It took all 60 for Purple Raiders' 10th
By Ryan Tipps D3sports.com SALEM – A fourth-quarter interception that was returned 78 yards for a touchdown likely scarred UW-Whitewater's momentum more than any other play on Saturday. “I think I was just in the right place at the right time,” Mount Union strong safety Drew McClain said of the pick, which helped usher in a 31-26 victory and a 10th championship for the Purple Raiders. “Lucky enough that the receiver tipped it up in the air, and [I] happened to be there. The ball kind of bounced our way. When that happens, you have to take advantage of the opportunity.” The Warhawks had been slowly chipping away at a lead Mount Union built in the opening minutes of Stagg Bowl XXXVI after quarterback Greg Micheli twice connected with wideout Cecil Shorts for long touchdown passes. “It was a very hard-fought game, MUC coach Larry Kehres said. “We got a quick start, which we needed. Whitewater fought back. They're powerful and very physical. I think they wore us down a little bit.” Micheli, the Gagliardi Trophy winner and Stagg Bowl most outstanding player, proved he was a man of vision – one that allowed him to both scramble for big gains and find his receivers deep. Those kinds of performances were lacking from Whitewater, which didn't have a gain of more than 20 yards all day. “We didn't give up any big plays,” Kehres noted. “We had to play defense a lot. We were on the field almost the whole fourth quarter, and we got tired; you get tired when you have to make that many plays. We shortened the fourth quarter enough to hang onto the victory by not giving up any big plays.” Aside from a calm breeze that started in the second half, the weather channeled a calm that belied the intensity of the field. Days of rain walking up to the Stagg Bowl subsided at game time, and a comfortable chill hovered in the air. Still, the overcast skies meant that this was technically a game under the lights even if it wasn't that way in spirit. And for four quarters, the purple-laden stands surrounding Willis White Field did not fall silent. But 60 minutes was all they got. “I thought that, you know, if we had a little more time, it would've been a little more interesting, that's for sure,” said Jeff Donovan, the Warhawks' quarterback. “I thought it's not necessarily that we had a slow start. … They just came out of the gates like we preach all year. They did to us what we have prided ourselves on doing.” UW-Whitewater coach Lance Leipold saw his team fall short at times during the day, but still was happy that the game didn't end early – or at least the intensity didn't end early. He said he was “proud of our young football team today and the way they competed. With the quick scores and their backs to the wall throughout the game, they never quite got over the hump in some situations where we had some opportunities. This team competed for 60 minutes, and I'm awfully proud of that.” Mount Union opened the game with three series that were built around massive forward momentum. “That's one of things we talked about all week, getting a quick start,” Micheli noted. Falling behind on the scoreboard was compounded by other troubles for Whitewater. Among the team's most significant difficulties was the kicking game, which bookended two missed field goals around halftime. Yet Whitewater controlled much of the game. The Wisconsin school outgained the Purple Raiders on offense and posted the day's final two touchdowns, all the while keeping Mount Union's offense out of the end zone for the final 49 minutes. Jace Rindahl, a UW-Whitewater linebacker and D3football.com's defensive player of the year, was a key factor in that. “I'm just down there telling [the defense] … that we're going to be playing all four quarters. Let's just keep fighting, keep fighting every chance you got,” said Rindahl, who had five tackles and a sack. “And you know, that fourth quarter comes around, and it's a ball game, let's make it happen. And that's exactly what happened. We were right in there in the fourth quarter.” Nestled in the mountains of the Roanoke Valley, the Stagg Bowl pitted two teams that had mountains of their own to climb. “We had a lot of questions coming into this season,” Micheli said. “We really answered, I think, all of them throughout the year. And to see these young guys grow, I'm really proud of everything they've done.” Kehres praised his seniors, noting that it was because of them that Mount Union was able to return to Salem and again hoist the Walnut and Bronze. “The way this worked out, even though we didn't have as many seniors, they led a bunch of younger guys to a championship, more than the coaching staff did,” he said. “Nate by having a contagious energy at practice, it's kind of like the measles, other guys can catch it and learn how to practice effectively. … And Greg through preparation. We've had lots of good quarterbacks, and I don't rank them, but I would say in terms of preparation, no one prepared harder than he did for games.” Whitewater was in a similar situation, having barely a handful of seniors on this year's team. And it took some easing into difficult roles for the team to finally reach its stride. “I thought we drove the ball every time we had it, you know, taking the clock up, moving the chains,” said Donovan, who passed for 257 yards. “Our defense settled in and made some key stops. They really got us back in the game and gave us a chance to win it.” The newly crowned champions have been here before, but not necessarily as this unique group.
