1993 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON

Perfect!

That's the only way to describe Mount Union College's football performance in '93.

The Raiders (14-0), picked by numerous pre-season national publications to win the National Championship, lived up to their pre-season billing by winning a third Ohio Athletic Conference Championship in the last four years en route to a Division III National Title.

How dominant were the Raiders?

During the regular season, Mount Union never trailed in the second half of play. The first team offense scored on 56 percent of its possessions, while during one stretch, the first-team defense went 15 quarters without giving up a point.

A 42-0 season-opening road win at Adrian College (Mich.) was followed by a 49-21 home victory over Muskingum College and a 37-0 blanking at Marietta College.

The Raiders took no prisoners in their next three games against the three top contenders in the OAC.

What was billed as the Division III game of the year turned out to be a one-sided affair as Mount Union rolled over Baldwin-Wallace, 35-7, in front of a sell-out crowd of 8,750 at Finnie Stadium in Berea.

The Raider defense stole the show in week 5, as Mount Union pleased a Homecoming crowd with a 21-0 blanking of John Carroll University.

Two undefeated teams met in Tiffin, Ohio, midway through the regular season. The Purple & White took sole possession of first place in the OAC with a 24-7 win over the Student Princes of Heidelberg College.

The next three weeks produced a 49-7 home win over Ohio Northern University, a 49-0 road victory over Otterbein College, and a 66-23 win at Capital University.

The Raiders earned the opportunity to play in the post-season with a 50-0 home victory against Hiram College in the regular season finale.

The win marked the Raiders' third undefeated season in the past four years and extended their home OAC unbeaten streak to 37 games dating back to November of 1984. The Purple and White also extended their regular season win streak to 25.

The Raiders opened the playoffs with a convincing 40-7 home win over Allegheny College (PA) behind Jim Ballard's five touchdown passes.

The Raiders entertained Albion College (Mich.) in the second round of post-season play. Before the game, Albion head coach Pete Schmidt called the Raiders "the best team I've seen in 23 years of coaching."

However, Schmidt's team responded to the challenge and had the Raiders down, 16-14, midway in the third quarter before QB Jim Ballard hooked up with WR Ed Bubonics for a 52-yard touchdown pass to put Mount Union up for good. Mount Union would cap the scoring with a fourth quarter touchdown run by Jim Gresko to make the final, 30-16.

The third quarter two-point deficit was the first time Mount Union trailed in the second half all season long.

"The touchdown pass to Bubonics was the key play of the game as far as I'm concerned," said Raider head coach Larry Kehres. "We needed a big play and Bubonics provided it for us."

The Division III semi-final was expected to showcase the best quarterbacks in Division III in Mount Union's Ballard and St. John's University's (MN) Willie Seiler.

It turned out to be a one-man show.

Ballard threw an NCAA playoff record eight touchdown passes and the Raider defense held the nation's all-time highest scoring offense to just 106 yards on the day and just one score.

Mount Union coasted to a 56-8 victory on the rained-drenched turf of Mount Union Stadium.

"I've been coaching for about 100 years and I learn something every day," said Johnnies, mentor John Gagliardi, who has a 306-96-10 career record.
"Today I learned that Ohio football is damn good. And Mount Union is the best I've seen. I can't see anyone beating them.

The win propelled Mount Union to its first ever appearance in the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl on December 11 in Salem, Virginia, against Rowan College (11-1) of New Jersey.

Previously, the Raiders had made four trips to the Division III playoffs, losing each time to the eventual National Champion ('85, '86, '90, '92). Playing in frigid conditions and wind gusts of 30 miles an hour, the Raiders trailed, 24-21, entering the final stanza. The deficit marked the first time the Purple & White trailed entering the final quarter.

In the final frame, Mount Union put together a pair of championship caliber drives en route to a 34-24 win over the Profs in front of 7,304 fans who packed Salem Stadium.

"Give them credit, Mount Union made the plays when they had to in the fourth quarter," said Profs' head coach K. C. Keeler. "Mount Union is deserving of the National Title."

"This is a great win for everyone associated with our College," Kehres said.