North Central (Ill.) athletics photo

By Adam Turer
D3sports.com

I was done.

My best friends and I and accomplished most of our goals and had a blast doing it. 

I was the only one still hungry to play more football, and was your prototypical D-III student-athlete. One of the top students on a top football program, the right size but the wrong speed. Thankfully, I followed my coach’s advice. He always told me to choose a university that I would want to attend even if football was taken away. Sound advice, and prescient. 

I was lucky enough to get into Washington and Lee, one of the several D-III programs that was also recruiting me to play football. After I committed, the assistant coach recruiting me left for another job. I got lost in the shuffle and was at peace with not playing college football (and not working out hard enough to continue playing). 

I thought I was done, but I wasn’t. 

Years before Pro Football Focus popularized how I spent my first semester of college, I was a work study student in the football coaches’ office, breaking down and charting game film by personnel, play type, and outcome. I saw the depth chart every day, and noticed an upcoming lack of depth at the safety positions. As fate would have it, the coaches recognized that same need. By January, I was in the weight room, officially a Generals football player. 

That led to more great friendships and great memories, the kind that can only be forged through the unique trials and tribulations that D-III football players experience. The seasons flew by, and just like that, my football playing days were over. 

I was done, again. 

But while I was in college, I discovered this website that had started just a few years prior to my enrollment. It was devoted to all things Division III football. It shined a light on my program, and the other 200-plus programs full of players playing for the love of the game. It became the homepage on my laptop, and I read every word.  I reached out to the gurus, Pat and Keith, and offered my contributions, if they would take them. It started with Kickoff previews, which led to Stagg Bowl coverage. Soon, I was an Around the Region (RIP) columnist, then inherited this hallowed space. 

I did it all for the love of the game. For the love of interviewing coaches who inspired me with their passion. I appreciated how they let me in to tell their stories, both on and off the field. I met players and gave them a space for their voices. There are thousands of D-III players, flying under the radar, putting in the hours of hard work without the benefit of a scholarship in return. I wanted to know what makes them tick, what makes them persevere through the ups and downs. 

But life gets in the way, as it so often does. As Keith explained in the opening letter in this year’s Kickoff, and as Pat explained in last week's Around the Nation podcast, it’s never easy to keep playing for the love of the game. 

I was done. 

I had already told friends, family, and coaches that my writing days were winding down after the 2018 season. Then, August came around. I received kind messages from coaches and even current players inquiring about my status and wishing me the best in whatever I decided to do. I was still on the fence, when I received a most serendipitous email over the Labor Day weekend. 

Todd Portune has been a local politician in my hometown for nearly as long as I can remember. His work ethic is unmatched, and an inspiration. I didn’t expect to receive an email from him about Division III football over a holiday weekend. 

It’s little surprise to anyone reading this that Portune can trace his will and perseverance to his time as a Division III student-athlete in track and football. He starred on both the track and football teams at Oberlin, and was inducted into the school’s athletic Hall of Fame in 1998. 

Our conversation began with a timely piece of trivia, especially popular in our hometown this week as the University of Cincinnati travels to Columbus to face The Ohio State University: what was the last in-state school to defeat the Buckeyes in football? 

If you’ve read this far, you’ve acquired a new bit of bar trivia to stump your friends and colleagues with. The mighty Yeomen of Oberlin College defeated Ohio State, 7-6, in 1921. 

Portune is emblematic of what Division III football coaches try to mold in their players. A man who can draw on his D-III experience later on in life and become a successful professional, father, and champion for others. Unless you’ve been through the process, you wouldn’t think that Oberlin College football could inspire a prominent politician in his battles against cancer or against powerful corporations in the courtroom. 

“We were mediocre at best when I played - but we played hard and worked hard at trying to succeed,” said Portune. “The friends and memories I made have lasted a lifetime and the lessons I learned have helped to guide me throughout my personal life and professional careers.”

This is why we keep coming back to D-III football and to D3football.com year after year. For the memories, for the stories, for the inspiration. For the unique bond that all D-III football players and coaches share. 

I was done. Then, I wasn’t.

Next Man Up

So what is this space going to be this year? That’s still to be determined. I won’t be writing two columns per week anymore. I’m going to try my best to write one, though. 

I’ll leave the feature stories to our other capable columnists and try to dive deep into some analysis beyond the weekend game recaps. I want to look at a team that had a big win, and explore how they won, and how the entire D-III season will experience the ripple effect from one big moment. 

That’s another beauty of college football. One play can turn the entire season on its head. If Jefferson Fritz doesn’t intercept Jackson Erdmann in the end zone in the closing minutes of the national quarterfinals, Mary Hardin-Baylor might not hoist the walnut and bronze trophy in front of the Cru’s home state fans two weeks later. How many times has that tipped pass gone through the St. John’s quarterback’s head this offseason? These are two of the top returning players in the country, and they will have plenty more chances to lead their teams on the biggest stage in Division III football. 

But there are also players at programs with little to no realistic Stagg Bowl aspirations who will have the opportunity to make a season-changing play this year. It might fly under the radar in the moment, but it will be the play his teammates talk about at wedding receptions and reunions in 10 or 15 years.

I’m hoping to shine some light on those memories now, while they’re still fresh. 

But I won’t be at many D-III games this season. One of the biggest stories this offseason was the vote to remove St. Thomas from the MIAC. The Tommies are still here in Division III for another two seasons and still have Stagg Bowl intentions, plus the talent to achieve that goal. But, in my part of the country, a similar story has already run its course. 

Thomas More is no longer a member of the PAC, or Division III. I might still check out a Saints game this year to see my friends on the coaching staff, but it won’t be the same. Thankfully, I have the Mount St. Joseph Lions across town, but my son and I can no longer make our annual TMU-MSJ #d3fb doubleheader whirlwind of a Saturday. 

In fact, I’ll be at a rare Division I football game this weekend. One of those cherished D-III memories I and many others share is our parents making the long journeys to our games, watching us play in front of sparse crowds in small stadiums with little to no fanfare. I’m sure some players can even remember distinctly hearing their mom or dad’s voice during a game. It’s not exactly the University of Alabama. With a capacity three times bigger than the most attended Division III game in history and about 50 times bigger than the type of games we’re used to seeing, Bryant-Denny Stadium is not our typical Saturday experience. But that’s where I will be this weekend.

My dad spent three seasons of Saturdays making the six-hour drive from Cincinnati to Lexington, Virginia to watch my teammates and I play. He attended nearly every road game, too. My mom was there for nearly all of the home games, as well. 

The post-game tailgate hosted by team parents was always something to look forward to, win or lose. Players, I hope you appreciate the efforts your parents put in to come watch you play. They do it for the love of the game, and the love of the child. Cherish it.

I thought it was fitting that for his 60th reunion year, I would take him back to his alma mater for a change. He graduated from Alabama in 1960 and hasn’t been back to campus since. It’s going to be weird, not having access to the press box or field level. It’s going to sound different, feel different, hit different. I don’t know if we’ll like it. I do know it will make us appreciate D-III football even more. 

I will miss following the action this weekend, but that’s where the #d3fb community comes in. Send me your favorite #d3fb moments from the weekend on Twitter, @adamturer. I want to know who made the play that will alter the course of his team’s season. 

If you’re a recently graduated journalism major with a passion for D-III football, let us know if you want to contribute to the site. I’m grateful for the opportunity to continue writing about Division III football for at least another season. I promise not to write about myself again for the rest of the year.