After the clock hit 0:00 and the trophies were presented, Mount Union players waved and celebrated in front of their fans, who remained on their side of the stadium long after Whitewater's stands had thinned. Some on the winning team were seniors, perhaps playing in the last football game of their lives. Their drive was rooted in that, in a desire to go out on top. Others, such as Shorts, may have had additional things on their minds. Shorts, a star of the 2008 championship game, sat in the conference room, his helmet off, proudly displayed the words “Happy B-Day Dad” perfectly painted in his eyeblack. | ||||
| Permalink | Dec 20, 2008 | ||||
Predictions, preparations Our on-air coverage of Stagg Bowl XXXVI begins at 9 a.m. ET, but before we get you there, Keith McMillan, Pat Coleman and Gordon Mann give you one final preview. From Salem Stadium, it's an Around the Nation podcast. Who will win? We give you our best guess every year, with our panel of so-called experts combined with other Division III fans to give you as much analysis as humanly possible. Our Stagg Bowl XXXVI predictions. Plus, whether the teams want to consider it a rivalry or not, the consistent meetings between UW-Whitewater and Mount Union over the past seven seasons have turned the purple powers into rivals of the competitive variety. Ryan Tipps writes more in a Road to Salem feature.
For Mount Union, getting pressure against the UW-Whitewater offensive line will be key. And that pressure starts up front with the defensive line and Purple Raider end James Herbert. More in a Road to Salem feature. For UW-Whitewater, this season has keyed around the man calling the signals, Jeff Donovan. Surely the Warhawks are glad he stuck it out after sitting behind Danny Jones last season. More in a Road to Salem feature. Our Stagg Bowl XXXVI sideline reporter, Frank Rossi, is bringing a first-hand look at the events around the Stagg Bowl from a first-timer's perspective. Check out his posts on the Daily Dose. | ||||
| Permalink | Dec 19, 2008 | ||||
Purple powers bring plenty of respect Mount Union has had regular challengers in the postseason before, facing off against Allegheny in the regional rounds in the 1990s and, of course, three meetings with Rowan in the Stagg Bowl over a six-year period. But Mount Union-Rowan was never like this. Perhaps they haven't met often enough to be truly considered rivals. But with Mount Union and UW-Whitewater meeting for the sixth time in seven years and now seemingly making the Stagg Bowl a regular destination, it's time to look at it as such. Does familiarity breed contempt in this case? Hardly. Ryan Tipps looks at the budding rivalry in a Road to Salem feature. If the Purple Raiders want to get pressure against the UW-Whitewater offensive line, it needs to start up front, with defensive end James Herbert and the rest of the line. The story, in a Road to Salem feature by Matt Florjancic.
