Glory on the Gridiron: A History of Wittenberg University Football
Wittenberg University's football program boasts a storied history filled with remarkable achievements, dedicated coaches, and passionate players. From its early beginnings in the late 19th century to its modern-day successes, Wittenberg football has consistently demonstrated a commitment to excellence, sportsmanship, and tradition.
Early Triumphs
Wittenberg's football triumphs began even earlier than the 1930s and 1940s, with the 1920s already showing great success. In 1894, their 7-1 season included a victory over OSU and a state college championship. The Cincinnati Enquirer reported on their final, rather raucous game of the 1894 season:
STATE CHAMPIONSHIPWon by the Wittenberg Football teamSpecial Dispatch to the EnquirerSpringfield, Ohio. November 29. Wittenberg and Otterbein College football teams played here to-day before 1,500 people. The game was for the championship of the state and was won by Wittenberg by a score of 30 to 4. The last half was very rough, but no one was badly injured. Most of the time was consumed in kicking over a decision of the referee in not allowing a “touch down” for Otterbein which was secured by the quarterback trick. Frank Smith, an Otterbein reserve player, came near being mobbed for tripping a Wittenberg player who was but a few yards from scoring. It took six policemen to rescue him from the crowd and they escorted him to town.
The Godfrey Era (1916, 1919-1928)
Coach Ernie Godfrey was the earliest Wittenberg football coach to eventually make the Hall of Fame. An OSU star, he coached Wittenberg in 1916 and then from 1919-1928. His teams' record included two undefeated seasons. Godfrey, an Ohio State star, coached Wittenberg in 1916 and again from 1919 to 1928. His teams achieved two undefeated seasons.
The Edwards Era (1955-1968)
Wittenberg football began a period of unprecedented success in 1955 with the hiring of Bill Edwards as head coach. Edwards had been an All-American while playing for Wittenberg in 1929. After coaching the Detroit Lions (1941-1942) and other college teams, Edwards returned to Wittenberg as head football coach from 1955 to 1968. In 14 years at Wittenberg, Edwards compiled a record of 98-20-4 and two national championships. The brightest star of the Edwards era at Wittenberg was quarterback Charlie Green. With Green leading the team, Wittenberg compiled a 25-0-1 record and won two national championships from 1962 to 1964. Green totaled 5,575 passing yards and 61 passing touchdowns at Wittenberg and later played for the Oakland Raiders.
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The Maurer Era (1969-1983)
After Edwards retired, Dave Maurer took over as head coach in 1969. Maurer had been an assistant coach under Edwards since 1955. Between 1969 and 1983, Maurer compiled a record of 129-23-3 for a winning percentage of .842. His teams won 11 division and league championships, two Division III national championships (1973 and 1975) and were runners-up in 1978 and 1979.
The 1973 National Championship
Members of Wittenberg University’s 1973 football team, which won the first-ever NCAA Division III Tournament, have enjoyed opportunities to reconvene on campus over the years, including multiple times when they have been saluted by the home crowd. Most recently, team members gathered during Homecoming Weekend 2023 to be inducted as a group into Wittenberg’s Athletics Hall of Honor.
Two of the captains from that groundbreaking Wittenberg team proudly represented their teammates and their beloved alma mater by participating in a pre-game reception and on-field ceremonies, including the coin toss, prior to the game between SUNY Cortland and North Central College.
All three Wittenberg captains, Steve Drongowski ’74, Randy DeMont ’74, and John Paoloni ’74, were invited to participate in pre-game ceremonies. DeMont and Paoloni made the long trek from Colorado and Florida, respectively, to be on hand for the event.
“Wittenberg University had the best winning percentage in all of college football in the 1960s and finished 9-0 in 1970, but in the ’71 and ’72 seasons we were only 5-4 each year,” said DeMont, who led the Tigers in interceptions in both 1972 and 1973 and was rewarded with Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Defensive Player of the Year honors as a senior. “I felt like we needed to take a step toward the success of the previous teams.
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“We got off to a good start and it grew. Great coaching, total commitment to teamwork, no interest in individual accomplishments, and a great focus on the task ahead. We had incredible contributions from our junior, sophomore, and freshman classes.”
Led by future College Football Hall of Fame head coach Dave Maurer, all three 1973 team captains point to that team-first mentality as a key to achieving their historic feat. The captains all mentioned contributions from assistant coaches, including Ron Murphy, Bob Rosencrans, and Dick Fahrney, and even an unsung hero like Ron Sortman ’72, a computer engineer who analyzed details about opposing team tendencies long before it became customary to gather that information.
“My favorite memories of the ’73 season are of the way our team came together and won as a team,” said Paoloni, an all-conference defensive lineman who ranked third on the team in tackles in 1973 and was inducted into Wittenberg’s Athletics Hall of Honor in 2022. “There were some great players on the team, but they never put themselves above the team. Our coaches put each of us in position to be successful.”
Wittenberg was ranked in the national polls through most of the 1973 season, thanks to a dominating run through the regular season and a 35-7 win over Marietta in the OAC championship game. Just four teams were selected to participate in the first-ever NCAA Division III Tournament, and Wittenberg made history with a thrilling 21-14 home win over San Diego in the semifinals and a convincing 41-0 victory over Juniata in the title game on December 8, 1973, in Phenix City, Alabama.
Drongowski added, “The results exceeded our expectations. It was truly a milestone in hindsight. John, Steve, and I are proud but humbled to represent Wittenberg University and our 1973 undefeated national championship team.”
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After winning the title game in such lopsided fashion, which Paoloni summed up by saying “we couldn’t do anything wrong in that game,” the team was welcomed by a large crowd at the airport when they returned to Ohio. Everyone involved could feel the Wittenberg tradition at that moment, even if it has taken 50 years to truly appreciate the experience.
“I really didn’t think what we did, winning the first NCAA Division III national championship, was a big deal at the time,” Paoloni said. “Now, I realize the gravity of that event. When people ask me about it, I always hear that you were one of a few teams in the country to accomplish that. There is no question it built my confidence to be successful in my business career, as well as, my raising my family.”
The Fincham Era (1996-Present)
Current head coach Joe Fincham took over in 1996. He has compiled a record of 224-51, and his teams have won eight NCAC championships and appeared eight times in the NCAA Division III football championship.
The 1998 Season
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.
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.
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.
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.
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, 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), also listen to Tiger games on the Internet from their home in Johnson City, Tenn. when they cannot travel to the game.
The Future of Tiger Football
“There is still an awful lot of work that has to be done,” Fincham 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.
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