2008 Record 3-7 .300 Overall 2-7 .222 Conference Location: Galesburg, IL Head Coach: Chad Eisele (Knox '93) Stadium (cap.): Knox Bowl (4000) Conference: MWC Region: West 2009 Schedule

The Prairie Fire come into the 2009 season with high expectations after finishing last season by winning two of its last four games, and having a tremendous offseason in many facets. During the offseason the Prairie Fire coaching staff implemented a new strength and conditioning program that required a high level of intensity and commitment from the players, a call that was answered with astounding success, as the players saw vast improvements all across the board. The Prairie Fire and the Knox community are excited to welcome 29 new freshmen to its storied football program, one of the largest and deepest recruiting classes in recent memory at Knox College.

Offense
The Knox College offense finds itself with stability at the quarterback position, with Junior Bill Meyer returning to run the Flexbone/Spread Option attack. Meyer, coming off a season in which he lead the Prairie Fire with 783 yards passing as well as 499 yards rushing, will look to provide leadership in the huddle as one of the more experienced offensive players for the Prairie Fire.
The Prairie Fire will again call on a veteran unit of running backs to split the load of carries for a rushing attack that is comes off a second place finish in the Midwest Conference in rushing offense a year ago. Seniors Brent Newman and Cody Engle will anchor the running back core with the help of junior and 2008 All Conference honorable mention running back Dan Kizior. Also looking to make an impact in the unit will be sophomore Dexter Brown, and a skilled group of freshmen.
After seeing an added emphasis on the passing game last season, the Prairie Fire will look to a tight knit unit of veteran wide receivers to continue to make plays when called upon. The wide receivers will once again look to seniors Evan Massey, who led the team in both receiving yards and receiving touchdowns last season, and Derek LaRosa, who led the team in receptions. Sophomore Clarke Cuthbert will be looked upon to pick up where he left off last season, as a deep ball threat that can go up and snag the ball as if it were a rebound. Sophomore Randy Whitmore will push for downs this year as well.
For the first time in several years, the Knox College Offensive Line will go into the beginning of the season with heavy competition in every position across the line. Coming off a season in which the Prairie Fire finished second in the Midwest Conference in both rushing offense and time of possession, and saw an increased number of first downs from the previous year, the offensive line will need to make a push upfront and create running lanes for the potent option attack. Leading this year’s group of offensive linemen will be returning starter and senior captain Tyler Hopfauf, as well as senior returning starter Jim Schwab. Hopfauf and Schwab will be the leaders of the unit, as they have the most “game experience” on the offensive line. Looking to fill spots on the offensive line will be juniors Alex Davis and Bob Dempster, as well as junior Kevin Meyers, who makes the transition to offense after playing defensive line last season. Junior John Fletcher looks to regain his old high school form and compete for snaps on the offensive line. Also looking to compete for those same spots will be sophomores Mark Wolak, Karl Bair, Alex Faulkner, and Sam Frank, not to mention a large freshmen class of linemen.
Defense
The Prairie Fire defensive line will look to returning All-American and team captain Tighe Burke to continue on last season enourmous success in which he led all NCAA Division III in sacks per game. Burke returns for a fifth season, as an ankle injury his sophomore season allows for him to have the opportunity to provide both leadership and excitement to the Fire defense. Looking to play alongside Burke at the other defensive end position will be senior Maurice McDavid, junior Zack Ricketts and sophomore Elliot Madison. Looking to clog up the middle and stop the run at the defensive tackle positions will be seniors Joe Garbin and Kyle Gordon. Gordon makes the move to defensive line after playing the previous three seasons at fullback, and is joined in making the move to down linemen with junior Issac Juarez, who played the previous two seasons at linebacker. Also looking to make an impact will be junior Will Goehring and sophomore Mike Whitt, as well as a gifted group of freshmen defensive linemen.
The Knox College linebackers return a core of players who led the unit a year ago, including the leading tackler for the Prairie Fire last season in senior Aaron Juarez. Seniors Blaine Murphy and Kevin Beck also return after seeing significant playing time at linebacker last season. Junior Danny Stafford worked hard in the offseason to help add the size necessary to make the transition from playing defensive back last season to playing linebacker this season. Sophomores Dan Page and Tony Sickley look to make an impact as well as a host of newcomers who will compete for playing time.
At defensive back the Prairie Fire will lean on returning starter and captain Jordan Raess to set the tone. A capable group of juniors in Lucas Motta, Danny Salvato, Scotty Pinker and Calvin Zirkle provide the unit with depth, athleticism and speed. Looking to see more playing time this year will be sophomores David Jewell, Adam Mize and Cale Dahm, all of whom saw significant playing time their first year with the Prairie Fire.
Special Teams
The Knox College special teams hope to pick up where they left off last season, around the top in the league in both yards per punt and yards per kickoff return. The Prairie Fire will look to a familiar face in punter Glenn Prout, who returns to football to finish his playing career after an extended leave. Sophomore Sam Frank returns as well, looking to handle the kicking duties, but will have competition from the incoming freshmen in order to do so.
Coaching Staff
Coach Andy Gibbons will begin his 13th season as Knox College head coach, and will assume the role of both defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. Gibbons defensive staff will look similar to years past with Jami Isaacson coaching the defensive backs as well as being the special teams coordinator. Dave McKillip will coach the defensive end and Bill Allison will be the defensive tackles coach. On the offensive side of the ball Kevin Krausz will begin his fourth season as the offensive coordinator, as well as coaching the wide receivers. Chad Eisele returns as the Assistant Head Coach to the Offense, and will coach the quarterbacks. Aaron Willits, beginning his second year as a coach for the Prairie Fire, moves over to coach the running backs, and Dan Zierfuss will coach the offensive line.
Recruiting
The 2009 recruiting class will provide the Prairie Fire with much needed depth and competition at every position going into the 2009 season. The first year class is talented enough that it will be expected to compete right away and put pressure on the veterans to get better day in and day out. The class features players from mostly Illinois, as well as players from Florida, Missouri, Wisconsin, and New York.