Our Stagg Bowl XXXVI sideline reporter, Frank Rossi, is bringing a first-hand look at the events around the Stagg Bowl from a first-timer's perspective. Check out his posts on the Daily Dose. We'll have our predictions on Friday and a look at this new rivalry that is playing out at the highest level of Division III football. Then, join us for the All-American announcement and pregame show on Saturday morning, as well as our online audio broadcast of the game. Listen to the national broadcast crew that knows the teams and keep the TV on mute. | ||||
| Permalink | Dec 18, 2008 | ||||
Budding rivalry on the biggest stage By Ryan Tipps D3sports.com Those who believe the old adage that familiarity breeds contempt have never met the coaches at Mount Union and UW-Whitewater. Respect between these two championship-caliber teams have been earned in recent years, rooted early on in a regular season meeting in 2002 and developed through to 2008 and their fourth straight faceoff in the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl. What has emerged is a healthy foundation for a rivalry, even if Mount Union's Larry Kehres and Whitewater's Lance Leipold aren't sure that they've reached that stage yet. "I don't know if it's quite there," Leipold said in an interview with D3football.com. "I think it's more of two very good football programs, one of which has a long tradition [of success] and one that has put itself on the scene in the last four years. I think both programs have great respect for one another." From where they started the year, the arc of their seasons could have been more impressive. Both teams had to replace two-thirds of their starting lineups in September. Getting to this point, playing in Salem, Va., was a footnote to more pressing needs during camp and the early part of the fall. "I think we opened the season with a lot of question marks," Kehres said in a news conference early this week. "I didn't want to put a lot of pressure on our team. ... We were really just trying to get off to a good start, let some of the new men get established." Whitewater traveled an unusually difficult route to the Stagg Bowl. After a 17-16 loss to conference foe UW-Stevens Point in Week 8, Whitewater slipped into the playoffs as a Pool C bid and was positioned at No. 5 in its bracket. That meant just two home games in the playoffs.
The ability of Mount Union and UW-Whitewater to reload after so many graduations and the narrow 2-1 record in their Stagg Bowl matchups fuels a perception that this can turn into a top-tier rivalry. And though as programs, they have both been in this position before, their fourth meeting carries a status that may have eluded the previous three meetings: This week will be a game by the virtually undisputed Nos. 1 and 2 teams in the country. Though the Stagg Bowl crowns a clear Division III champion, clamoring in recent seasons has raised questions as to the country's second-best team – a subjective inquiry attempted to be fleshed out in polls and banter. Each season, the Stagg Bowl runner-up was listed in the No. 2 spot on the D3football.com poll. But there were detractors out there. In 2005, some argued that Capital gave Mount Union its best postseason competition. The following year, Capital again lost to MUC by three points in the playoffs, while Mount also faced a tough hurdle in St. John Fisher. Then in 2007, fingers were pointed that Mary Hardin-Baylor, which lost at Whitewater by just nine points in the national semifinals, could be the nation's No. 2. This season, the certainty about these being two best teams in the county could hardly be more solid. In recent weeks, none others have shown themselves more potent on the field. MUC's and UW-W's trails have been ones of convincing victories. Whitewater's Leipold noted, "I think that it's been a goal of this program, with [former coach] Bob Berezowitz for a long time, that UW-Whitewater gets mentioned in the sentence. I think now we are in the sentence with Mount Union, and that's been something that we're proud of and are very focused on." Even if the rivalry status isn't there yet, Kehres and Leipold have parlayed competitiveness into respect -- even leading toward friendship. And definitively, in Kehres' eyes, this year is not about revenge, a trait he condemns as "just not a very healthy idea at any time," on the field or in life. They are there to play the game, and the athletes are, too. In that vein, with game film to break down, both coaches readily recognize the strengths of the other: Kehres said, "I don't think there's a D-III team with a better combination of size, quickness, speed and skill than Whitewater. ... We played Whitewater a number of times, and the team has a great combination of size, height and weight." This year, Leipold points out that Mount Union doesn't "have a Pierre Garcon, but it's an excellent corps of receivers. You can tell that the ball gets spread out, and the accuracy [of the quarterback] ... is ridiculous. It's an outstanding mark of accuracy, and it's going to be a big factor in the game." This season, despite not having Garcon, who now plays for the NFL's Indianapolis Colts, Mount Union has star players in quarterback Greg Micheli, the Gagliardi Trophy winner, and running back Nate Kmic, the all-time leading rusher in college football history. "What we lack in size, and we don't have very good size," Kehres said, "we have to try and make up for in quickness."
