Principia and Blackburn each announced they were dropping football, effective immediately. With the additions of programs at Anna Maria and Castleton State, the number of Division III football teams will remain at 238, with a 239th program, Newport News Apprentice, tracked by D3football.com as well.

With the SLIAC falling below seven football teams, the league is no longer in line for an automatic bid in 2010.

"Let me be clear that the football program is well supported and funded and that this decision has nothing to do with program finances," Principia president Johnathan Palmer said in a letter to the campus community, "but rather reflects a recognition that our current program does not produce or provide Principia with the level of participation and competition consistent with our goals for intercollegiate athletics."

Principia started training camp with just 30 players and was ranked No. 239 of 239 teams in D3football.com's Kickoff 2008 preseason ranking. Blackburn was ranked No. 236 and went 2-8, beating No. 238 Maranatha Baptist and Principia.

"(This is) the result of thorough research, thoughtful negotiation and heartfelt compromise," Blackburn president Miriam Pride said. "(It) redirects our resources to focus on our strengths. We are committed to continuing the unique fulfilling educational experience of our students."

Blackburn started the season with 65 players on its roster, more than 10 percent of the campus population.

While Principia holds out hope of resuming its football program in the near future, the school faces unique challenges. Only Christian Scientists can attend the school, limiting the talent pool available. And the school has high academic and moral standards.

Midland, Texas, police are investigating the murder of Sul Ross State football player Jermaine Swearington. Police say Swearington, 23, was shot at about 4 a.m. Sunday outside of the Pleasures Club at 210 South Lee Street.

Authorities say Swearington, who had been shot several times in the chest and legs, died at 11:30 Sunday morning. Officers say they collected more than 30 shell casings from the scene of the shooting.

Swearington was in his first year at Sul Ross. He was named All-Conference by the American Southwest Conference as a freshman.

James Braziel, 21, Jessie Johnson Jr., 18, and Melvin Lenard, 18, each were charged with one count of murder and were being held in the Midland County Jail Monday night on $250,000 bond, said Cassandra Flores, a clerk at the jail.

An arrest warrant has been issued for a fourth, Miguel Chatman.

A First Team ASC All-Conference pick in 2008, Swearington compiled 909 yards on the ground for the Lobo offense off of 152 carries and scored 10 touchdowns. He recorded a 54-yard scoring run, good for a season long in the Lobos' 21-17 win against visiting McMurry on Oct. 18.

The Centennial Conference announced that Susquehanna has accepted an invitation to join the Centennial as an associate member in football and women's golf beginning in 2010. Susquehanna's football team currently competes in the Liberty League as an associate member, and will continue to do so in 2009.

"Athletics is the window by which a large number of people come to know and become acquainted with colleges and universities," said Jay Lemons, president of Susquehanna. "You are known by the company that you keep. An association with the Centennial Conference aligns us with some of the top liberal arts institutions in the country and reunites us with some of our oldest rivals."

The addition of Susquehanna brings the number of Centennial members who sponsor football to 10. The other conference members are Dickinson, Franklin & Marshall, Gettysburg, Johns Hopkins, Juniata, McDaniel, Moravian, Muhlenberg and Ursinus.

"As we discussed the future of Centennial football scheduling, the state of NCAA Division III football, women's golf and the economic realities faced by our institutions and the country, the conference's Presidents Council looked in our backyard and found our perfect answer in Susquehanna University," said Joan Develin Coley, president of McDaniel and chair of the council. "The academic reputation, the tradition in football, the emergence of women's golf and the commitment to the legacy of the scholar-athlete at Susquehanna were also deciding factors as we enhance the conference."

"The addition of Susquehanna in football and women's golf adds to our reputation as one of the elite small-college conferences in the country," added Steven F. Ulrich, executive director of the Centennial. "The commitment to excellence on the gridiron, the links and in the classroom makes Susquehanna a fit for our conference."

The programs will begin full competition in the Centennial in 2010 with the women's golf team vying for the conference title in the spring and the football team beginning round-robin play in the fall. SU women's golf will compete in the Centennial championships in the spring of 2009 as a non-scoring team.

"We've been fortunate to establish great relationships with our football team across different regions," said Briggs. "But we're very happy with the invitation to join the Centennial Conference. Moravian and Juniata, two teams that we've fostered tremendous rivalries with historically, will both be part of our Centennial schedule, so now we'll be competing against them and other great schools every year for a conference championship."

