Augustana College - Rockety I Yearbook (Rock Island, IL)

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players recruited by Reade. He is from h'tinais, as are at! but five at his 47 teammates twha hart train toway. Although some Diw'sioh 17A and MA schools expressed interest in his athletic ahitities. none at tered a schetarshrh. Had they, he would stilt have declined t was ioohing tor a piece where academies came first and there wasn't the yearrronnd pressure at faethah', Thomsen said. i taihed to friends piaying at Division ischnais, and they have a spring practice and Sunday meetings. Heck, i want Sundays tar rnyser't It was the Division iii phitosaphy that also attract- ed Reade. 't-iere, we work taethait around the aca- demics, he said. it a hid has a tab during practice. he goes to the tab. The most important thing is to get a degree. There are no athletic schaiarshhos in Division hi, and Ahgustana players receive no special treatment. The Wkings do not have a training tahie or format weightlifting program, and untitre teams at terger thn'S. they practice at the same grass field on which they play, E richsen Field. the y give you a set ntgrays - shirt and shorts - and that's about it, said Thomsen. People ash me what kinds of shoes ahr players wear, and i teti them, Where ver we want. Because we hay them ourseivesl Thomseh said that although he and his teammates are proud of their streak, they spend little time dwehing on it. And Reade, who was named ceech ot the year in Divrsian ttt hy the American Faothatt Coaches Association in 1983 and 1.984, rarety nrene tions it. The only time it's discussed is when the media discusses it, he said Those occasions, said Dave Wrath, the Ahgustana sparts-intermatian directar, were rare. We seem to he an afterthought, he said. The year we won aur first Stegg Bawt was the year h'tirrois went to the Rose Bowl. the Go verhor in w'ted the tttini and South- ern titinors and Northern hiinais, which had also been to howls, to visit him that January. We weren't invited untii May. heade is not surprised by the tack of media attention or the fact that the 3,500-seat stadium is het always tuit thwa City, home at Rose Eowt-hounrt town, is less than 1'00 mites to the west. 'That's Division hi. Reade saint You are not going to watch Waukesha, Wis, ptay baseball when you can see the Cubs, even it the Cubs are losing. Fm first Jikappointed that it's going to he a htgger story this Saturday it we lose instead of win. it's a great story win at inse. NEW YORK NMES aunt AUGUSTANA BREEZE? TD 3RD PERFECT YEAR 1215-85 The Augustaha Cottage teothait htayers don't can- sider it an instnt if you call them simple, unimagina- twe or plain. What they are is plain awesome. they've been simphr perfect for three years, and they have accom- plished more than anyone could he he imagined hactr In 1975' when coach Bah Reade took over the pro- gram. Ahgustana defeated tthaca 0er Cottage 20-? Sat- urday in the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl to wan an unprecedented third straight NCAA Division tit nation- at championship the fast time the Ih'irings were in Phenix City is the test time they test a game. That was in 1982 when they teit 14-0 to West Georgia in the Stage Bowl. This a little more speciai than the first two, j'said Reade, because no team has won three in a row before. And its special because we ha yen't inst very many games, but we test one here, so it's hind at special to come hack and win here. We beat a very strong tnotheh' team today There was a tot at hitting it was physicat We had to play weft, and ohviousiy we did play weh' today. That's as effusive as Reade generahy gets. His offense is as conservative and inw-hey as he is. it atse has been devastahhghi ettectwe. That's ane at the most basic nttenses r ve ever seen, said tthaca'shti-Arnerica linebacker, Tim Tor- rey. But they run it hani they came straight at you and they do it welt. They're not fancy, but they're powerful. It was a typicathugustana victory. the Whings ran the hall 73 times for 265' yards. Junior running hath Brad Price had 125 at those yards on 2? carries; pushing him over the 1,000 math for the second consecutive year. 'Tveryane probably dreams of ptayihg Division i football. 'h he said. it's more giamhrnrrs and att, but not nrany taethatt prayers can say they've won three national championshhas, so you won't see us cam-' piaining. We don't throw a tat of things at people. We work an thndamentets and try to get ah' 11 men to do their job on every play. The lhhings, who finished 13-0, have huht the nation's iangest Winning streak t3? games using primariiy a wtng-T offense. But this no weltui attense takes a back seat to the defense. Going into the Stage Bowl, the Wkings had given up only tour touchdowns in their last seven games, They didn 1t gi me up one Saturday until there were nine minutes tett in the game and they were teadmg 201?. tthaca quarterback Mike Middaugh threw a 22- yard touchdown pass to him Lynch to ruin Angie's shutout It was a little disappointing to have the shhtoht taken away, said Viking defensive back Kevin Cintei at Harrington. Enriet had two at the Whings' three interceptions. We were starting to give them a little too much at a cushion and they cemeteted a few passes. But to win a third time, you have to he happy with that. The Augustana defense hetd ithm to 68 yards