He "is one of the top guys in his approach to practice that has played here," his coach said. "Energy is a little bit contagious. If some players have energy, it kind of rubs off. I think Nate helps other men when they don't feel like practicing hard and running hard through each practice repetition." That effort hit full stride with the team after early-season wins against Ohio Northern and Capital, which showed that the fledgling members of the team could be cohesive. "We didn't have a focus on the playoffs through much of the season," Kehres said. "A lot of new starters, and just trying to get secure in their own positions. We alternated some spots, so there was kind of pressure on the news starters to kind of hold onto their jobs. I don't think we were doing much looking ahead." While Mount Union's stars come up in most discussions, UW-Whitewater is a team that is mired, in a large sense, in individual anonymity. UW-W, its coach said, has relied on its skill as a unit. "It's not a flashy group. It's not a name group, and you know what, that's what's made this even more enjoyable for our coaches," Leipold said. "It's a testament to our coaches and a testament to our team. Because that's the one thing, it's about team, it's about teamwork, and we don't have a lot of household names." Leipold, in part, also credits the extra games in recent playoffs with helping the team grow. "We try to emphasize that every week, that our younger players on the scout team have a chance to get better while people in our conference are not practicing," he said. Offensively, Whitewater's firepower has come, in part, from having two capable running backs, one of which is coming off an injury and may not be at full speed on Saturday. Defensively, Jace Rindahl helps anchor the group, which has shown itself especially adept against the run. "From a defensive standpoint, we're going to have to tackle well," Leipold said. "That's one thing, not giving up big plays and tackling well. Between the running back and quarterback [at Mount Union], they are excellent, excellent players. ... One of the things that stands out on film is their ability to make people miss tackles on them." Winning on Saturday has nothing to do with the results of the first 14 games but has everything to do with the development on the field in that time. Pieces gel, plays are ignited or snuffed out and the student-athletes channel confidence and character. It's what they've had to do since the start of the season, when many were not the veterans they have become today. "I think the key is the players," Kehres said. "Both teams have players that are really committed, and when they got their chance to play, they were ready." | ||||
| Permalink | Dec 18, 2008 | ||||
Bring the pressure Mount Union hopes to do in 2008 what it couldn't do in 2007, shut down the UW-Whitewater offense. In Stagg Bowl XXXV, the Warhawks had 410 yards of total offense and scored 31 points. And while most of the offense came in the form of seniors from last season, so did most of the Mount Union defense. If the Purple Raiders want to get pressure against the UW-Whitewater offensive line, it needs to start up front, with defensive end James Herbert and the rest of the line. The story, in a Road to Salem feature by Matt Florjancic.
Our Stagg Bowl XXXVI sideline reporter, Frank Rossi, will bring you a first-hand look at the events around the Stagg Bowl from a first-timer's perspective. Check out his posts on the Daily Dose. We'll also have more features throughout the week, including our predictions on Friday and a look at this new rivalry that is playing out at the highest level of Division III football. Then, join us for the All-American announcement and pregame show on Saturday morning, as well as our online audio broadcast of the game. Listen to the national broadcast crew that knows the teams and keep the TV on mute. | ||||
| Permalink | Dec 17, 2008 | ||||
Mount defense brings the pressure By Matt Florjancic D3sports.com ALLIANCE, Ohio -- What is more stunning, Mount Union's 46.6 points per game average or the fact the Purple Raider defense has allowed 7.5 a game this season? Surely many have wondered that as the Purple Raiders complete another march to Salem, Va., when they load up the buses following practice Wednesday. Offensively, Mount Union uses a multiple formation pro set. When the 11 men on defense take the field, they do not use a basic 4-3 front or even a less standard 3-5-3 set. The Purple Raiders utilize a 4-2-5 scheme. Removing one of the linebackers and adding an additional cornerback gives Mount Union a nickel formation with four rushing linemen and five defensive backs. "Basically, the 4-2-5 defense is based on the will (weak side) linebacker and the strong safety making plays," said Mount Union junior defensive end James Herbert. "It's a team defense and everybody does their job. "My one responsibility is to take up linemen so our linebackers can