The Christopher Newport Captains football team represents Christopher Newport University in the NCAA Division III, competing as football-only members of the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC).
By the late 1990s, the prospect of bringing football to Christopher Newport was gaining momentum from both students and the administration alike.
On December 16, 1999, the CNU Board of Visitors voted in favor of starting a football program to compete at the Division III level by the 2001 season.
[2] By Spring 2000, the initial schedule was released for play in the Dixie Conference in 2001, and on May 9, 2000, Matt Kelchner was announced as the program's first head coach.
[3] In the Captains history, the program has captured seven co-conference and four outright conference championship in addition to making eleven appearances in the Division III playoffs.