Texas Lutheran associate head coach Jim Good has been named head coach at Hamline, athletic department officials confirmed Tuesday.

"We"re incredibly excited to have Jim,"� said athletic director Dan O"Brien. "His successful career at Texas Lutheran speaks well for the direction of the Hamline football program."�

Good served as associate head coach, offensive coordinator, and quarterbacks coach for the past three seasons at Texas Lutheran. During that span, the squad set school records for passing yards in a season (2,881) and touchdown passes in a season (27), as well as several individual other records. He was selected to the American Football Monthly "2005 Hot List"� as one of the nation"s top 10 Division III football coaches.

"I am ready for the new challenge of overseeing an entire football program,"� said Good. "Hamline University has a tremendous academic reputation, and that reputation can be the foundation for a turnaround in the football program."�

Good also held the positions of passing game coordinator (2001) and offensive line coach and recruiting coordinator (2002-03) while with Texas Lutheran.

Texas Lutheran, located in Seguin, Texas, is a member of the American Southwest Conference, an NCAA Div. III conference located in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Mississippi. The Bulldogs went 18-12 in the last three seasons. They finished third in the ASC in 2004 and 2006 and fifth in 2005.

Before joining the staff at Texas Lutheran, Good was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Illinois College for two seasons (1999-2000). He served as a running backs coach at Linfield from 1994-98.

Good received his bachelor"s degree in exercise science from Linfield in 1994. He later earned a master"s in exercise and sport science from Oregon State in 1999.

Sportexe named Washington and Lee coach Frank Miriello as its inaugural Division III coach of the year.

The artificial playing surface company named coaches of the year at every level from the NFL down to high school.

Miriello, who was named the Old Dominion Athletic Conference coach of the year, led Washington & Lee to its first conference championship since 1985. The Generals finished the 2006 campaign with a 7-4 overall record and a 5-1 mark in the ODAC. Additionally, the Generals made their first ever appearance in the NCAA Division III Football Playoffs.

A four-time ODAC Coach of the Year, Miriello recently completed his 12th season with the Generals and claims a 61-58-1 (.513) overall record. His 61 wins rank second all-time at W&L, 17 wins shy of surpassing Gary Fallon (1978-94) for the top spot.

With the return to ESPN, the Stagg Bowl garnered its highest television rating since 1998.

Stagg Bowl XXXIV received a 1.26 rating, the equivalent of 1.16 million households. It was exactly double the 2005 rating, an 0.63 for the Mount Union/UW-Whitewater game on ESPN2.

The previous Stagg Bowl on ESPN was Stagg Bowl XXVI between Mount Union and Rowan in 1998, which drew a 1.3 rating.

Not all years' ratings have been made available.

Game	Network	Rating
XXVI, Mount Union/Rowan	ESPN	1.3
XXXIV, Mount Union/UW-Whitewater	ESPN	1.26
XXXIII, Mount Union/UW-Whitewater	ESPN2	0.63
XXIX, Mount Union/Bridgewater	ESPN2	0.6
XXXII, Linfield/Mary Hardin-Baylor	ESPN2	0.52
XXVIII, Mount Union/St. John's	ESPN2	.5
XXVII, Pacific Lutheran/Rowan	ESPN2	.3

Minnesota-Morris coach Ken Crandall announced that he will resign effective Dec. 20. Crandall, who coached the 2006 UMM Cougar football team to its first-ever Upper Midwest Athletic Conference championship and its first conference championship since 1986, will assume the head football coaching position at Southwestern (Kan.).

"This was probably the toughest decision Jodi and I have ever had to make," said Crandall. "Our time here in Morris and at the University of Minnesota-Morris has been just wonderful."

At some point in their career coaches try to move closer to their families," said Crandall. "That"s what we want to do." Crandall is originally from Colorado. His wife, Jodi, is from Kansas. The Crandalls have three sons: Blake, Tyler and KC.

"We appreciate all the hard work that Kenny put into the football program over the years. We will miss him and I am sure all of us want to wish him and his family happiness in their new location," said UMM athletic director Mark Fohl. "We wish Kenny the best in his new coaching job."

"Coach Crandall had a vision for success for Cougar football when he became head coach in 1998," said Sandra Olson-Loy, UMM vice chancellor for student affairs. "I'm not sure others could see it at that point, but Ken did. It"s been exciting to see our campus, our athletic program and our football team do the work needed to realize that vision. Ken provided the leadership to rebuild Cougar football to a place of pride and excitement. We are very proud of this Cougar football program and all that they have accomplished."

Crandall was named the 2006 UMAC North Division and Conference Coach of the Year. He led the Cougars to their first-ever UMAC championship with a thrilling 27-20 come from behind overtime win over Rockford at the Metrodome in Minneapolis.

But to this head coach, his personal success is not the topic:

"The players have been tremendous; they always gave the best effort they could give on any given Saturday," said Crandall. "Our memories will last forever; from losing streaks, to breaking streaks, to winning a championship. These are some of the best student-athletes in the country and we will miss them.

"The campus support has been tremendous for the past 11 years. From the administration, faculty, staff, students and alumni, I always felt like we were working toward the common goal.

With regard to the community, Crandall said: "If I could only mention all the people who have supported the UMM football program from afar. Their support has been unmatched and I am only grateful to have shared the time I have here with them."

Crandall came to UMM in 1996 as an assistant coach and was named head coach for Cougar football in 1998. He has a 22-73 record as a head coach in nine seasons, with a 21-20 record over the last four seasons as the program relocates from Division II to Division III. With 21 wins, Crandall is one of the winningest head coaches at UMM exceeded only by former head Cougar football coaches Al Molde (51-19-1) and Mike Simpson (29-13-1).

Under Crandall and his assistant coaches, the team achieved a 7-3 record this past season, the first winning season since 1989 (6-4) and most wins since 1986 (7-1-2).

"We will be making the decision very soon about how we will proceed to fill the position of head football coach," said Fohl.