make tackles," he added. "I stay at the line of scrimmage, read and react to the play. If the quarterback drops back to pass, my job is to pressure [him], force a bad decision or tackle him [for] the sack." Herbert has executed his assignments well this season. He is fourth on the team with 64 total stops, but leads Mount Union with 14 sacks for 87 lost yards. Of Herbert's 64 stops, 23 have been behind the line of scrimmage for 106 lost yards. He is tied for the team lead with two forced fumbles and is the only Purple Raider defender to register a safety. The two-point defensive play came in a 51-13 victory against Muskingum in September. "I try to mix it up," Herbert said of his plan of attack at the line of scrimmage. "Sometimes, I like to bull rush them, come right at them. I like to use the speed rush, maybe counter inside, outside. The main thing is coming off the ball fast, using good hands and staying low. If you do that, you can pretty much have your way with them." Mount Union had its way with the first four playoff opponents. They surrendered 45 points and 949 yards in four games. The best effort as a team came against Hobart when the Purple Raiders gave up 196 yards of total offense to the Statesmen. Although he was not a starter for Mount Union in last season's Stagg Bowl, Herbert did see action in all 15 games. He registered six sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss. This year, Herbert has improved every week. Herbert is getting stronger at the right time and had his two best games of the playoffs in the last two rounds against Wheaton (five tackles, one for lost yardage) and Cortland State (four tackles, three for lost yardage, one sack, and one pass breakup). "Teams have been scoring on us, moving the ball on us and we've been able to handle it well," said Herbert. "We've been able to keep our composure and see how we bounce back from [adversity]. Each team is a stepping stone. We don't take any team for granted. That helped in a big way because they're really good teams and they're in the playoffs for a reason. "In any type of defense, it starts up front," Herbert said. "Regardless of the skill you have, you have to win at the line of scrimmage. It always starts up front with the o-line and d-line. Whoever controls the line of scrimmage, more often than not, will win the game." Even if Herbert is not able to sack the quarterback, he has "100 percent" confidence in the secondary's ability to lock down receivers. Mount Union's defense has intercepted 11 passes on the season, three of which have gone back for Purple Raider touchdowns. Junior cornerback Ryan Renbarger leads the team with three interceptions. He, Daryl Ely and Lambert Budzinski have returned interceptions for Mount Union touchdowns this season. "Offense helps defense, defense helps offense," Herbert said of the 18 turnovers forced by Mount Union this season. "When we're out there, we want to do our job and put them in good field position so they can score. We help each other out as much as we can. "No doubt in mind my, I know they'll do their thing," Herbert added about the secondary. "With our defense, someone always comes out to play. Someone always comes up with a stop when I necessarily don't have a chance. I'm not worried about anything." This weekend, the Mount Union defense gets a chance to redeem itself after last season's 31-21 Stagg Bowl loss to UW-Whitewater. The Warhawks' point total was the most allowed by the Purple Raiders since a 34-31 regional final victory against Capital in 2005. Though others mention the loss in last year's Stagg Bowl, it is not a point of emphasis for Mount Union's coaching staff and players. "We have in the back of our minds what happened, but we're going to play our defense, stick to our scheme and do what we do," Herbert said. "Last year plays in some of the players' minds, but in preparation, it's not a factor. Of course we can fix some of the things we didn't do last year. We're looking at ourselves and doing our thing to win the game." | ||||
| Permalink | Dec 17, 2008 | ||||
Sticking around turned out fine Much was made of Danny Jones' decision to transfer last season from Cal Lutheran to UW-Whitewater. And it would be difficult to say that it didn't pay off for both parties, as the quarterback helped lead the Warhawks to the national title with a win against Mount Union in Stagg Bowl XXXV. But there was at least one person who was, let's say inconvenienced, by the decision. That was then-sophomore Jeff Donovan, who was behind Justin Jacobs the previous season and was expected to compete for the starting job in 2007. So when Jones won the job, Donovan had to decide whether to stick it out for another football season, or concentrate on baseball. He stuck around. And since then he's helped lead the Warhawks to the Division III World Series in baseball and Stagg Bowl XXXVI. More on the junior quarterback in a Road to Salem feature by Bill Huber.
