Mount Union Purple Raiders football

Mount Union Purple Raiders football
First season 1893
Head coach Vince Kehres
3rd year, 43–2 (.956)
Stadium Mount Union Stadium
Seating capacity 5,600
Location Alliance, Ohio
NCAA division NCAA Division III
Conference Ohio Athletic Conference
All-time record 742–386–37 (.653)
Claimed nat'l titles 12
1993, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2012, 2015
Conference titles 27
1985, 1986, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
Current uniform
Colors Mount Union Purple and White
         
Website athletics.mountunion.com

The Mount Union Purple Raiders football team is the varsity intercollegiate football team representing the University of Mount Union, located in Alliance, Ohio, United States. They compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division III level and are members of the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC). The team was established in 1893 and plays its home games at the 5,600 seat Mount Union Stadium. They are coached by Vince Kehres. Through the 2015 season, Mount Union football has won 12 Division III National Championships and 27 OAC titles, which includes a streak of 24 consecutive conference titles dating back to 1992. Additionally, the Purple Raiders own the NCAA football record for consecutive victories with 55, set from 2000 to 2003, which broke their previous record of 54, set from 1996 to 1999. With the Purple Raiders' success, former head coach Larry Kehres holds the record for highest winning percentage .929 for coaches with minimum 200 career wins over his 27 seasons (1986–2012) as coach at Mount Union.

History

The first football game played by Mount Union was on the school's baseball field in 1893 against Kenyon College.[1] Over eight seasons from the start of the 1996 season through 2003, the team went 109–2 (.982), won six national titles, eight conference championships, and had winning streaks of 54 and 55 games. On October 16, 1999, the team broke the NCAA football record for consecutive victories with their 48th straight win, a 44–20 home win over Otterbein College. The previous record of 47, set by the Oklahoma Sooners, had stood since 1957. The Purple Raiders' winning streak, which began in 1996, reached 54 games before coming to an end December 11, 1999 in an overtime loss in the Division III playoffs.[2] In 2003, the team broke its own record by winning their 55th consecutive game, a 66–0 home win over Bridgewater College, a streak that began September 2, 2000, and ended the following week on December 20, 2003, with a loss in the Stagg Bowl.[3]

Championships

The Purple Raiders won their first OAC title in 1985 and repeated in 1986. After winning the title again in 1990, the team began a streak of consecutive conference titles in 1992 that reached 24 following their 2015 OAC championship.

Through the 2014 season, Mount Union has won 12 Division III National Championships and has 19 total appearances in the Stagg Bowl, including the last 11 consecutively, along with 27 playoff appearances.[4]

Notable alumni

Nate

References

  1. ↑ http://hcap.artstor.org/cgi-bin/library?a=d&d=p1210
  2. ↑ "Mount Union Football's 54 Game Win Streak". Mount Union Athletics website. University of Mount Union. 2013. Retrieved August 31, 2013.
  3. ↑ "Mount Union Football's 55 Game Win Streak". Mount Union Athletics website. University of Mount Union. 2013. Retrieved August 31, 2013.
  4. 1 2 3 "Year-by-Year Results". Mount Union Athletics website. University of Mount Union. 2013. Retrieved August 31, 2013.

External links

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