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GRINNELL, Iowa – History was made on a sunny and chilly Saturday afternoon at Grinnell College's Rosenbloom Field.
Linebacker Ryan Slager '19 (Orland Park, Ill./Amos Alonzo Stagg) shattered the NCAA Division III record for tackles in a career during the Pioneers' 24-0 loss to Lake Forest College.
Slager recorded 18 stops in the game, boosting his career total to 561 and passing the previous mark of 545 held by Luther College's Kyle McGivney from 2008-11. Slager is currently ranked third for tackles among all levels of NCAA. The overall leader is Connor Harris of D-II Lindenwood (Mo.) with 633.
Slager, the D-III national tackles leader the past two seasons, made quick work of the record. Needing just two to tie, he made one stop on Lake Forest's first series and then recorded a combo tackle with Jeff Keele '19 on the Foresters' second possession. Two plays later, with 6:34 left in the first period, Slager combined with Jelani McCray '21 in stopping Lake Forest short on a fourth-down play deep in Grinnell territory.
The contest was stopped momentarily as Grinnell head coach Jeff Pedersen '02 and defensive coordinator Jason Martinez presented Slager with a football commemorating the occasion.