2016 Division III attendance leaders

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1. Saint John's:  7,787 per game

2. UW-Whitewater 5,7183

3. Wabash (Ind.) 5,512

4. Wesleyan (Conn.) 5,280

5. Hampden-Sydney (Va.) 5,125

6. Concordia-Moorhead 4,951

7. Maryville (Tenn.) 4,935

8. McDaniel (Md.) 4,892

9. Emory & Henry (Va.) 4,547

10. Geneva (Pa.) 4,424

This is the 15th time in 16 years that the Johnnies have led Division III football in attendance. They actually drew more fans than 166 of 172 Division II teams, 89 FCS teams, and one FBS team (Ball State).  

Team Capsules

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I have updated the team capsules for the Mid-America and Empire 8 conferences.  I can't help but look at the various accomplishments of NW Missouri State, Pittsburg State, and UW - Whitwater. Very impressive resumes I think!  On the other hand, I can't help but look at Hartwick out of the Empire 8.  Their 1st year of football was in 1928, but they dropped the program after only 22 years in 1950.  It was reinstated in 1992, and is now going well 25 years later...   

Notre Dame

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A couple of Notre Dame tidbits...

1)  Considered the most famous backfield in college football history - Harry Stuhldreher, Jim Crowley, Don Miller, and Elmer Layden were dubbed "The Four Horesmen" after the Irish's big win over Army in front of 55,000 fans on October 18, 1924.  (Can wrestling fans name the original "Four Horsemen" from the late 70's/early 80's?)

2)  Knute Rockne gave his famous "Win one for the Gipper" speech before his team upset Army in 1928 - 8 years after George Gipp died...

Lord Jeff

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For someone who loves 'Cac football, I'm not sure how I missed Amherst dropping its nickname over a year ago.  The controversial Lord Jeff, (Lord Jeffery Amherst), has never really been a representative of the community's values, so the nickname has been removed from the college. This man historians say, who has a town and college named after him, supported giving blankets contaminated with smallpox to Native Americans.  Not good for someone who was the commander of the British forces during the French and Indian War.

The college's teams in 2016-2017 have been referred to as "the Purple and White" until a new nickkname is found - of which they have 30 semifinalists whittled down from over 2,000 suggestions.

200 Wins: Division III Coaches

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The following Division III coaches have won 200 or more games:

Rick Giancola (Montclair State):  234 wins in 34 years

Mike Drass (Rowan):  219 wins in 24 years

Rich Lackner (Carnegie Mellon):  203 wins in 31 years

Steve Johnson (Bethel):  202 wins in 28 years

Larry Kindbom (Washington, MO):  202 wins in 34 years

Jim Margraff (Johns Hopkins):  200 wins in 27 years

What I find most interesting is that all these coaches have only coached at one school...

 

FCS Coaches

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Top 5 active winningest coaches in FCS (not all their wins are in the FCS though):

1)  Jimmy Laycock: William & Mary - 245 (37 years)

2)  Al Bagnoli:  Columbia, Penn, Union - 239 (35 years)

3)  Mike Ayers:  Wofford, East Tennessee State - 208 (32 years)

4)  K. C. Keeler:  Sam Houston State, Delaware, Rowan - 207 (23 years)

5)  Tim Murphy:  Harvard, Cincinnati, Maine - 195 (30 years) 

Bear Chasing

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Here are the coaches with the most officially recognized national championships:

6 - Bear Bryant:  1961, 1964, 1965, 1973, 1978, 1979 (all with Alabama)

5 - Nick Saban:  2003 (LSU);  2009, 2011, 2012, 2015 (Alabama)

5 - Bernie Bierman:  1934, 1935, 1936, 1940, 1941 (all with Minnesota)

5 - Howard Jones:  1909 (Yale);  1928, 1931, 1932, 1939 (USC)

4 -  Frank Leahy:  1943, 1946, 1947, 1949 (all with Notre Dame)

4 - John McKay:  1962, 1967, 1972, 1974 (all with USC)

Longest Tenured FBS Coaches

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Here are the top 10 FBS coaches with the longest continuous tenure:

1)  Bob Stoops, Oklahoma (12/1/1998)

2)  Kirk Ferentz, Iowa (12/2/1998)

3)  Gary Patterson. TCU (12/8/2000)

4)  Kyle Whittingham, Utah (12/9/2004)

5)  Frank Solich, Ohio (12/17/2004)

6)  Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State (1/3/2005)

7)  Rick Stockstill, Middle Tennessee (12/12/2005)

8)  Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern (7/7/2006)

9)  Mark Dantonio, Michigan State (11/27/2006)

10)  Troy Calhoun, Air Force (12/22/2006)

The Galloping Ghost

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On October 18, 1924, Illinois was playing their first game at the new Memorial Stadium against Michigan.  To celebrate, Red Grange ran the ball 6 times in the first twelve minutes of the game.  With those carries he gained 265 yards and scored four touchdowns to help lead Illinois to a 39-4 win over the Wolverines.  The Gallping Ghost ended the game with 402 yards rushing and 6 TDs.