Then, join us for the All-American announcement and pregame show on Saturday morning, as well as our online audio broadcast of the game. Listen to the national broadcast crew that knows the teams and keep the TV on mute. | ||||
| Permalink | Dec 16, 2008 | ||||
Sticking it out paid off for Donovan By Bill Huber Special to D3sports.com Jeff Donovan quarterbacked the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater to the national championship last season. Oh, wait. That was Danny Jones. Seventeen months ago, Donovan, then a sophomore, figured he was going to replace Justin Jacobs as the starting quarterback for a Warhawks team gunning for its third consecutive trip to the Stagg Bowl. Instead, Danny Jones transferred from Cal Lutheran in time for training camp and won the job. The rest, as they say, is history, with the team Jones quarterbacked beating Mount Union for the school's first national title. Now, it's Donovan's turn. Donovan, who hit 12 home runs to help the Warhawks reach the Division III World Series this spring, has thrown six touchdown passes against two interceptions in Whitewater's playoff run, including a 5-to-0 ratio in a quarterfinal win over Wartburg and semifinal romp against Mary Hardin-Baylor. "Very honestly, there was a time right before the first game of (last) year that Jeff was pretty down and disappointed," said Lance Leipold, who was in his first year as the Warhawks' coach at the time. "And that wasn't easy, because we were going through a lot of transition as a program -- a new coach and all of a sudden, a new quarterback shows up, and guys are looking at a lot of different things. "Jeff didn't know what to do. Should he just go concentrate on baseball? We asked Jeff to just hang with us. It was a trying time. He came here to play both sports and to excel, and I think he looked at it as a chance where he could be a three-year starter, and it didn't turn out that way. "Looking back at it now and talking to Jeff, he knows it was a very good thing that happened. It gave him an extra year to mature." Donovan isn't so sure he's a better quarterback today because he spent another year watching from the sideline, but he harbors no bitterness toward how things worked out. "The only thing I was disappointed of is the fact that I felt that I didn't even get an opportunity to win the job," Donovan said. "Coming into that year, Danny was a transfer. I didn't even know we had a transfer until real late, right before camp. That was a little surprising to me. When we got to camp, I felt my chances of winning the job were very limited."  No second thoughts -- not even for a second -- after passing up a full scholarship to play baseball at Division I UW-Milwaukee so he could play both sports at Whitewater?"At the time coming out of high school, I didn't really understand the importance of a free education," Donovan said. "Looking back, that would have been sweet, but I don't have any regrets." Photo by Larry Radloff, D3sports.com It helped that his competition with Jones didn't get in the way of what turned into a strong friendship. "He's such a great guy," Donovan said. "He deserved everything that happened. He wasn't cocky or anything. He was real supportive all the time. He would always say, ‘Jeff, you're going to be great someday. Your time is going to come.' I can't say enough about how he handled the situation. I couldn't help but root for him." Donovan got his chance this year as one of many first-time starters for Whitewater. The Warhawks are making their fourth consecutive trip to Salem for the Stagg Bowl, but this trek wasn't expected and wasn't easy. The Warhawks started the season 6-0 before being stunned in the final seconds at home by UW-Stevens Point. The next week, against UW-Eau Claire, Donovan exited with an injured throwing shoulder. With Donovan on the sideline for the next game, Whitewater avoided a season-killing upset against UW-Stout. Donovan returned to the lineup the next week, and the Warhawks' offense has been firing on all cylinders ever since, averaging 38.4 points per game. He's completed at least 61.9 percent of his passes in four of those games, including a 16-for-25 effort with a career-high three touchdowns last week at Mary Hardin-Baylor. Donovan says he's "definitely not 100 percent healthy," but there was no way he was going to miss any more games. Not after what he's gone through and not with what was at stake. "It's no option, really," Donovan said when asked about fighting through the injury. "I can make these throws. I'm going to do everything I can to be there for the seniors and my teammates. I never even considered not playing." "He's been able to put himself