By Ryan Tipps
D3football.com

They broke the ice 15 years ago, and now they get chills seeing how far Mount Union has come.

"We did win the first one, obviously, and what the guys have done since then is just absolutely unbelievable," said Jim Ballard, a record-setting passer from the 1993 squad, the first in a line of nine Mount Union teams to win the Division III national championship.

Ballard and a few other members from that storied team get together in Alliance, Ohio, to see Mount Union through the playoffs, to see a team that's on a path toward the Stagg Bowl and evolving year after year.

"We get together whenever we can, whatever playoff game we can," Ballard said. "It's usually a handful of guys who are always around and always keep in touch. And if we don't hook up at the games, it's one of those things where we still talk, try to get together, go to dinner. Just hang out a little bit."

Most of the guys live close by (Ballard is just down the road in North Canton), and though work and other obligations keep people away at times, it can often be counted on that Ballard, tight end Mike Furcolow, wide receiver Ed Bubonics, offensive lineman Matt Johnson and others will reunite at the stadium. They stand along the fence, cheer on the Purple Raiders and relive among themselves some of the memorable moments of the early '90s.

They talk often about camaraderie, Furcolow said. "It's not as much the winning as much as the process of getting there, the friendships you develop. Things that you learned about how the program worked, how that affects the rest of your life. Things that we've experienced in business and management and different things in that perspective."

And they talk about their time on the field. Two games in particular are reminisced about often. In 1992, MUC faced the frigid Wisconsin weather, as well as eventual national UW-La Crosse, in the national semifinals.

"It was literally 30 below zero with the wind chill," Ballard recalls. "A lot of us got hurt. One buddy blew out a knee. Had we won that game and played in the national championship, I don't know how many of us would have been able to play. We just talk about how ridiculously cold it was."

Jim Ballard holds the inaugural Gagliardi Trophy, with John Gagliardi.

More proudly, they look back at the Purple Raiders' first championship win, which came against a Rowan team that was perceived to be bigger, faster and stronger. On that day, the result of the game wasn't based on perceptions.

Ballard remembers his opponents vividly. Rowan "had 11 Division I transfers on their team. … They were huge; their receivers were 6-3, 6-2, 6-3, 6-4, and they were all about 200 pounds. They were big, to say the least."

Behind two fourth-quarter drives, Mount Union came out ahead that year 34-24, helping to set the tone for the team in years to come.

"We get credited with starting the whole thing and this and that, but there were teams before that made the playoffs," Ballard said. "And for a while, we couldn't get past Dayton, and Dayton at the time was the big dog, and my junior year we ended up playing them and beating them. That was actually the last time that they were Division III, was '92. And we like to say that we bounced them out."

Yet for today's Mount Union squad, in Ballard's eyes, things are not like they were back then.

"We talk about how much we'd almost hate to play for them now, because if you don't win the national championship or blow people out by 50, it's like, what's wrong with you, you guys aren't very good," he said. "The expectations are just so, so high. There's a lot of pressure. ... For us to do it when we did, there was pressure, but not like there is now."

The large margins of victory are why Ballard and the others typically get together in the playoffs only. During the regular season, "you're there for 10 minutes and it's over. They beat people down pretty much. They playoffs are just [more] fun."

There are also lessons that can be seen when the team that they love so much falls short, as happened in Alliance in December 2004, when Mary Hardin-Baylor pulled out a 38-35 victory in the national semifinals.

"It was somewhat disappointing" to see MUC lose, Furcolow said, "but it was also good from the perspective that it keeps everything in perspective. You're not always as good as you think you are; you're not always as bad as you think you are."

With the team in front of them, with the legacy that they helped build, being in Mount Union Stadium is more than watching the pursuit of another Walnut and Bronze trophy.

"It's brought back memories every time we watch," Furcolow notes. "It's good to get together with the guys we played with and talk about the bonds we have together and to see other people do the same thing."

For Ballard, "The game is almost secondary. We get together obviously because it's a common place, we all used to play there, but it's just a way for us to stay close to Mount and hang out."

No, Wheaton quarterback Sean Norris isn't going head-to-head against Franklin quarterback Chad Rupp this weekend in their teams' national quarterfinal game. But it's hard to avoid looking at it that way, as Franklin comes into the game having averaged 50 points in two playoff games.

