once you stick with it and you work hard, things have slowed down for me a little bit, and at this point I'm just playing ball like I did in high school."
The Culture
Ask Wind to describe the program and he points straight at his head coach.
"Our culture stems from Coach Lamb. He's the truth," Wind said. "Our culture is, we play gritty, and we're going to try and smack you in the face every single time on defense. That's just how we play."
He connects that directly to who the Bears recruit.
"It comes back to being an underdog," Wind said. "A lot of these kids, we're all underdogs when it came to recruiting."
Finding Consistency
Wind played both ways in high school and wanted to be a receiver in college. He said he always knew safety was where he'd be better, and he has no regrets about it now.
His assessment of the secondary is unflinching. Injuries have forced players into new positions, and the unit has shown it can make plays without always doing it on schedule.
"The biggest thing for us is being consistent, because we have a lot of guys who are switching positions and trying new things," Wind said. "We're just trying to find a consistency that's going to work for us every single play. We've shown we can make big plays, but the thing is, can we do that every single time?"
What's Next
Northern Colorado returns home Saturday to host Cal Poly at 6 p.m. MT at Nottingham Field, looking for its third win of the season.
Tickets can be purchased through the UNC ticket office online at UNCBears.com/Tickets, by calling 970-351-4849, or in person at the UNC ticket office during normal business hours.
Quarterback Club
The Quarterback Club plays a vital role in supporting the UNC Football program. By giving to the Quarterback Club, you help enhance the student-athlete experience, providing resources for team development, and ensuring the success of the Bears on and off the field. Your involvement makes a meaningful difference in the future of the program.
FOLLOW THE BEARS:
For complete coverage of UNC Athletics, check out the official homepage at UNCBears.com. Follow the football team on Instagram, X and Facebook.
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"He lets me know they're going to Northern Iowa," Wind said. "Which was obviously not ideal. And it was the day before signing day, so I was scrambling to find a place to go, and UNC came in."
Wind had been to a junior day in Greeley. The coaching staff hadn't shown much interest until they heard he was available. Then they were all in.
"Dream come true. It's close to home too," Wind said.
The freshman safety is from Fort Collins, which means Colorado State was his in-city program. The Rams never recruited him. Neither did anyone else in the state, for the most part.
"I'm from Fort Collins, so CSU was my in-city team, and they never threw me a shoulder at all," Wind said. "Coming here and just kind of pushing that fire and pushing that drive, it comes back to pride."
He is not alone in that. Wind came to Greeley with Marcus Mozer from Fossil Ridge High School, part of an in-state group that head coach Ed Lamb has built the roster around. Wind said playing in front of their own community carries weight.
"I got so many family, neighbors, everyone's coming to the game," Wind said. "How we play is really a reflection on us, because we're playing close to home."
Wind graduated in 2025 and gray shirted, so this is technically his freshman season. He said the jump to the Big Sky hit him immediately.
"It was definitely a smack in the face a little bit at the beginning, because the game's just so much faster," Wind said. "But once you stick with it and you work hard, things have slowed down for me a little bit, and at this point I'm just playing ball like I did in high school."
The Culture
Ask Wind to describe the program and he points straight at his head coach.
"Our culture stems from Coach Lamb. He's the truth," Wind said. "Our culture is, we play gritty, and we're going to try and smack you in the face every single time on defense. That's just how we play."
He connects that directly to who the Bears recruit.
"It comes back to being an underdog," Wind said. "A lot of these kids, we're all underdogs when it came to recruiting."
Finding Consistency
Wind played both ways in high school and wanted to be a receiver in college. He said he always knew safety was where he'd be better, and he has no regrets about it now.
His assessment of the secondary is unflinching. Injuries have forced players into new positions, and the unit has shown it can make plays without always doing it on schedule.
"The biggest thing for us is being consistent, because we have a lot of guys who are switching positions and trying new things," Wind said. "We're just trying to find a consistency that's going to work for us every single play. We've shown we can make big plays, but the thing is, can we do that every single time?"
What's Next
Northern Colorado returns home Saturday to host Cal Poly at 6 p.m. MT at Nottingham Field, looking for its third win of the season.
Tickets can be purchased through the UNC ticket office online at UNCBears.com/Tickets, by calling 970-351-4849, or in person at the UNC ticket office during normal business hours.
Quarterback Club
The Quarterback Club plays a vital role in supporting the UNC Football program. By giving to the Quarterback Club, you help enhance the student-athlete experience, providing resources for team development, and ensuring the success of the Bears on and off the field. Your involvement makes a meaningful difference in the future of the program.
FOLLOW THE BEARS:
For complete coverage of UNC Athletics, check out the official homepage at UNCBears.com. Follow the football team on Instagram, X and Facebook.
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