UW-Whitewater has announced its open forum schedule with each of the four finalists for its head coaching job. Bob Berezowitz is retiring after 22 years as Warhawks head coach.

Since September, UW-Whitewater has been receiving applications of interested candidates. A five-member search and screen committee conducted a review of each candidate.

On-campus interviews of four potential candidates will be held this week. Anyone interested in hearing a presentation from each of the candidates are welcome to attend an Open Forum in the Williams Center (183BC). All Open Forums run from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.

The interview schedule is:

"¢ Tuesday, Dec. 19: Rick Willis, athletic director at Wartburg College, Waverly, Iowa
"¢ Wednesday, Dec. 20: Curt Wiese, head football coach at Marietta College, Ohio
"¢ Thursday, Dec. 21: Lance Leipold, associate head coach/offensive coordinator, University of Nebraska-Omaha
"¢ Friday, Dec. 22: Stan Zweifel, assistant head coach/offensive coordinator, UW-Whitewater

Mark Sartain, coach at Trinity Valley Community College the last four seasons, has been named the new head football coach at East Texas Baptist.

Sartain, who was introduced to local media on Wednesday during a press conference at ETBU, was the 2005 Southwest Junior College Football Conference Coach of the Year after leading Trinity Valley to the 2005 Southwest Junior College Football Conference championship and a No. 7 national ranking. This past season Trinity Valley was 2-7.

"We are thrilled to have Mark join us here at ETBU," said ETBU athletic director Kent Reeves. "He brings a long history and reputation as a strong Christian coach with outstanding character, and he"s got the collegiate coaching experience we were looking for in our search."

Sartain becomes just the second head coach since ETBU brought back its football team in 2000 following a 50-year absence. He replaces Ralph Harris, who resigned last month after seven years with the Tigers.

"It"s not often that you get to work at a place where the spiritual and professional values match your own as consistently as that of ETBU," Sartain said. "Our goal is to build a football program whose values and objectives are consistent with those of the university as a whole."

Sartain played college football and graduated from Austin College in 1983. While a player at Austin, he was part of the Kangaroos" 1981 NAIA Division II championship team.

A native of Van Alstyne, Texas, he has held head coaching positions in the high school ranks at Cross Roads High School, Eustace High School and at White Oak.

As head coach at White Oak from May 1995 to January 2003, Sartain led the Roughnecks to the playoffs three times, including winning the program"s first district championship in 18 years in 1998. Earlier in his career at Cross Roads, Sartain posted the school"s first winning season in history in 1987 and led the program to a district runner-up finish in 1988.

Sartain left the high school ranks in 1991 to become offensive coordinator at Trinity Valley, where he was part of a staff that led the Cardinals to the 1994 NJCAA national championship and a perfect 12-0 record. He left Trinity Valley in 1995 to become the head coach at White Oak.

After eight seasons with the Roughnecks, Sartain returned to Trinity Valley as head coach. In his third season with the Cardinals, Sartain guided TVCC to a 9-3 mark that included a regional championship and a win in the Pilgrim"s Pride Bowl.

At ETBU, Sartain takes over a program that finished 3-7 this past season, with three wins in its final five games. The Tigers are a member of the American Southwest Conference.

Occidental quarterback Andy Collins threw for one touchdown and caught a 10-yard touchdown pass to lead the United States to a 28-7 win over Mexico at the 2006 Aztec Bowl at Estadio Victoria in Aguascalientes, Mexico.

On the night Collins completed seven of 17 passes for 142 yards, including a 54-yard scoring toss to Augustana"s Mike Guzman. Collins set a Team USA record for passing attempts and his yardage total was the second highest total in Team USA history. The scoring toss was also the longest pass completion in team history. The performance earned Collins Team USA MVP honors.

"It"s exciting when you can have that kind of night playing with this kind of talent," Collins said. "I didn"t do this by myself."

Defensively, Team USA limited Mexico to 150 yards in total offense, including just 38 yards in the second half. The total yardage is the third-lowest for Mexico against the U.S. in the series. DePauw"s Dustin Hertel led the way with nine tackles, three tackles for loss, two sacks and a forced fumble.

The United States also got second half interceptions from Dubuque"s Walner Belleus, Christopher Newport"s Rob Rodriguez and Texas Lutheran"s Jake Robbins to stifle Mexico"s offense.

Team USA now leads the decade-old series 9-1 and has outscored Mexico 101-25 in the last three meetings.

"I think the biggest thing tonight was the fact the defense kept us in the game in the first half," USA coach Bill Manlove said. "Going to the no-huddle to start the second half changed the game for us. The three interceptions and the blocked punt helped too."

After a scoreless first period, Collins hooked up with Guzman on a 54-yard catch and run after the Augustana back looped out of the backfield, hauled the pass in at the Mexico 43 and rumbled the rest of the way for the score.

Mexico answered with just 43 seconds to go before intermission when Alejandro Trejo slipped into the end zone from a yard out to knot the score at 7-7 heading into halftime.

"Mexico changed up and we couldn"t get in a rhythm in the first half," Collins said. "We were thinking too much. We all know how to play, we just needed to go out there and do it."

The United States answered that score on the opening series of the second half when North Central"s Kam Kniss orchestrated an eight play, 84-yard scoring drive that was capped off by a 35-yard pass from Kniss to John Carroll"s Joe Konrad to put the U.S. up 14-7. The no-huddle attack the USA implemented to start the half resulted in 21 points in a little more than one quarter of play.

Four minutes later Muskingum linebacker Jack Junker swooped in and deflected a punt by Mexico"s Hector Garza to set Team USA up at Mexico"s 26-yard line. Two plays later Union"s Tom Arcidiacono scampered 18 yards into the end zone to extend the lead to 21-7 with 6:35 to go in the third.

Mexico"s next drive was its best of the second half as Rodrigo Perez, the career passing leader in Mexican college football, led his team 57 yards to the USA 23 before the Team USA defense silenced the predominantly pro-Mexican crowd of 16,000 by forcing Mexico to turn the ball over on downs.