Former John Carroll wide receiver Josh McDaniels has been hired as head coach of the NFL's Denver Broncos, it was announced Monday.

McDaniels, who was offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots, is 32 years old and worked his way up the Patriots chain of command after starting in the team's scouting department. He became the youngest coordinator in the NFL when he was promoted to offensive coordinator in January 2006.

McDaniels is one of three Division III alumni currently holding head coaching jobs in the NFL, joining a pair of Wesleyan grads: Eric Mangini (Browns) and Bill Belichick (Patriots). A fourth, Jim Schwartz, got a second interview with the Detroit Lions for their head coaching position. The Georgetown graduate is the defensive coordinator of the Tennessee Titans.

Without many exceptions ... well, barring one notable one ... preseason predictors expected it to be another great season for Mount Union. And great is how 2008 ended up.

But it was a great season for a bunch of other programs as well. Witness the turnaround of the team that went 0-20 the previous two years and made the playoffs this past season. Consider the playoff performances of the champions of two conferences that had won two playoff games combined in the automatic bid era.

Remember that large set of picks we make in Kickoff each year? Remember all the Division I football magazines that try to rank Division III football teams? We keep score. Read about the great moments and more, see the great pictures, revisit the great (and not-so-great) predictions in the second and final part of Keith McMillan's Around the Nation Year in Review.

Part one of the Year in Review ran the night of the Stagg Bowl.

Also on game night, Ryan Tipps wrote how this Stagg Bowl victory took all 60 minutes for the Purple Raiders to wrap up. Keith McMillan asked whether we would see the same two teams yet again in 2009 in Stagg Bowl XXXVII. We covered the Stagg Bowl photographically from all angles, including tailgaters, pregame, halftime and the postgame celebration and awards.

Frank Rossi blogged on the Daily Dose about a first-timer's experience at the Stagg Bowl, while we also reposted our entire audio broadcast of the game itself.

Toledo coach Tim Beckman announced the appointment of Jason Candle and Patrick Graham to the Rockets' football staff.

Candle, who will coach the Rocket inside slot receivers and running backs, comes from Mount Union, where he has been part of three NCAA Division III national championship teams in his six seasons as an assistant coach. He also played on two national championship teams for the Purple Raiders as a player.

Graham, who will coach the defensive line for the Rockets, was a graduate assistant at Notre Dame for the past two seasons, working with all aspects of the Fighting Irish defense.

Candle joins fellow former Purple Raider Matt Campbell on the coaching staff. Campbell is the team's co-offensive coordinator.

"Jason Candle and Patrick Graham are excellent additions to our staff," said Beckman. "Just like the four coaches we hired previously, Jason and Patrick are quality individuals who have been important parts of winning programs."

Candle joins the Rockets' staff after spending both his playing and coaching career with head coach Larry Kehres at Mount Union College. In Candle's six years as an assistant at Mount Union, the Purple Raiders went 83-4 and won NCAA Division III national championships in 2005, 2006 and 2008. The 2003 and 2007 teams lost in the national championship game.

"Jason Candle has been involved in five national championship teams as a player and as a coach. He knows what it takes to win," said Beckman. "We want to surround ourselves with winners, and Jason is a winner."

A 2003 Mount Union graduate, Candle was an All-Ohio Athletic Conference first-team selection in 2001 as he led the team in receptions (41), yards receiving (778) and touchdowns (nine). He was a key member of the 2000 and 2001 national championship teams and finished his career with 57 grabs for 1,037 yards and 11 scores.

Candle, a native of Salem, Ohio, began his coaching career at Mount Union in 2003 as the receivers coach. In the 2004 and 2005 seasons, he worked with current Rocket assistant Matt Campbell, who was the Purple Raiders offensive coordinator at the time. Candle took over the post of offensive coordinator in 2007, and also assumed the duties as the program's recruiting coordinator.
In Candle's two seasons as offensive coordinator, the Purple Raiders went 29-1, winning the national championship in 2008 and finishing runners-up in 2007. Mount Union players on the offensive side of the ball earned nine All-American honors in Candle's two seasons running the offense. Quarterback Greg Micheli was honored this past season with the Gagliardi Trophy, given annually to the best player in the nation at the NCAA Division III level.