Pacific took the first step in the construction of its football program Friday, announcing the hiring of Keith Buckley as coach in a news conference at the Multnomah Athletic Club.

Buckley arrives at Pacific after four seasons as part of the staff at UC Davis, a Division I FCS school, including the past two years as the assistant head coach. The hiring comes two months after Pacific's board of trustees voted in favor of addition of football to the school's current offering of 20 intercollegiate athletics programs. The Boxers are scheduled to return to the field for a full varsity schedule in the fall of 2010.

"This is a coach's dream," Buckley said of the opportunity. "There are few situations where you have the chance to build a program from the ground up, develop young talent and have a chance to put Pacific on the football map. I am excited for this opportunity, not only for me professionally but for my family."

Buckley's selection ends a national search over the past month that saw more than 125 individuals apply for the position.

"As the interview process went on, it became obvious that Keith would be a great fit for Pacific University," said athletic director Ken Schumann. "I am extremely pleased that we have attracted a seasoned Division I coach who not only has demonstrated success on the field, but who has a great understanding of the importance of academics with his work at both UC Davis and Stanford."

This will be Buckley's first coaching position of any kind at a non-scholarship program. He now faces the challenge of building the Pacific program from the ground up in a region rich with established programs. It is a challenge that he not only recognizes, but is prepared to tackle head-on.

"The toughest challenge will be building a roster and being ready for the 2010 season," Buckley said. "There are plenty of football players out there, though, with the talent and the intelligence to succeed at Pacific in both football and in the classroom."

Last year's top five quarterbacks were all seniors. That made for a difficult decision last December and left us a wide-open slate from which to start over in 2009.

Running back may well have been the strongest position coming into this season, even after the graduation of Nate Kmic. Just two of 12 linebackers returned from last season's All-American team. And not one of last year's eight honored tackles came back.

Who did? And who do we think will be worthy of honors this winter? Check out the 2009 D3football.com Preseason All-American team.

It's the first of our preseason awards, which will be followed in early August by the preseason D3football.com Top 25 poll.

Players were selected primarily from last year's All-Region nominations, though we considered additional players as well, including remembering three key players from 2007 coming back from injury. It's a who's-who of who's coming back for the upcoming Division III football season.

But that only scratches the surface. To learn all you need to know to follow the 2009 Division III football season, you need Kickoff. Click here for more.

Sam Mills joined an elite group of Division III football players in the College Football Hall of Fame this past weekend, at an induction ceremony in South Bend, Ind.

Mills, a two-time All-America linebacker for Montclair State during the late 1970s, took his rightful place in the Hall this past weekend. His son, Sam III, accepted the induction award for his father, who passed away in April 2005 following a 20-month battle with cancer.

Of the more than five million players who have played collegiate football since its beginning in 1869, only 1,000 have been enshrined into the Hall of Fame (.02 percent). Mills is the second Division III player inducted in the past two seasons, following Mount Union's Jim Ballard.

Mills was a standout at Montclair State from 1977-80, being named captain his final two seasons and a Kodak All-American selection as a senior. His 501 career tackles set a school record, his 142 tackles as a sophomore set the school's single-season mark and his 22-tackle performance as a junior established a single-game record. He was a three-time defensive player of the year selection by the New Jersey Collegiate Football Writers Association.

Mills' No. 62 was retired by Montclair State in 1981, one of two numbers in MSU history to be retired.

Deemed "too small" to play linebacker in the pros, the 5-9 Mills went on to an outstanding career which began in the United States Football League with the Philadelphia Stars. He then moved on to the NFL where he became an All-Pro with the New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers.

Overall, Mills played 12 seasons in the NFL and recorded 1,319 tackles, 20.5 sacks, 11 interceptions and four touchdowns while starting 173 of 181 games. He played the first nine seasons of his career with the Saints and was a five-time Pro Bowl selection. He was also a three-time All-USFL selection and helped the Stars to league titles in 1983 and 1984.

After his playing career, Mills became an assistant coach with the Panthers and was diagnosed with cancer in 2003. Still, Mills coached Carolina throughout the season and became the team's inspiration as the Panthers won the NFC championship and went on to play in Super Bowl XXXVII against the New England Patriots.

We're hard at work on Kickoff 2009, which is D3football.com's exclusive online-only preview of the 2009 season. The fifth annual edition of our preview publication is the only place you'll see our objective take on each of the 238 Division III teams.

Kickoff continues to get bigger and your support helps drive and fund D3football.com coverage year-round. This year we're again adding to our feature lineup to make sure we have bonus content from each Division III football conference. And that's above and beyond what you already get:

• Analysis of each conference with champions predicted by our experts.
• Our exclusive ranking of every Division III team, from 1-238. Find out where your team stands in the Division III landscape as the season kicks off.
• Coverage of every team with a look at key players, big games and "X" factors.
• Feature stories on big themes of the 2009 season.
• And lots more!

Kickoff is $9.95 and is available to registered and paid users online. (Users who register with .edu e-mail addresses get a 40% discount, to $5.95.) Register now and avoid the last-minute rush!

Kickoff is slated for release on Aug. 25, with the latest information available, giving you time to fully digest it before the season opens on Sept. 3.

A combined $1.2 million lead gift from Brad and Katharine Stoffer and their Boedecker Foundation will allow George Fox to begin the first phase of construction on the Austin Sports Complex and moves the university closer to adding NCAA Div. III football and women's lacrosse teams.