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Central of laws 14-7 Saturday in Rock isiand, fit. The Whihgs 012-01 have worn 36 straightgahies and wit be trying for their third consecutive national titie when they face ithaea next Saturday in Phenix City, Ate. fthaca itt-U heat Gettysburg 01-1-11 34-0 Saturday. Before the game, we thaught our defense meld canirei Centrai, H Said Augie coach Bah Reade, We took away their ground game, which is what they do best. in the end, the Vikings aisa that: away the Fhring Dutchman's passing attach. Hh'th Central t 11-1 J on the Augustaha 15, free saiety Mitre Gra y intercepted a heilhach option pass by Craig Hagen in the end zone with 1 minute 29 seconds left. Our goal was to piay in the Stag anf again, Reade said Augustana's Brad Price ohenehr the scaring with a Hard run in the first quarter. The touchdown was set up b y a fumble reco very by defensive end Rahart Waairia'ge at the Centraf 21. Anather fumhfe recovery gave Augie its second touchdown. Price last the half at the Central 1, hut techie ieff Midday recovered in the end zone with just 15 seconds iett in the first heft. The hhgustaha defense dominated the first hath Centraf ditfn 1t he re a first down rftiring the first 30 minutes. Hagen's t-yard run with 3:06 tett in the third quarter cut the Wings 1930' to T points. We piayea' weii enough to win, said Centraf coach Ron Schrpper, whose team gained 72 yards rushing and 203 averaii. i ieit we had a fegitimate shot this year, but they were the better team today. Augustana heat Centrai 21-12 iast year in the titie garnet Shane McCormick rushed for 115 yards Of! It carries to lead the Augustana ground game, which gained 213 of the Whingst 246 total yards. Augie fed in time 01 possession 3E0? to 21:53. CHICAGD TRIBUNE Mm WINNING i5 ACADEMIC M AUGUS TANA 12-14-85 Shartiy after practice eariier this week, Lynn Thomsen, Augustana Cottages afi-eonierence defen- sive tackle, tried to explain how his ciassmates feet about their football team. 'iS'DIne of them are reef big fans, he said. But others tell me, 'f Dontt want to go to the game. You're just gonna win again. ' Thomsen, a junior majoring in psychology. atmost understands how they feet. Augustana, a iiherai arts cofiege of 2,200 students in Roch island! ill. just across the Mississrhpi iiiver from Davenport, iawa, has pfayed 36 times since he arrived. And it has wen 1 each game. included are victories in the fest two Amos Atanza Stagg Bewis, the super how! at Division iii. Today, the Wings wiif try to win their third consecutive natianaf championship when they play iihaea in Pherthi City, hia. Said Thamsen, 'tSametimesi think, 'ifaiy cow. 'hty fast year in high schoai were were 3-5, and i only dreamed of making the pieyatfs Now they've he- come part at the season. Even the Stagg Bawf has become part at the season. A friend told me that i could he the first gu y in history to win tour nationat eharnpianshhvs. i can't realty grasp that. Thamseh's coach. Bah Reade, is no stranger to streaks. As a high school coach in Genesea, tit, he ted his teams to 52 cansecutive Victories and three consecutive state championshtns. Since he arrived at Augustana in 1979, his record is 58-8 going into todayis game. Augustana, which piays in the Caiiege Conference at iiiinois and mscensih, has won 49 reguiar-seasen games in a row since a midseasen toss to North Central in 1981, and its iast toss aver aii was to West Georgia by 14-0 in the 1982 Stagg Bowl final. But despite such success, Reade admits that he, too, has a hard time grasping the possihih'ty of another championship. What we are doing is not easy, said Reade, who is 54 years aid. People don? reafize that it's just as difiiwtt to he Division iii champion as it is at any ather tevet We 're competing against schaofs at our caliber. it may even be a mere dithcuft chah'enge because there are more schaafs in Divistbn iii. hngnstana 's challenge became even more difficult this season when the starting quarterback, Kiri BeaL ear, suffered a hnee injury in the third game at the season and was inst for the remainder of the sched- uie. Taking his piece was Greg Wahace, a sophomore who did not even go out tor faathafi in 