Collins capped the scoring when he hauled in a 10-yard fourth-and-goal pass from Wisconsin-Stevens Point runningback Cody Childs on a twisting, turning, tumbling dive to give the United States a 28-7 lead with 11:18 to go in the game.

This year"s Aztec Bowl was the first since the death of long-time Team USA coach and College Football Hall of Famer Ron Schipper earlier this year. The pregame ceremony included a moment of silence in Schipper"s honor.

"We were talking about Skip late in the game," Manlove said. "We were all thinking about him. He was on all of our minds."

Pierre Garcon scored two touchdowns in the second half and the Purple Raiders defense held the Warhawks to three second half points to give Mount Union its ninth national championship and eighth in 11 years.

Sophomore quarterback Greg Micheli played most of the second half, rushing for a touchdown and throwing for three more to take home the Most Outstanding Player award. The turning point of the game, though, came on special teams as Matt Kostelnik blocked a Nick Croak punt which Matt Rees returned for a score to give the Purple Raiders a 27-13 lead.

The Purple Raiders cruised from there to a 35-16 win in front of 6,051 fans at Salem Stadium, sending Bob Berezowitz and the Warhawks home without a title.

Micheli was 18-for-22 passing for 202 yards and ran for 42 more in leading Mount Union to the win. D3football.com Offensive Player of the Year Nate Kmic ran 25 times for 111 yards, much of it on a final drive in which the Purple Raiders killed the clock. Justin Beaver carried 23 times for 87 yards.

Did you miss the All-American announcement? Are you looking for a place to talk about Stagg Bowl XXXIV? Do you want a closer look at first class photos? Check out the links on the right-hand side. Also, listen to the pregame and game broadcast.

Playoffs: Finals schedule, Stagg Bowl broadcast, Final printable bracket, Pick 'em login.

By Keith McMillan
D3football.com

SALEM — After his team's 35-16 Stagg Bowl XXXIV loss to Mount Union, retiring UW-Whitewater coach Bob Berezowitz recalled a pregame conversation at midfield with Purple Raiders coach Larry Kehres.

"He said to me 'If I have to get beat, I wouldn't mind getting beat today'" Berezowitz said Kehres told him, as a sign of respect for the Warhawks" coach of 22 years.

"I knew he didn't mean it though," Berezowitz laughed.

There was no riding off into the sunset for Berezowitz, who quarterbacked UW-Whitewater to an NAIA football championship in 1966, a year after he was a catcher on the Warhawks' baseball champion. Kehres coached for the 10th time in Salem since 1993, and took home the Walnut and Bronze national championship trophy for the ninth time.

The cast changes, the opponents change and the scores are all different, but one thing almost always remains the same: The happy endings in Salem belong to Mount Union.

Lest anyone think the Purple Raiders hog the titles and don"t appreciate them, witness the parade of key players who harped on how much each year is different.

"We don't ever take it for granted," said star receiver Pierre Garcon, who played his freshman season at Norwich before transferring to Mount Union. "Not too many people get this opportunity."

Defensive end Justen Stickley said he was probably the only Purple Raider who played a significant role on the only Mount Union team to lose in Salem, in 2003, said this team reminded him a lot that team: young, talented and good enough to win it all if they played well.

"The losses do affect you, if you're here for them," Stickley said. "These guys (sophomores Nate Kmic, Greg Micheli and juniors Matt Kostelnik and Garcon) don't know anything else."

They might not. Seven junior starters are expected back next season from this year's top defense in the nation, and the offensive stars mentioned above are all returning.

Kehres was asked about next season, and he said there were some good players in the program who didn't even make the 52-man roster for Salem.

"They'd better get it in gear and keep it in gear," Kehres said. "There aren't any guarantees about getting or keeping your position, and there are no guarantees about winning."

Stickley, who was also a member of the 2004 Mount Union team that lost to Stagg Bowl runner-up Mary Hardin-Baylor in the semifinals, didn't forget that. He spoke to the team during a one-hour players-only meeting the night before.

"We didn't talk about the game," said the fifth-year senior. "We talked about each other. We wanted to win this one for us as a team, not for anybody else."

The legacy at Mount Union is important, he said, as Purple Raiders want to win to uphold the tradition set by those who've gone before them, as well as meet the championship expectations thrust upon them each season.

From afar, it's easy to root against mean old Mount Union, the team who wins practically every year. But the longer you're around the players, the program and Kehres, the more endearing the whole Purple Raiders operation becomes.

And although it hurts to finish second or worse for the other 219 playoff-eligible Division III football teams, we as a division are lucky to have such a classy group to be the face of our level. Players over the years, even when they lose, love to have the opportunity to measure themselves against the best.

Mount Union, once again, proved itself the best.

---

Photos by Ryan Coleman, D3football.com

Quarterback Andy Collins (Occidental), defensive back Craig Haywood (King"s), quarterback Kam Kniss (North Central) and defensive lineman Jason Trusnik (Ohio Northern) have been selected as captains for the United States team that will meet Mexico in the 2006 Aztec Bowl in Aguascalientes, Mexico, on Saturday.

The Aztec Bowl is the traditional season-ending game for Mexico"s college football season. The game has been played 35 times since 1947 with the last nine contests featuring the United States-Mexico matchup. The United States is 8-1 in the series and defeated Mexico, 53-15, in last year"s game in Toluca.

Chitwood Sports Media of Jefferson, Texas, will again provide a live webcast of the Aztec Bowl in 2006. Along with the game webcast on Dec. 16, announcers Charlie Chitwood and Todd Bell will provide a 60-minute pregame show on December 16. Saturday"s pregame show begins at 6 p.m. CT with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m. CT at Estadio Victoria in Aguascalientes.

The preview shows and game webcast can all be accessed via the AFCA"s website at www.afca.com and via the Aztec Bowl website at www.aztecbowl.com. Postgame results will also be available at www.afca.com.

