Although no Division III football player was selected in this weekend's NFL draft, two players were signed immediately after the draft, with another pair invited to camp.

Wesley wide receiver and return man Larry Beavers signed with the Carolina Panthers, while Wheaton cornerback and return man Pete Ittersagen signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday night.

"We're so excited for Larry," Wesley coach Mike Drass said. "This is a great opportunity for a young man who's returned more kicks for touchdowns than anyone in NCAA history." He holds the NCAA all-division records for kick return touchdowns with 10 and total runbacks for touchdowns with 13.

Ittersagen, who broke up 12 passes, had three interceptions and returned two punts, one kickoff and an interception for a touchdown, is the second Thunder player to sign an NFL contract in as many seasons. He follows Andy Studebaker, who was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2008 and finished last season with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Beavers also started at receiver for the Wolverines, leading the team with 598 yards and tying for the team lead with 30 receptions and six touchdowns. He ended his career with 2,366 receiving yards, second all-time at Wesley and was seventh all-time with 126 career receptions.

Ittersagen said Sunday evening, "It is a blessing to see all of the hard work that I have put in pay off. However, I still have hard work ahead of me. ... I have had some wonderful opportunities at Wheaton and it is great that things have turned out like this."

Hartwick quarterback Jason Boltus told D3football.com Sunday night he was still waiting to hear from his agent.

Justin Goltz, who quarterbacked Occidental to the 2008 playoffs and a No. 15 final ranking, was invited to the Detroit Lions' rookie camp. Goltz, who had a Pro Day workout with the University of Hawaii earlier this month, is from Walled Lake, Mich. Augsburg All-American wide receiver Royce Winford was invited to the Minnesota Vikings' rookie minicamp.

Recent draftees:

Year	Player, school	Team	Round-overall
2008	Andy Studebaker, Wheaton (Ill.)	Eagles	6-203
2008	Pierre Garcon, Mount Union	Colts	6-205
2007	Michael Allan, Whitworth	Chiefs	7-231
2007	Derek Stanley, UW-Whitewater	Rams	7-249
2003	Ryan Hoag, Gustavus Adolphus	Raiders	7-262
2002	Tony Beckham, UW-Stout	Titans	4-115
2002	Michael Coleman, Widener	Falcons	7-217
2000	Tim Watson, Rowan	Seahawks	6-185
1999	Clint Kriewaldt, UW-Stevens Point	Lions	6-177
1996	Ethan Brooks, Williams	Falcons	7-229

Presentation announced plans to field a football team in the fall of 2011. Presentation president Lorraine Hale and athletics director Rick Kline made a joint announcement at a news conference on Wednesday, April 22, saying they hope to increase the school's enrollment, which was 491 full-time undergraduates as of the most recent numbers reported to the U.S. Department of Education.

Presentation is the only Division III school in South Dakota. The school plans to hire a head football coach in January 2010, with the hiring of an assistant by fall of that year.

Presentation is a member of the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference.

"As soon as you've got between 60 and 90 extra young people, there's a lot this college can do," Hale said, according to the Aberdeen (S.D.) American News. "We can get a decent pep band. We can be involved in more community things. We just don't have the numbers here at the moment for that."

Hendrix recently committed to a 2011 start date for its football program, while Anna Maria and Castleton State start their football programs this fall.

Hartwick quarterback Jason Boltus and Wheaton cornerback Pete Ittersagen represented Division III's best chance at hearing a player's name called in this weekend's NFL draft.

But in the end, no Division III football player heard his name called in the 2009 NFL draft.

Boltus, the D3football.com East Region Offensive Player of the Year, was invited to the NFL scouting combine. Teams like his size, but struggled with his accuracy at the combine.

Ittersagen, the D3football.com North Region Defensive Player of the Year, was described in a recent SI.com article as perhaps, "the best cornerback and return specialist you never heard of. He's broken up 30 passes since his junior campaign while averaging 16.5 yards returning punts. He has the size, speed and skills to make an NFL roster and could end up being tabbed in the late rounds by the Jacksonville Jaguars, Pittsburgh Steelers or Houston Texans."

Wesley wideout and return specialist Larry Beavers, the D3football.com first-team All-American return man, should find himself on a roster shortly as well. And in previous years, anywhere from a half-dozen to a dozen players have signed free agent contracts.

Division III had two players taken in each of the previous two drafts, with Wheaton defensive end Andy Studebaker and Mount Union wide receiver Pierre Garcon being taken two picks apart by the Eagles and Colts, respectively. Studebaker ended the season on the Chiefs' active roster after they signed him from the Eagles' practice squad.

Recent draftees:

Year	Player, school	Team	Round-overall
2008	Andy Studebaker, Wheaton (Ill.)	Eagles	6-203
2008	Pierre Garcon, Mount Union	Colts	6-205
2007	Michael Allan, Whitworth	Chiefs	7-231
2007	Derek Stanley, UW-Whitewater	Rams	7-249
2003	Ryan Hoag, Gustavus Adolphus	Raiders	7-262
2002	Tony Beckham, UW-Stout	Titans	4-115
2002	Michael Coleman, Widener	Falcons	7-217
2000	Tim Watson, Rowan	Seahawks	6-185
1999	Clint Kriewaldt, UW-Stevens Point	Lions	6-177
1996	Ethan Brooks, Williams	Falcons	7-229

Lake Forest athletic director Jackie Slaats announced April 21 that football coach Brent Becker has resigned to pursue other career interests and that defensive coordinator Jim Catanzaro has been selected as his replacement.