1984. Befnre its current streak, Augustana had attracted attention in toethait eniy hecaiise at its star graduate, Ken Anderson, the Cincinnati Bengais' quarterback. An- dersen, who graduated in 1.971, might not have thrived under the system Reade instituted Bednar threw hut16 passes hetore heinginjnred, and Wai- iace has thra wh but 56 times in the last nine games for 334 yards and tour touchdowns. Wetre a hah'wntroi team, said Reade. indeed: in a 354i victory over E imhurst this season, Augus- tana ran on each of its 66 plays. Two dozen dtiterent Wrings have carried the bait this season, and the team has rushed ior an average 310.9 yards 3 game, faurfh-hest in Dividisnh iii. The smaifest ot the baths is the best: Brad Price, a 5-taat-5-inch, 165-pouhd junior has netted 5'53 yards and nine touchdowns. That shutout was one at three h y a defense that during the regular season aiiewed its opponents uniy 4.7 points, 35.! rushing yards ann'149.1 totaiyanis a game. at! the hest in Divisthn iii. Anchoring the unit were the senior defensive back Mari tang, who has been named on afi-Ainerica teams her Divisian iii players. and Thornsen. Thamsen, a 6-2, 240-paunder, is typical of the

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rushing and 164 yards passing. Twice in the third quarter, the Bombers got the hat! inside the Angers- tana 30, once after a high snap on a pent and once after an Angustana tumble. Both times, the Angie defense held. The Wirings ted 12-0 at halftime scoring both touchdowns in the second quarter. They dominated the hrst quarter, attowfng the Bombers t 11 -2j to run onfy tour plays and gain first down. -CHIL'A00 TRIBUNE tum AUGUSTANA TAKES TITLE AND 32TH 1N ROW 12-15-35 Augustana overpowered Ithaca, 20-.7, today in the Ames Alonzo Stagg Bowl to win the National Colle- giate Athletic Association's wasthn 111 championshhz for an unprecedented rm consecutive season and extend cohege football's Iongest current winning streak. Nohoa'y's ever done that before, said Coach Bob Reade, whose Aogostana teams have fast anty two of their last 63games. That's why I'm so proud of our seniors. The Division 111 otayo fie, for smart eeh'eges that do not grant athletic scholarships, began h: 1923 and had been won twice by Mttenherg amt Widener but not censecnh'veh. The triumph was the Jith straight for Augustana, a cottage with 2,200 enrollment in Roch Island, 111. That winning streak is the taorth best ever among alt NCAA football teams. Okbhema won 41 straight from 1953-57: Missouri Valle y won 41 from 1941-40 Mshington won 39 from 1908-14; and Yale twice won 31 from 1302-89 and 1890-93 In regular seasons since midway through the 1901 schedote, Augustana has won 49 consecutive games. Aognstana was 13-0 this season, including four triumphs in the p13 yotts that began with 16 teams of the 204 in the division. In the NCAA. rating Augus- tana was No. 1 and Ithaca was No, 7. There wasn't any men about which one was the better team. h'rn Butterheto', the Ithaca coach, said They were not fancy. They came right at us and ran over us They were trigger armr faster and we coolant match up. lthaea's hnal recornr was 11-2. We were overachievers, said Bntterhefd. Ithaca, in the championshrb game for the hfth time since 1974 and the 1979 eharnprhn, was never a threat today. After Augestana scored within 12 seconds in the second quarter for a 12-0 hafftirne lead, the outcome was resolved. Ithaca's touchdown came late to the fourth quar- ter on a 22-yard pass from Mike Mfddaugh to 1hr: Lynch, Mrh'daugh, Ithaca's backup quarterback, tried to overcame a 21-0 deh'cit, but three of his passes were intereepted Angostanais eh'ense was ahnast aft power, mastty W - R-T. out of a winged! formation with donbte hght ends, and it netted 288 yards on 73' rashes. Augustana was led by Brad Pn'ce, the 5 toot 5 inch, 165 pound running back who was faster than any Ithaca player. Price gained 125 yards on 27 at the 73 rnshihg prays. Passmg was incidental to Augustana although its second of 11 attempts was good for a 23-yard touchdown the quarterback Greg Wahace to Erik: Welgat. The pass was a surprrke and no one covered Welgat. Before that came a 21 play, 8.7 yard drive that consumed 10 minutes. .411 the plays were runs, and Shane McCormfch, the fullback, scored from the 1 yard line. tthaca's Pete Minturn tumbled the fottowing hick- oft givingAngustana the hat! on the 23. Then came the touchdown pass on first down; Augustena insured the outcome early in the fourth quarter when Wallace scored on 3 51am run. The last time Angostana fast was here in the 1982 Stagg 80 wt to West Georgra, 14-0. A capacity crowd of .9, 000 saw that championshhr, but there were only 1819 in the stands today in the 30 degree weather chilled by a brisk wind from the north. -NE W YORK MES