ANDY COLLINS, OCCIDENTAL: It"s an honor to play for this team and play with players of this caliber. It"s really been a blast to come together with this many talented players. It was an eye-opening experience the first time we were on the field together. To be selected a captain of this group is really an honor that hasn"t sunk in just yet.

CRAIG HAYWOOD, KING"S: It"s an honor. I"m definitely surprised. I"m really enjoying myself with this group and I wish I had a full season together with these guys. I can"t wait until Saturday to watch these guys go full speed and hit somebody.

KAM KNISS, NORTH CENTRAL: It means a lot when you"re with this many good players. It"s an honor to earn their respect. The whole week has been a great trip. I never in a million years expected to be in this position. I"m honored to have this opportunity.

JASON TRUSNIK, OHIO NORTHERN: It"s a great honor to be picked to represent Team USA as a captain. With all the talent here it could have been anyone. All 49 guys have outstanding leadership qualities.

We've seen these teams, we've seen this game and we've seen these teams play this game. Around the Nation's Keith McMillan puts that expertise to use this week with a breakdown of Mount Union and UW-Whitewater, unit by unit, position by position.

Plus, take a look at the stud running backs for each team, UW-Whitewater's Justin Beaver and Mount Union's Nate Kmic.

Our sponsors and your support keep this site operating

Beaver's 2005 is recognized as the NCAA Division III record for most rushing yards in a season, and Kmic is within striking distance of taking that mark away from him. How did each roll up such impressive stats?

That and more in this week's Stagg Bowl preview edition of Around the Nation.

Playoffs: Finals schedule, Stagg Bowl broadcast, Updated printable bracket, Pick 'em login.

Also, scroll down for a feature story on UW-Whitewater head coach Bob Berezowitz and the Warhawks' pursuit of a championship to send the retiring coach home with a title.

Berezowitz facing end
of the line

The names Joe Paterno and Bobby Bowden were mentioned on the conference call for UW-Whitewater coach Bob Berezowitz, but the 62-year-old coach (who joked "I may look 48 ... but I'm not") has no designs on coaching football for as long as those two. The 22nd season will be Berezowitz's last, as he announced prior to the season that he'd be retiring as head coach.

"As a coach, you know when it's time," Berezowitz said. "We have eight grandchildren with a ninth on the way. My wife is retired. My son works in Arizona. He has five children. We have eight grandchildren with a ninth on the way. We felt we needed to spend some time with our grandchildren."

Some coaches have a three-year plan for winning a championship. Berezowitz had one for retirement, so that he could ease into it slowly. He didn't expect it to include two trips to the Stagg Bowl, but that's a nice bonus to a fine career, one that earned him induction into three Halls of Fame.

Berezowitz's career
Year	W-L-T	Pct.
1985	3-7-1	.318
1986	6-4-1	.591
1987	7-3-1	.773
1988	9-3-0	.750
1989	4-5-1	.450
1990	10-1-0	.909
1991	6-4-0	.600
1992	8-2-0	.800
1993	6-4-0	.600
1994	8-2-0	.800
1995	7-3-0	.700
1996	8-2-0	.800
1997	9-1-0	.900
1998	7-2-0	.779
1999	3-7-0	.300
2000	5-5-0	.500
2001	5-5-0	.500
2002	5-5-0	.500
2003	7-3-0	.700
2004	7-3-0	.700
1985-04	130-71-4	.643
2005	14-1	.933
2006	14-0	1.000
Total	158-72-4	.684

"I look at it this way," said Berezowitz, who enters with a record of 152-78-4 as head coach, including a 14-0 mark heading into the final game for the second season in a row. "I tried to continue the tradition that was instilled in me as a player here."

He'll leave knowing he did that and more, which includes holding a share of several records he set as a quarterback for the team four decades ago. This year's success, including an eighth WIAC title, has been a little different than that which the program enjoyed last season. The Warhawks returned the majority of last year's national runner-up squad (including nine starters on offense), but still had to replace three of four starters in the secondary and work in a new kicker. Then came some unexpected issues during the season, such as All-American running back Justin Beaver's broken collarbone.

"A year ago, we had no injuries," Berezowitz said. "This year we had an unbelievable amount of injuries. I think that showed the leadership of our seniors not panicking when someone like (Beaver) went down. When we had the injury Brady Pitts and Derek Underwood were able to step in and do an outstanding job. It made us come together as a team."

That kind of camaraderie was a big part of what Berezowitz liked most about his job.

"The opportunity to work with young people, that's been a joy in this profession," Berezowitz said. "I've been gifted to have a staff that's with me every day. We're like brothers. Those are the kinds of friendships that I'm going to miss."

"We had a lot of expectations coming into this year. Last year we snuck up on a lot of people, and this year we had a lot to prove as far as if we deserve to be on this level again," Warhawk defensive tackle Ryan Kleppe told the media after last Saturday's rolling of Wesley. "It says a lot about our guys and how hard they've worked."

As for this week, Berezowitz said he and his team are just grateful for the opportunity to be playing on December 16. He admitted his squad may have been a little jittery last season.

"The first time you're there, you're kind of in awe because everything is happening so fast," Berezowitz said. "It's a learning experience. We'll handle it differently this year. We know the preparation that is needed. It's an honor for our program to be able to participate in the Stagg Bowl. The atmosphere is something special. When young men leave Salem, they feel like they've played in a special bowl."

The hope is that he'll get to go out with a W as well.

"It's never easy going against Mount Union," Berezowitz said, then added with a laugh: "Larry Kehres has won 92% of his games. I'd like to give him one loss before I'm done."

Check out newly posted Around the Nation.

From the moment Stagg Bowl XXXIII ended, talk was that we could see the same two teams back in Salem this week for Stagg Bowl XXXIV.

And from the moment UW-Whitewater coach Bob Berezowitz announced he would retire at the end of the season, the question was whether he could end his career in Salem.

The Warhawks have come through. And as his career comes to a close, Berezowitz reflects on a season that got his team back to the pinnacle and the verge of a national championship.

