3 NATIONAL TITLES 4 IN MONTHS

FOOTBALL: CHAMPIONS AGAIN

By car, bus and plane, thousands of North Central faithful traveled to Annapolis, Md., and poured into Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on Dec. 17, 2022, to cheer on their Cardinals. They left elated. In the program’s third consecutive Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl appearance, North Central beat the University of Mount Union, 28-21, to cap a perfect 15-0 season and win the team’s second NCAA Division III national championship.

At the helm was first-year head coach Brad Spencer ’04, in his 19th year on staff. At the post-game press conference, Spencer addressed more than just winning titles. He said: “I’m most proud of our coaching staff and our players believing in being All-American fathers, husbands and teammates and allowing themselves to compete for championships on and off the field.”

Season of Superlatives

• Fewest points allowed per game (6.7) of any DIII team.

• Held 11 of 15 opponents to single digits and completed five shutouts.

• Set a new all-time DIII single-season record for rushing yards (5,318).

• Ranked first nationally in scoring offense (52.4 points), scoring defense (6.7 points allowed) and total offense (541.5 yards) per game.

• During the title game, DeAngelo Hardy ’24 set a new record with his 94-yard touchdown — the longest scoring play in program history.

Ethan Greenfield ’22 won the Gagliardi Trophy, the premier individual award in DIII college football. He led the nation in rushing yards (1,997) for the third straight season and ranks fifth in DIII history, with 6,679 career yards. He is fourth all-time in touchdowns (95) and total points (570) and 10th in all-purpose yards (7,681).