The 1998 Mount Union Purple Raiders football team was an American football team that represented the University of Mount Union in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) during the 1998 NCAA Division III football season. In their 13th year under head coach Larry Kehres, the Purple Raiders compiled a perfect 14–0 record, won the OAC championship, and outscored opponents by a total of 523 to 227. They qualified for the NCAA Division III playoffs and advanced to the national championship team, defeating Rowan, 44–24.[1]
| 1998 Mount Union Purple Raiders football | |
|---|---|
NCAA Division III champion OAC champion | |
Stagg Bowl, W 44–24 vs. Rowan | |
| Conference | Ohio Athletic Conference |
| Record | 14–0 (9–0 OAC) |
| Head coach |
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| Home stadium | Mount Union Stadium |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mount Union $^ | 9 | – | 0 | 14 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Baldwin–Wallace | 8 | – | 1 | 8 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| John Carroll | 7 | – | 2 | 8 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ohio Northern | 6 | – | 3 | 7 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Marietta | 5 | – | 4 | 6 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Muskingum | 4 | – | 5 | 5 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Otterbein | 3 | – | 6 | 4 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Heidelberg | 2 | – | 7 | 2 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hiram | 1 | – | 8 | 2 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Capital | 0 | – | 9 | 1 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Mount Union's 1997 season was part of a record 54-game winning streak that spanned four seasons, commencing on September 14, 1996 and continuing through December 6, 1998. The national championship was the third in three years and the fourth in six years.[2]
Quarterback Gary Smeck and receiver Adam Marino led the team on offense.
The team played its home games at Mount Union Stadium in Alliance, Ohio.
Schedule
edit| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance | Source | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 12 | at Albion* |
| W 38–24 | [3] | |||
| September 19 | Hiram |
| W 58–0 | ||||
| September 26 | at Ohio Northern | Ada, OH | W 42–37 | ||||
| October 3 | John Carroll |
| W 21–14 | [4] | |||
| October 10 | Heidelberg |
| W 40–17 | ||||
| October 17 | at Otterbein | Westerville, OH | W 38–7 | ||||
| October 24 | Marietta |
| W 41–6 | 2,963 | |||
| October 31 | Capital |
| W 58–7 | ||||
| November 7 | Muskingum |
| W 37–3 | ||||
| November 14 | at Baldwin–Wallace |
| W 30–21 | ||||
| November 21 | Albion* |
| W 21–19 | ||||
| November 28 | Wittenberg* |
| W 21–19 | 5,069 | |||
| December 5 | Trinity (TX)* |
| W 34–29 | ||||
| December 12 | vs. Rowan* | W 44–24 | 5,145 | [2] | |||
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References
edit- ^ "1998 Football". University of Mount Union. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
- ^ a b "Stagg Bowl Eludes Rowan". Herald & News. December 13, 1998. p. E7 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Mount Union blasts Britons, 38-24". Battle Creek Enquirer. September 13, 1998. p. 4D – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Purple Raiders double-cross Blue Streaks". The Akron Beacon Journal. October 4, 1998. p. D9 – via Newspapers.com.