So who's the guy on the other sideline? Well, he's approaching 3,000 passing yards himself, but merely being a quarterback is hardly sufficient to describe Norris. Nor is "football player" much of a description for any member of the Wheaton Thunder, whose idea of spring break is more like Habitat for Humanity on steroids than Daytona Beach.

More in a Road to Salem feature by Bill Huber.

Playoff toolbox: 2008 bracket | Pick 'em login | Gagliardi fan vote See Salem in style! | Around the Nation podcast

It may be difficult to picture for anyone coming to Division III football in the past 10 years, but Mount Union wasn't always the dominant force in the sport. Once there was a time the Purple Raiders couldn't get past Augustana. Or Dayton. And that was just to get out of the North Region.

So when Mount Union reached the Stagg Bowl 15 years ago, well, they weren't given too much of a chance. But two fourth-quarter touchdowns later, the Purple Raiders knocked off Rowan and claimed Walnut and Bronze.

And as an anniversary approaches, members of that first Mount Union champion are still close and can be found on the Purple Raider sidelines on playoff Saturdays.

More in a Road to Salem feature by Ryan Tipps.

Millsaps senior quarterback and All-American hopeful Juan Joseph capped a stellar four-year career with an unforgettable honor on Tuesday night, as he was named the recipient of the 2008 Cellular South Conerly Trophy as the best college football player in the state of Mississippi.

Against incredible odds, Joseph won the prestigious award over a pair of projected NFL first-round draft choices from Ole Miss, defensive tackle Peria Jerry and offensive tackle Michael Oher.

Although two players from Division II Delta State have won the award, Joseph is the first player from the Division III level to win in the trophy's 13-year existence.

A senior from Edgard, La., Joseph led Millsaps to an 11-1 record this season. The Majors were ranked as high as No. 3 nationally in both the D3football.com and AFCA polls and reached the second round of the NCAA Division III playoffs, where the Majors lost 35-20 on Saturday to Washington and Jefferson.

Joseph led Millsaps in rushing with 76 carries for 412 yards and four touchdowns and he completed nearly 68 percent of his passes (301-for-445), for 3,463 yards, 32 TDs and only six interceptions.

A panel of about 60 media representatives around the state voted on the award, which was handed out following a ceremony at Clarksdale Country Club in front of 200-plus in the hometown of Charlie Conerly, the former Ole Miss quarterback for whom the award is named.

Joseph was named the Majors' top senior by the Jackson Touchdown Club on Monday night at River Hills Country Club in Jackson.

Buffalo State announced today that longtime football coach Jerry Boyes will return to the sidelines effective immediately, while maintaining his current role as athletic director. Boyes replaces Paul Shaffner who was relieved of his head football coaching duties this week.

Shaffner will continue his work with the athletic department's external affairs division. Shaffner's teams went 13-36 in five seasons, 1-9 record in 2008.

Boyes was 89-62 at the helm of the Bengals. In the eight seasons since Boyes stepped down as head coach, Buffalo State went 17-61.

Upon coming to Buffalo State in 1986, Boyes inherited a program that was entering just its sixth season of varsity competition but transformed the Bengals into one of the premier Division III football programs in the Northeast. In 15 seasons at the helm of the program, his teams qualified for the NCAA playoffs seven times. In addition to being a three-time ECAC Upstate Coach of the Year, Boyes claimed CNN Division III Coach of the Year honors in 1995. He also recruited and mentored 12 All-Americans and four Academic All-Americans during his coaching career.

“Jerry's football resume speaks for itself and we are excited that he will again pursue his passion for coaching,” said Hal Payne, vice president for student affairs. “In turning to Coach Boyes, we seek to build on Paul's work and improve our record on the field.”

By Bill Huber
For D3sports.com

In two playoff games, Wheaton junior Sean Norris has thrown for almost 600 yards and accounted for six touchdowns.

Nonetheless, Norris will be the overlooked quarterback heading into Saturday's quarterfinal matchup at Franklin. Senior Chad Rupp has thrown for 938 yards and 11 touchdowns in helping the Grizzlies score a whopping 100 points in their two playoff triumphs.