Becker was the Foresters' head coach for four seasons after serving two years as the team's defensive coordinator. Lake Forest posted an overall record of 32-28 and Midwest Conference mark of 29-25 during his time at the college. As a defensive coordinator he coached the 2003 and 2004 MWC defensive players of the year and Lake Forest surrendered fewer points than any other team in the conference each season.

"This was one of the most difficult decisions I have ever made, but the right one at this time for me and my family," stated Becker. "Lake Forest College has been great to me and I am extremely grateful for the opportunities I've had here. The program I'm leaving behind has a strong foundation and is in good hands with Coach Catanzaro. I look forward to following a very successful Forester team over the next several years."

Catanzaro was Lake Forest's defensive coordinator for three-plus seasons and has been an assistant coach at three institutions for a total of nine years. Under his direction Forester defensive players have earned 18 all-conference selections, including seven first team accolades. Lake Forest has finished among the top teams in the league in several defensive categories, including second-place rankings against the pass and in the red zone in 2008.

"I'm excited and thankful for this opportunity and the trust in me shown by Coach Slaats and President (Stephen) Schutt," Catanzaro said. "I am eager to continue working with our current players and welcome next year's freshmen. Since I joined the staff I've met a lot of individuals who are passionate about Forester football. I look forward to serving that community as the new head coach. In addition, as someone who played for and worked under Coach Becker, I want to thank him for his influence on me and wish him the best in his future endeavors."

Due to the timing of Becker's resignation, a national search for the head coaching position, which is required by the school, was postponed until the conclusion of the 2010 season. Catanzaro is expected to be a candidate for the position at that time.

The Upper Midwest Athletic Conference announces the expansion of membership as five institutions have accepted an invitation to join the league as associate members participating in football only. Eureka, Greenville, MacMurray, Principia and Westminster (Mo.) will join the UMAC beginning with the 2009 season. The SLIAC, which only reinstated football in 2008, drops the sport for the second time in a decade.

The five institutions, which all remain full members of the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, will join the existing five football members of the UMAC (St. Scholastica, Crown, Martin Luther, Northwestern (Minn.) and Minnesota-Morris) to form a 10-team football conference. Principia announced in January the suspension of their football program for the 2009 season with the intention of reinstating the program in the future. Associate SLIAC members Huntingdon and LaGrange are not included.

The UMAC expects to receive an automatic bid to the playoffs beginning in 2011 after the mandatory two-year waiting period is completed.

"This was a very tough decision for our administrators because of the excitement that surrounded our institutions and the conference as a whole when football returned to the SLIAC last season as well as the great relationship being built with our affiliate members, Huntingdon and LaGrange," SLIAC Commissioner William J. Wolper said.

"There were three primary reasons we brought football back in 2008 -– to provide our schools a significant portion of their playing schedule through conference competition; to provide football student-athletes the opportunity to compete under the same moniker as other student-athletes at their institution; and to provide the student-athletes an opportunity to compete for an automatic bid to the NCAA playoffs.

"Unfortunately, with the loss of two football programs this offseason, two of those three reasons were no longer available ... Therefore, for the same reasons we brought football back to the conference, we are removing it from sponsorship allowing those schools to seek alternative affiliations."

Corey Borchardt, Commissioner of the UMAC, said, “We are excited to add these institutions to the UMAC as associate members first and foremost because they share a similar mission and vision as well as exhibit values that also concur with our full membership. Furthermore, the addition of the associate members will provide greater stability in scheduling with the additional conference contests and enhance the conference identity as a whole."

A playing schedule among the six formerly SLIAC football programs was to remain in place for 2009. However, in light of the announcement by Colorado College of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference that it would be dropping football, and given Huntingdon's location to several SCAC institutions, Huntingdon requested to drop games vs. SLIAC schools as it felt now was the best opportunity to get into multi-year agreements with SCAC members. Schools affected by Huntingdon's request (Eureka and MacMurray) have filled those open dates.

Two of the UMAC's new institutions are very familiar with the league, as Principia and Westminster (Mo.) were both UMAC football members from 2002 to 2007. Westminster won the UMAC conference championship in 2003 and 2004.

McMurry athletic director Ron Holmes announced Hal Mumme as the 20th coach in the program's history Wednesday morning at a news conference. Mumme, who coached Division I FBS New Mexico State to a 3-9 record before he was fired last fall, and his new staff of McMurry assistant coaches start their duties April 16.

"Hal Mumme's track record of turning struggling football programs around was a strong factor in our hiring decision," McMurry president John Russell said. "He is a Texas native with strong ties all over the state as well as throughout the nation. We feel his hiring rejuvenates the McMurry football program and brings excitement to the McMurry family and Big Country football fans."