George Fox, located in Newberg, Ore., is a member of the Northwest Conference and is the reigning Division III women's basketball champion.

The gift, announced at a fundraising event held July 9, is the first major donation toward the $6.5 million project. The multi-use sports complex is to be shared by the university, the Chehalem Park and Recreation District, Newberg High School, local club teams, and the community. It is located a half mile north of the school's Newberg campus.

“This gift will allow us to create more venues for leadership training and character development,” said George Fox president Robin Baker, “The Stoffers have joined the Austins in investing not only in the university, but in the lives of student-athletes and youth from around the region.”

"We're excited that this may make it possible for George Fox to reestablish football, but we're just as pleased to be able to help the university provide first-class facilities to its students and the community," Brad Stoffer said. "Our son has had a great experience at George Fox and we're glad to be part of this community."

George Fox fielded a football team from 1894 to 1969, but dropped it primarily for financial reasons. The school's board has been considering adding football since 2002 and has requested a feasibility study from the administration.

Mount Union quarterback Greg Micheli was selected as the 2008-09 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America of the Year, as chosen by the College Sports Information Directors of America.

Micheli, who had a double major of physics and mathematics and a 3.84 GPA, is the third Division III football player to be so honored and the first since MIT's Brad Gray won the award in 1997-98.

"I am truly honored and blessed to not only receive this award but to represent Mount Union College," said Micheli. "I have been fortunate to have a great college experience with many great teammates and coaches. This award is a reflection of that."

The winner of the Gagliardi Trophy as the nation's top NCAA Division III football player, Micheli led Mount Union to a 15-0 record and the NCAA Division III national championship. The top-rated passer in NCAA Division III, he set an NCAA record with his 209.13 passing efficiency rating. As a senior, he completed 240 of 320 passes for a school record 3,743 yards and a .750 completion percentage. While throwing 36 touchdown passes, he was intercepted only twice.

Named as the Most Outstanding Player in the 2008 Stagg Bowl, he was also the Raiders' second-leading rusher as a senior. He ran for 515 yards and averaged 6.1 yards per carry. He also scored four touchdowns. In the Stagg Bowl, he completed 12 of 19 passes for 262 yards and two touchdowns to lead Mount Union to its 31-26 win against UW-Whitewater. He was also named as the Most Outstanding Player at the 2006 Stagg Bowl when he came off the bench to lead the Raiders to a 35-16 win over UW-Whitewater. Playing the final three quarters of the game, he completed 18 of 22 passes for 202 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran for 42 yards on nine carries and scored on a 12-yard run.

A native of Upper Sandusky, Ohio, Micheli finished his career by completing 578 passes in 780 attempts for a .741 percentage. He passed for 8,479 yards in his career with 81 touchdown passes and only nine interceptions. In addition, he rushed for 1,476 yards in his career and scored 17 touchdowns. In his two seasons as the Raiders' starting quarterback, he compiled a 29-1 record with the only loss coming in the 2007 national championship game.

In January, he was the winner of an NCAA Top VIII Award and he was the only Division III athlete to receive the award. Named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® College Division Football first team as a junior and senior, he was also the winner of the Clyde Lamb Award as the top male scholar-athlete in the Ohio Athletic Conference. Chosen as the Outstanding Male Senior at Mount Union, he is also a member of the Society of Physics Students.

Micheli competed against 11 other College Division candidates. The average GPA of the 12 College Division candidates was a remarkable 3.88.

It's amazing how Division III football has changed in 10 years.

It was a decade ago, July 7, 1999, that we launched D3football.com to the world. It wasn't exactly an easy decision, and there was certainly a time after the tech market bubble burst that we thought we might not last for very long. But 29.5 million visits later, we're still going strong, perhaps stronger than ever.

The team at the top hasn't changed very often in the past decade, though the challengers have. Instead of Rowan making a seemingly annual trip to Salem alongside Mount Union, it's UW-Whitewater.

Instead of 16 playoff spots for 227 we have 32 for nearly 240. We have automatic bids, games on live video, real-time scores and much more. And sure, three schools gave up the ghost on the sport this past offseason, but two schools are taking the field for the first time this fall and three more have announced they will play in 2011. So it can be said with some confidence that Division III football is strong, perhaps stronger than ever.

Read more about the decision to create D3football.com on the Daily Dose.

Also, Kickoff 2009 is in the works, our comprehensive season preview of all 238 Division III football teams. If you want to know where your team stands, this is the only place to get it. Register now for Kickoff's August release.

Over the fourth of July weekend, several members of the UW-Whitewater football team spent their time at the Milwaukee Country Zoo. But it wasn't a sightseeing trip.

Milwaukee County executive Scott Walker wanted to thank veterans and their families by offering them free admission to the zoo as part of Milwaukee County Operation Freedom. UW-Whitewater alumnus and former Warhawk football player Tom Karthausser notified the Warhawks of the volunteer opportunity at the zoo.

Head coach Lance Leipold said, "as a team we want to give back to the community." The Warhawks were there to offer support by spending the day grilling food for the veterans. Karthausser said, "They did an outstanding job. Collectively, we grilled 24,000 pieces of meat and all was served to veterans and their families."

Cornerback Troney Sumpert said, "It was a great opportunity to be active in the community."

Those that volunteered included current players Logan Allemand, Tim Depies, Mark Gawronski, Grant Murray, Sam Overton, Aaron Rusch, Troney Sumpert, Jake Taylor, Paul Wick and former Warhawk Pete Kishline.