It's a Road to Salem feature.

Alma quarterback Josh Brehm has been named recipient of the 14th annual Gagliardi Trophy, given annually to the outstanding football player in Division III. The award will be presented Thursday, Dec. 14, at a luncheon in Salem, Va., to kick off Stagg Bowl festivities. The award, sponsored by Jostens, Inc., and administered by the St. John's University J-Club in Collegeville, Minn., recognizes excellence in athletics, academics, and community service.

Brehm is the seventh quarterback overall and second in a row to win the trophy. The award is named for St. John's coach John Gagliardi, the first active head coach to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame (Class of 2006) and the winningest coach in college football history with 443 career victories. Brehm beat out regional finalists Ryan Kleppe (UW-Whitewater), Tom Arcidiacono (Union) and Jordan Neal (Hardin-Simmons).

Brehm led Division III in three categories: total offense (4,084), passing yards (3,448) and passing yards per game (344.8). The 2006 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Offensive Most Valuable Player, Brehm completed 66% of his passes (305 of 462 passing) with 30 touchdowns, a 148.8 passing efficiency rating, and was intercepted only three times in 10 games. Brehm set an NCAA record with 288 consecutive pass attempts without an interception, and set the Division III record with 10 consecutive games of 300 yards of total offense or more. This season, Brehm had five games with more than 400 yards of total offense, and in his career, he had 10 games with more than 400 yards of total offense.

In addition to his expertise and agility on the football field, Brehm, a double major in business and psychology, has a 3.78 GPA. He has had three consecutive semesters with a 4.0. This past year, Brehm was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Second Team. An active member of Alma's Students in Free Enterprise, Brehm has dedicated countless hours of service in area schools.

Tom Mueller has resigned as the head football coach at Texas Lutheran.

Mueller, 60, coached the Bulldogs for five seasons and produced a 22-28 overall coaching record. Mueller was 20-24 in the American Southwest Conference.

After 2-8 marks in his first two years, Mueller turned around the TLU football fortunes by going 18-12 over the next three seasons with a 16-10 mark in the ASC.

"I want to thank Texas Lutheran University for the opportunity they gave me to coach football at TLU," said Mueller. "It has been a privilege and a blessing to work with the coaches and players there. I will truly miss my association and relationship with them."

Mueller said he has accepted the position of executive vice president of Southwest Christian School in Fort Worth, Texas. His duties at Southwest Christian School begin on Jan. 1, 2007.

The Bulldogs were 6-4 overall and 4-4 in the conference in Mueller"s final season. The 2006 season included a 14-9 win over area rival Trinity and a 3-1 record on the road. TLU also posted a come-from-behind Homecoming win over East Texas Baptist.

Mueller was the 2004 ASC Coach of the Year after leading the Bulldogs to a 7-3 overall record and to a 7-2 league mark. The Bulldogs received votes in national polls in each of the last three seasons.

In May of 2006, Mueller was named the Greater San Antonio Fellowship of Christian Athletes Christian Coach of the Year.

"Coach Mueller took a TLU football program in dire need of a new direction and provided the leadership that brought the Bulldogs back to respectability," said Bill Miller, TLU"s director of athletics. "He worked tirelessly for TLU, his coaches and his players to build a winning program. He not only built a winning program, but he did it with an emphasis on academic achievement, personal character and personal accountability."

Miller said a search for Mueller"s successor would begin immediately.

Mueller returned to coaching after 14 seasons away from the football sidelines. Prior to accepting the head coaching position at TLU, Mueller was the defensive coordinator at Texas Christian (1983-87). He also served as the defensive coordinator at Southwest Texas State (now Texas State) (1979-82), North Dakota State (1977-78) and Texas Lutheran (1971-75).

Mueller was the defensive coordinator for two NCAA Division II National Championships with Southwest Texas State (1981, 1982) and for two NAIA-II National Championships with Texas Lutheran (1974, 1975).

Mueller coached for his good friend, the late Jim Wacker, at Texas Lutheran, North Dakota State and Southwest Texas State.

One of Mueller"s most memorable victories at TLU came during the Homecoming football game on Oct. 25, 2003. With the day also designated as Jim Wacker Day to honor the late coach, the Bulldogs defeated Louisiana College with a final-minute scoring drive as the Wacker family watched from the stands.

The Bulldogs also played one of the longest games in TLU football history with Mueller on the sideline. The Bulldogs won 64-62 in four overtimes at Louisiana College. Senior All-American Matt Ross caught the game-winning two-point conversion pass from Sean Salinas in the fourth overtime. The four-overtime win was part of a seven-game winning streak for the Bulldogs in 2004.

TLU played for a share of the ASC title in the regular season finale of 2004. Needing a road win over No. 3-ranked Hardin-Simmons, the Bulldogs fell 59-29 in Abilene. A TLU win would have created a three-way tie for the ASC championship.

By Pat Cummings
D3football.com

So you are coming to Stagg Bowl XXXIV?

Since D3football.com first covered the Stagg Bowl with a live webcast in 1999, Salem Stadium has become a unique meeting place, connecting months of virtual encounters. On multiple occasions, the webcast has ventured to the Salem Stadium parking lot to pose questions and discuss the game with fans on the air.

In 2001, Bridgewater College's appearance in the national championship led to the third-largest attendance in Stagg Bowl history and the largest crowd to watch the Stagg Bowl in Salem. A mere 100 miles on Interstate 81 connected Bridgewater fans to Salem, and ever since, the Eagles' faithful have hosted a constantly growing tailgate party open to all.

Welcome to Stone Station.

John Coleman, a 1991 Bridgewater graduate, had been setting up shop with his Bridgewater tailgates across from the home of Bridgewater president Phillip Stone. Coleman, who is better known on the message board as "Skoaltrain," took the train idea a step further and dubbed the tailgate location as Stone Station. The name stuck, and fellow Bridgewater message board posters have gathered at Stone Station for years.

