Fullback Raymar Hampshire takes on the Allegheny defense.
Setting the Scene:
The Wittenberg University Tigers had another great season in 2002, finishing with a regular season record of 9-1 overall and 6-1 in the North Coast Athletic Conference, which was good for second place behind first-time champion Wabash College. The Tigers advanced to the NCAA Division III Playoffs for a fifth consecutive year despite missing out on a sixth straight conference championship. In the postseason, Wittenberg played a pair of thrilling games, defeating Hanover 34-33 on the road on Nov. 23 before falling to Wabash 25-14 on the road on Nov. 30.
While the season ended short of its ultimate goal, the Tigers have much to be proud of. The 10-2 overall record extended Wittenberg's streak of 10-win seasons to five straight and 11 overall since postseason games began in 1969. The win over Hanover was the Tigers' fifth straight first-round NCAA Division III Playoff victory, and the senior class wound up with a 44-6 overall record, one of the greatest overall marks for a graduating class in school history. In addition, numerous individual and team records were broken, particularly on the offensive side of the ball.
The Rankings:
Wittenberg opened the 2002 season at No. 4 in the first American Football Coaches Association poll. The Tigers fell to 16th following the regular season loss to Wabash and eventually worked their way back to 10th. Don Hansen's National Football Gazette ranked the Tigers No. 9 in its final poll.
Super Seniors:
The Senior Class of 2003 wound up as one of the greatest in Wittenberg history, finishing with records of 44-6 overall, 26-1 in the NCAC and 38-2 in the regular season record.
The 2003 Senior Class included: quarterback Greg Cornett (Franklin, Ohio/Franklin), running backs Trent Coffman (Springfield, Ohio/Northeastern),Jason Stephan (Brookville, Ohio/Brookville) and Daniel Grove (Uhrichsville, Ohio/Claymont), offensive linemen Tony Banich (Indianapolis, Ind./Ben Davis)and Adam McClain (Danville, Ind./Community), wide receivers Tim Horn (Cincinnati, Ohio/McNicholas), Adrian Crane (Indianapolis, Ind./Ben Davis), Jon Mulvihill (Blanchester, Ohio/Blanchester) and Josh McCoy (Wooster, Ohio/Wooster), tight end Erich Schoeneberger (Pittsburgh, Pa./Plum), defensive linemen Allen D'Andrea (Naples, Fla./Barron Collier), Lloyd Hudson (Cincinnati, Ohio/Sycamore) and Jim Lackmeyer (Cincinnati, Ohio/Purcell Marian), linebackers Andy Pope (Hamilton, Ohio/Lakota East), Dustin Goldsbury (Columbus, Ohio/Ready), Gary George (Cincinnati, Ohio/Purcell Marian) andRyan Gresham (Columbus, Ohio/Eastmoor) and defensive backs John Hauser (Columbus, Ohio/Bishop Hartley), Geoffrey Moorehead (Columbus, Ohio/East),DeAron Long (Dayton, Ohio/Belmont), Dane Dudley (West Chester, Ohio/Lakota East) and Andy Waddle (Springfield, Ohio/Greenon).
Safety Andy Waddle makes a tackle.
All-NCAC:
Wittenberg placed 16 players on the All-NCAC awards lists.
Senior linebacker Dustin Goldsbury was named first-team All-NCAC for the fourth time in his career after he recorded 90 tackles, including 12.5 for a loss, and a team-leading three interceptions. Senior linebacker Andy Pope and senior defensive back John Hauser were both awarded first-team All-NCAC for the third consecutive year. Also repeating as All-NCAC selections were senior tailback Daniel Grove and junior offensive lineman Chad Thompson.
Other Tiger first-teamers were senior defensive ends Allen D'Andrea and Jim Lackmeyer, sophomore offensive tackle Brad Kassner (Circleville, Ohio/Circleville) and junior wide receiver Skip Ivery (Columbus, Ohio/Groveport-Madison).
Second-team choices included senior quarterback Greg Cornett, senior offensive tackle Tony Banich, senior center Adam McClain, senior safety Andy Waddle and senior linebacker Ryan Gresham. Earning Honorable Mention were senior defensive tackle Lloyd Hudson and sophomore fullback Raymar Hampshire (Lima, Ohio/Elida).
In addition, five Tigers earned all-region honors. Thompson, Goldsbury and Hauser all were second-team choices and Grove and Ivery made third-team All-North Region.
All-Academic:
Wittenberg placed two student-athletes on the Verizon Academic All-District IV College Division Football Team. Junior wide receiver Skip Ivery was named to the first team and junior offensive guard Chad Thompson earned second team honors. It was the first time either player had garnered such academic honors.
Record-Setters:
For the first time ever, the NCAA is recognizing playoff games as part of official game, season and career records. That means that Wittenberg played two more games in 2002 than ever before, statistically speaking. Wittenberg averaged 44.4 points per game in the 2002 season, and the Tigers broke the school and conference record for points in a regular season with 485 (533 including two playoff games). The previous record was 473 set in 1997. In addition, the Tigers broke the school and conference records for points after touchdowns with 63, breaking the previous mark of 56.
Greg Cornett finished the regular season with 142 completions in 222 attempts for 1,986 yards and 16 touchdowns, eclipsing the school record for completions in a season and pushing him to No. 2 in passing yards in a season. Adding in the playoffs, Cornett wound up with school record totals of 283 attempts, 178 completions and 2,464 passing yards. For his career, Cornett finished with 4,336 passing yards, 318 completions and 515 attempts, ranking him second, second and third on the respective school record lists. In addition, Cornett set school records for completion percentage in a season (62.9) and a career (61.7).
Daniel Grove put together another fantastic season, rushing for 1,119 yards and 17 touchdowns on 177 carries in just eight games. He missed four games due to a foot injury. That season yardage total ranks ninth on the school's rushing list. His career totals are 506 carries for 3,061 yards and 48 touchdowns, which rank seventh, sixth and second respectively.
Skip Ivery, the NCAC leader in receiving yards per game, grabbed 50 passes in the 2002 regular season, the fourth-best single season total in Wittenberg history, right behind the 52 receptions that freshman Jered Glover (Middletown, Ohio/Middletown) posted in 2002. The season record is 54. For his career, Ivery is now No. 8 in school history in receptions with 88.
The Coach:
Joe Fincham ends his seventh year guiding the Tigers with a 73-9 overall record. Fincham is 66-4 in regular season games, 48-3 against NCAC foes and 7-5 in NCAA Division III Playoffs.