Not surprisingly, Norris said he's not focusing on his matchup with Rupp. After all, the quarterbacks will be helpless in trying to stop their counterpart. Still, Norris isn't shrinking from the spotlight.

"Any time you get to compete against another player of a high caliber, you got to get excited about that," Norris said. "I'm a competitor. You want to thrive in these kinds of situations. It's going to be fun."

Norris knows the Thunder (10-2) are in for a challenge against Franklin (11-1), but he and his teammates are no stranger to challenges.

Each year during spring break, the football team leaves Wheaton, Ill., but not for girl-watching on a sandy beach. Annually since 1998, coach Mike Swider's team joins former Wheaton football players in doing missionary work. Last spring, the team took part in building projects, constructed a basketball court, spent time with orphans and taught the Bible in the African nations of Senegal, Guinea and South Africa.

"A number of our players are overseas on a mission, and they obviously always can use help," Swider said, "so we thought it would be a great way for Wheaton football players to help serve Wheaton football players who are in the mission field. It's good for our kids to see and appreciate what they have here in the States, and it's also good for our kids to get overseas and try to make a difference in somebody's life. It's an unbelievable thing."

Norris is a veteran of missionary work, having served on his own in the Czech Republic, along with other places.

"It's really been an awesome opportunity for me," said Norris, who spent his spring break in Senegal. "It's a really humbling experience to serve people in need."

The work has made a tangible impact on the team. Coaches always are looking for ways to build team chemistry, and what better way to do so than to spend a week thousands of miles from home and making a lasting impact on somebody's life?

"It's unbelievable. It is!," said Swider, who's in his 13th season as the Thunder's coach. "Most football teams over spring break, most college kids go off and head to the beaches or whatever. They do it independently and basically hang out and serve themselves. We have an entire football team who goes out and serves someone else. Nothing can make you feel better about yourself than to do something for someone else. It's tremendously strong when it comes to building team bonds."

Swider calls Norris an "amazing kid" for his quarterback's passion for missionary work and how he's making a difference on and off the field.

"He's like all of our players," Swider said. "These guys don't have very big egos. When you look at athletes around the country and see the size of their egos, it's ... these kids serve a cause that's bigger than themselves.

"He's really got a heart for the Lord and heart for people."

Behind Norris, Wheaton is making its fifth trip to the postseason in seven seasons. Last year's team, with Norris sharing snaps at quarterback with Kyle Bradley, went 8-2 and just missed the playoffs. Norris beat out Bradley during training camp this past summer, and has thrown for 2,783 yards and accounted for 34 touchdowns, including 28 passing.

Those stats, as impressive as they are, pale in comparison to Rupp, who has thrown for 3,892 yards and 43 touchdowns. He threw for 411 yards and four touchdowns in Franklin's 38-28 upset of top-seeded North Central last week. In the playoff opener, Rupp threw for 527 yards and accounted for a staggering eight touchdowns, including seven through the air.

"Their guy's unbelievable," Swider said. "He's a returning all-American and arguably one of the best quarterbacks in the country this year, if not the best. Just put up unbelievable numbers. He's an athletic kid who can see the field and gets rid of the ball quickly. Gets the ball around to a lot of people. He's as good as I've seen, I'll tell you that."

Swider, however, voices no concern that Norris will feel compelled to match Rupp pass for pass.

"No, no, no. Sean doesn't even care who he's going up against," Swider said. "Not at all. That's not an issue. All he's concerned about is Franklin's defense. It's not the best quarterback playing. It's the best team wins. It's Wheaton College vs. Franklin. His job is to see what he can do against Franklin's defense, not what he can do statistically against their quarterback."

While Rupp helped slay North Central last week, Wheaton lost at home to the Cardinals 44-21 in a battle of top-10 teams at midseason. A road trip to Franklin, Ind. – Wheaton's fourth consecutive road game – only increases the challenge.

But what's the big deal about a quarterfinal playoff game when you've built churches and hospitals?

"Seeing different kids in Senegal and the struggles that they go through, it makes our struggles here look like not as big of a deal," Norris said.

Said Swider. "It gives you perspective, it really does. There's a whole lot more important things than a football game, that's for sure."