"We just ran into people who were on D3football.com and the tailgate that started as a few tables has really grown," Coleman said. (He is not related to D3football.com publisher Pat Coleman.)

Bo Morris (aka "Llamaguy"), a 1989 BC alum, has facilitated expanding the tailgate even further and added a 4' x 6' stainless steel grill mounted on a 10' trailer.

"As Bridgewater improved on the football field," Coleman said, "so did our tailgate."

Stone Station feeds approximately 75-100 Bridgewater fans at all BC home games and frequently hits the road with notable trips in 2006 to McDaniel, Guilford, Ferrum, Christopher Newport, and Wesley.

But CNU and Wesley didn't play Bridgewater this season. These guys are so passionate about their D3 football, and their tailgating, that this show hits the road through the postseason.

Bo Morris trekked to the CNU/Washington and Jefferson first-round playoff game and joined forces with several CNU tailgaters. Morris presided over a spread at the South Region final in Dover, Delaware where Wesley defeated Mary Hardin-Baylor.

Expecting that Morris and the crew ran into just Wolverines and Crusaders fans? Hardly. Aside from the D3football.com broadcasters joining him, Morris sated the likes of some Rowan and Wabash fans, and even a retired Mount Union coach who now resides on the Virginia coast.

D3football.com helped bring them all together.

"People show up to our tailgates and ask: 'Where's Llama?'" Morris said. "We actually find many people lurk (read the message boards but do not post) and come by and say that they enjoy reading the conversation and wanted to meet us."

As Stone Station's spread at Salem has grown, so too have the number of posters who swing by. This year, Morris says that they will be sure not to forget who stops by.

"We will have a sign-in poster this year so that random people or message board posters can stop by and log in to tell us they were at the tailgate."

Here are the marching orders for Stagg Bowl XXXIV:

"Come one, come all," Morris says. "One way or another, we're for purple and black this year. It's hard for us to go wrong."

Morris, Coleman, and the Stone Station regulars wish to invite all fans coming to Salem to stop by Stone Station, introduce themselves, and eat up.

The first load of chicken is due off of Morris' grill at noon and a second batch should be ready to go after 2 p.m. Normally, 75 chicken quarters are prepared at one time, and a "first come, first served" policy is in effect. The same goes for Bridgewater professor Barbara Black. She tirelessly bakes hundreds of her famous brownies for mass consumption, having prepared 30 pans for last year's Stagg Bowl, including several pans for the participants. A variety of other traditional tailgate fare will be available as well.

"The Old Dominion Athletic Conference and Salem host the game, we, the fans from the ODAC host the tailgate," Morris said. Fans and posters of Bridgewater, Hampden-Sydney, Randolph-Macon, and Guilford have acknowledged their plans to attend this year's Stone Station at the Stagg Bowl, along with fans of other schools outside the ODAC. Alumni, parents, current and former players from all over have mentioned that they plan to stop by the tailgate. The administrators, photographers, writers, and broadcasters from D3football.com will make appearances as well.

Morris has some even larger plans. With the playing of the Division I football championship, he's trying to organize the masses to join fellow D-III fans to watch Massachusetts and Appalachian State play on Friday evening. Morris and others will be at Corned Beef & Co. in downtown Roanoke at 7 p.m. Friday to enjoy another championship shared with the D-III community.

If you plan to come to the Stagg Bowl, seek out the "Stone Station" sign and the Bridgewater College flags. Red and gold clad fans will be manning the grills, but they are planning to welcome fans from all over D-III with their open arms, your appetite, and some hearty discussions about football and all things D-III.

Are you on the fence about hopping in the car and heading down to Salem for Stagg Bowl XXXIV?

All are welcome, whether a fan or Mount Union, UW-Whitewater or any other school in Division III. Fans of Division III schools from around Virginia, as well as North Carolina, Indiana, Iowa and Minnesota, are expecting to make the trip to Salem and when they do, they'll see Bridgewater fans. The folks who tailgate at "Stone Station" when Bridgewater plays make their pilgrimage to Salem every December and put on a show in the parking lot.

I'm sure the Whitewater students who showed up en masse last year remember.

The Stagg Bowl is quickly becoming a Division III-wide gathering. Come meet other message board posters and lurkers and join the party. With the game at 4 p.m. ET this year (D3football.com pregame show at 2 p.m., put on ESPN on mute at 4), there's plenty of time to hang out.

Pat Cummings gets you acquainted with the denizens of Stone Station and tells the story behind the name in a Road to Salem feature.

Playoffs: Finals schedule, team capsules, Updated printable bracket, Pick 'em login.

Nate Kmic ran for 371 yards on 42 carries, breaking his own school record, as Mount Union held off St. John Fisher 26-14 in the national semifinals. Scoreboard.

The Purple Raiders are heading to Salem for the 10th time in their program's history, hoping to win Walnut and Bronze for the ninth time.

St. John Fisher trailed by two heading into the final play of the third quarter, in which Mike Zimmerman hit a 25-yard field goal to make Mount Union's lead 19-14. Photo gallery

Justen Stickley had two sacks, batted down two passes at the line of scrimmage and blocked a St. John Fisher field goal that could have cut the Mount Union lead to 19-17. Full story

"There comes a point in time in a game," Stickley said afterwards, "where you need to make a play and you need to do something to stop the momentum of the other team. I think that was that point. We were able to swing what was left of their momentum."

UW-Whitewater did it once again to Wesley, as the Warhawks rolled up a 38-0 lead and cruised to a 44-7 win in the other semifinal. Whitewater won last year's meeting 58-6. Photo gallery

Whitewater held Wesley to 161 yards of total offense and picked off Chris Warrick three times. Justin Beaver carried just 18 times in the blowout, while receiver Derek Stanley had three catches, all of them for touchdowns. Full story

D3football.com is proud to unveil the 2006 D3football.com All-Region Teams.

The All-Region teams honor three teams of players in each of the four regions as defined by the NCAA, including an offensive and defensive player of the year, as well as a coach of the year.

