ATN Podcast 305: Early D-III powers bring coaches back to D-III

Posted on June 27, 2022 by Pat Coleman

Wittenberg played in the Stagg Bowl four times in the 1970s, winning two of them. One of those wins was against Ithaca, which played in four of the first eight Stagg Bowls and has played in seven overall, winning three of them. The teams even met in Stagg Bowl IV.

While this is not your father’s Wittenberg or Ithaca, these programs haven’t exactly gone away, either, and are still relevant. At least one is in the playoff hunt every year, it would seem. And each this year has a new head coach, which is why we tabbed Ithaca’s Michael Toerper and Wittenberg’s Jim Collins to join us on Podcast 305. This continues the series, now blatantly intentional, of offseason conversations with new coaches at Division III contenders, one started in Podcast 302 with North Central’s Brad Spencer.

We asked the listeners for suggestions as to which coach or coaches we should talk to next, and we also opened up the floor for listener questions. Pat and Greg tackle the following:

What team is likely to be a surprise playoff team in 2022?
How has the pandemic changed Division III football?
What’s more beneficial to a struggling program, playing a nine-game schedule or having a 10th against a juggernaut?

Some heavy questions, plus Greg finds out what’s on Pat’s Division III football bucket list. Pat Coleman and Greg Thomas talk about it all in the latest D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast. The D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast is a regular conversation covering the wide range of Division III football.

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D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast [ 1:01:55 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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Theme music: Power 2 by DJmentos.
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ATN Podcast 304: Mules in Spain; Meeting Peter Jennings

Posted on May 26, 2022 by Pat Coleman

We are under 100 days until the kickoff of the 2022 season and as the offseason continues, so does our series of conversations with new Division III coaches at nationally prominent schools. This month, we chat with Peter Jennings, who moved this spring from UW-Whitewater, where he was offensive coordinator, to become head coach at UW-Oshkosh. He talks about competing in the toughest league in Division III — and in the WIAC, that isn’t just coachspeak, it’s verifiable.

Before we get to him, though, we have a guest calling in from Barcelona, Spain. That’s where Muhlenberg was this week, playing a local club team and generally soaking up the atmosphere oceanside, seeing the sights, and learning some history. Nate Milne, the Mules head coach, sounds like a history teacher when he talks about the importance of taking his team on a foreign tour, and that’s for good reason.

Plus, Pat and Greg have some advice for someone who might go to Spain and not bring their spouse, Peter Jennings discusses the proper pronunciation of WIAC, and we answer listener questions: Which conference is most likely to suffer because of fewer at-large bids? Will a one-dimensional team ever win the national title again?

Pat Coleman and Greg Thomas talk about it all in the latest D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast. The D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast is a regular conversation covering the wide range of Division III football.

Hit play, or subscribe to get this podcast on your mobile device.

Full episode:

D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast [ 1:11:30 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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Theme music: Power 2 by DJmentos.
Photo: Muhlenberg football

ATN Podcast 302: Are the Purple Powers still at the top, plus, North Central’s new coach

Posted on March 24, 2022 by Pat Coleman

The podcast is back, as we start our 16th season here at the D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast, and we’re doing it this time around by going a little more in-depth and doing a deeper dive with one coach, in one conversation.

With that in mind, Pat Coleman stopped by in Naperville, Illinois, on a recent Division III basketball road trip and checked in on new North Central coach Brad Spencer. Spencer had been in the job for six weeks, but had only just moved into the head coach office a day and a half earlier. He and Pat talk about Spencer’s long relationship with North Central — not just as an assistant coach, not just as a player, but … as a bat boy? Plus, they talk about what makes the head coaching job different, what keeps him from getting his lunch eaten on a daily basis, getting to know the guys on the other side of the ball, etc.

Also, Pat and Greg borrowed a couple of “big picture” type questions which come from D3boards.com message board posters MUC57. Are the Purple Powers still on top in Division III? Why is the WIAC so good? You know, that sort of thing. Great offseason conversation and fodder. Plus, there’s just a small amount of basketball talk, as Pat and Greg recorded this episode while looking at each other during, as each was in Fort Wayne, Indiana, for the Division III men’s basketball Final Four.

Hit play, or subscribe to get this podcast on your mobile device.

Full episode:

D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast [ 1:06:58 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Here’s how to find us on some of the major podcasting apps:

Theme music: Power 2 by DJmentos.
Photo: North Central athletics

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