together," was how Leipold put it. "He's one of those guys who's going to show up and compete for you." Leipold marvels at Donovan's ability, which is somewhere between Jacobs' passing ability and Jones' combination of running and passing. Plus, he's been clutch. Two of the three touchdown passes against the Cru came on third down. Against Wartburg, he set up Whitewater's first touchdown by converting a third-and-15, and he put the Warhawks ahead 17-3 with a third-down touchdown pass. "He's really the backyard competitive kid who just loves playing the game," Leipold said. "But he's very savvy for a quarterback. He uses the clock very well. What he's been able to do is make throws on third-and-long this year that I haven't seen in a long time. I can't even remember a quarterback who's been as consistent as he has been on third-and-long situations to keep drives alive. He's got great confidence. Jeff has just been able to make that downfield throw that keeps drives alive for us, and I think that's been a huge difference in our season." That season will end on Saturday against Mount Union, with Division III's titans slugging it out for the fourth consecutive year. Donovan knows what must be done: Start fast, ride the Warhawks' strong running game, make smart decisions in the passing game and avoid turnovers. "It's always more anxious," Donovan said when asked if he'd be nervous. "I'm excited, so excited for the game. I can't wait for it to come. I want the game to last five days." | ||||
| Permalink | Dec 16, 2008 | ||||
Micheli named Gagliardi winner His nomination caused a stir, but his winning the award should not be a surprise. At the beginning of the process, it seemed clear that a Mount Union player would win the Gagliardi Trophy for the fifth time in its 16-year history, but it was Greg Micheli nominated and not Nate Kmic. Each school can nominate only one player for the Gagliardi Trophy and the coaches' association All-American team will name no more than one player from any school. Micheli was nominated for the Gagliardi Trophy and Kmic for the AFCA team. The D3football.com All-American teams have no such artificial restriction. The trophy is named for St. John's coach John Gagliardi, the first active coach to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. He is the winningest coach in college football history with a record of 461-125-11 (.781). Full story. | ||||
| Permalink | Dec 16, 2008 | ||||
Micheli wins Gagliardi Trophy Mount Union quarterback Greg Micheli has been named winner of the Gagliardi Trophy, awarded each year to honor the outstanding NCAA Division III football player. Micheli emerged from a field of 10 finalists to become the fifth Purple Raider to win the award. Sponsored by Jostens and the Saint John's University J-Club, the Gagliardi Trophy recognizes excellence in athletics, academics and community service. At 6-3, 203, Micheli completed a 10-0 regular season as the nation's No. 1 passer with a 215.8 rating on 28 touchdowns with only two interceptions. He directed the nation's top offense (551.43 yards/game). In four playoff wins this fall, he completed 60 of 84 passes (71.4% completion percentage) for six touchdowns and no interceptions. The academic All-American, with a 3.84 GPA in physics and math, was recently named recipient of an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship from the National Football Foundation/College Football Hall of Fame. Micheli is a member of the MUC Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and volunteers in an elementary school program. The award will be presented on Thursday evening, Dec. 18, in Salem, Va., as part of the Stagg Bowl festivities. Micheli and his Mount Union teammates will face defending national champion UW-Whitewater, with the teams meeting for the fourth consecutive year. In 2006, Micheli was named the game's Most Outstanding Player. Gagliardi Trophy selection was made by a national committee comprised of coaches, sports writers, community leaders and former Division III student-athletes enshrined in the National Collegiate Football Hall of Fame, as well as D3football.com's Pat Coleman and Keith McMillan. In addition, fans voted to rank the 10 finalists and cast an electronic ballot that was collectively added to the 35 votes of the national selection committee. Micheli won the fan vote. The trophy is named for St. John's coach John Gagliardi, the first active head coach to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame (Class of 2006). He is the winningest coach in college football history with a record of 461-125-11 (.781). | ||||
| Permalink | Dec 16, 2008 | ||||
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