Voting was done by sports information directors in each region as well as D3football.com staff. There were 656 player nominations.

Our defensive players of the year: UW-Whitewater defensive tackle Ryan Kleppe (West), Wheaton defensive end Andy Studebaker (North), Wesley defensive end Bryan Robinson (South) and Cortland State defensive tackle Adam Haas and Wilkes linebacker Kyle Follweiler (East co-players).


Our offensive players of the year: St. John Fisher running back Mark Robinson (East Region), Wesley quarterback Chris Warrick (South Region), Mount Union running back Nate Kmic (North) and UW-Whitewater running back Justin Beaver (West).

The coaches of the year are Springfield's Mike DeLong, Carnegie Mellon's Rich Lackner, Mount Union's Larry Kehres and UW-Whitewater's Bob Berezowitz, marking a sweep of all three awards for the Warhawks.

Thanks to all those who nominated and to the voting committee.

The 2006 All-Region teams: East, North, South, West (.pdf format).

Playoffs: Round 4 schedule, team capsules, Updated printable bracket, Pick 'em login.

MacMurray announced Dec. 6 that Kyle B. Sweeney, assistant coach at Endicott, will fill the position of head coach effective Jan. 2, 2007.

The official announcement was made by David Fitz, Vice President of Academic Affairs at the College who noted that Sweeney will also be instructor of sport management. Sweeney has a master"s degree in health, physical education, and recreation management from Illinois State.

He replaces Brandon McCray, who was let go after five seasons with a 19-19 overall record. The Highlanders went 3-7 this past season.

While at ISU, Sweeney taught classes in general fitness, recreation services, nautilus, golf and swimming. During that time he was also a substitute teacher in the Bloomington public school system for grades K-12.

His coaching experience includes football and baseball at Endicott, Occidental and Illinois Wesleyan. While at Endicott, the varsity football team finished the 2006 season with a 6-4 record, 5-2 in the New England Football Conference and had the top statistical scoring defense in the league. He also coached the College"s first ever junior varsity season in 2002.

As a recruiting assistant at Occidental, he credits the recruiting class for leading the team to a 9-2 record including two NCAA playoff wins in 2004.

At IWU, Sweeney served two years as defensive back coach. During those two years, IWU won back-to-back conference titles for the first time in almost 35 years. While at IWU, two of coach Sweeney's defensive backs, Brad Andrekus and Kevin Kaplan, earned All-American recognition and both were selected to play in the Aztec Bowl, the annual Division III All-Star game.

His baseball coaching experience includes his role as assistant baseball coach at Endicott which won the CCC championships in 2004 and 2006, the ECAC championship in 2005 and the first NCAA playoff game in the program"s history.

As an undergraduate, Sweeney was a four-year starter at strong safety for Occidental and also played wide receiver as a senior. He earned his B.A. in economics for business management from Occidental.

NCAASports.com will produce and stream live video broadcasts of each of Saturday's national semifinals.

D3football.com's Pat Coleman and Keith McMillan will call the Mount Union/St. John Fisher game from Alliance, Ohio, with kickoff at noon ET. D3football.com's Pat Cummings and Gordon Mann will have the call of the UW-Whitewater/Wesley game from Whitewater, Wis., with kickoff at 1 p.m. ET.

Links will be available on game day, and of course, access to the broadcast is free.

Playoffs: Round 4 schedule, team capsules, Updated printable bracket, Pick 'em login.

That's a big challenge for Wesley, which returns to the site of last year's semifinal pounding. A year ago, the Wolverines went to UW-Whitewater and came away with their tail between their legs after a 58-6 loss.

Playoffs: Round 4 schedule, team capsules, Updated printable bracket, Pick 'em login.

But Wesley and coach Mike Drass are already familiar with the concept of putting 2005 behind them. After all, they did last week in beating Mary Hardin-Baylor 34-20.

"We want to take that extra step to put Wesley up there with the Mount Unions, the Whitewaters and Mary Hardin-Baylors," Wesley defensive end Bryan Robinson said.

All of those schools have been to the Stagg Bowl.

Keith McMillan has more in this week's first Around the Nation.

Scroll down for info about Saturday's live video broadcasts.

Brockport State will have to forfeit three victories after using a player who was not a student at the school, the NCAA ruled this week.

According to the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, wide receiver Shannon Brinson played in nine games and started in six for the 4-6 Golden Eagles Brockport athletic director Lin Case blamed the oversight on a computer error.

Case said Brinson was dismissed from the team before the Golden Eagles' season finale win against Buffalo State. He caught 25 passes for 244 yards and a touchdown. His score came against St. John Fisher, cutting the Cardinals' lead to 27-20 with 10:14 remaining in the game.

The win against Buffalo State will stand, but three victories achieved with Brinson in uniform will be forfeited, dropping Brockport's record to 1-9.

Alma's Josh Brehm, Hardin-Simmons' Jordan Neal, Union's Tom Arcidiacono and UW-Whitewater's Ryan Kleppe were named regional finalists today for the 2006 Gagliardi Trophy.

It's the first time the organizing committee has publicly whittled down the 10 finalists to a final four players.

The award, presented to the outstanding football player in NCAA Division III, honors excellence in athletics, academics and community service. The award program is sponsored by Jostens, Inc. and conducted by the J-Club of St. John"s in Collegeville, Minn. This year"s winner will be announced on Dec. 12 and will be presented with the award on Dec. 14 in Salem.

The trophy is named for St. John"s coach John Gagliardi, the first active head coach to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame and the winningest coach in college football history with 443 career victories in 58 seasons.

Arcidiacono, a running back at Union, averaged 6.4 yards per carry and 149.7 per game during the regular season. Brehm, quarterback at Alma, had an NCAA record 10 consecutive games of 300-plus yards passing and threw 288 consecutive passes without an interception. Kleppe, a defensive tackle for Whitewater, is the top defender for the No. 4 Division III rush defense and No. 5 scoring defense. Neal, quarterback at Hardin-Simmons, was third in Division III in passing efficiency at 174.5 and threw for 24 TDs with seven interceptions.

