by Alan Aldinger
Photos by Fred Cockerill
Not since 1988, and perhaps not since the glory years of the 1970s, has Wittenberg University’s football team generated such enthusiasm on campus and among alumni.
Although the Tigers may not be back to the form that resulted in four appearances in the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl between 1975 and 1979, the 1998 season conjured up many echoes of years past.
Wittenberg’s 21-19 loss to two-time defending Division III champion Mount Union Nov. 28 in the second round of the NCAA Division III playoffs may have been a bitter pill to swallow for the 20-some Tiger seniors and the rest of the team as well as the coaching staff and many loyal alumni.
But the defeat may have also demonstrated that the program is close to regaining its past glory. Not that anyone can sneeze at Wittenberg’s record this decade.
Since 1990 the program has a record of 75-16-1 including four North Coast Athletic Conference Championships.
The Tigers still rank as Division III’s all-time leader in victories with 592, and if all goes well next year, Wittenberg should join an elite number of college football programs in reaching 600 victories.
But Wittenberg alumni, especially, long to be reminded of the Bill Edwards-Dave Maurer years when national titles and undefeated teams were almost routine. Will their patience be rewarded in the near future?
Current Tiger football coach Joe Fincham, who has compiled an amazing 29-3 record in three seasons, says maybe yes, maybe no.
“There’s no question that our performance against Mount Union shows that we are making strides. It was a huge step in the right direction,” he said. “But Edwards and Maurer and their players set the bar awfully high for Ron Murphy, Doug Neibuhr and me to clear.”
So much has changed in the Division III landscape in the last 30 years. Formed in 1973 when the old College Division split into Divisions II and III, Division III has seen its membership skyrocket in recent years as the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) has been in a slow but steady decline.
There are now 218 football-playing members of Division III, the largest of the four divisions. That number is almost double the number in 1973 when Wittenberg won its first national championship.
Financial aid awards seem to be the biggest factor affecting the state of Wittenberg football. Some of the better-endowed schools are offering more aid to attract students, so some schools less-expensive than Wittenberg are becoming more attractive.
“We have a lot to sell at Wittenberg. We harp on the tradition and the name recognition that Wittenberg still carries. We sell the tremendous academics this school offers. But the competition out there is so fierce now that we find ourselves losing players to the Ashlands, Findlays and Daytons of the world, which may not have been the case years ago,” Fincham said.
Fincham also said that he and his staff have been slowly overcoming an image that the NCAC, which Wittenberg joined in 1989, does not live up to the reputation of the venerable Ohio Athletic Conference.
“This is a darn good football conference,” Fincham said. “All you have to do is look at what Allegheny has achieved, winning a national title in 1990, and what Ohio Wesleyan did a few years ago and what has happened to Wooster all of the sudden. People should have realized what this league is about when Wittenberg went from 8-2 in its last year in the OAC to 4-5 its first year in the NCAC.”
Glory on the Gridiron
Fincham has tried his best to bring Wittenberg alumni back by answering calls to put Baldwin-Wallace back on the schedule for 1998 and 1999. The Tigers responded with a dramatic come-from-behind 17-16 victory over the Yellow Jackets to open the 1998 season in Berea. B-W finished its season a respectable 8-2 and barely lost to Mount Union in the season’s final game.
He also revived the tradition established in the 1960s by declaring the Tiger defense “Checkmates” as it led Division III in scoring defense, allowing just 53 points in the regular season. In fact, it was the fewest points allowed at any level of NCAA football.
However, Fincham has also begun a new tradition, which has been greeted with enthusiasm. After each Tiger victory, home or away, the team sings the Wittenberg fight song on the field. The act has proven to be an incredible motivation for the team. After home field victories this year over Wooster and Millikin in the NCAA Division III playoffs, the squad rewarded the fired-up crowd by running to the stands to sing it.
On the sideline
To many who have grown close to the program in the last few seasons, Fincham is a bit of a throwback. A tireless worker with the drive of Dave Maurer and the wit of a Bill Edwards, the hard-charging 33-year old West Virginia native also carries a down-home ease.
“Every team is a reflection of their coach, and the Tigers are no different,” said Donn Gallatin ’74. Gallatin played football for Wittenberg. His son, Matt, was the second team All-NCAC punter this year.
“I have described Coach Fincham many times throughout the season as a throwback to the good old days of Wittenberg,” Gallatin said. “He has the fire and intensity of Davey (Maurer), the presence and the personality of ‘Bull’ (Bill Edwards) and the ability and expertise of both of them to build a great football program that wins on a national level.
“Underneath that rough exterior is a deeply caring person who is involved with all of his players. He and his staff are the kind of people we want our son to be associated with. When I was a student at Wittenberg in the ’70s, everybody’s fall afternoon revolved around Tiger football. The entire campus felt like they were a part of the team. That sense of Tiger pride seemed to return this year in a big way.”
Linda Germane Maskulka, ’74, of Cleveland, can identify with that feeling. She found herself swept up in the tide of enthusiasm in 1998. “I really thought we could beat Mount Union, and I was disappointed, but at the same time I was so grateful for an exciting season,” she said. “I had been thinking about my experiences 25 years earlier during our march toward the national championship and felt bad for this year’s seniors but hopeful for the underclassmen.”
Fred Mitchell, a record-breaking placekicker in the 1960s, member of the Athletic Hall of Honor and a sportswriter for the Chicago Tribune also can identify. He puts aside his professional detachment and roots hard for the Tigers.
“Wherever I traveled this fall covering Chicago sports teams, I was able to keep up with the Wittenberg football results on my computer via the Internet. My media colleagues in press boxes all over the country are aware of my allegiance to Wittenberg University,” he said. “Besides, the Tigers had a much better season than the Chicago Bears anyway!” Gallatin and wife, Betty (McNeese), ’76, also listen to Tiger games on the Internet from their home in Johnson City, Tenn. when they cannot travel to the game.
Down the road
So, what is the future for Tiger football? More national championships?
Not so fast, said Fincham.
“There is still an awful lot of work that has to be done,” he said. “When you really look at it, we were fortunate to beat an outstanding Baldwin-Wallace team, and we had both Allegheny and Wooster at home this year. Next year we have to play B-W, and they will be looking for revenge. We play a fast-improving Wilmington program on the road, and we have to play at Allegheny and Wooster. We have our work cut out for us.”
It is true that Wittenberg’s final season of the millennium may be one of its most challenging. It must replace seven starting seniors on the team’s best defense since the 1960s and at the same time live up to the expectations placed on it from 1998’s success.
But if recent history is any gauge, one thing remains certain. The Tigers will be in there, clawing and scratching, as they continue to bring pride to Wittenberg’s faithful.