1999 Around the Great Lakes columns

September 29, 2000 Bluffton's biggest tests ahead Heading into the final season of the 1900s, the Bluffton Beavers knew that they were on the cusp of a special season. With 29 letterwinners and 15 starters back from a 5-5 team that took Wabash to overtime, their 3-0 start in 1999 has surprised everyone except those within the program.

November 11, 1999 North Coast showdown Lay it all on the line. That's exactly what Wooster and Wittenberg will do when the two top teams in the NCAC meet this Saturday in Wooster. And while these type of games are old hat for Wittenberg, for Wooster it signifies a turning point in the program's history.

October 27, 1999 Brown has Sanders-like game "Somebody get that guy!" That's a cry often heard from the opposition's fans when the Olivet Comets take the field, and that "guy" is the Comet's diminutive tailback, junior Kris Brown. His slippery, effortless running style makes him a hard target for defenses to draw a bead. He's made more than his fair share of defensive players whiff on a tackle, especially this season.

October 8, 1999 An early look at the playoffs Well, now that everyone in the region has calmed down from last weekend's "Game of the Millennium," let's turn our regional attention to the not-so-clear playoff picture.

September 23, 1999 Defiance move leaves two conferences up in the air When Defiance College announced last spring that it would jump ship from the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association to join the Heartland Collegiate Athletics Conference, an immediate question was raised -- how would the MIAA retain its automatic bid?

September 7, 1999 Regional games top Week 2 The Blue Streaks found a way to win, as senior tailback Bobby Kraft scored on the opening kickoff on an 89-yard return, followed by senior Tom Rini's score on a 30-yard fumble return.

August 12, 1999 OAC begins new era While other schools and conferences in NCAA Division III football laud the new automatic qualifying principles, the Ohio Athletic Conference will most likely see its most competitive and deep group of teams in recent memory receive only one or two berths into the playoffs. But this should make for a most interesting season for fans of the most dominant Division III football conference this decade.

August 5, 1999 MIAA begins its second century Large numbers, high expectations and the new automatic qualifier were the major themes as the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association, America's oldest collegiate conference, kicked off its second century of college football with the 1999 Media Day, held at Olivet.