The Gagliardi Trophy recipient is determined by a 31-member national selection committee, which includes college coaches, former athletes, college administrators, business leaders and members of the media, including Pat Coleman and Keith McMillan of D3football.com.

The trophy features a sculpture of SJU football coach John Gagliardi and a player in a classic one-on-one sideline consultation. The sculptures are hand cast in bronze and mounted on a polished wood base. The trophy stands nearly two-feet tall and weighs 64 pounds.

WACO, Texas – The American Football Coaches Association announced today the roster for the Division III all-star team that will represent the USA against Mexico in the 2006 Aztec Bowl in Aguascalientes, Mexico on Dec. 16.

The Aztec Bowl is the traditional season-ending game for Mexico's college football schedule. The game has been played 35 times since 1947 with the last nine contests featuring the United States-Mexico matchup. The United States leads the series 8-1.

This year's game will kick off at 7 p.m. CST on Dec. 16 and will be played at Estadio Victoria. The game can be heard via a webcast that can be accessed on the AFCA's website at www.afca.com.

Wide receivers: Chris Barnette, Guilford; Joe Danielson, UW-Platteville; Kyle Gearman, St. John's; Joe Konrad, John Carroll; Kyle Pearson, Luther.

Tight ends: Andrew Neumann, Augsburg; Ryan Stearrett, Dickinson.

Offensive linemen: Rick Drushal, Wooster; Adam Feit, Springfield; Kevin Harrigan, Delaware Valley; Josh Knox, Hardin-Simmons; Chris Kenney, Williams; Ted Londot, Wittenberg; Rob McCullough, Linfield; Brett Monnat, Ithaca; Chris Teter, Washington & Jefferson; Paul Williams, Hampden-Sydney.

Quarterbacks: Andy Collins, Occidental; Kam Kniss, North Central.

Running backs: Tom Arcidiacono, Union; Cody Childs, UW-Stevens Point; Mike Guzman, Augustana; Jeremy Wolff, UW-River Falls.

Defensive linemen: Dustin Allen, Trinity (Texas); David Blount, Hanover; Chad Glover, East Texas Baptist; Adam Haas, Cortland State; Keith Heimerl, Rowan; Dustin Hertel, DePauw; Tyler Ledyard, Concordia-Moorhead; Jason Trusnik, Ohio Northern.

Linebackers: Kirby Carr, Bethel; Sean Crowley, Curry; Mark Carlisle, Thomas More; Jack Junker, Muskingum; Matt Lawless, Mount St. Joseph.

Defensive backs: Walner Belleus, Dubuque; Ben Bollard, Central; Mario Harris, Wesley (unless playing in Stagg Bowl); Craig Haywood, King's; Aaron Lewis, Carnegie Mellon; Jake Robbins, Texas Lutheran; Rob Rodriguez, Christopher Newport; Tyler Schultz, Hamline; Mike Soules, Trinity (Conn.); Steve Teeples, UW-La Crosse; Byron Westbrook, Salisbury.

Kickers: Bob Forstrom, St. Norbert; Ben Scott, Johns Hopkins.

Last year it was Larry Beavers turning six catches into 239 yards and four touchdowns. This year, Beavers isn't around, so it was Michael Clarke making the big plays for Wesley against Mary Hardin-Baylor, catching five passes for 156 yards and a score in Saturday's 34-20 quarterfinal victory. The touchdown was an 86-yarder thrown by fellow wide receiver Jason Schatz.

Inside linebackers Josh Gottlieb and Gene Lang combined for 14 tackles (11 solo), five for loss and three sacks in St. John Fisher's 31-0 rout of Rowan. The Cardinals limited the Profs to 120 yards of total offense, including 31 yards on 26 carries. Rowan quarterback Mike Orihel was sacked five times.

Playoffs: Round 3 scores, team capsules, Updated printable bracket, Pick 'em login.

Capital's leading rusher carried seven times for 10 yards and the rest of the team combined for minus-31 in the 17-14 loss to Mount Union. Crusaders quarterback Rocky Pentello was sacked four times, twice by defensive end Justen Stickley, once by Sam Vucelich and once by Tony Deriggi. Deriggi also was credited with four quarterback hurries.

Matt Blaziewske had 11 tackles (nine solo) and a pair of passes broken up for UW-Whitewater, while Ryan Kleppe posted another three and a half sacks in the Warhawks' 17-14 win against St. John's. Kleppe has five and a half sacks in the playoffs alone.

Scroll down for more quarterfinal playoff coverage.

St. John Fisher was the first team to clinch a trip to the national semifinals, slaying the Beast of the East in a 31-0 shutout of Rowan. The Cardinals will be headed to Ohio, as just the second East Region team other than Rowan to actually win the East bracket. It was St. John Fisher's fifth shutout of the season.

Quarterfinal scores on the Scoreboard.

Mount Union won the North bracket, defeating Capital 17-14. The Purple Raiders return to the national semifinals, as they have every year since missing out in 1994. Greg Micheli ran for 116 yards and two touchdowns at quarterback for the Purple Raiders, while Nate Kmic carried 38 times for 169 yards in the win. Photo gallery

Mary Hardin-Baylor slowed down the Wesley running game but it wasn't enough as Wesley threw for 436 yards and defeated the Crusaders 34-20. Michael Clarke continued his playoff run, catching five balls for 156 yards and an 86-yard touchdown, while defensive end Bryan Robinson had two sacks among his 10 total tackles. Photo gallery

St. John's struck first but UW-Whitewater struck last. Ryan Kleppe had three and a half sacks as the Warhawks defeated St. John's 17-14, stopping the Johnnies' final drive when time ran out at the Warhawk 25-yard line. Whitewater, which has now won 16 in a row at home, defeated Wesley 58-6 in the national semifinals last season. Photo gallery


Playoffs: Round 3 scores, team capsules, Updated printable bracket, Pick 'em login.