"Coach Mumme's impressive resume stood out when we were filing through the applicants," Holmes said. "He has extensive coaching experience in nearly all levels of collegiate football."

"We're going to go to work," Mumme said. "It's going to take an entire campus community effort to get this job done. We're in a conference with a lot of good coaches. ... We'll be out recruiting tomorrow morning."

Mumme was 11-38 in four seasons at New Mexico State before he was let go. Five of those wins came against Division I FCS schools, formerly known as Division I-AA. Before NMSU, Mumme revived several programs. At NAIA Iowa Wesleyan, he inherited a squad of three players and took them to a 7-4 record his first year and 25-10 in three seasons. He moved to Division II Valdosta State and went 40-7-1, including the program's first trips to the NCAA playoffs. Moving to Kentucky, he took over a program that had not had a winning record in the past seven seasons and led them to a 17-15 mark in three years before a 2-9 mark in 2000, a year after which he resigned. Kentucky was placed on probation, losing scholarships and postseason eligibility.

After 18 months, Mumme was hired to restart Southeastern Louisiana football at the I-AA level and took the Lions to a 12-11 mark in two seasons before moving to New Mexico State. In 18 seasons as a head coach, Mumme has a record of 108-102-1 and has taken teams to the postseason seven times.

Mumme is known as an offensive innovator who rewrites offensive record books wherever he coaches. His "Air Raid" attack will be a change of pace for a McMurry football program that last year finished last in the American Southwest Conference in points scored (13.0 points per game), last in total offense (253.1 yards per game), and last in passing yards per game (111.4).

He also coached Texas high school ball in Corpus Christi, Copperas Cove and Aransas Pass, and was an assistant coach at West Texas State and Texas-El Paso.

On April 15, MIT athletic director Julie Soriero announced the hiring of Chad Martinovich to serve as the second head coach in the history of the program. Martinovich makes the trip to Cambridge, Mass., from RPI, where he was the defensive coordinator the past four years.

Martinovich takes over the reins from long-time head coach Dwight Smith, who announced his retirement last Nov. 12 following a 5-5 season in which he earned NEFC Coach of the Year honors for the second time. Smith had been with the program since its return to the club ranks in 1978, and guided the Engineers into their first varsity game in 1988.

Although change at the top has been infrequent for the grid program,
Martinovich is poised to make an immediate impact with the Cardinal and
Gray. At RPI, Martinovich's defense ranked first in the Liberty League three consecutive years, while the team qualified for the NCAA playoffs in 2007.

"Chad will bring a dynamic personality and a strong work ethic to our
program. His enthusiasm and passion for building our program will be
evident from the first day and I believe the student-athletes who play for him at MIT will be motivated to succeed and build on our history."

In 2004, Martinovich joined the RPI staff as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Although Martinovich started his career on the defensive side of the ball, he served as the receivers coach at Albany in 1997, before accepting offensive coordinator positions at Swarthmore (1998-00) and Hamilton (2001-03). Martinovich has coached several All-Americans, numerous All-Conference performers, and had a player earn a spot at an NFL training camp.

"I'm excited and really looking forward to being part of the MIT family," said Martinovich. "It's a tremendous honor to follow in Coach Smith's footsteps, and I am eager to bring the alums into the fold as soon as possible. Collectively, we aim to build on the program's solid foundation, and take MIT football to new heights by delivering a great product on and off the field."

Former Puget Sound defensive lineman Beau Jacobson has died. He was 23.

According to the Fiji Times, Jacobson's body was recovered in his diving suit, at Sau Bay on Fiji's Taveuni island.

Jacobson was an All-Northwest Conference player for the Loggers from 2003-06. As a senior, he was named a First Team All-NWC selection as a defensive tackle. He also earned second-team honors as a junior and was a honorable-mention selection as a sophomore.

"The Logger Football family is deeply saddened as Beau Jacobson was taken from us way too soon. Beau's significant impact on the lives of the teammates he played with was considerably exceptional," said coach Phil Willenbrock. "The width and depth of Beau's circle of influence on coaches, teammates, and support staff as well as the greater campus community represents a transcendent individual whom Logger Football will never forget. Our deepest sorrow extends to his mother Laura, and the entire Jacobson family."

Hundreds gathered on Colorado College's campus on Tuesday, April 7, to protest the school's decision to cut its football program and rally to save the sport.

Students have raised $400,000 in an attempt to save the sport, which began at Colorado College in 1882. The program's elimination has gotten the attention of thousands of alumni, including Steve Sabol, president of NFL Films, who told the Colorado Springs Gazette he would have loved to have been given the chance to lead alumni support and raise funds to retain the program.

The lack of alumni or student involvement is a major sticking point with the decision. "There was no transparency, there was no input," Colorado College football player Billy Blaustein said at the rally.

Colorado College is one of three schools to announce this offseason that it was dropping football, joining Blackburn and Principia. The school also dropped water polo and softball. Supporters have set up a Web site with more information on the effort to save football at Colorado College.

Local news stations covered the event, including the report below: